Paraguay (country)

C

Plants and Animals

The plants and animals of Paraguay are substantially the same as those of neighboring South American countries. Paraguay proper, where rainfall is heavy, is covered by dense evergreen forests interspersed with a wide variety of tropical grasses, ferns, palms, and exotic flowers. In the Gran Chaco, vegetation is comparatively sparse but includes the red quebracho tree, a rich source of tannin extract. The plains are covered by coarse tropical reeds, grasses, and stunted trees.

The animals of Paraguay include armadillos, capybaras (a type of large rodent), tapirs, jaguars, anteaters, wild boar, deer, caiman, and various species of snake. Among the local birds are toucans, ibis, herons, parrots, black ducks, partridges, rhea, and parakeets. Many of these birds exhibit strikingly beautiful plumage.

III

People

Paraguay has perhaps the most racially homogenous population in South America. About 95 percent of the people are mestizos (people of mixed Spanish and Native American ancestry). Minority groups include individuals of pure Spanish ancestry, living mainly in Asunción; unassimilated Guaraní people of the eastern forest region; and small colonies of immigrants from Japan, Italy, Portugal, Canada, and other countries. The Mennonites, a German-speaking religious sect, form a notable immigrant group.

The overwhelming majority of Paraguay’s people live in the eastern third of the country. The western part of Paraguay is sparsely settled. Paraguay’s overall density of only 18 persons per sq km (46 per sq mi) is one of the lowest in South America. Population is most sparse in the Chaco. Some 42 percent of the population lives in rural areas.

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The chief cities of Paraguay include Asunción;, the capital and a commercial city and port; Ciudad del Este, a town near the Itaipu Dam on the Paraguayan-Brazilian border; Encarnación, a railroad and agricultural center; Concepción, a river port; Coronel Oviedo; and Caaguazú.

A

Language and Religion

Paraguay is a bilingual country; its official languages are Spanish and Guaraní, which is commonly spoken by about 90 percent of the people. Guaraní is used in most folk poems and songs and in books and periodicals. See Tupí-Guaranian; Guaraní.

Roman Catholicism is the official religion and the faith of a large majority of Paraguayans. Freedom of worship is extended to other faiths. A number of small Protestant groups exist, of which the Mennonite group is the largest.

B

Education

Elementary education in Paraguay is free and nominally compulsory for children from 6 to 14 years of age. Primary school education lasts for six years. Lower secondary education lasts for three years. Upper secondary education, which is noncompulsory and lasts for three years, is divided into general (humanistic and scientific), commercial, and technical and professional branches. Higher education is provided by public and private universities, teacher training institutions, and other university-level professional institutions. Major institutions of higher education include the National University of Asunción (founded in 1890) and the Catholic University of Our Lady of Asunción (1960).

C

Culture

Paraguayan culture is a blend chiefly of Guaranian and Spanish elements, supplemented by more recent Argentine, German, and Italian influences. The culture of Paraguay has remained isolated and therefore has retained many features introduced in the 16th and 17th centuries by the Spanish conquerors, artisans, and Jesuit missionaries. The Ateneo Paraguayo, a leading cultural center, sponsors art exhibits, lectures, and concerts. Paraguayans are proud of their indigenous heritage, and institutions devoted to its study include the Academy of Guaraní Language and Culture, the Indian Association of Paraguay, and the Guaraní Theater.

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