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A wide view of the the office of the President and the Government of Paraguay with buildings and a blue and white sky in the background
Image: Leonid Andronov/Pond5/IMAGOImage: Leonid Andronov/Pond5/IMAGO

Paraguay

Paraguay is a landlocked nation between Argentina, Brazil and Bolivia in South America. Asuncion is its capital and largest city, and Spanish and Guarani are its official languages.

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All Content on this topic

Paraguay Yakye Axa indigene Gemeinschaft

Paraguay: The Poverty Stoplight

Agriculture is helping Paraguay's economy expand fast. Growth came in at about 5 percent last year. But many people still live in extreme poverty.
PoliticsSeptember 28, 201504:10 min
Golden field in Paraguay

Ruinous monocultures

Small-scale farmers in Paraguay are fighting monocultures with traditional and environmentally friendly agriculture.
August 25, 2015
Teaser Globalídeas / Paraguai / ohne Logo

Biodiversity in Paraguay: Subsistance farming in the shadow of soy plantations

Paraguay's farmers are fighting for their land.
SocietyAugust 24, 201503:39 min
Paraguay Mädchen Vergewaltigung Schwangerschaft Abtreibung Krankenhaus

Denied abortion, child rape victim gives birth in Paraguay

Mother requested that her daughter's pregnancy be terminated but government refused. Child had been raped by stepfather.
August 14, 2015

Pope visits Paraguayan slum dwellers

Pope Francis stopped by a shantytown on the last day of his 'homecoming' trip to South America.
July 12, 2015
Paraguay Papst Franziskus und Horacio Cartes

Pope hails women during Paraguay visit

Pope Francis has arrived in Paraguaya praising the country's women for "the hope of a better tomorrow."
July 11, 2015
Bolivien: Papst Franziskus spricht in Santa Cruz beim Kongress der Volksbewegungen

Pope decries 'genocide' of Christians

Pope Francis has called for an end to what he described as "genocide" of Christians taking place in the Middle East.
July 10, 2015
Pope Francis is seen after giving a holy mass at the square of Christ the Redeemer in Santa Cruz, Bolivia on July 9, 2015

Pope denounces 'throwaway' culture at Bolivia mass

Pope Francis uses an open-air mass in Bolivia to call on people to reject modern consumer society.
July 9, 2015
Pope Francis waves to the crowd from the popemobile in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Saturday, June 6, 2015 (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Pope Francis heads to Bolivia

Pope Francis, who is currently on a South American tour, has arrived in Bolivia.
July 8, 2015
DW's Astrid Prange de Oliveira

Keep it real, Francis!

Astrid Prange de Oliveira
The pope is right not to pull any punches on a trip to South America, says DW's Astrid Prange.
July 8, 2015
Pope Francis in Guayaquil, Ecuador

Ecuador crowds greet Pope

The pope has spent day two of his South American tour in Ecuador, with about half a million people attending a Mass.
July 6, 2015
Papst Franziskus in Ecuador gelandet

Pope arrives in Ecuador for South America tour

Pope Francis has landed in Ecuador's capital Quito, kicking off a three-nation tour on his native continent.
July 6, 2015
Papst Franziskus Generalaudienz

Pope faces charged issues on home continent

The schedule seems modest, but Pope Francis' trip to Latin America is politically charged.
July 4, 2015
Fußball: Amerika-Cup, Argentinien - Paraguay

Argentina beat Paraguay 6-1

Argentina demolished rivals Paraguay in the Copa America semifinal 6-1, with captain Lionel Messi setting up four.
July 1, 2015
Paraguay police

German ranchers killed in Paraguay

A German couple has been found dead on a farm in northern Paraguay after being allegedly murdered by a guerrilla group.
January 30, 2015
Paraguay Volk der Aché

Sell or stay?

Soybean plantations are robbing Paraguay's Aché of their land.
BusinessDecember 29, 201406:50 min
Rom am Vorabend der Heiligsprechung

Pope removes bishop

A Paraguayan bishop accused of protecting a suspected pedophile priest has been dismissed by Pope Francis. Earlier this week, the Vatican charged a Polish prelate for allegedly abusing minors while posted abroad.
September 25, 2014
The heads of state of Mercosur's five members pose for a photo-op

Mercosur summit

Mercosur is hoping to shrug off its toothless image as its member sates meet in Caracas.
July 29, 2014

One man is turning trash into string instruments for slum kids to play.

"The world sends us garbage - we send back music". That's the motto of Favio Chavez. He opened a music school in Cateura on the outskirts of the Paraguayan capital Asuncion. There’s no money for instruments - but no shortage of refuse in the neighborhood.
MusicJune 16, 201406:37 min
Teaser Globalideas _ohne Logo

Defying soy producers

Instead of selling their land, Paraguay's indigenous Aché have moved to sustainable farming.
May 27, 2014
Photo: A soy plant (photo credit: CC BY 2.0: Nicetoenv/flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/88493584@N05/8253614605)

Paraguay's soy boom

Can a certification scheme help make soy farming more sustainable in Paraguay? Critics are doubtful.
May 27, 2014
Mexican Alejandro Salas (photo: ORLANDO SIERRA/AFP/GettyImages)

Fighting corruption

Syria and Spain lost out at perceived corruption levels, Transparency International says.
December 3, 2013
KAISERSLAUTERN, GERMANY - AUGUST 14: Wilson Pittoni of Paraguay celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's second goal during the International Friendly match between Germany and Paraguay on August 14, 2013 in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Photo by Dennis Grombkowski/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Defensive errors cost Germany

Germany wrapped up their summer of friendlies with a 3-3 draw against Paraguay in Kaiserslautern. Poor defending put them behind early, but Lars Bender capped a deserved comeback.
August 14, 2013
Joachim Löw and players in training in Barsinghausen. (Photo via Peter Steffen dpa/lni)

More than a World Cup warm-up

Wednesday's friendly match against Paraguay is the start to the new season for the German national team. The goal is to end the season at the World Cup final, but several high hurdles stand in Joachim Löw's way.
August 13, 2013
Joachim Loew, head coach of the German national football team during a training session at Astana arena on March 21, 2013 in Astana, Kazakhstan. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Löw brings back usual suspects

Bundesliga behemoths Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund provide the spine of the German national team. Joachim Löw has recalled these core players for the season opener in Paraguay.
August 8, 2013
Paraguayan presidential candidate Horacio Cartes (C) of the Colorado Party raises his arms in the air with the party's president Lilian Samaniego (L) and member Javier Zacarias Irun after a news conference during the presidential elections in Asuncion, April 21, 2013. Paraguayans began voting on Sunday in a presidential election that could return the center-right Colorado Party to power less than a year after the nation's first leftist leader was impeached. REUTERS/Jorge Adorno (PARAGUAY - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS)

Cartes wins Paraguay election

Businessman Horacio Cartes of the Colorado Party has been declared Paraguay's new president, according to electoral officials. His main rival Efrain Alegre has conceded defeat.
April 22, 2013
A nun prepares to cast her vote at a polling station in Asuncion on Sunday. Voters in Paraguay are casting ballots to choose a new leader and turn the page on a political crisis that saw the impeachment of leftist president Fernando Lugo ten months ago. (Photo: Norberto Duarte/AFP/Getty Images)

Paraguay heads to the polls

Voters are in the process of electing Paraguay's next president, following the impeachment of leftist president Fernando Lugo ten months ago. The election is expected to help restore Paraguay's international standing.
April 21, 2013
external

Paraguay votes in presidential elections

Voters in Paraguay are going to polls to pick a new president, 10 months after the controversial impeachment of former President Fernando Lugo. Many hope the vote will end the country's long political instability.
April 21, 201301:03 min
Detailed 3d rendering of the flag of Paraguay hanging on a flag pole and waving in the wind against a blue sky. © Fotolia/ mtrommer

Cartes' return

Ten months after Fernando Lugo's impeachment, Paraguay returned conservatives to power.
April 21, 2013
A piece of steak is cooked on an open fire

Are cows climate killers?

Scientists are divided over the impact of livestock farming on climate change.
March 26, 2013
A hand holding soya beans

Protecting forests

Rainforests in Paraguay are being bulldozed for farmland. One person is trying to change that.
Nature and EnvironmentMarch 26, 2013

Dying Forests - The High Cost of Paraguay’s Economic Upswing

Alberto Yanosky is the head of the NGO Guyra Paraguay. Since 1997, the environmental organization has led the struggle to protect the country’s natural habitats and their inhabitants.
BusinessMarch 25, 201306:38 min
Paraguayan Retired General and presidential candidate from an opposition group, Lino Oviedo speaks to a bunch of followers during a campaign rally held at the outskirts of Asuncion, Paraguay, on 16 April 2008. EPA/Diego Benitez +++(c) dpa - Report+++ pixel

Paraguay president hopeful dead

Paraguayan presidential candidate Lino Oviedo, 69, has died in a helicopter crash. The retired general helped lead the 1989 coup to overthrow former dictator Alfredo Stroessner.
February 3, 2013

Giving girls a chance

This week the UN observed the International Day of Rural Women – celebrating the important role women play in rural economies. Globally, women participate in crop production and livestock care, provide food, water and fuel for their families livelihoods. Young girls from poor, rural households are the least likely to go to school, says the UN. So, two NGOs in Paraguay decided to help.
BusinessOctober 17, 201206:32 min
(L-R) Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff, Uruguay's President Jose Mujica and Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner pose for an official photo during the Special MERCOSUR Summit at Planalto Palace in Brasilia July 31, 2012. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino (BRAZIL - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS)

Venezuela joins Mercosur

South America's main trade bloc has welcomed Venezuela into its fold. But Caracas' membership could sow internal divisions within the organization.
August 1, 2012
Group photo of leaders gathered at Mercosur summit in Mendoza

Paraguay ostracized further

Two major South American groups have suspended the membership of Paraguay for having impeached and ousted its president. But the trade bloc Mercosur stopped short of imposing trade sanctions on the impoverished country.
June 30, 2012
Paraguayan Presidents Fernando Lugo (R) and Federico Franco (C)

Paraguayan isolation

Paraguay’s neighbors have condemned the dismissal of President Fernando Lugo. Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez went so far as to call his removal a coup.
June 25, 2012
New Paraguayan President Federico Franco gives a speech after his swearing-in at the Congress in Asuncion

Paraguay tries to supress diplomatic fallout

Paraguay's newly sworn in president, Federico Franco set about forming a new government late Saturday, pledging to honor foreign commitments, and to help "decompress" tensions over his predecessors' swift impeachment.
June 24, 2012
Paraguay's President Fernando Lugo

Paraguay president kicked out

The president of Paraguay has been impeached and removed from office, having been judged by the country's senate to have failed in his duties. Fernando Lugo accepted the vote, but said that democracy was the loser.
June 23, 2012
Paraguay's President Fernando Lugo.

Paraguay leader to be impeached

Paraguay's president faces the prospect of being impeached soon over a botched police attempt to evict peasants from disputed property. The incident highlights the land problems that continue to plague the country.
June 21, 2012

Raising Resistance against big soy farmers in Paraguay

Global large-scale soy production is increasingly threatening the existence of local inhabitants and farmers, particularly in parts of South America. The documentary 'Raising Resistance' examines the international issue at a local level, observing the conflict between small scale farmers in Paraguay and the Brazilian soy farmers taking up land in Paraguay, a conflict which has many facets.
BusinessMay 9, 201205:39 min
Paraguay's Yakye Axa indigenous community lost its land, forcing its people to live in a makeshift roadside settlement in terrible conditions.

Landmark ruling

Paraguay’s indigenous community returns home after years of displacement.
April 23, 2012

Indigenous community in Paraguay forced to live on the roadside

A long displaced indigenous community in Paraguay is looking forward to returning to their traditional way of life following a long awaited land deal. The Yakye Axa indigenous community of Paraguay’s Chaco region have been living in squalored conditions beside a local highway for over fifteen years. But they are closer than ever to returning to a part of their ancestral land.
BusinessApril 11, 201207:39 min

La Nina takes toll on Paraguay

In Paraguay, people are suffering from a severe drought. The country is the hardest hit by La Nina in Latin America. Thousands of small farmers’ livelihoods have been affected across the country.
ScienceApril 5, 201205:05 min
Money being tucked away in jacket

Kolping Paraguay

Kolping Institute accused of covering up embezzlement
August 26, 2010
Spain's players celebrate after David Villa's goal

Spain 1-0 Paraguay

Spain take 82 minutes to finally put one past Paraguay, and now go on to face Germany.
July 3, 2010
Paraguay's Enrique Vera, fourth from left, celebrates with fellow team members after scoring a goal during the World Cup group F soccer match between Slovakia and Paraguay at Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein, South Africa, Sunday, June 20, 2010.

Pain for Spain?

Spain are favorites to beat Paraguay and make the semi-finals - but things may not be so clear cut.
July 2, 2010
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, left, and Spain's David Villa fight for the ball

World Cup

Spain beat Portugal 1-0 in a close-fought game in Cape Town on Tuesday. Vincente del Bosque's side goes on to a quarterfinal date with Paraguay, who beat Japan in a penalty shootout earlier in the day.
June 29, 2010
Italy's Fabio Cannavaro

Italy out

The defending champs have been eliminated from the World Cup after a loss against Slovakia.
June 24, 2010
Uruguay fans awaiting their side's 2010 World Cup game against South Africa

The beautiful game

The five South American teams are teaching the rest a lesson early on in the World Cup.
June 21, 2010