Paraguay

Republic of Paraguay República del Paraguay (Spanish) Paraguái Tavakuairetã (Guarani)
Flag [b] Seal [a]
Motto: Paz y justicia (Spanish) "Peace and justice"
Anthem:  Himno Nacional Paraguayo (Spanish) "Paraguayan National Anthem"
Location of Paraguay (dark green) in South America (grey)
Capital and largest city	Asunción 25°16′S 57°40′W / 25.267°S 57.667°W / -25.267; -57.667
Official languages[1][2]	Spanish Guarani
Religion (2020)[3]	95.5% Christianity 87.4% Catholicism 8.1% other Christian 4.1% no religion 0.4% other
Demonym(s)	Paraguayan
Government	Unitary presidential republic
• President	Santiago Peña
• Vice President	Pedro Alliana
Legislature	Congress
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	Chamber of Deputies
Independence from Spain
• Declared	14 May 1811
• Recognized	25 November 1842
• Current constitution	20 June 1992
Area
• Total	406,752 km2 (157,048 sq mi) (59th)
• Water (%)	2.6
Population
• 2024 estimate	6,218,879 [4][5] (113th)
• Density	15/km2 (38.8/sq mi) (215th)
GDP (PPP)	2024 estimate
• Total	$124.568 billion[6]
• Per capita	$20,030[6]
GDP (nominal)	2024 estimate
• Total	$46.667 billion[6]
• Per capita	$7,504[6]
Gini (2022)	45.1[7] medium
HDI (2022)	0.731[8] high (105th)
Currency	Guaraní (PYG)
Time zone	UTC–4 (PYT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC–3 (PYST)
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	+595
ISO 3166 code	PY
Internet TLD	.py

Paraguay (/ˈpærəɡwaɪ/; Spanish pronunciation: [paɾaˈɣwaj] ^ⓘ), officially the Republic of Paraguay (Spanish: República del Paraguay; Guarani: Paraguái Tavakuairetã), 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. It has a population of around 6.1 million, nearly 2.3 million of whom live in the capital and largest city of Asunción, and its surrounding metro area.

Spanish conquistadores arrived in 1524, and in 1537 established the city of Asunción, the first capital of the Governorate of the Río de la Plata.^[9] During the 17th century, Paraguay was the center of Jesuit missions, where the native Guaraní people were converted to Christianity and introduced to European culture.^[10] After the expulsion of the Jesuits from Spanish territories in 1767, Paraguay increasingly became a peripheral colony. Following independence from Spain in the early 19th century, Paraguay was ruled by a series of authoritarian governments. This period ended with the disastrous Paraguayan War (1864–1870), during which the country lost half its prewar population and around 25–33% of its territory. In the 20th century, Paraguay faced another major international conflict—the Chaco War (1932–1935) against Bolivia—in which Paraguay prevailed. The country came under a succession of military dictators, culminating in the 35 year regime of Alfredo Stroessner, which lasted until his overthrow in 1989 by an internal military coup. This marked the beginning of Paraguay's current democratic era.

Paraguay is a developing country, ranking 105th in the Human Development Index.^[11] It is a founding member of Mercosur, the United Nations, the Organization of American States, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Lima Group. Additionally, the city of Luque, in metropolitan Asuncion, is the seat of the South American Football Confederation.

Although one of only two landlocked countries in South America (Bolivia is the other), Paraguay has ports on the Paraguay and Paraná rivers that give exit to the Atlantic Ocean, through the Paraná-Paraguay Waterway.^[12] The majority of Paraguay's 6 million people are mestizo, and Guarani culture remains widely influential; more than 90% of the population speak various dialects of the Guarani language alongside Spanish. Paraguay's GDP per capita PPP is the seventh in South America. In a 2017 Positive Experience Index based on global polling data, Paraguay ranked as the "world's happiest place".^[13]

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