Ms. Soles Social Studies Lesson 25 South America: Paraguay

Where in the world is Paraguay?

Flag of Paraguay

Let’s learn the following about Paraguay: 1)Physical Characteristics 2)History 3)Government 4)Economy 5)People and Culture 6)Plants and Animals

Facts About Paraguay Name: Paraguay (long form) Republic of Paraguay Capital City: Asuncion (680,250 pop.) (2,164,316 metro) Paraguay Population: 6,460,000 ( 2010 est. ) Currency: Paraguay GuaraniCurrency:

Ethnicity: Mestizo (mixed Spanish and Amerindian) 95%, other 5% GDP per capita: $4,900 ( 2010 est ) Language: Spanish (official), Guarani (official) Largest Cities: ( by population ) Asuncion, San Lorenzo, Capiata, Lambare, Fernando de la Mora, Limpio, Nemby

Name: The official name is a compound phrase of a few Guaraní words. The literal translation contains three words. First, Para which means "of many varieties". Second, Gua which means "belonging to or place". Third, Y which means "water, river or lake".

National Day: May 15 Religion: Roman Catholic 89.6%, Protestant 6.2%, other Christian 1.1%, other or unspecified 1.9%, none 1.1%

Cities/Towns in Paraguay

Asunción, the capital of Paraguay

Physical Characteristics

Land Area: ( land ) 153,398 sq miles (397,300 sq km) ( water ) 3,659 sq miles (9,450 sq km) ( TOTAL ) 157,057 sq miles (406,750 sq km)

Land Divisions: 17 departments and 1 capital city Horizontal Width: 680 km (422 miles) Vertical Length: 667 km (414 miles)

Paraguay’s 17 Departments

Paraguay is landlocked and crisscrossed by many rivers. The three largest - the Paraguay, Parana and Pilcomayo - form over 75% of the country's borders.

Two major regions divide the country; the Paranena, east of the Paraquay River, is a fertile, cultivated landscape, with rolling hills, low mountains and subtropical forests.

Rich landscape of Paraguay on the Brazilian border

The following video will give you another look at a natural wonder shared by two other countries we have visited: deo.aspx?VideoID=9958&Categor yID=1694

To the west of the Paraguay River, the hot scrub lands and low plains of the Chaco cover about 60% of Paraguay's total land area. Chaco plains cleared for cattle grazing

A view of the Pantanal in Paraguay

Climate of Paraguay The local climate ranges from subtropical to temperate, with substantial rainfall in the eastern portions, though becoming semi- arid in the far west.climate subtropicaltemperate

History: Pre-Columbian Pre-Columbian society in the wooded, fertile region which is now present-day Paraguay consisted of seminomadic tribes, who were recognized for their fierce warrior traditions. These indigenous tribes were members of five distinct language families, and 17 separate groups still remain today.

Colonial Period EuropeansEuropeans first arrived in the area in the early sixteenth century, and the settlement of Asunción was founded on August 15, 1537, by the Spanish explorer Juan de Salazar de Espinosa.Juan de Salazar de Espinosa

The city eventually became the center of a Spanish colonial province, as well as a primary site of the Jesuit missions and settlements in South America in the eighteenth century. Jesuit Reductions were founded and flourished in eastern Paraguay for about 150 years until the expulsion of the Jesuits by the Spanish crown in 1767.Spanish colonial provinceJesuit Reductions

Paraguay overthrew the local Spanish administration on May 15, They became independent from Spain, but the relation with Buenos Aires was limited to a non- aggression pact; Paraguayan independence from Argentina was declared in 1842.non- aggression pact

Wars Fought after Independence Paraguay fought the War of the Triple Alliance against Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, and was defeated in 1870 after five years of the bloodiest war in South America. According to W. D. Rubinstein,War of the Triple AllianceBrazil ArgentinaUruguaySouth America

“The normal estimate is that of Paraguayan population, of somewhere between 450,000 to 900,00, only 221,000 survived the war, of whom only 28,000 were adult males.“ Paraguay also suffered extensive territorial losses to Brazil and Argentina.BrazilArgentina

20 th century The Chaco War was fought with Bolivia in the 1930s, and Bolivia was defeated. Paraguay re- established sovereignty over the region called the Chaco, but forfeited additional territorial gains as a price of peace.Chaco WarChaco

A Century of Unstable Government Between 1904 and 1954, Paraguay had thirty-one presidents, most of whom were removed from office by force.

From 1954 to 1989, the country was ruled by Alfredo Stroessner and the Colorado party. The dictator oversaw an era of economic expansion, but at the cost of a poor human rights and environmental record (see "Political History").Alfredo Stroessner

Torture and death for political opponents was routine. After his overthrow, the Colorado continued to dominate national politics until 2008.

Government Today Paraguay is a representative democratic republic, with a multi- party system and separation of powers in three branches. Executive power is exercised solely by the President, who is both head of state and head of government;representative democraticrepublicmulti- party systemseparation of powers Executive powerPresident head of statehead of government

Economy of Paraguay Agriculture dominates the economy, but unequal land distribution has resulted in a large class of peasant farm laborers

Farm in Paraguay

Cattle on cleared land in the Chaco Chaco

Main Exports: Soybeans, feed, cotton, meat, edible oils, electricity, wood, leather

In recent years, the economy has grown as a result of increased agricultural exports, especially soybeans. More about the soybean: s s

Paraguay has the economic advantages of a young population and vast hydroelectric power but has few very bad mineral resources, and political instability has undercut some of the economic advantages present.

Paraguay relies almost solely on hydroelectric power to meet its energy needs Hydroelectric the Itaipú

The People and Their Culture Paraguay population density (people per km2)

More recent data (2009) show that 35% of the Paraguayan population is poor, 19% of which live in extreme poverty. Moreover, 71% of the later live in rural areas of the country.

ParaguayansParaguayans' cultural ancestry can be traced to the extensive intermarriage between the original male Spanish settlers and female indigenous Guaraní brides. intermarriageGuaraní

Paraguayan culture therefore is a fusion of two things cultures and traditions: one European, the other Southern Guaraní. More than 93% of Paraguayans are mestizos, and this makes Paraguay one of the most homogeneous countries in Latin America.mestizos

Guarani Youth

A characteristic of this cultural fusion is the extensive bilingualism present to this day: more than 80% of Paraguayans speak both Spanish and the indigenous language, Guaraní. Jopara, the mixture of Guaraní and Spanish, is also widely spoken. SpanishGuaraníJopara

This cultural fusion is expressed in arts such as embroidery ( ao po'í ) and lace making ( ñandutí ). The music of Paraguay, which consists of lilting polkas, bouncy galopas, and languid guaranías is played on the native harp.lace making music of Paraguayguaranías

Ñandutí Lace from Asunción Paraguay

Several popular dishes contain manioc, a local staple crop similar to the yuca root found in the Southwestern United States and Mexico, as well as other indigenous ingredients. A popular dish is sopa paraguaya, similar to a thick corn bread. manioc Southwestern United States Mexicocorn bread

Another notable food is chipa, a bagel-like bread made from cornmeal, manioc, and cheese. Many other dishes consist of different kinds of cheeses, onions, bell peppers, cottage cheese, cornmeal, milk, seasonings, butter, eggs and fresh corn kernels. bagel cornmeal

Social life revolves largely around an extended family of parents, children and blood relations as well as godparents. The Paraguayans' chief loyalty is to their family, and it, in turn, is their haven and support.extended familyparentsgodparents

Family interests determine to a large extent which political party they will join, to whom they will marry, what sort of job they will get.

A Quick Glimpse at Nature in Paraguay!

The animal diversity plays a major role in the equilibrium of ecosystems, there are species of vertebrates and fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, invertebrates, shellfish and shellfish or insects.vertebratesfish amphibiansreptilesbirds mammalsinvertebratesshellfish insects

The species of wildlife threatened with extinction are: Jaguar, yaguareté, tapirs, mboreví, bird bell, red parrot, harpy eagle or Taguato, anteater or jurumí, giant armadillo or tatú cart, lies and others.Jaguar yaguaretétapirsmborevíbird bellred parrotharpy eagleanteatergiant armadillo

It’s time to leave Paraguay, we’re off to see another fantastic country in South America! Can you guess which one? Hints: It shares that huge and famous lake that we visited. There are many Incan ruins to visit there! Good-bye for now!

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