Paraguay is known for ..., yes, what exactly? We know that it is a country in South America and that the capital is Asuncion, and the geography classes have been such a long time ago. You never hear a friend or a colleague who has visited Paraguay and even at the travel agencies in the Netherlands say that you visit everything in a few days. In Dutch we say "something we don't know, we don't love" and that certainly applies to the beauty of Paraguay. To introduce you to this South American country, we have fifteen facts about Paraguay.
15 facts about Paraguay
- Paraguayan flag:.The Paraguayan flag has exactly the same colours and orden as the Dutch flag. The Paraguayan, however, differs due to the emblem in the middle of the flag. That emblem is different on the front and back of the flag, which is unique in the world.
- Two official languages: In addition to Spanish, Paraguay has a second official language, Guarani. Almost everyone in the country speaks or understands this language and most people speak a mixture between Spanish and Guarani. Nowadays, Guarani is a mandatory language at school.
- El Chaco: The region in the west of Paraguay is called El Chaco and consists of 60% of the total area, yet hardly 3% of the population lives there. Together with the Amazon forest, Patagonia and the Atacama desert, it is one of the toughest and most difficult regions to live in South America. The Chaco was the setting for the longest war in South America between Bolivia and Paraguay, between 1932 and 1935.
- Cheese and cheese: Two traditional dishes from Paraguay are Chipas and Sopa Paraguaya. Chipas are cheese biscuits made from manioc flour and a lot of cheese. The variant to which cornmeal is added, is the most popular and everybody eats it on Good Friday. Another dish with lots of cheese is the Sopa Paraguaya, the only soup in the world that is not liquid. It is a type of corn bread with onion, fat, cheese, eggs, milk and butter.
- Cold tea: In Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Uruguay they drink maté, a herbal drink that is drunk from a spherical cup by a metal straw. In Paraguay it is hot all year round and they replace the hot water with ice-cold tea made from various spices, Térére. In Paraguay you will never see a Paraguayan without its large thermos with ice cold water and its térére cup.
- Crazy exchange rate: The official currency in Paraguay is called the Guarani. Although the currency is reasonably stable, it has a remarkable exchange rate, so that after the first time you visit an ATM machine, you leave as a millionaire. One euro equals 7,000 Guarani. The first few days you start to frighten yourself when you see all the prizes, but you soon learn that one hundred thousand Guarani is barely fifteen euros.
- Alfredo Stroessner: Paraguay has had the longest dictatorial regime in South America. Between 1954 and 1989 Alfredo Stroessner was in power as a dictator. He was the son of a German father and was nicknamed El Rubio, the blonde guy. During his regime, Paraguay became a popular safe place for Nazi war criminals.