According to petwithsupplies, Asuncion is the largest city in Paraguay and the capital of the country. Located on the banks of the Paraguay River, Asuncion has a population of around 1.8 million people and is home to many government offices, embassies, and other important institutions. The city is known for its vibrant culture, which includes a wide range of museums, art galleries, theatres, and other cultural attractions. Asuncion is also home to many universities and other educational institutions that attract students from all over South America. Ciudad del Este is the second largest city in Paraguay with a population of around 400 thousand people. It is located on the border with Brazil and Argentina and serves as an important trading hub for both countries. Ciudad del Este has grown rapidly in recent years due to its strategic location as well as its numerous shopping centers that attract tourists from all over South America. Encarnacion is another major city in Paraguay with a population of around 160 thousand people. Located on the banks of the Parana River near Argentina’s border, Encarnacion serves as an important port city for trade between Paraguay and Argentina as well as Brazil and Uruguay. The city also features several beautiful colonial-style buildings that date back to colonial times when it served as an important trading post for Spanish merchants travelling between Buenos Aires and Montevideo. San Lorenzo is another major city located near Asuncion with a population of around 140 thousand people. It serves as an important industrial center for Paraguay due to its numerous factories producing goods such as textiles, chemicals, food products, electronics equipment, furniture pieces, etc., which are then exported throughout South America. Additionally, San Lorenzo also boasts several tourist attractions including beautiful parks such as Parque San Francisco de Asis or Parque Cabureo which offer visitors stunning views of the surrounding countryside. Paraguay is a small, landlocked country located in the heart of South America. It is bordered by Bolivia, Brazil, and Argentina and has an estimated population of 6.7 million people as of 2008. Paraguay has a long history as an independent nation, having declared its independence from Spain in 1811. In the years since then, Paraguay has been through many changes in government and politics. In the early 2000s, the Colorado Party had been in power for more than 60 years and was responsible for much of Paraguay’s economic growth during this period. This growth was largely attributed to their liberal economic policies which promoted foreign investment and allowed for infrastructure development throughout the country. However, their reign began to decline in 2008 due to allegations of corruption and human rights abuses. In April 2008 presidential elections were held which saw Fernando Lugo become President of Paraguay after winning over 40% of the vote with his left-leaning coalition party “Alianza Patriótica para el Cambio” (APC). His victory ended 61 years of rule by the Colorado Party. Lugo promised to tackle poverty and inequality by introducing progressive social reforms such as land redistribution to help small farmers and increased access to education for all citizens. Lugo also aimed to improve international relations with neighboring countries such as Brazil and Argentina who had previously been wary of Paraguay’s autocratic government under the Colorado Party. He sought to strengthen trade ties with these nations as well as increase cooperation on regional security issues such as drug trafficking across borders. However, despite Lugo’s efforts there were still many challenges facing Paraguayan politics in 2008 including a weak economy where unemployment was high (around 10%), poverty levels were high (around 30%) and income inequality was increasing rapidly due to unequal distribution of resources between rural areas and urban centers (Gini coefficient: 0.60). In addition, corruption remained a major problem within government institutions while public services such as health care were severely lacking due to insufficient funding from both public sources and international aid organizations alike. Check payhelpcenter for Paraguay in 2008.