Paraguay geographic map

Geographic map of Paraguay. Area of Paraguay, the number of population,  main crops, industry, culture Paraguay - all on a single map.

Paraguay is a landlocked country. Rivers  make up most of its boundaries. The land consists mostly of large  plains, plateaus, and hills. The climate is warm and humid. Most people  live in the east. Paraguay's earliest-known people were Native Americans  called the Guarani. The Guarani language is now one of the country's  two official languages. Most of the people in Paraguay are mestizos of  mixed Native American and European origin.    

Area: 406,752 sq km (150,048 sq miles)    

Highest point: 680 m (2.231 ft), in the southeast    

Population: 4,955,000    

Capital and largest city:    

Asuncion (pop 502,000)    

Other large city: San Lorenzo (133.000)    

Official languages: Spanish, Guarani    

Religions: Christianity (Roman Catholic 88; Protestant 5%), other 7%    

Government: Republic    

Currency: Guarani    

Mariscal Estigarribia    

Gauchos arc cowboys who work on ranches in  Paraguay and elsewhere on the grassy plains called pampas. Farming  employs about half of Paraguay's people. Soya bean flour, cotton,  oilseed cakes, vegetable oils. meat, and hides are leading exports.    

Hydroelectric power stations provide  Paraguay with abundant electricity. Paraguay shares the huge Itaipu Dam  with Brazil. When it was completed in 1991, this dam became one of the  world's largest.    

Quebracho trees grow in Paraguay and  Argentina. Tannin, which is used for tanning hides, is extracted from  quebracho wood. Forestry is important in Paraguay, but the country has  no major mineral deposits.    

Asuncion, capital of Paraguay, was founded  by Spanish settlers in 1537 at the junction of the Paraguay and  Pilcomayo rivers. Asuncion is the country's main industrial  city-Manufactured products include cement, processed food, leather  goods, and textiles.    

Giant anleatcrs feed on the plentiful  supplies of ants and termites found in the humid forests and plains. The  animals tear open the anthills with their strong claws and lick up the  anis. They have a long, sticky tongue but no teeth.    

Soccer is Paraguay's most popular sport. It  is played throughout much of South America, especially in Argentina,  Brazil, and Uruguay, which have distinguished records in international  soccer competitions.