Trips to Paraguay

Geographic location: 20º South Latitude and 60º West longitude.

Surface: 246,925 km2s

Population

• Of 39,000 to 45,000 natives pertaining to five great linguistic families (Maskoy, Mataco, Zamuco, Guaicurú and Guaraní), on who 7,000 live in urban zones.
• Around 25,000 mennonitas colonists.
• The third part of the population chaqueña would be classified like “ex--tanineros farmers” or (operating of tannin)

Densidad of population: 0,4 inhabitants by km2

Climate: In spite of its latitude and due to the continentalidad and to the seasonal Aeolian regimes (especially the wind currents coming from the Antarctic) they exist great thermal variations according to the rate day/night and the stations. In the neighborhoods of Asuncio'n he is not nothing rare that during some nights of July (winter) the temperatures lower 0ºC.


Brief description: The Great Chaco (originating generally accepted term like of quechua chaqu: “hunting territory”), is one of the main geographic regions of South America. Located in the South Cone, one extends on the part of the present territories of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay, between the rivers Paraguay and Parana and the Andean Plateau.

The Paraguayan Chaco, concretely, is an immense zone, very barely colonized, original habitat of indigenous towns that today even develop their respective cultures. The Chaco was scene of the last war of positions that took place in South America (1932-1935), a conflict between Paraguay and Bolivia, and of that time are sites of great historical importance.

In the decades that followed the war, the Paraguayan Chaco underwent a noticeable evolution: “green hell” gave rise to production establishments, ways were abrieron and with these elements the Western Region was finally integrated to the rest of Paraguay.

The Chaco represents 61% of the Paraguayan territory. It has an average elevation of 130 ms on the level of the sea and its maximum height sporadically arrives at 300 M.s Constituye, then, a flat plain, of aluvional formation of slight declivity from the Andean contrafrentes.

The region I could be subdivided in three parts:

- The Coast of Paraguay: located in the department of Parana Stop, a strip of up to 100 km, wooded trowel and. It is not flooded, and in their forests are hard wood like the quebracho and the wood santo, besides palmares.

- Subsector: it includes part of the departments of Paraguay Stop, Big hole and President Hayes, and has a dry plain besides sandy dunes, and also a earth area abiertas with some marshes and vegetation of thorny shrubs and cacti.

- Under Chaco or Humid Chaco: it is the sub-region located in the confluence of the rivers Paraguay and Pilcomayo, including a parallel strip of 80 km to the Pilcomayo. Of low lands, flooding at the rainy times and with great marshes, palmares and profusely of weeds and pajonales. Account with an ecological paradise: the “matting I slide”, drainage of the Average Pilcomayo.

This zone composed of espartillares, pirizales and camalotales, owns one riquísima fauna. The jacare, the capybara, the deer and the anteater are some of the animal of great bearing inhabit that it. As far as the birds, six hundred species have been detected, between which the white heron, tuyuyu and the tip of spatula form true flocks in impressive flight. In the watered down ones there is infinity of molluscs, insects and reptiles.

Near the border with Bolivia, the National Park Defending of the Chaco extends, a leafy alluvial plain whose more important hill is Leon Hill, with 500 ms of altitude. The dense forest of hawthorns shelters some of the species in danger of extinction of Paraguay and is an excellent opportunity to observe enormous felines like jaguars, pumas and ocelotes.

The main cities of the Chaco are:

• Philadelphia, capital of the Department of Big hole. The unique asphalt road of the Chaco, the Trans-Chaco route, takes to this mennonita religious community: modern city, of ample avenues and good hotels, banking restaurants and services. It owns an unquestionable foreign character and a visit to its museum Jakob Unger helps to include/understand the cultural characteristics of the immigrants.

• Hill Silver is also a great center of the economy of the Menno colony and its cooperative Chortitzer Komitee. It is a city with intense commercial and industrial movement and counts on good hotels, restaurants and road connection to sites of great natural beauty like Field Maria, Lagoon Captain and others.

• Neu-Halbstadt, well-known simply like Neuland, is the urban center of the colony of the same name. He is youngest between the great mennonitas cities of the Central Chaco and has beautiful constructions as well as a beautiful central base. Its access is by the Transchaco route and a paved branch of 25 km Magnificent place not to buy Indian crafts.
Near these communities are the indigenous towns Yalve Sanga, Yellow Well, Cayin or Clin, among others, where beautiful crafts can be known the respective cultures and be acquired. Also are historical sites of great value like Big hole, Island Po' i, Fort Toledo…