Asunción is the capital and most populous city of Paraguay, located in the center-west of the Eastern Region. It is a first order municipality administered as a capital district and is not integrated into any department. It limits to the north with the Paraguay River that separates it from the department of Presidente Hayes and the Western Region; to the east and south with the Central department; and to the west with the Paraguay River, which separates it from the Argentine Republic, making it a border city. It was founded on August 15, 1537 by Juan de Salazar de Espinosa, which makes it one of the oldest cities in South America.
According to InSight Crime, it is the third safest capital in Latin America, behind Buenos Aires and Santiago.7 According to INE estimates for 2022, it has 520,917 inhabitants, while its metropolitan area (known as Greater Asunción) It exceeds 2.8 million inhabitants, making it the most densely populated area in Paraguay, and also the most productive, concentrating 70% of the National GDP.8 Asunción is the fifth most populous "jurisdiction" or "political division" of the country, surpassed by the Central, Alto Paraná, Itapúa and Caaguazú departments.
Paraguay is a landlocked country located between Argentina, Brazil and Bolivia, with large expanses of swamps, subtropical forests and chaco, expanses of nature that encompass savannahs and scrublands. The capital, Asunción, on the banks of the Paraguay River, is home to the grand Government Palace and the Museo del Barro, which displays pre-Columbian ceramics and ñandutí lace, the latter available in many stores.
It offers an excellent opportunity to visitors who love nature, especially the world of birds, since its territory offers more than 700 species for sighting. The areas of importance for the conservation of birds are: the Humid Chaco, the Dry Chaco, Pantanal, Atlantic Forest (Alto Paraná - Itapúa - Caazapá), Mesopotamian Sheets (Itapúa and Misiones), Cerrado (Amambay, San Pedro, Canindeyú and Caaguazú), and the Bay of Asunción.
Paraguay is the country of convenient shopping, due to the quality, quantity and variety of national and international products and renowned designer brands that it offers. Precisely taking into account everything it offers in the area of shopping, Paraguay is currently part of the Shopping Tourism Network of the World Tourism Organization UNWTO, to work intensively in the area.
The most recommended excursions are: the Paraguayan Chaco with its exuberant nature; the Jesuit Missions and the heritage of the largest evangelizing crusade in South America; the beaches of Encarnación on the Paraná River and its imposing coastal avenue; the Itaipu Dam, one of the largest in the world; the Monday Falls with their mighty waters; among other options. For those seeking rest in contact with nature, they can do Rural Tourism, in one of the numerous hotel stays, and those seeking adventure can visit the Mbatoví eco reserve, where extreme sports are also practiced. In the capital of the country, the walks through the historic center, museums, port, the Metropolitan Cathedral and the Palacio de los López are unmissable.
