History of Paraguay

WRC Paraguay

Paraguay, located in the heart of South America, is a Mediterranean country lying between the parallels 19° 18′ and 27° 36′ south latitude and the meridians 59° 19′ and 62° 38′ west longitude. It borders Brazil and Bolivia to the north, Brazil and Argentina to the east, Argentina to the south, and Argentina and Bolivia to the west.

The climate in Paraguay is tropical to subtropical, with average temperatures ranging from 25° to 35° in summer and 10° to 20° in winter (in the most extreme cases, temperatures exceed 40° in summer and reach below zero in winter). In terms of location, the current time zone is UTC -3 (established by Law 7345/2024) permanently. Paraguay’s total land area is 406,752 km², making it the fifth smallest country in South America, divided into a capital district and seventeen departments. According to the latest census conducted in 2022, the population is 6,854,536, of which 40% live in “Greater Asunción” (cities surrounding the capital). The capital, Asunción, is also its most populous city.

LANGUAGES

Paraguay is a bilingual country according to its National Constitution. The predominant native language, Guaraní, has coexisted with Spanish for centuries and is the source of an immense poetic output (both oral and written), expressed in musical and literary compositions valued worldwide. It is also the language of everyday life, spoken by the majority of the population.

CURRENCY

The official currency in Paraguay, the Guaraní, has been in circulation since 1944, making it the oldest legal tender in South America, with monetary stability for the past 70 years.

RELIGION

Freedom of worship is constitutionally guaranteed in Article 24, although the predominant religion is Roman Catholicism, various branches of Christianity, and even other religions are present in the country. Paraguay became a non-denominational state with the promulgation of its current Magna Carta in June 1992.

GOVERNMENT

Paraguay is based on a Republic and a Representative Democracy: authorities are elected by the population in elections held every five years. Furthermore, it is organized as a state governed by the rule of law. It is a founding member of MERCOSUR along with Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay.

Executive Branch (Presidential System)
Bicameral Legislative Branch (Chamber of Senators and Chamber of Deputies).
Judicial Branch

Human presence in what is now Paraguay dates back to the Neolithic period, around 3,200 BC. During the pre-Hispanic period, it was inhabited by indigenous peoples of the Tupi-Guarani and Mataco-Guaicurú groups. The arrival of the Spanish in 1524, with the Portuguese adelantado Alejo García, marked the beginning of Hispanic rule in this territory, lasting until the 19th century, when Paraguay achieved its independence from Spain in the early hours of May 14-15, 1811. La historia de la incipiente nación estuvo marcada por una economía que se acrecentó en sus inicios, hasta el advenimiento de dos grandes guerras internacionales que asolaron el país (Triple Alianza: 1865 a 1870 / Chaco: 1932 a 1935). Las sucesivas pugnas políticas por el poder, junto con dos guerras civiles, culminaron en un último gobierno autoritario que fue derrocado en febrero de 1989, y desde allí, se estableció el periodo democrático que sigue vigente hasta la actualidad.

WRC Paraguay