Private Swap - Paraguay

New country to my collection! Nic’oPY sent me some really great postcards!

Paraguay is a landlocked country in South America. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the country from north to south. Due to its central location in South America, it is sometimes referred to as Corazón de América, or the Heart of America.

As of 2009 the population was estimated at 6.3 million. The capital and largest city is Asunción. The official languages are Spanish and Guaraní, both being widely spoken in the country. The Guaraní have been living in Paraguay since prior to the arrival of Europeans in the 16th century, when Paraguay became part of the Spanish colonial empire. Paraguay gained independence from Spain in 1811. (source)

A tapir is a large browsing mammal, similar in shape to a pig, with a short, prehensile snout. Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South America, Central America, and Southeast Asia. Tapirs are classified as endangered or vulnerable. (source)

Paraguay’s Ferrocarril Presidente Carlos Antonio López is the only one state railway left in the world which is using steam for all operations. A remarkable feature of this railway is that they use tropical firewood to feed their fleet of steam locos. The locomotives are mostly 2-6-0s, 4-6-0s and 2-8-0s from North British and Kerr Stuart, many of them 99 years old. (source)

Ñandutí is a traditional Paraguayan embroidered lace, introduced by the Spaniards, that is related to Teneriffe lace. The name means "spider web" in Guaraní, the official, indigenous language of Paraguay. (source)

Tereré is an infusion of yerba mate, similar to mate but prepared with cold water rather than with hot, and in a slightly larger vessel. It is originally from Paraguay. (source)

Thank you Nic’oPY!