Picturing Paraguay Trivia Quiz

Answer: Argentina, Bolivia and Brazil

Paraguay is a landlocked country and consists of grassy plains and wooded hills to the east with marshy lands becoming arid scrub to the west. It is one of only two landlocked countries in South America, the other being its north-western neighbour Bolivia.

It is a country shaped by war. It lost 140,000 square kilometres of its land to Argentina and Brazil after badly losing in the Paraguayan War (1864-1870) against the Triple Alliance of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. It is also estimated to have lost over 60% of its population, recording a population of 220,000 (with only 28,000 adult males) in an 1871 census. The 2015 population is estimated at just over 7,000,000.

Answer: Humid subtropical

It has also been defined as tropical savannah. It typically has hot, humid summers with sirocco winds from the north-east, and a mild winter with colder pampero winds from the South Atlantic. The lack of high mountains nearby mean that weather changes blow through quickly.

The photo shows a view of the Palacio de los López in Asunción, which serves as the Presidential workplace and seat of Government.

Answer: By river

Rivers define a number of Paraguay's borders. The various rivers provide the easiest way of moving around, particularly during the rainy season. Paraguay reportedly has the largest navy of any landlocked country with the Paraguay-Paraná rivers providing access to the Atlantic. It also was the route by which the Spanish conquistadors reached the territory.

The photo shows a satellite view of the confluence of the Rio Paraguay and Rio Paraná during the rainy season. The paler meandering Paraguay meets the browner Paraná but it takes some time before the different sediments mix.

Answer: Guarani

The Guarani peoples originally lived in areas of what is now modern day Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Gonzalo de Mendoza, who established Asunción, was among the first to meet the Guarani of Paraguay.

Although the CIA World Factbook records 95% of the population as being mestizo (of mixed Spanish and Amerindian parentage), the Guarani language remains understood by 95% of the population. Guarani and Spanish are the two official languages, with Spanish understood by 90% of the population. The guarani is also the currency of the country.

Answer: Paraguay

Of those listed, only the River Paraguay passes through the country. About 95% of the population live to the east of the river, mostly around Asunción. This means that about half of the country by land area has only five percent of the population.

The photo shows the flag of Paraguay, which was the hint for the name of the river. The flag is unusual in having two different sides, one side displaying the national coat of arms and the other showing the seal of the treasury.

Answer: Jesuits

Spanish colonisation was aimed at exploiting the natural resources (including indigenous people) while taxing and governing the indigenous people in an efficient manner. The 17th and 18th century network of Jesuit reductions were created within this environment, providing self-contained settlements for the native population and an environment in which to convert them to Christianity. They had a high degree of autonomy within the Spanish colonial system. The Jesuit missions even raised native militia to resist the Portuguese slave raiders from Brazil.

The refusal of Guarani militia to give up seven Jesuit missions in Paraguay to the Portuguese was one of the triggers for the worldwide suppression of the Jesuits during the 18th century. The photo shows some of the ruins at the Jesuit Mission of La Santísima Trinidad de Paraná, one of the last missions to be built.

Answer: Water

Paraguay only generates hydroelectric power and in 2011 produced an estimate 57 billion kWh while using only 7.5 billion kWh. The rest was exported, making Paraguay one of the world's largest exporters of generated electricity. As of 2008, Paraguay has produced no oil, natural gas or coal, with minimal oil reserves discovered.

The photo shows churning water after it has passed down one of the Itaipu Dam's spillways.

Answer: Drowned by a dam

The falls, on the border between Paraguay and Brazil, were a series of 18 cataracts in seven clusters with a total fall of 114 metres. Brazil and Paraguay decided to build the dam as part of the world's largest (at the time) hydroelectric scheme.

The end result was the Itaipu Dam, over seven kilometres long with an artificial lake covering 1,350 square kilometres and displacing 10,000 families. The loss of flora and fauna has not been quantified. Trying to catch a view of the falls before they disappeared, 32 tourists drowned when a walkway collapsed. The Brazilians later blew up the submerged falls to improve navigation on the artificial lake. The photo shows a night-time view of the dam.

Answer: Swamps and wetlands

The capybara, the world's largest rodent at about 1.4 metres in length and 75 kg weight, is found throughout most of South America (apart from Chile), as long as there is some freshwater around. It can also be found near water in rainforests and grasslands.

The capybara is a herbivore and semi-aquatic, being able to hold its breath for up to five minutes. As well as being an excellent swimmer, it is equally agile on land. Adaptations include slightly webbed skin between the toes, and its ears, eyes and nose are positioned on top so that the animal can be mostly submerged whilst retaining its senses.

Answer: Infused as a tea

Endemic to Paraguay and southern Brazil, an infusion of the yerba mate leaves was drunk by the Guarani before the arrival of Europeans in Paraguay. Containing caffeine (such as found in tea and coffee), it was soon adopted by a number of South American countries and, for a time, was Paraguay's main export.

Harvested from the wild originally, it was the Jesuits who domesticated it at their reductions before they were expelled from the country. Brazil and Argentina are now the main producers, having rediscovered the process for cultivating the tree.

The bombilla is a kind of drinking straw with a filter on the end to separate out the infusion from the leaves and stems. Mate is drunk socially with the gourd and bombilla passed around. Tereré is a version prepared with cold water or fruit juices.