PARAGUAY, a republic of South America; bounded on the N. and N. E. by Brazil, on the S., S. E., and S. W. by the Argentine Republic, and on the N. W. by Bolivia; area, about 98,000 square miles; pop. (1905) 631,347; (1920) about 1,000,000.
Topography.—A mountain chain called Sierra Amamboy, running in the gen eral direction of N. to S., and bifurcat ing the E. and W. toward the S. extrem ity, under the name of Sierra Maracayu, divides the tributaries of the Parana from those of the Paraguay, none of which are very considerable, though they are liable to frequent and destructive overflows. The N. portion of Paraguay is in general covered by low, gently swelling ridges, separated by large grass plains, dotted with palms. There are mountains in the N. E. and N. W. cor ners. The S. portion is one of the most fertile districts of South America, con sisting of hills and gentle slopes richly wooded, of wide savannas, which afford excellent pasture ground, and of rich al luvial plains, some of them marshy, or with shallow pools of water, but a large proportion are of extraordinary fertility and highly cultivated.
Climate.—The climate is temperate, reaching as high as 100° in summer, but in winter being generally P•oduction.—The meat packing and curing industry has been greatly devel oped in recent years, and hides, jerked beef, and other animal products are ex ported in considerable quantities. Yerba mate, or Paraguay tea, a natural prod uct of the forests, is one of the chief articles of export. There were sent abroad in 1918 3,628,436 kilos of yerba. Tobacco is one of the principal products, and about 220,000 cwts. are exported an nually. Paraguay also produces que bracho extract to the amount of about 25,000 tons annually. The area de voted to sugar, which is used largely for the manufacture of spirits, is about 12, 000 acres and the sugar production is about 1,700 tons annually. Agriculture is for the most part primitive, but the cultivation of cotton has been encour aged, but is not yet developed. Iron, manganese, copper, and other miner als occur in various parts of the country.
Commerce.—The total imports in 1918 amounted to 1,030,345, and the exports to 1,234,264. The chief imports are textiles, provisions, hardware, wines, and spirits. The chief exports are hides, yerba, oranges, tobacco, timber, canned and preserved beef, and que bracho extract.
Transportation.—There is a railway from Asuncion to Encarnacion, a dis tance of 232 miles. There are also sev eral other lines and roads. There is a national telegraph line with about 2,050 miles of wire. There are three wireless telegraph stations. In 1918, 3,705 ves sels entered the port of Asuncion, and 3,708 cleared.
Education.—Education is free and nominally compulsory. There were in 1918 1,086 primary schools, with 65,612 pupils and 1,607 teachers. There are several private schools, including com mercial schools. There are 7 National Colleges with an attendance of about 1,500. There is also a university which has about 250 students.
Finances.—The revenue and expendi tures amount to about £1 in annu ally. The external debt n January 1, 1919, amounted to about 37,000,000 paper dollars.
Government.—On Nov. 25, 1870, a new
constitution was proclaimed. There is a Congress composed of a Senate and a House of Deputies. The members of both houses are elected by popular vote at the ratio of one senator for every 12,000 inhabitants, and one representa tive for every 6,000 inhabitants. The executive authority is vested in a presi dent, whose term of office is four years. There are five departments in the presi dent's cabinet, viz., Interior, Finance, Justice and Worship, War and Foreign Affairs. By the law of 1919 there are 20 senators and 40 deputies.
History.—The history of Paraguay is highly interesting. It was discovered by Sebastian Cabot in 1526, but the first colony was settled in 1535 by Pedro de Mendoza, who founded the city of Asun cion and established Paraguay as a pro vince of the vice-royalty of Peru. In the latter half of the 16th century the Jesuit missionaries were sent to the aid of the first preachers of Christianity in Para guay; but for a long time they were al most entirely unsuccessful, the effect of their preaching being in a great degree marred by the profligate and cruel con duct of the Spanish adventurers, who formed the staple of the early colonial population. In the 17th century the home government consented to place in their hands the entire administration, civil as well as religious, of the province; and, in order to guard the natives against the evil influences of the bad ex ample of European Christians, gave to the Jesuits the right to exclude all other Europeans from the colony. From this time forward the progress of civiliza tion as well as of Christianity was rapid. In 1811 Paraguay declared itself inde pendent of Spain, and from that time to the present has existed as a republic ruled by dictators or presidents, some of whom have really been great despots. The central department, in which the capital, Asuncion, is situated, contains nearly one-third of the whole inhabi tants; and the capital itself, 45,000. The inhabitants of the towns consist chiefly of whites, or of half-breeds, speaking Spanish. The native population of the provinces are chiefly Guaranis, speaking the Guarani language. In 1865-1870 Paraguay was at war with the combined forces of Brazil, the Argentine Confed eration, and Uraguay, and as a result of that struggle lost much territory.
The significant feature of the history of the country during recent years has been the development of agriculture and railways. There have been slight po litical disturbances. There was a civil war in 1911 and 1912, but in the latter year Eduardo Sherer became president and began an epoch of peace. Many re forms were made by administration of the laws and measures were taken to se cure the prosperity of the people. There was a revolt against his rule in 1915 but it was repressed. In the same year the government signed a treaty with Bo livia providing for the settlement of boundary disputes. Paraguay remained neutral in the World War until Ger many proclaimed its submarine blockade. It then severed diplomatic relations. The Assembly on Nov. 13, 1919, ap proved the League of Nations. Dr. Manuel Gondra was inaugurated presi dent on Aug. 15, 1920.