Paragúáì (US /pɛərəɡw/, UK /pærəɡw/), officially the Republic of Paraguay (Spánì: [República del Paraguay] error: {{lang}}: text has italic markup (help) [reˈpuβlika ðel paɾaˈɣwai], Guaraní: Tetã Paraguái [teˈtã paɾaˈɣwaj]), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the country from north to south. Due to its central location in South America, it is sometimes referred to as Corazón de América, or the Heart of America.[6]

Orílẹ̀-èdè Olọ́mìnira ilẹ̀ Paragúáì
Republic of Paraguay

República del Paraguay  (Spanish)
Tetã Paraguái  (Guarani)
Motto: Paz y justicia  (Híspánì)
"Peace and justice"
Orin ìyìn: Paraguayos, República o Muerte  (Híspánì)
"Paraguayans, Republic or Death"
Location of Paragúáì
Olùìlú
àti ìlú tótóbijùlọ
Asunción
Àwọn èdè ìṣẹ́ọbaSpanish
Guaraní[1][2]
Àwọn ẹ̀yà ènìyàn
(2000)
Mestizo (mixed European and Amerindian) ~80%
White (European) ~20%
unmixed Amerindian 1-3%
Asian 1-4%
black 1%
other 1-2.5%
Orúkọ aráàlúParaguayan
ÌjọbaUnitary presidential constitutional republic
• President
Federico Franco
Óscar Denis
AṣòfinCongress
Chamber of Senators
Chamber of Deputies
Independence 
from Spain
• Declared
14 May 1811
• Recognized
15 May 1811
Ìtóbi
• Total
406,752 km2 (157,048 sq mi) (60th)
• Omi (%)
2.3
Alábùgbé
• 2009 estimate
6,454,548 [3] (103rd)
• Ìdìmọ́ra
14.2/km2 (36.8/sq mi) (204th)
GDP (PPP)2011 estimate
• Total
$35.346 billion[4]
• Per capita
$5,412[4]
GDP (nominal)2011 estimate
• Total
$21.236 billion[4]
• Per capita
$3,252[4]
Gini (2008)50.8
high
HDI (2011) 0.665[5]
Error: Invalid HDI value · 107th
OwónínáGuaraní (PYG)
Ibi àkókòUTC-4
• Ìgbà oru (DST)
UTC-3
Ojúọ̀nà ọkọ́right
Àmì tẹlifóònù595
Internet TLD.py

The Guaraní have been living in Paraguay since before the arrival of Europeans in the 16th century, when Paraguay became part of the Spanish colonial empire. Following independence from Spain in 1811, Paraguay was ruled by a series of dictators who followed isolationist and protectionist policies. This development was truncated by the disastrous Paraguayan War (1864–1870) in which the country lost 60% to 70% of its population and large amounts of territory. During a large part of the 20th century, Paraguay was ruled by Alfredo Stroessner, who led one of South America's longest lived military dictatorships. In 1989 Stroessner was toppled and free elections were celebrated in 1993. In 1994 Paraguay joined Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay to found Mercosur.

As of 2009 the population was estimated at 6.3 million. The capital and largest city is Asunción. The official languages are Spanish and Guaraní, both being widely spoken in the country, with around 92% of the general population speaking Spanish and 98% speaking Guaraní.

Though it remains one of the region's poorest and least-developed countries, in 2010, Paraguay's economy grew by 14.5%, the largest economic expansion in Latin America, and the third fastest in the world after Qatar and Singapore.[7] By 2011, economic growth slowed but remained high, at 6.4%.[8]



  1. Paraguay – Constitution, Article 140 About Languages. International Constitutional Law Project. http://www.servat.unibe.ch/icl/pa00000_.html#A140_. Retrieved 2007-12-03  (see translator's note)
  2. "8 LIZCANO" (PDF). Convergencia.uaemex.mx. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-02-24. Retrieved 2012-10-05. 
  3. Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division (2009) (PDF). World Population Prospects, Table A.1. 2008 revision. United Nations. http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wpp2008/wpp2008_text_tables.pdf. Retrieved 2009-03-12. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Paraguay". International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 2012-04-20. 
  5. "Human Development Report 2011" (PDF). United Nations. 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2011. 
  6. "Paraguay, corazón de América (1961)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2012-10-05. 
  7. CIA <<GDP - Real Growth Rate Archived 2012-10-25 at the Wayback Machine.>> Accessed on 19 September 2011.
  8. "Paraguay". State.gov. 2012-03-15. Retrieved 2012-10-05.