Paraguay is a landlocked country in South America, northeast of Argentina, with borders with Bolivia and Brazil . Paraguay really is the forgotten country of Latin America, as very few people live there and very few people go there. The country is rich in natural resources: the world largest drinking water reservoir (Guarani Acquifer) is beneath its soil, the biggest hydroelectric producer -The Itaipú Dam- is in its border with Brasil. It's also a world top 5 exporter of soya bean, as well as a renowned producer of beef. Despite all this, many of its people live in poverty and it's very common to see beggars and vagabonds asking for money in Asuncion's corners. Many of its inhabitants accuse government of being corrupt and misleading the country for the last 60 years.
Understand
Colonized for 3 centuries by the Spanish, since the 1500s, Paraguay has managed to keep a lot of it indigenous character and identity. Nowadays, the mestizos (Spanish + Amerindian) account for more than 90% of the country's 6 million inhabitants and Guarani is, side by side with Spanish, the country's official language.
In the past, Franciscan and Jesuit missions mingled with the Guaranis' dream of Yvy maraë´y, a land without evil, and produced singular societies. The ruins of the Jesuit Missions of La Santisima Trinidad de Parana and Jesus de Tavarangue, UNESCO World Heritage sites, and several villages throughout the country, are witnesses to that peaceful past.
But Paraguay also has a history of blood and tears. In the disastrous War of the Triple Alliance (1865-70), waged by the allied forces of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay, the country lost two-thirds of all adult males and much of its territory. It stagnated economically for the next half century. In the Chaco War of 1932-35, large, economically important areas were won from Bolivia. The 35-year military dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner was overthrown in 1989, and, despite a marked increase in political infighting in recent years, democratic governors have been in power since then.
