A Small Package of Interesting

Paraguay is one of the two landlocked countries

in South America. It is bordered by Brazil, Bolivia, and
Argentina. The Rio Paraguay separates the country into
two parts, the east and west side. Most of the 5.9
million people live on the east side of Paraguay because
it has fertile soil and hills. The west side has a very small
population because of the Gran Chaco with its mostly
grassy plain. Another reason the west side is not very
populated is it has extremely hot summers and thorn
forests. Paraguayans speak the languages Spanish and
Guaran because most of the populations are
descendants of the Spanish or the indigenous group,
Guaran. In the cities, people speak both languages, but
in the countryside, most speak Guaran. Their major
exports are soybeans, feed, cotton, meat, edible oils,
and electricity. The Paraguayans currency is called
Guaran.

Orchestra
One thing that makes Paraguay special is the
recycled orchestra. Trash pickers in Cateura, Paraguay go
to landfills and pull out useful items. They look for anything
they could make into an instrument. For example, old
bottle caps can be made into keys on a clarinet. Violins are
modeled from oven trays. That is why it is called the
recycled orchestra. Favio Chavez is the brains behind
starting the music school. He thought it would lift the kids
lift out of the dump. At the music school, the older more
experienced ones teach the younger ones. They usually
practice outside, but if it rains, they have a classroom to go
too. Learn more by clicking on the QR code to the left.

US Saves Paraguay
Americans are Paraguays best friend. American
president Rutherford Hayes saved Paraguay from
almost losing half of their country. During the
Triple Alliance war against Uruguay, Brazil, and
Argentina, the US was given the Gran Chaco,
which is half of Paraguay. Paraguay and Argentina
sent ambassadors to the White House for Hayes
to make his important judgment. Rutherford
Hayes gave the Gran Chaco to Paraguay and they
were very thankful for that. In fact, they were so
thankful that the Paraguayan president renamed a
town in honor of Rutherford Hayes. There have
also been schools, a county and soccer teams
named after him.

Yum Yum
Paraguay has a legendary soup that was made
by accident. Let me tell you a little bit about the story
of Sopa Paraguaya. In the 19th century, there was a
Paraguayan dictator named Carlos Antonio Lopez. His
cook was cooking up a liquid dish for lunch, but the
cook added way too much corn flour and it came out
more like bread. The dictator tried the new dish and
loved it. Today this dish is known as the national dish of
Paraguay.