| GEOGRAPHY |
Paraguay is a landlocked
country surrounded by Argentina, Bolivia
and Brazil, lying some 1440km (900 miles)
up the River Paraná from the Atlantic.
The River Paraguay, a tributary of the Paraná,
divides the country into two sharply contrasting
regions. The Oriental zone, which covers
159,800 sq km (61,700 sq miles), consists
of undulating country intersected by chains
of hills rising to about 600m (2000ft),
merging into the Mato Grosso Plateau in
the north; the Paraná crosses the
area in the east and south. East and southeast
of Asunción lie the oldest centres
of settlement inhabited by the greater part
of the population. This area is bordered
to the west by rolling pastures, and to
the south by thick primeval forests. The
Occidental zone, or Paraguayan Chaco, covers
246,827 sq km (95,300 sq miles). It is a
flat alluvial plain, composed mainly of
grey clay, which is marked by large areas
of permanent swamp in the southern and eastern
regions. Apart from a few small settlements,
it is sparsely populated. |
