What in the World? One Flag, Two Different Sides

I am a landlocked South American country with over 7 million people living within my borders. My national capital, Asunción, sits not very far from the border of northeastern ARGENTINA. Other cities and communities that I have include Bella Vista, Caacupé, Caazapá, Ciudad del Este, Concepción, Encarnación, Filadelfia, Pilar, Rosario, San Pedro, Tacuatí, and Yhú. As the title of this post indicates, my flag has two different sides with a different circular emblem on each side. The seal on the flag’s “front” side includes a golden star and my official name: REPUBLICA DEL ________. The “back” or reverse side of my flag features a lion holding a liberty cap perched atop a pole; above the lion is a red banner inscribed with “PAZ Y JUSTICIA” (PEACE AND JUSTICE). What country am I?
A — ECUADOR
B — MADAGASCAR
C — PARAGUAY
D — SOLOMON ISLANDS























ANSWER
C . . . . . Paraguay

Independence Day in Paraguay

PARAGUAY celebrates its independence from Spain in 1811 annually with a national Independence Day (Día de Independencia) on May 14th and 15th. If you live in Paraguay, I hope you have a celebratory day!

Paraguay Exports

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According to National Geographic MapMaker (mapmaker.nationalgeographic.org), the following items are major exports of PARAGUAY: animal feed, beverages, cassava, cement, corn (maize), cotton, edible oil, electricity to neighborrring countries, iron ore, leather, limestone, manganese, meat, oilseeds, rice, soybeans, starches, steel, sugar, textiles, tobacco, wheat, and wood. According to the International Monetary Fund (data.imf.org), countries and territories buying and importing most of those exports (February 2017 statistics) include Brazil (top importer), Argentina, Chile, Russia, Uruguay, Italy, India, Israel, Poland, the United States, Japan, Bolivia, Peru, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Morocco, Ecuador, Germany, and Belgium.

Paraguay Endangered Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ for PARAGUAY in South America lists 3 extinct-in-the-wild species (Aylacostoma chloroticum, Aylacostoma guaraniticum, and Aylacostoma stigmaticum*), 7 critically endangered species, and 14 endangered species. Critically endangered species are as follows: Brazilian Merganser duck, Candelabra Tree, Discocactus hartmannii tropical cactus, Eskimo Curlew bird, Glaucous Macaw (pretty blue color!), Mimosa morongii plant, and Purple-Barred Ground Dove. Black-Fronted Piping Guan birds, Crowned Solitary Eagles, Giant Brazilian Otters, Marsh Seedeater birds, Pilar Tuco-Tuco rodent, Taguas (Chacoan Peccaries), Vinaceous Parrots, and White-Winged Nightjar birds are endangered in Paraguay.

* These freshwater snail species are believed to be extinct due to Yacyretá Dam construction on the Paraná River.

Paraguay Route 9

Known as the Ruta Transchaco or Transchaco Route, Route 9 in PARAGUAY is a 760-kilometer highway connecting the heavily forested, semi-arid Gran Chaco region in the northwest to the heavily populated national capital, Asunción, in southern Paraguay. Connecting with the Ruta Chuquisaca-Chaco in southeastern Bolivia, Route 9 is a two-lane highway in rural areas and has at least two lanes going both ways in the northern section of Asunción. This Paraguayan highway features large swaths of untouched rainforests on both sides, but deforestation is eventually visible. The general area surrounding the village of Villa Choferes del Chaco has experienced rapid deforestation, although some freestanding forest patches remain and environment protection activities are underway. Near Fortín Toledo village, the Centro Chaqueño para la Conservación e Investigación (CCCI) — Chaqueño Center for Conservation and Research in English — is primarily dedicated to protecting and knowing more about the Chacoan Peccary (Taguá), a hoofed mammal thought to be once extinct (before the 1970s) by scientists.

Especially in the northwestern part of Paraguay, drivers would pass by tiny villages and towns, including General Eugenio Alejandrino Garay, Nueva Asunción, Fortín Teniente Agripino Enciso, Fortín Teniente Primero Emilio Ochoa, Mariscal José Félix Estigarribia, Fortín Toledo, Filadelfia (population greater than 9,700), Pozo Colorado, and Estancia La Concepción. As you can tell, many Paraguayan towns are named after notable Paraguayan people. Nueva (New) Asunción is a rather small community in size and population; it definitely does not resemble Paraguay's main Asunción! Within 50 kilometers of Asunción, drivers on Route 9 begin to travel through cities with higher populations and more amenities, including Benjamín Aceval (population >16,200), Villa Hayes (named in honor of U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes; >57,000), Remansito (>7,500), and Mariano Roque Alonso (>85,000).

Various urban sites of interest can be enjoyed between Mariano Roque Alonso and Asunción — these include Shopping Mariano mall, Paraguay International Trade Fair, Plaza El Portal (Portal Square), Asuncion Golf Club, and Jardín Botánico y Zoológico de Asuncion (Asuncion Botanical Garden and Zoo). A driver wishing to travel the whole route would likely want to bring food, water, a first aid kit, etc. since much of this cross-country road is sparsely populated with few businesses and services. Luckily, the ending (or beginning) stretch travels through urban areas with plenty of amenities. Route 9 is the perfect route for a traveler wanting both tranquility in an isolated area and some urban adventure.

Rivers Near South American Capitals

Capital cities in all varieties of countries are often located next to or close to rivers and streams. Rivers facilitate trade, convenient transportation, beautification of cities, and recreation activities for residents and tourists. Almost every capital in South America straddles a major river. At the very least, every capital in the continent has rivers, streams, and canals flowing near or within them. In the text below, every country's name has a convenient link to their posts; these links open in new tabs or windows.

Buenos Aires, the capital of ARGENTINA
     ― Río de la Plata and Riachuelo (Río de la Matanza)

La Paz, one of the capitals of BOLIVIA
     ― Río Choqueyapu and Río Seco

Sucre, the other capital of Bolivia
     ― Río Cachimayu

Brasília, the capital of BRAZIL
     ― Ribeirão Taguatinga (stream) and Río São Bartolomeu

Santiago, the capital of CHILE
     ― Canal San Carlos (manmade canal), Río Maipo, and Río Mapocho

Bogotá, the capital of COLOMBIA
     ― Río Bogotá and Río Tunjuelo

Quito, the capital of ECUADOR
     ― Río San Pedro

Cayenne, the capital of FRENCH GUIANA (overseas territory)
     ― Canal LeBlond (manmade canal) and Rivière des Cascades

Georgetown, the capital of GUYANA
     ― Demerara River and east of Essequibo River

Asunción, the capital of PARAGUAY
     ― Arroyo Leandro Sosa (stream) and Río Paraguay

Lima, the capital of PERU
     ― Río Lurín, Río Rímac, and south of Río Chillón

Paramaribo, the capital of SURINAME
     ― Suriname River (Surinamerivier in Dutch)

Montevideo, the capital of URUGUAY
     ― Arroyo Miguelete and Arroyo Pantanoso (streams north and northwest of Montevideo)

Carácas, the capital of VENEZUELA
     ― Quebrada Caroata (stream) and Río Guaire

Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay Languages

Forming the southern triangular wedge of South America, the countries ARGENTINA, CHILE, PARAGUAY, and URUGUAY have a variety of peoples and languages - too many to list all of them on a blog post! Therefore, this post is focused on official languages and other widely spoken languages. In all four countries, Spanish is the official language.

Argentina: Other widely spoken languages include Quechua, Mapuche, English, Italian, German, and French.

Chile: Other languages include Araucanian, Quechua, and Mapuche.

Paraguay: Guaraní is an official language alongside Spanish. Two of Paraguay's many languages include Guaná and Sanapaná.

Uruguay: Portuñol/Brazilero (Portuguese-Spanish) is another spoken language.

What in the World? Country #5

My capital is Asunción, which lies east of a major river that is named just like me and is located in the south-central part of me! Paraná River, the second longest river in South America (hint!) after the mighty Amazon, runs along my borders that are south and east of the capital. I am comprised of a large area of swamps and marshes in the central and southern parts of me. All of the land west of the Paraná River is called Gran Chaco. This is one of the most 'inhospitable' areas in South America and is semi-arid, sparsely-populated, mainly flat, and usually extremely hot. However, forests and standing-alone trees are able to survive there, as well as thorny shrubs and cactus. What country am I? Find out below!













Answer: PARAGUAY

Landlocked Countries in South America

There are only two landlocked countries in South America: BOLIVIA and PARAGUAY. Landlocked nations do not border any ocean or sea.

Paraguay

PARAGUAY is a landlocked nation located in south-central South America. Paraguay's bordering countries are Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil. The capital is Asuncion. The currency is the Paraguayan Guarani (Guaraní), and its ISO 4217 currency code is PYG. The Guarani's currency sign ₲. Paraguay is one of the world's largest exporter of soybeans, being the third largest recently.