PARAGUAY 



The Republic of Paraguay is situated in the centre of the 

 South American continent, between latitude 17-15 deg. and 

 27:51 deg. S.. and longitude 54-5 deg. and 62-30 deg. W. 

 The country lias uo seaboard, being bounded on the north by 

 Bolivia and Brazil, east by Brazil, south and west by the 

 Argentine. Paraguay proper, the area of which is estimated 

 at 65,000 square miles, lies between the rivers Paraguay and 

 Alto Parana, and is bounded on the north by the Brazilian 

 province of Matto-Grosso. To the west, between the rivers 

 Paraguay and Pilcomayo, lies the little-known region of the 

 Chaco, the area of which is estimated at 107,000 square miles, 

 or about that of Italy. All Paraguay belongs to the formation 

 of the low-lying region which is comprised between the Bra- 

 zilian coasl range on the east and the Andes on the west, and 

 through which the two great waterways, the Paraguay and the 

 Alto Parana, flow towards the south and pass into the vast 

 estuary of the River Plate. Paraguay proper consists for the 

 most part of a level or gently undulating plain, from which in 

 some places low hills rise abruptly. These hills nowhere reach 

 a height of more than 2000 ft. above sea-level, while the average 

 height of the plain is about 550 ft. The level country consists 

 of grass land alternating with woods and forests, the latter 

 occupying the greater area, while the higher ground almost 

 everywhere is clothed with dense forests. It is well watered 

 by the numerous tributaries of the great rivers, while a large 

 part of the level ground on the west side; of the Cordilleras is 

 swampy and liable to inundation. The Chaco differs from Para- 

 guay proper in that it consists exclusively of level, scarcely 

 undulating, ground unbroken by hills of any kind. The greater 

 portion of the territory, which seems formerly to have formed 

 the bed of an inland sea, may be regarded as the delta of the 



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