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Map of Paraguay

Paraguay is a country in South America with its capital at Asunción, home to about 7.01 million people across 406,756 km². The interactive map below plots 37 cities and towns, 4 rivers, 1 lakes, 1 mountain summits and 2 major dams recorded for Paraguay in YearMaps.

Population
7.01 million
#108 of 225 · World Bank, 2025
Area
406,756 km²
#61 by area
Capital
Asunción
Continent
South America
17 people per km²

Interactive Map of Paraguay

5.2

Centred on Asunción at 25.2945° S, 57.6435° W. Use the layer panel to switch on rivers, dams, ports, peaks and historical borders.

About Paraguay

Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country located in the central region of South America. It borders Bolivia to the northwest and north, Brazil to the northeast and east, and Argentina to the southeast, south, and west. Paraguay has access to the Atlantic Ocean via the Paraná–Paraguay Waterway, a system of navigable channels shared by five countries. The country is governed as a unitary presidential republic composed of a capital district and seventeen departments. Its capital and largest city is Asunción. It dates its independence from Spain to 1811.

The indigenous Guaraní had been living in eastern Paraguay for at least a millennium before the arrival of Spanish conquistadores in 1524. The city of Asunción was founded in 1537 as the first capital of the Governorate of the Río de la Plata within the Spanish Empire. During the 17th century, Paraguay was the center of Jesuit missions, where the natives were converted to Christianity and introduced to European culture. After the expulsion of the Jesuits from Spanish territories in 1767, Paraguay increasingly became a peripheral colony.

Following independence from Spain in the early 19th century, Paraguay was ruled by a series of authoritarian governments. This period ended with the disastrous Triple Alliance War (1864–1870), during which the country lost half its prewar population and around 25–33% of its territory. Paraguay prevailed in another major conflict in the twentieth century, the Chaco War with Bolivia (1932-1935). It subsequently came under a succession of military dictators, culminating in the 35-year regime of Alfredo Stroessner. He was overthrown in 1989 by an internal military coup, marking the beginning of Paraguay's current democratic era.

Paraguay is a developing country, ranking 99th in the Human Development Index, with the seventh highest GDP (PPP) per capita in South America. As of 2024, it had one of the fastest growing economies in the Western Hemisphere, driven by beef and soybean exports, manufacturing, and construction. Paraguay is one of the world's leading exporters of hydroelectricity; the Itaipu Dam on the Paraná River border with Brazil is the third-largest hydroelectric dam in the world in terms of produced energy. Paraguay is a founding member of Mercosur, the United Nations, the Organization of American States and the Lima Group. Additionally, the city of Luque, in metropolitan Asunción, is the seat of the South American Football Confederation.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Paraguay (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Paraguay
Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Geography and Climate of Paraguay

Several Indigenous groups, principally belonging to the Guarani language family, inhabited the area of modern Paraguay before the arrival of the Spanish in the early 16th century, when the territory was incorporated into the Viceroyalty of Peru. Paraguay achieved its independence from Spain in 1811 with the help of neighboring states. In the aftermath of independence, a series of military dictators ruled the country until 1870. During the disastrous War of the Triple Alliance (1864-70) -- fought against Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay -- Paraguay lost two thirds of its adult males and much of its territory. The country stagnated economically for the next half-century and experienced a tumultuous series of political regimes. Following the Chaco War of 1932-35 with Bolivia, Paraguay gained a large part of the Chaco lowland region. The 35-year military dictatorship of Alfredo STROESSNER ended in 1989, and Paraguay has held relatively free and regular presidential elections since the country's return to democracy.

Location
Central South America, northeast of Argentina, southwest of Brazil.
Climate
Subtropical to temperate; substantial rainfall in the eastern portions, becoming semiarid in the far west.
Terrain
Grassy plains and wooded hills east of Rio Paraguay; Gran Chaco region west of Rio Paraguay mostly low, marshy plain near the river, and dry forest and thorny scrub elsewhere.
Highest point
Cerro Pero 842 m.
Lowest point
Junction of Río Paraguay and Río Paraná 46 m.
Coastline
0 km (landlocked)
Land borders
Total: 4,655 km; border countries: Argentina 2,531 km; Bolivia 753 km; Brazil 1,371 km.
Major rivers
Río de la Plata/Paraná (shared with Brazil [s], Argentina, and Uruguay [m]) - 4,880 km; Paraguay river mouth (shared with Brazil [s] and Argentina) - 2,549 km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth.
Natural resources
Hydropower, timber, iron ore, manganese, limestone.
Land use
Agricultural land: 54.1% (2023 est.); arable land: 11.5% (2023 est.); permanent crops: 0.2% (2023 est.); permanent pasture: 42.4% (2023 est.); forest: 36.9% (2023 est.); other: 7% (2023 est.)
Natural hazards
Local flooding in southeast (early September to June); poorly drained plains may become boggy (early October to June)
Geographic note
Landlocked; lies between Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil; population concentrated in eastern and southern part of country.
Languages
Spanish (official) and Guarani (official) 46.3%, only Guarani 34%, only Spanish 15.2%, other (includes Portuguese, German, other Indigenous languages) 4.1%, no response 0.4% (2012 est.)
Religions
Roman Catholic 80.4%, Protestant 7% (Evangelical (non-specific) 6.7%, Evangelical Pentecostal <0.1%, Adventist <0.1%, Protestant (non-specific) <0.1%), Believer (not belonging to the church) 5.7%, other 0.6%, agnostic <0.1%, none 0.2%, unspecified 6.2% (2023 est.)
Ethnic groups
Mestizo (mixed Spanish and Indigenous ancestry) 95%, other 5%.
Economy
Upper middle-income South American economy; COVID-19 hit while still recovering from 2019 Argentina-driven recession; global hydroelectricity leader; major corruption and money-laundering locale; highly agrarian economy; significant income inequality.

From the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived edition of 2026-01-22. The Factbook is no longer updated, so figures reflect that edition.

Paraguay in Numbers

Population
7.01 million
2025
GDP
US$49.3 billion
2025
GDP per person
US$7,027
2025
Life expectancy
74.0 years
2024
Population growth
1.20% a year
2025
Population density
18 per km²
2024
Urban population
70.4%
2025
Surface area
406,752 km²
2024
Forest cover
36.5%
2024
Arable land
11.5%
2024
Access to electricity
99.8%
2024
Internet users
81.6%
2024

Indicators from World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0). The year under each figure is its reference year.

Paraguay in Depth

History

The indigenous Guaraní had been living in eastern Paraguay for at least a millennium before the arrival of the Spanish. Western Paraguay, the Gran Chaco, was inhabited by nomads of whom the Guaycuru peoples were the most prominent. The Paraguay River was roughly the dividing line between the agricultural Guarani people to the east and the nomadic and seminomadic people to the west in the Gran Chaco. The Mbayá nomads were known for their warrior traditions and were not fully pacified until the late 19th century. These indigenous tribes belonged to five distinct language families, which were the bases of their major divisions. Differing language speaking groups were generally competitive over resources and territories.

Geography

Paraguay is divided by the Río Paraguay into two well differentiated geographic regions. The eastern region (Región Oriental); and the western region, officially called Western Paraguay (Región Occidental) and also known as the Chaco, which is part of the Gran Chaco. The country lies between latitudes 19° and 28°S, and longitudes 54° and 63°W.

The terrain consists mostly of grassy plains and wooded hills in the eastern region. To the west are mostly low, marshy plains. Paraguay contains six terrestrial ecoregions: Alto Paraná Atlantic forests, Chaco, Cerrado, Humid Chaco, Pantanal, and Paraná flooded savanna. It had a 2019 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 6.39/10, ranking it 74th globally out of 172 countries. The Guarani Aquifer is an important exorheic basin to the region.

Economy

For many years, the country's image was associated with the illicit trade in electronic products, weapons and drugs. However, this scenario began to change in the 2000s, with the rise of legalized businesses such as the production of soy, maize, beef, among others. Data from the Central Bank of Paraguay (BCP) showed that, in 2006, exports related to the triangulation trade (China-Paraguay-Brazil), treated by Brazil – in most cases – as smuggling and embezzlement, represented 22% of the country's GDP. In 2016, this percentage dropped to 12%. With higher tax collections through legalized employment, the country has been able to improve its infrastructure, which was precarious. Paraguay has an economic development policy based on exports and dependence on the Brazilian market prevails.

Demographics

Paraguay's population is distributed unevenly through the country, with the vast majority of people living in the eastern region near the capital and largest city, Asunción, which accounts for 10% of the country's population. The Gran Chaco region, which includes the Alto Paraguay, Boquerón and Presidente Hayes Department, and accounts for about 60% of the territory, is home to less than 4% of the population.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Paraguay (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Paraguay: Key Facts

Key facts about Paraguay
CurrencyParaguayan guaraní
Official languagesSpanish, Guarani
Head of stateSantiago Peña Palacios
Head of governmentSantiago Peña Palacios
Calling code+595
Internet domain.py
Highest pointCerro Tres Kandú
Lowest pointParaguay River
Established1811

Facts from Wikidata Q733 (CC0).

History of Paraguay: Empires and States

The atlas records 11 polities whose mapped territory included part of Paraguay, from The Spanish Empire in 1540 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.

Polities that held Paraguay, in chronological order
PolityPeriod here
The Spanish Empire1540–1823 CE
Jesuit Reducciones1595–1768 CE
The Portuguese Empire1752–1823 CE
Paraguay1811–2024 CE
Empire of Brazil1822–1889 CE
Gran Colombia1824–1829 CE
Bolivia1825–1935 CE
Brazilian Republic1890–1966 CE
Unitary State of Brazil1932–1945 CE
Federated Republic of Brazil1967–1986 CE
Republic of Brazil1987–2024 CE

Historical Maps of Paraguay

Paraguay on the world map in each year one of these states held it:

Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.

Visiting Paraguay

Paraguay is a country of big rivers, green landscapes, folklore and a rich indigenous culture in central South America. It's relatively small compared to its neighbors, with an area of 406,752 km2: about the same size as Germany. Paraguay is lacking in world-famous attractions, and tourist-oriented establishments are few and far between. But those visitors who do come will be rewarded with a great experience of South America: colonial history, ruins of missions, vast wilderness, and a strong mix of European and indigenous cultures.

Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Paraguay (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Largest Cities in Paraguay

37 cities recorded. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.

Largest Cities in Paraguay
#NamePopulation
1Asunción1.87 million
2San Lorenzo500,000
3Encarnación357,119
4Ciudad del Este320,872
5Pedro Juan Caballero102,787
6Coronel Oviedo88,101
7Concepción59,118
8Villarrica41,157
9Itá41,090
10Ypacaraí30,150
11Pilar28,435
12Caacupé21,696
13Paraguarí18,881
14Bella Vista16,852
15Horqueta16,171
16Villa Hayes15,643
17Coronel Bogado14,297
18Belén11,359
19Filadelfia10,470
20San Pedro9,360
21San Juan Bautista7,882
22Caazapá5,504
23Hohenau5,306
24Rosario5,123
25La Victoria5,000
The other 12 (population, region, role)
  1. Arroyos y Esteros · 3,055 · Cordillera · Populated place
  2. Abaí · 3,024 · Caazapá · Populated place
  3. Ygatimí · 2,809 · Canindeyú · Populated place
  4. Mariscal Estigarribia · 2,500 · Boqueran · Admin-1 capital
  5. Fuerte Olimpo · 2,475 · Alto Paraguay · Admin-1 capital
  6. Pozo Colorado · 2,135 · Presidente Hayes · Admin-1 capital
  7. Ñacunday · 1,250 · Alto Paranp · Populated place
  8. Capitan Pablo Lagerenza · 1,200 · Alto Paraguay · Admin-1 capital
  9. General Eugenio Alejandrino Garay · 972 · Boqueran · Admin-1 capital
  10. Ype Jhu · 600 · Canindey · Populated place
  11. Puerto Pinasco · 500 · Presidente Hayes · Populated place
  12. Fortin Falcon · -99 · Presidente Hayes · Populated place

Highest Mountains in Paraguay

1 mountain recorded. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries.

Highest Mountains in Paraguay
#NameElevation
1Cerro Tres Kandú842 m
Cerro Tres Kandú
Image via Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on the file page).

Cerro Tres Kandú

Mountain · 842 m

Cerro Tres Kandú is a mountain rising to 842 metres (2,762 ft) in Paraguay, in the South America region. From PeakBagger.com, with kind permission..

Cerro Tres Kandú (Tres Kandu in the Guaraní language) is the highest point in Paraguay, with an elevation of 842 meters (2,762 ft). It is located in the municipality of General Eugenio Garay, Guairá Department, in a hill range named Ybytyruzú.

This hill was important for the Armed Forces of Paraguay because it was a strategic location to place the army repeater or radio-link for their communication. The national electrical company (ANDE) had also mounted its radiocommunication repeater on this hill. Today these installations are abandoned.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Cerro Tres Kandú (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Elevation
842 m (2,762 ft)
Global rank
#580 of 641 indexed
Region
South America (#49)
Country
Paraguay
Coordinates
-25.8801°, -56.1600°

Of the 641 named summits indexed in YearMaps, Cerro Tres Kandú ranks #580 by elevation, below Bokkeveldberg (843 m) and above Mount Saint Catherine (840 m).

Ranges:
Serra Geral (South America), Serra do Mar (South America)
Neighbouring summits:
Morro da Boa Vista (1,827 m), Pico Paraná (1,877 m), Cerro Champaquí (2,770 m)
Settlements below:
Villarrica (31 km), Coronel Oviedo (55 km), Caacupé (113 km)

View on the live map

Major Dams in Paraguay

2 dams recorded. Ranked by structural height.

Major Dams in Paraguay
#NameHeight
1Itaipu Dam196 m
2Yacyretá Dam21 m

Largest Lakes in Paraguay

1 lake recorded. Ranked by mapped surface area. A lake on a border is listed under each country it lies in, with the area of the whole lake.

Largest Lakes in Paraguay
#NameSurface Area
1Represa Itaipu2,418 km²

Rivers in Paraguay

4 rivers recorded. Listed alphabetically. A river is listed where its mapped reach lies, so long rivers appear under more than one country.

Rivers in Paraguay
NameType
Jejui GuazuRiver
ParanáRiver
PilcomayoRiver
VerdeRiver

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Paraguay

2 World Heritage Sites recorded. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each.

More on these World Heritage Sites →
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Paraguay
#NameInscribed
1Jesuit Missions of La Santísima Trinidad de Paraná and Jesús de Tavarangüé1993
2Pantanal2000

Mountain Ranges, Deserts and Landforms of Paraguay

3 mountain ranges, deserts and other landforms recorded. Ranked by mapped area. Covers mountain ranges, deserts, plateaus, named glaciers, plains, basins, peninsulas and capes. One that crosses a border is listed under every country it lies in, with the area of the whole feature.

Mountain Ranges, Deserts and Landforms of Paraguay
#NameArea
1South America17.91M km²
2Gran Chaco690,714 km²
3Pantanal129,097 km²
South America
Image via Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on the file page).

South America

Continent · 17.91M km²

South America is a continent in South America, covering an estimated 17.91M km². It extends across Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Guyana, Venezuela, Ecuador, Suriname, Colombia, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, France and Peru. It is the 4th-largest of the 231 landforms with a mapped extent in YearMaps.

South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and most in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern subregion of the Americas.

South America is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean, on the north and east by the Atlantic Ocean, and on the south by the Drake Passage; North America, the Caribbean Sea lying to the northwest, and the Antarctic Circle, Antarctica, and the Antarctic Peninsula to the south.

The continent includes twelve sovereign countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela; two dependent territories: the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; and one internal territory: French Guiana.

The Caribbean South America ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao) and Trinidad and Tobago are geologically located on the South-American continental shelf, and thus may be considered part of South America as well.

Adapted from Wikipedia: South America (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Feature class
Continent
Mapped extent
17.91M km²
Size rank
#4 of 231 landforms
Region
South America
Countries
Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Guyana, Venezuela, Ecuador, Suriname, Colombia, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, France, Peru
Coordinates
-4.1242°, -64.8745°
Summits:
Cerro Tres Kandú (842 m)
Ranges:
Serra Geral (South America), Serra do Mar (South America)
Settlements:
Coronel Oviedo (104 km), Caacupé (135 km), Villarrica (137 km)

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More about South America

Geography

South America occupies the southern portion of the Americas. The continent is generally delimited on the northwest by the Darién watershed along the Colombia–Panama border, although some may consider the border instead to be the Panama Canal. Geopolitically and geographically, all of Panama – including the segment east of the Panama Canal in the isthmus – is typically included in North America alone and among the countries of Central America. Almost all of mainland South America sits on the South American Plate.

History

South America is thought to have been first inhabited by humans when people were crossing the Bering Land Bridge (now the Bering Strait) at least 15,000 years ago from the territory that is present-day Russia. They migrated south through North America, and eventually reached South America through the Isthmus of Panama.

Amongst the oldest evidence for human presence in South America is the Monte Verde II site in Chile, suggested to date to around 14,500 years ago. From around 13,000 years ago, the Fishtail projectile point style became widespread across South America, with its disappearance around 11,000 years ago coincident with the disappearance of South America's megafauna.

Economy

Since 1930, the continent has experienced growth and diversification in most economic sectors. Most agricultural and livestock products are destined for the domestic market and local consumption. However, the export of agricultural products is essential for the balance of trade in most countries.

The main agrarian crops are export crops, such as soy and wheat. The production of staple foods such as vegetables, corn or beans is large, but focused on domestic consumption. Livestock raising for meat exports is significant in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Colombia. In tropical regions the most important crops are coffee, cocoa and bananas, mainly in Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia: South America (CC BY-SA 4.0).

South America: Key Facts

Key facts about South America
Area17,461,112 km²
Highest pointAconcagua
OnAtlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean

Facts from Wikidata Q18 (CC0).

Pantanal
Image via Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on the file page).

Pantanal

Wetlands · 129,097 km²

Pantanal is a wetlands in South America, covering an estimated 129,097 km². It extends across Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay.

The Pantanal (Portuguese pronunciation: [pɐ̃taˈnaw], Spanish pronunciation: [pantaˈnal]) is a natural region encompassing the world's largest tropical wetland area, and the world's largest flooded grasslands. It is located mostly within the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, but it extends into Mato Grosso and portions of Bolivia and Paraguay. It sprawls over an area estimated at between 140,000 and 195,000 km2 (54,000 and 75,000 sq mi). Various subregional ecosystems exist, each with distinct hydrological, geological, and ecological characteristics; up to 12 of them have been defined.

Roughly 80% of the Pantanal floodplains are submerged during the rainy seasons, nurturing a biologically diverse collection of aquatic plants and helping to support a dense array of animal species.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Pantanal (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Feature class
Wetlands
Mapped extent
129,097 km²
Size rank
#56 of 231 landforms
Region
South America
Countries
Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay
Coordinates
-18.3780°, -56.2597°
Summits:
Cerro Tres Kandú (842 m)
Ranges:
Serra Geral (South America), Serra do Mar (South America)
Settlements:
Concepción (267 km), Pedro Juan Caballero (274 km), Asunción (473 km)

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More about Pantanal

Geography and geology

The Pantanal covers about 140,000–160,000 km2 (54,000–62,000 sq mi) of gently sloped basin that receives runoff from the upland areas (the Planalto highlands) and slowly releases the water through the Paraguay River and tributaries. The formation is a result of the large, concave, pre-Andean depression of the Earth's crust, related to the Andean orogeny of the Tertiary. It constitutes an enormous internal river delta, in which several rivers flowing from the surrounding plateau merge, depositing their sediments and erosion residues, which have been filling the large depression area of the Pantanal. This area is also one of the distinct physiographic provinces of the larger Parana-Paraguay Plain area, which encompasses a total of 1.5×10^6 km2 (580,000 sq mi).

Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Pantanal (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Pantanal: Key Facts

Key facts about Pantanal
Area879 km²

Facts from Wikidata Q157603 (CC0).

States and Provinces of Paraguay

2 first-level divisions with their own map.

Countries Bordering Paraguay

Land and maritime neighbours.

More Maps in South America

Paraguay: Quick Answers

What is the capital of Paraguay?
The capital of Paraguay is Asunción.
What is the population of Paraguay?
Paraguay has a population of about 7.01 million, the #108 largest of 225 countries in YearMaps. Source: World Bank, 2025.
How big is Paraguay?
Paraguay covers 406,756 km², ranking #61 by area, with about 17 people per square kilometre.
Which continent is Paraguay in?
Paraguay is in South America.
Which countries border Paraguay?
Paraguay shares a land or maritime border with Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia.
What is the largest city in Paraguay?
Asunción is the largest city in Paraguay, with a metropolitan population of about 1.87 million.
What is the highest mountain in Paraguay?
The highest summit recorded for Paraguay in YearMaps is Cerro Tres Kandú at 842 m (2,762 ft). Summits on a border are counted for both countries.
What is the largest lake in Paraguay?
The largest lake recorded in or bordering Paraguay is Represa Itaipu, at roughly 2,418 km².
What is the tallest dam in Paraguay?
The tallest dam recorded for Paraguay is Itaipu Dam at 196 m, on the Paraná.