Download This Sample
This sample is exclusively for KidsKonnect members!
To download this worksheet, click the button below to signup for free (it only takes a minute) and you'll be brought right back to this page to start the download!
Sign Me Up
Table of Contents
Paraguay is officially called the Republic of Paraguay. It is a landlocked country in South America. It is surrounded by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. It lies on the shores of the Paraguay River. It is sometimes called the Heart of South America, or Corazón de Sudamérica, because it is situated at the center of South America.
Asunción is the capital of Paraguay.
See the fact file below for more information on the Paraguay or alternatively, you can download our 26-page Paraguay worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
Historical Background
- Before the Spanish arrived, the native Guaraní had been settled in eastern Paraguay for at least a thousand years.
- Western Paraguay, called the “Gran Chaco”, was occupied by travelers which were mostly the Guaycuru peoples.
- The Guarani people were divided into west and east by the Paraguay River. These native tribes belonged to five different language families which were the foundation of their major divisions.
- Seventeen different ethnolinguistic groups prevailed.
- In 1516, the first Europeans in the territory were Spanish voyagers.
- On August 15, 1537, Spanish explorer Juan de Salazar y Espinoza established the colonization of Asunció, which turned into the center of the Spanish colonial province of Paraguay.
- The Jesuit missions established Paraguay as an independent Christian Indian nation.
- The impact of Catholicism in Paraguay was led by the native peoples.
- The reducciones grew in eastern Paraguay for around 150 years until the removal of the Jesuits by the Spanish Crown in 1767.
- The remains of the Jesuit missions of La Santísima Trinidad de Paraná and Jesús de Tavarangue are World Heritage Sites.
- In Western Paraguay, Christianity was firmly rejected by the nomads from the 16th century onwards.
- In 1811, Paraguay removed the local Spanish administration.
- With some outside influence, Paraguay’s first dictator was José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia who governed Paraguay from 1814 until he died in 1840. He planned to build a utopian society derived from the French theorist Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s Social Contract.
- In 1841, Carlos Antonio López modernized Paraguay and led it to foreign commerce.
- In 1842, he formally proclaimed independence of Paraguay.
- Slavery occurred in Paraguay until 1844 when it was legally eliminated.
- On October 12, 1864, the Brazilian Empire conquered the Republic of Uruguay to remove the Government of that time, which started the Paraguayan War, and later a war against Argentina in 1865.
- The Paraguayans lost in 1870 after the Battle of Cerro Corá.
- Paraguay lost around 25 – 33% of its country to Argentina and Brazil.
- At least 50% of the Paraguayan population died during the war.
- In the early 1930s, Paraguay beat Bolivia over border disputes.
- On February 3, 1989, Alfredo Stroessner was removed in a military revolution headed by General Andrés Rodríguez.
- As president, Rodríguez established political, legal, and economic changes.
- The June 1992 constitution formed a democracy.
- In May 1993, Colorado Party candidate Juan Carlos Wasmosy was voted as Paraguay’s first civilian president in almost 40 years.
- The present President of Paraguay is Mario Abdo Benítez.
Geography and Climate
- Paraguay is divided by the Río Paraguay into two well distinguished geographic regions.
- The eastern region is called Región Oriental.
- The western region is known as Región Occidental, also referred as the Chaco.
- In the eastern area, the countryside comprises mainly of grassy plains and wooded hills. The western area comprises mainly of low, swampy plains.
- Paraguay’s climate is tropical to subtropical.
- Paraguay has only wet and dry seasons.
Government and Politics
- The government of Paraguay is a representative democratic republic with separation of powers in three branches.
- Executive power is used exclusively by the President, the head of state, the head of government, and the commander-in-chief.
- Legislative power is bestowed upon the National Congress.
- The judiciary is bestowed upon tribunals and Courts of Civil Law and the Supreme Court of Justice.
- The military of Paraguay comprises of the Paraguayan army, navy (which includes naval aviation and marine corps), and air force.
- Paraguay has mandatory military service. All 18-year-old males and 17-year-olds in the year of their 18th birthday are required to do one year of active duty.
Culture and Sports
- The intermarriage between male Spanish colonizers and native Guaraní women plays a huge role in Paraguay’s cultural heritage.
- Their culture is greatly shaped by various European countries which includes Spain.
- More than 93% of Paraguayans are mestizos which makes Paraguay one of the most uniform countries in Latin America.
- More than 80% of Paraguayans speak both Spanish and Guaraní, which is their native language.
- Jopara is a mixture of Guaraní and Spanish.
- Paraguay’s cultural combination is expressed in arts such as embroidery (ao po’í) and lace making (ñandutí).
- The music of Paraguay, which comprises of polkas, galopas, and guaranias, is performed on the indigenous harp.
- Nobel Prize nominee Augusto Roa Bastos is Paraguayan.
- Paraguay’s famous dishes are manioc, sopa paraguaya, and chipa.
- Football and basketball are their most famous sports.
Paraguay Worksheets
This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Paraguay across 26 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Paraguay worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Paraguay which is officially called the Republic of Paraguay. It is a landlocked country in South America. It is surrounded by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. It lies on the shores of the Paraguay River. It is sometimes called the Heart of South America, or Corazón de Sudamérica, because it is situated at the center of South America. Asunción is the capital of Paraguay.
Complete List Of Included Worksheets
- Paraguay Facts
- Locate Paraguay
- Paraguay Word Hunt
- Look Back
- Popular People of Paraguay
- Heart of South America
- Governing Branches
- One Pic, Two Sentences
- Culture Crossword
- Paraguay Rhymes
- Why Paraguay
Link/cite this page
If you reference any of the content on this page on your own website, please use the code below to cite this page as the original source.
Link will appear as Paraguay Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, November 20, 2018
Use With Any Curriculum
These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.