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Asunción

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Central & South American
Geography

   Map of Paraguay
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   Map of Paraguay
   Panteón de los Héroes in Asunción
   Enlarge
   Panteón de los Héroes in Asunción

   Asunción, population 1,639,000 ( 2002), is the capital of Paraguay. Its
   metropolitan area, named Gran Asunción, includes the cities of San
   Lorenzo, Fernando de la Mora, Lambaré, Luque, Mariano Roque Alonso,
   Ñemby and Villa Elisa; having more than 1.5 million inhabitants.
   Asunción is located at 25°16′S 57°40′W (-25.2667, -57.6667).

   It is the seat of government, principal port and chief industrial and
   cultural centre of the country. Main outputs of the manufacturing
   industries include footwear, textiles, and tobacco products.

   The Spanish word asunción means assumption in English. It refers to the
   Assumption of Mary.

History

   Asunción is one of the oldest cities in South America, being known as
   "Mother of Cities". It was from here that the colonial expeditions
   departed to found other cities, including the second foundation of
   Buenos Aires and of other important cities such as Villarrica,
   Corrientes, Santa Fe and Santa Cruz de la Sierra. The site of the city
   may have been first visited by Juan de Ayolas, but the town, called
   Nuestra Señora de la Asunción ( Our Lady of the Assumption), was
   founded on the feast day of the Assumption August 15, 1537, by Juan de
   Salazar and Gonzalo de Mendoza, relative of Pedro de Mendoza. Thus, the
   city became the centre of a large Spanish colonial province comprising
   part of Brazil, present-day Paraguay and northeastern Argentina: the
   Giant Province of the Indies. In 1603 Asunción was the seat of the
   First Synod of Asunción, which set guidelines for the evangelization of
   the natives in their lingua franca, Guaraní.
   Construction of builidings in Asunción, 1892
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   Construction of builidings in Asunción, 1892

   In 1731 an uprising under José de Antequera y Castro was one of the
   first rebellions against Spanish colonial rule. The uprising failed but
   it was the first sign of the independent spirit that was growing among
   the criollos, mestizos and natives of Paraguay. The event influenced
   the independence of Paraguay, which then materialised in 1811. The
   secret reunions between the independence leaders to plan an ambush
   against the Spanish Governor in Paraguay Bernardo de Velasco were held
   at the home of Juana María de Lara, in downtown Asunción. On the night
   of May 14 and May 15 the rebels succeeded and were able to force the
   governor Velasco to surrender. Today, Lara's home is known as Casa de
   la Independencia (House of the Independence) and serves as a museum and
   historical building.

   After Paraguay became independent, there was signifcant change in
   Asunción. Under the presidency of Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia roads
   were made throughout the city and the streets were named. However, it
   was during the presidency of Carlos Antonio López that Asunción (and
   Paraguay) progressed, as the new president implemented new economic
   policies. More than 400 schools, metallurgic factories and the first
   railroad service in South America were built during the López
   presidency. After López died, his son Francisco Solano López became the
   new president and led the country through the disastrous War of the
   Triple Alliance that lasted for five years. After the War of the Triple
   Alliance ( 1865- 70), Asunción was occupied by Brazilian troops until
   1876.

   Many historians have claimed that this war has provoked the constant
   downfall of the city and country, since it massacred two thirds of the
   country's population. Progress has been tremendously slowed down ever
   since, and the economy has constantly found itself in stagnation.

Demographics

   Asunción's current population is approximately 539,000 people in the
   city proper. Roughly 30% of Paraguay's 6 million people live within
   Greater Asunción. Sixty-five percent of the total population in the
   city are under the age of 30.

   The population has increased greatly during the last few decades as a
   consequence of internal migration from other Departments of Paraguay at
   first because of the economic boom in the 1970's, and later because of
   economic recession in the countryside. The adjacent cities in the Gran
   Asunción area like Luque, Lambaré, San Lorenzo, Fernando de la Mora and
   Mariano Roque Alonso have absorbed most of this influx due to the low
   cost of the land and easy access to Asuncion. These cities have also
   experienced significant economic growth and expansion, to the point
   that the boundaries between Asuncion and its adjacent cities has almost
   but disappeared.

Geography

   Asunción is located between the parallels 25º 15' and 25º 20' of south
   latitude and between the meridians 57º 40' and 57º 30' of west
   longitude. The city sits on the left bank of the Paraguay River, which
   separates the city in the north-west 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.

Physical setting

   Since the location is right next to the Paraguay River the city offers
   beautiful landscapes and spreads out on gentle hills in a pattern of
   rectangular blocks. Places like Cerro Lambaré (a hill) located in
   Lambaré offer a spectacular show in the spring because of the lapacho
   trees in the area. Parks like Parque Caballero and Parque Carlos
   Antonio López offer big areas of typical Paraguayan nature and are
   often frequented by tourists. There are several slightly elevated areas
   throughout the city (small hills) such as Cabará, Clavel, Tarumá,
   Cachinga, Tacumbú, among others.

Climate

   The climate of Asunción can be described as warm and humid for the most
   part of the year. The average temperature of the city is of 24° C (75.2
   F). The average maxima is of 29.4ºC (84.92 F) and the average minima is
   of 19.2ºC (66.56 F). In 2002, the registered level of rain was of 1,420
   milimeters. Usually October is the month with the most precipations,
   while September is the month with the least amount of precipitation.

Neighbourhoods

   The neighbourhoods of Asuncion, called " barrios" by its residents, are
   the territorial units established by law, and of which Asunción is
   subdivided into.

   The city of Asunción is composed of the following neighbourhoods
     * Campo Grande
     * Carlos A. López
     * Catedral
     * Ciudad Nueva
     * Ricardo Brugada, also known as La Chacarita
     * Dr. Francia
     * El Palomar
     * Gral. Díaz
     * Herrera
     * Hipódromo
     * Itá Pytá Punta
     * Itá Enramada
     * Jara
     * La Encarnación
     * La Residenta
     * Loma Pytá
     * Las Carmelitas
     * Las Lomas
     * Las Mercedes
     * Los Laureles
     * Manora
     * Mbocayaty
     * Mburucuyá
     * Madame Lynch
     * Nazareth
     * Barrio Obrero


                                                      * Pinoza
                                                      * Republicano
                                                      * Recoleta
                                                      * Roberto L. Petit
                                                      * Sajonia
                                                      * Salvador del Mundo
                                                      * San Antonio
                                                      * San Cristóbal
                                                      * San Jorge
                                                      * San Rafael
                                                      * San Roque
                                                      * San Pablo
                                                      * Santa Ana
                                                      * Santa María
                                                      * Santísima Trinidad
                                                      * Tablada Nueva
                                                      * Tacumbú
                                                      * Tembetary
                                                      * Tuyucuá
                                                      * Varadero
                                                      * Villa Antelco
                                                      * Villa Aurelia
                                                      * Villa Morra
                                                      * Villa Victoria
                                                      * Ytay
                                                      * Zeballos Cué

Education

   The literacy rate is of 95 percent, the highest in Paraguay. The amount
   of schools doubled since 1982 creating a big number of jobs for
   teachers. The amount of students nowadays also doubled, compared to
   1962.

Schools

   The city has a large number of both public and private schools. The
   most known public schools are the Colegio Nacional de la Capital (which
   is one of the oldest schools in the city , founded after the Triple
   Alliance War in 1877), Colegio Presidente Franco and the Colegio
   Nacional de Niñas (a girls-only school). The most known private schools
   are Internacional, Colegio San José (catholic school), American School
   of Asuncion, Colegio Dante Alighieri (Italian school) and Colegio
   Goethe (German school).

Universities

   The main universities in the city are the Universidad Católica (private
   Catholic University) and the Universidad Nacional de Asunción
   (state-run). The Católica has a small campus in the downtown area next
   to the Cathedral and a larger campus in the adjoining city of Lambaré,
   while the Universidad Nacional has its main campus near the adjoining
   city of Paraguay. There are also a number of smaller privately run
   universities such as Universidad Americana and Universidad Autónoma de
   Asunción.

Commerce and Industry

   Since its foundation, Asunción has always been the centre of the
   economic activity in Paraguay. This is mainly due to the location of
   all the national politic governing bodies and because most of the
   industrial, diplomatic and economic activities are taken in the city.
   Most of the population concentrates on commerce and services, followed
   by the industry and construction sector. Agriculture and animal
   husbandry is basically non-existent because Asunción is a strictly
   urban area.

Transportation

   Because the Paraguay River runs right next to Asunción the city is
   served by a river terminal in the downtown area and in the Sajonia
   neighbourhood. Public transportation is used heavily and is served
   through buses that reach all the regions of the city. The main
   long-distance bus terminal is on the Republica Argentina Avenue and its
   bus services connect all of the Departments of Paraguay, as well as
   international routes to nearby countries such as Argentina, Brazil,
   Bolivia and Uruguay. Asunción is served by the Silvio Pettirossi
   International Airport located in the city of Luque.

Tourist attractions

   Traditional buildings in Calle Palma
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   Traditional buildings in Calle Palma

   The city is home to the Godoy Museum and the Museo Nacional de Bellas
   Artes (which contains old paintings from the XIX century), the Church
   of La Encarnación and the Cathedral, and the Panteón Nacional de los
   Héroes, a smaller version of Les Invalides in Paris, where many of the
   nation's heroes are entombed. Other landmarks include the Palacio de
   López (presidential palace), the old Senate building (a modern building
   opened to house Congress in 2003), the Catedral Metropolitana and the
   Casa de la Independencia (one of the few examples of colonial
   architecture remaining in the city).

   Calle Palma is the main street in downtown where several historical
   building, plazas, shops, restaurants and cafes are located. The
   "Manzana de la Rivera", located in front of the presidential palace, is
   a series of old traditional homes that have been restaured that act as
   a museum and showcases the architectural evolution of the city. The old
   railway station still maintains the old trains that now are used in
   tourist trips to the cities of Luque and Areguá (see Rail transport in
   Paraguay).

   Asunción also has luxurious malls that contain shops of the most
   well-known brands in the world. The biggest shopping malls are Shopping
   del Sol, which includes a Macys-style department store; Unicentro,
   Mariscal Lopez Shopping, Shopping Villa Morra in the central part of
   the city and the downtown-located Mall Excelsior.

Sports & Other Entertainment

   Football is the main sport in Paraguay, and Asunción is home to some of
   the most important and traditional football teams like Olimpia
   Asunción, Cerro Porteño and Club Libertad, Club Nacional, Club Guaraní,
   Club Sol de América, which have their own stadiums and sport facilities
   for affiliated members. The Defensores del Chaco stadium is the main
   football stadium of the country and is located in the neighbourhood of
   Sajonia, just a few minutes away from the centre of Asunción. Since it
   is a national stadium sometimes it is used for other activities such as
   rock concerts.

   The nightlife revolves around two areas: one in the downtown part of
   the city and the other in the famous Brazilia Avenue, a strip full of
   nightclubs and bars.

Sites of Interest

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asunci%C3%B3n"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
