Paraguay: Physical Geography

Paraguay is a landlocked country in the heart of South America, bordered by Bolivia to the northwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Argentina to the south and west. The country's defining physical feature is the Paraguay River, which flows north to south and splits the national territory into two markedly different halves: the smaller, more populated Eastern Region, known locally as the Paraneña, and the vast, sparsely settled Chaco to the west. Asunción, the capital, sits on the river's eastern bank, roughly opposite the point where the Pilcomayo River enters from the west.

The Eastern Region covers roughly 160,000 square kilometers and consists of rolling hills, wooded plateaus, and low-lying plains. The Paraná Plateau, heavily forested, occupies much of the region's eastern reaches, while mountain chains such as the Amambay and Mbaracayú ranges trace the border with Brazil. Elevations here rise to around 840 to 850 meters at their highest, among the country's tallest points. In the southwest, the Ñeembucú Plain is low and swampy, prone to seasonal flooding where the Paraguay and Paraná rivers meet near the country's southern tip.

West of the Paraguay River lies the Chaco, a flat alluvial plain that makes up more than three-fifths of the country's land area but holds only a small fraction of its population. Its drier western reaches, the Alto Chaco, are covered in thorn forest and low scrub, while the more humid Bajo Chaco near the river supports wetlands and palm groves, including the extensive Estero Patiño swamp. The Paraná and Pilcomayo rivers mark long stretches of Paraguay's eastern and southwestern borders, and together with the Paraguay River itself, they form one of the most extensive river systems in South America.