Paraguay is Bilingual

The Guarani language was originally spoken by the Guarani people that lived in most of the Paraguayan territory and parts of Argentina, Bolivia and Brazil.

The Guarani language is spoken by millions in Paraguay and also in (but in a much smaller percentage) in Argentina, Bolivia and Brazil. About two-thirds of Paraguay speaks it and there are all Guarani television shows and literature.

In Paraguay, thousands of people only know how to speak Guarani. This is usually in remote areas were the Guarani people were predominate. But Guarani is spoken everywhere in the country. It is even taught in schools but there is still not much emphasis on it.

The Guarani language is very important in Paraguay. It is one thing that sets the country apart and makes it special. It is also integrated into the culture (music, literature, humor, gastronomy, etc) of the country with thousands speaking a mixture of Spanish and Guarani. It is a beautiful and poetic sounding language that the country needs to treasure and encourage. Also, the people that first spoke Guarani need to be protected and valued.

In 1992 Guarani received official recognition as a state language. The language has come a long way from being seen a savage or primitive language.

Example of Guarani (a Guarani teacher speaking)

Deforestation In Paraguay

Deforestation in Paraguay is an example of the destruction of the environment that goes on in most developing countries that through wanting to industrialize or because of lack of laws or resources and the will to implement them. Deforestation is a huge problem that has already taken away a big chunk of the country’s forests. There are no exact rates of deforestation in Paraguay, but the Secretariat of the Environment estimates that it is around 130,000 hectares a year.

Paraguay is separated into two regions, the eastern or Oriental Region that has 39 percent of the territory and 97 percent of the population and the western or Chaco Region that has 61 percent of the country’s surface but only 3 percent of the population. The east and west regions of Paraguay are divided by the Paraguay River and there is only about two percent of forest land left in the eastern region due to the expansion of soybean cultivation, cattle ranching and logging.

The destruction of Paraguayan forests is due to the cattle industry, soy farming and logging. There is a big issue with loggers coming in from Brazil and cutting down trees and taking them back to their country as raw materials. So, not only does Paraguay lose its forests but many times the country can not even profit from them. There is also the issue that only only a few hands own a great majority of the land and these hands only look to profit from the land. The model for development in Paraguay is, as in most of the world, an unsustainable model of progress.

Paraguay has a long history or even culture of corruption. This corruption is in all levels of government, from national to local. The Colorado Party has had a huge part in this. Because of this anyone who has the money and means to pay off authorities can do whatever he or she wants. And this includes the destruction of the Paraguayan ecosystem.

Almost all of the Paraguayan countryside is privately owned. Some of the primary responsible parties for all of the deforestation are private parties and the government that lets them do whatever they want. During the dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner large sections of land were given to his friends and supporters (who were mostly all military generals). This has been passed down until today when few families own a lot of the land.

Paraguay has recently put into action a Zero Deforestation Law for the eastern region (or Upper Parana) of the country. “Before Paraguay's Zero Deforestation Law came into force in December 2004, the South American nation had the second highest deforestation rate in the world” (WWF, 2006).But, the destructive cattle ranchers and loggers are moving into the western region of the country. The Zero Deforestation Law expired at the end of 2008 but luckily it was renewed for another five years. But the western forests also need to be protected.

More sources:

WWF Paraguay

Interesting article on deforestation and indigenous peoples in Paraguay

The Itaipu Dam

The Itaipu hydroelectric power plant is the biggest of its kind in the world. Situated on the Parana River (the seventh largest river in the world) it was a joint construction venture between Paraguay and Brazil. It is run by the Itaipu Binacional company.

The ministers of foreign affairs of both Paraguay and Brazil signed the “Act of Iguaçu” in 1966, which began the studies of the hydroelectric potential of the Parana River. Construction started in 1975 and the last remaining expansions ended in 1991. The Itaipu Dam has 20 generators that produce 14,000 MW (megawatts). Around four million people resettled due the the construction of the dam and the construction of the dam also produced much environmental turmoil for the area.

The Itaipu dam is 7,919 meters long and has a maximum height of 196 meters. During the construction of the dam, approximately 50 million tons of rock and earth to dig a 1.3 mile bypass. This bypass shifted the course of the Parana River.

The Itaipu dam and surrounding area is a major tourist attraction. Since its completion in 1991, more than nine millions tourists have visited the dam.

The Itaipu dam negotiations and treated were enacted during the dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner in Paraguay. The dam produces about 90 percent of the energy that Paraguay needs and 20 percent of the energy Brazil needs. For this reason only one generator is usually used for Paraguay. The enery that the rest of the nine generators (the Paraguayan half) produce, is sold to Brazil.

Thanks to these negotiations by Stroessner, the Brazilians receive a very generous, and unfair (for the Paraguayans) price for the surplus energy. In Paraguay, electricity is redicuosly expensive for such a poor country with two dams (the other being the Yacyreta dam). I speak this with personal experience since I lived there. Thanks to the corruption of the Stroessner dictatorship, and colorado governments that came after, we pay alot for electricity when it should be next to free.


More sources:
More facts on the Itaipu dam and its construction

Some more facts

Another website with facts

Itaipu dam on Encyclopedia Britannica

War of the Triple Alliance

Let us start with a little bit of history about Paraguay.

Paraguay has had a rough history. Upon declaring itself independent on May 14, 1811, it became the most prosperous country in South America at that time. Three dictatorships came and during that time the country had no external debt and there was free education for everyone. Also, the government provided large amounts of land that it rented to farmers. During the third government came the War of the Triple Alliance (1865-70), a war that killed the two-thirds of the male population and devastated the countryside. Not only did Paraguay lose a lot of territory but this war also halted the country economically.

The War of the Triple Alliance was fought between Paraguay and the alliance of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. Britain was also getting nervous at the thought of a powerful empire that could threaten its interests in South America. In 1863 there was a coup in Uruguay and the defeated government was allied to Paraguay. Paraguay (led by Francisco Solano Lopez) wanted to intervene. Brazil was helping the coup leaders, so war was declared on Brazil. But to be able to fight and help their allies in Uruguay, Paraguayan forces would need to cross through Argentina, which denied them. War was declared against Argentina. The coup in Uruguay triumphed, and the new Uruguayan government declared war against Paraguay. The allies created the Triple Alliance pact and received much economic help from the British (in terms of loans).

Sources:

Long article on war:

http://www.onwar.com/aced/data/tango/triple1864.htm

Long article on war:

http://countrystudies.us/paraguay/11.htm

CIA facts on Paraguay:

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/pa.html