Paraguay

Where the name comes from

Paraguay is named after the Paraguay River; one Guaraní reading is “water of the Payaguá people”, but the meaning is disputed.

First people

Guaraní-speaking communities lived here for centuries.¹

Known for

Paraguay is known for the Itaipu Dam, one of the world’s largest power plants, and Guaraní is official alongside Spanish, spoken at home by about two-thirds of people.^2,3

Outside contact

Spain founded Asunción in 1537, and Jesuit missions later gathered Guaraní communities.⁴

The modern country

It became independent in 1811.¹