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Republic of Paraguay República del Paraguay Paraguái Tavakuairetã | |
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Capital | Asunción |
Official languages | Spanish Guarani |
Dominant mode of production | Capitalism |
Government | Unitary presidential constitutional republic |
• President | Santiago Peña |
Area | |
• Total | 406,752 km² |
Population | |
• 2022 estimate | 6,109,644 |
Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay is a landlocked country in South America bordered by Brazil, Argentina and Bolivia. Paraguay is a member of Mercosur, and the UN.
History
War of the Triple Alliance
In 1864 Brazil, and Argentina invaded Uruguay, a Paraguayan ally, and established a puppet government, Paraguayan President Solano López responded by declaring war. Brazil, Argentina, and the new government of Uruguay then formed an alliance to destroy Paraguay, financially supported by the British. For the next 5 years the three powers committed a genocide against the Paraguayan people, and by the time President Lopez was killed in 1870, only 250,000 people were still alive, less than a 6th of its total population at the start of the war. Following the war Brazil annexed 20,000 square miles of Paraguayan territory and Argentina annexed 36,000 square miles. Paraguay had been the most prosperous country in South America, following the war its population and economy were destroyed, and was subservient to British imperialism.[1]
References
- ↑ Eduardo Galeano (1971). Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent. [PDF]