Telecommunications in Paraguay are meager. Paraguay has the lowest fixed-line telephone density in South America, with 5.6 lines per 100 residents, compared with 8.7 per 100 in Bolivia, 21.9 in Brazil, and 24.9 in Argentina.
Paraguayan foreign policy has concentrated on maintaining good relations with its neighbors, and it has been an active proponent of regional co-operation. It is a member of the United Nations and has served one term in the UN Security Council in 1967-1969. It maintains membership in several international financial institutions, including the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the International Monetary Fund. It also belongs to the Organization of American States, the Latin American Integration Association (ALADI), the Rio Group, INTERPOL, MERCOSUR and UNASUR
Asunción is the capital and largest city of Paraguay. The city is located on the left bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the River Pilcomayo, on the South American continent. The Paraguay River and the Bay of Asunción in the northwest separate the city from the Occidental Region of Paraguay and Argentina in the south part of the city. The rest of the city is surrounded by the Central Department.
The Paraguayan War, also known as the War of the Triple Alliance and the Great War in Paraguay, was a South American war fought from 1864 to 1870, between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, the Empire of Brazil, and Uruguay. It was the deadliest and bloodiest inter-state war in Latin America's history. It particularly devastated Paraguay, which suffered catastrophic losses in population: almost 70% of its adult male population died, according to some counts, and it was forced to cede territory to Argentina and Brazil. According to some estimates, Paraguay's pre-war population of 525,000 was reduced to 221,000, of which only 28,000 were men.
The Paraguay national football team is controlled by the Paraguayan Football Association and represents Paraguay in men's international football competitions. Paraguay is a member of CONMEBOL. The Albirroja has qualified for eight FIFA World Cup competitions, with their best performance coming in 2010 when they reached the quarter-finals. A regular participant at the Copa América, Paraguay have been crowned champions of the competition on two occasions. Paraguay's highest FIFA World Rankings was 8th and their lowest was 103. Paraguay was awarded second place with Best Move of the Year in 1996 for their rise in the FIFA Rankings.
Roque Luis Santa Cruz Cantero is a Paraguayan footballer who plays as a striker for Primera División Paraguaya club Olimpia Asunción. He is currently the leading scorer of the Paraguay national football team with 32 goals and is also the sixth Paraguay national team player to reach 100 appearances.
Club Olimpia is a Paraguayan sports club based in the city of Asunción. The club promotes the practice of various sports with most importance given to the football and basketball sides, the former being the highest priority and most successful. They were founded on July 25, 1902 by a group of young Paraguayans, and the name stems from the idea of its principal founding member, William Paats, a Dutchman based in Paraguay, who is considered the father of Paraguayan football for having introduced the practice of the sport in the South America country. Internationally, the club is referred to as Olimpia Asunción in order to distinguish itself from Latin American football clubs of the same name.
Club Cerro Porteño is a professional Paraguayan football club, based in the neighbourhood of Barrio Obrero in Asunción. Founded in 1912, Cerro has won 32 Primera División titles and is one of the most popular football clubs in Paraguay. Its president is Raúl Zapag, from Paraguay, and the manager is Fernando Jubero. Its main rivals are Olimpia and Libertad.
Nelson Antonio Haedo Valdez commonly known as Nelson Valdez or Nelson Haedo in Spanish speaking countries, is a Paraguayan footballer who plays for Cerro Porteño and the Paraguay national team as a striker.
Club Sol de América is a Paraguayan sports club, mostly known for its football team. The club is located in Barrio Obrero, Paraguay, and it was founded in 1909. The stadium Sol de America uses for most of its first division games is located in the suburb city of Villa Elisa on the border of the capital city, Asunción. Sol de America have won the Paraguayan First Division title on two occasions, in 1986 and then again in 1991. They also have a strong basketball team and an athletics department.
The Paraguayan Football Association is the governing body of football in Paraguay. It organizes the Paraguayan football league and the Paraguay national football team, and is based in the Paraguayan capital, Asunción. In 1906, the representatives of the five existing football teams in Paraguay at that time met to create the governing body of football in Paraguay, the Paraguayan Football League. In 1998 its name was changed to its current denomination.
The Paraguay national rugby team is governed by the Paraguayan Rugby Union. They compete regularly in the South American Rugby Championship, but have yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup.
Miss Paraguay is a national Beauty pageant in Paraguay. The contest has responsibility to select its winner to the Miss Universe. In addition, delegates for regional competitions are also selected such as Reina Hispanoamericana, Miss Continente Americano and Miss América Latina.
Paraguayan nationality law is based on the principle of Jus soli. The nationality law is based on the Chapter 3 of the Paraguayan Constitution of 1992.
Paraguay competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, from 27 July to 12 August 2012. This was the nation's eleventh appearance at the Olympics, except the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow because of its partial support to the United States boycott.
The cuisine of Paraguay is similar to the cuisines in Brazil, Bolivia and Argentina. Meat, vegetables, manioc, maize, and fruits are common in Paraguayan cuisine. Barbecuing is both a cooking technique and often a social event, and are known as the Asado. Many dishes are based on corn, milk, cheese and meat, and fish caught in rivers are also eaten. There are about 70 varieties of chipa (cake) in Paraguay. Most chipas are made from manioc flour, which is derived from cassava, and cornmeal.
Indigenous peoples in Paraguay, or Native Paraguayans, include 17 ethnic groups belonging to five language families. While only a 1.7% of Paraguay's population is fully indigenous, 95% of the population identifies as being partially of indigenous; however, the majority do not identify as being indigenous but as Mestizos. Most of the Indian population lives in the northwestern part of the country, the Gran Chaco.
The 2011 Copa América Final was the final match of the 2011 Copa América, an international football tournament that was played in Argentina from 1 to 24 July 2011. The match was played on 24 July at Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti in Buenos Aires, between Uruguay and Paraguay.
Women in Paraguay live in a culture that has been undergoing rapid change in recent decades. Women's rights were expanded through constitutional and legal changes during the 1990s. Cultural attitudes towards many areas of women's lives are also changing. Yet Paraguayan women still face many challenges in trying to attain social equality.
