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Paraguay
The Republic of Paraguay
Hailey Fox
15 October 2012
EDF 770

I. Paraguay
The Republic of Paraguay is located in central South America. My reasons for choosing Paraguay are both personal and academic. My undergraduate degree is in International Studies with a focus on Latin America. As part of my university program, I did two study abroad terms in Argentina and Brazil. In 2007, while studying in Brazil, I made a brief visit to Asunción, Paraguay. Recent political strife in Paraguay caught my attention. The country had finally been progressing politically but in June 2012 suddenly experienced an abrupt threat to Paraguay’s democratic legitimacy. There was a political coup initiated by the Colorado Party, which, until 2008, had held power for 61 years through a series of dictators. The occasion mirrored the power-driven actions that have long prevented agrarian reforms to economically empower the working class. The polarized distribution of power has distanced the political process from the majority of Paraguayans.
Paraguay is intriguing due to its central location, as a democratic crossroads bordering Brazil, Argentina and Bolivia. It is also unique in its use of Guaraní language in addition to Spanish. The contemporary bilingualism implies an interesting history of colonialism in Paraguay with lasting implications. These factors, along with recent attendance to a presentation by a Paraguayan organization that works for disabled human rights, Fundación Saraki, are my motivation for studying Paraguay.

II. Geography
Land and water combined, the area of Paraguay is 153,398 square miles, similar in size to the state of California. Paraguay is a landlocked country, more than 400 miles from the nearest coast. Its main body of water is the Paraguay River, which divides the nation into two geographically distinct regions: the smaller, eastern Región Oriental and the larger Chaco Region to the west.
The two regions provide contrasting



Cited: Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, (2006). Paraguay, Human Rights Reports.( Edition March 6, 2007) Burges, S. W., & Fournier, D. (2000). Form before function: Democratization in paraguay. Canadian Journal of Latin American & Caribbean Studies, 25(49), 5-32 Clough-Riquelme, J. (2007). Gender, citizenship, and local democracy in paraguay: A comparative analysis of social power and political participation in the central region Coleman, D. (2011). Country Review :Paraguay [2011 Edition]. (Geopolitical and Economic Background Review), Retrieved from http://search.countrywatch.com/cw_searchdocument.aspx?DocNumParam=53 (Website 2) Deforestation rates slashed in paraguay. (2006, Aug 30). US Fed News Service, Including US State News Japan International Cooperation AgencyPlanning and Evaluation Department. (March 2002). http://siteresources.worldbank.org/DISABILITY/Resources/Regions/LAC/JICA_Paraguay.pdf Hanratty , Dannin M. and Meditz , Sandra W., editors. Paraguay: A Country Study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1988. Hernández, R. E. (2004). Paraguay. Philadelphia, Pa: Mason Crest Publishers. (11,16) Jermyn, L Library of Congress Federal Research Division (October 2005). Paraguay Country Profile. Retrieved 14 October 2012 Maletta, H. 1992 "Migracion Internacional en Paraguay en Integracion del Cono Sur: Una Agenda de Investigacion," Revisat de la OIM sovre Migraciones en America Latina, 10(2-3):7-25. Natalia, R. D. (2010, Jan 07). Paraguay: Public health care free of charge. Global Information Network. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/457553648?accountid=27346 Nickson, R O’Brien, T. (2004) Utopia in the midst of oppression? A reconsideration of Guaraní/Jesuit communities in seventeenth and eighteenth century Paraguay Paraguay: Population. (2004). (). New York, United States, New York: The Economist Intelligence Unit Paraguay Population. The World Factbook (2009). Retrieved from: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/countrytemplate_pa.html Parks, Elizabeth and Jason. (2010). http://www.sil.org/silesr/abstract.asp?ref=2010-004. A Sociolinguistic Survey Reportof theDeaf People of Paraguay Pendle, G. (1967). Paraguay. N.Y. (5) Roett, R., & Sacks, R Schuster, C. E. (2012). Social collateral: Microcredit development and the politics of interdependency in paraguay Stadius, Eric. Research Associate at the Council on Hemispheric Affairs (2012, June 22).Land Reform Issues Intensify as Paraguay Enters Into a Political Crisis Statistics and Indicators on the World 's Women. 1995. Copyright 1997. Social and Housing Statistics Section of the United Nations Statistics Division United Nations, United Nations Statistics Division, National Accounts Main Agregates Database,Basic Data Selection, New York, 2011 Development Goals Report, United Nations. Retrieved at May 13, 2009, from the website temoa : Open Educational Resources (OER) Portal at http://www.temoa.info/node/18070 United Nations Statistics Database- Millenium Development Goals U.S. Department of State. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Paraguay. 2001-2006. http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm#wrapper Warren, H. G. (1949). Paraguay: An informal history. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. (p. 34) World Health Organization, 2012. Paraguay. http://www.who.int/countries/pry/en/

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