Culture of Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked
country in South America 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.
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. A
year later, Paraguay joined Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay to found
Mercosur.
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