Asuncion

Nuestra Señora Santa María de la Asunción Asunción
Nickname: Mother of Cities
Founded	August 15, 1537
Government
- Intendant	Evanhy de Gallegos
Area
- City	117 km² (45.2 sq mi)
Elevation	43 m (141 ft)
Population (2002 est.)
- City	512,112
- Density	4,377/km² (11,336.4/sq mi)
- Metro	1,639,000
Website: http://www.mca.gov.py

Asunción (full name: Nuestra Señora Santa María de la Asunción), population 1,212,112 (2002), is the capital of Paraguay. The metropolitan area, named Gran Asunción, includes the cities of San Lorenzo, Fernando de la Mora, Lambaré, Luque, Mariano Roque Alonso, Ñemby and Villa Elisa; having more than 1.8 million inhabitants. Asunción is located at 25°16′S 57°40′W (-25.2667, -57.6667).

It is the home of the national government, principal port, chief industrial and cultural centre of the country. Local manufacturing production includes footwear, textiles, and tobacco products.

The Spanish word asunción means assumption in English. It refers to the Assumption of Mary; the full name means Our Lady, Holy Mary of the Assumption.

History

Construction of builidings in Asunción, 1892

Asunción is one of the oldest cities in South America, being known as "Mother of Cities." It was from here that the colonial expeditions departed to found other cities, including the second foundation of Buenos Aires and of other important cities such as Villarrica, Corrientes, Santa Fe and Santa Cruz de la Sierra. The site of the city may have been first visited by Juan de Ayolas, but the town, called Nuestra Señora de la Asunción (Our Lady of the Assumption), was founded on the feast day of the Assumption August 15, 1537, by Juan de Salazar and Gonzalo de Mendoza, relative of Pedro de Mendoza. Thus, the city became the center of a large Spanish colonial province comprising part of Brazil, present-day Paraguay and northeastern Argentina: the Giant Province of the Indies. In 1603 Asunción was the seat of the First Synod of Asunción, which set guidelines for the evangelization of the natives in their lingua franca, Guaraní.

File:Parag.711.Asuncion.jpeg

Asunción. The stamp is Scott no. 711

In 1731 an uprising under José de Antequera y Castro was one of the first rebellions against Spanish colonial rule. The uprising failed but it was the first sign of the independent spirit that was growing among the criollos, mestizos and natives of Paraguay. The event influenced the independence of Paraguay, which then materialised in 1811. The secret reunions between the independence leaders to plan an ambush against the Spanish Governor in Paraguay Bernardo de Velasco were held at the home of Juana María de Lara, in downtown Asunción. On the night of May 14 and May 15 the rebels succeeded and were able to force the governor Velasco to surrender. Today, Lara's home is known as Casa de la Independencia (House of the Independence) and serves as a museum and historical building.

After Paraguay became independent, there was significant change in Asunción. Under the presidency of Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia roads were made throughout the city and the streets were named. However, it was during the presidency of Carlos Antonio López that Asunción (and Paraguay) progressed, as the new president implemented new economic policies. More than 400 schools, metallurgic factories and the first railroad service in South America were built during the López presidency. After López died, his son Francisco Solano López became the new president and led the country through the disastrous War of the Triple Alliance that lasted for five years. After the War of the Triple Alliance (1865-70), Asunción was occupied by Brazilian troops until 1876. Many historians have claimed that this war has provoked the constant downfall of the city and country, since it massacred two thirds of the country's population. Progress has been tremendously slowed down ever since, and the economy has constantly found itself in stagnation.

Demographics

Panteón Nacional de los Héroes

Asunción's current population is approximately 539,000 people in the city proper. Roughly 30% of Paraguay's 6 million people live within Greater Asunción. Sixty-five percent of the total population in the city are under the age of 30.

The population has increased greatly during the last few decades as a consequence of internal migration from other Departments of Paraguay at first because of the economic boom in the 1970s, and later because of economic recession in the countryside. The adjacent cities in the Gran Asunción area like Luque, Lambaré, San Lorenzo, Fernando de la Mora and Mariano Roque Alonso have absorbed most of this influx due to the low cost of the land and easy access to Asunción. The city has ranked as the least expensive city to live in for five years running by Mercer Human Resource Consulting. These cities have also experienced significant economic growth and expansion, to the point that the boundaries between Asunción and its adjacent cities has almost but disappeared.

Geography

Asunción is located between the parallels 25º 15' and 25º 20' of south latitude and between the meridians 57º 40' and 57º 30' of west longitude. The city sits on the left bank of the Paraguay River, which separates the city in the north-west from the Occidental Region of Paraguay and Argentina in the south part of the city. The rest of the city is surrounded by the Central Department.

Physical setting

Since the location is right next to the Paraguay River the city offers beautiful landscapes and spreads out on gentle hills in a pattern of rectangular blocks. Places like Cerro Lambaré (a hill) located in Lambaré offer a spectacular show in the spring because of the lapacho trees in the area. Parks like Parque Independencia and Parque Carlos Antonio López offer big areas of typical Paraguayan nature and are often frequented by tourists. There are several slightly elevated areas throughout the city (small hills) such as Cabará, Clavel, Tarumá, Cachinga, Tacumbú, among others.

File:Asuncion-at-night.jpg

Asunción at night

Climate

The climate of Asunción can be described as warm and humid for most of the year. The average temperature of the city is 24.0 °C (75.2 °F). The average maximum is 29.4 °C (84.9 °F) and the average minimum is 19.2 °C (66.6 °F). In 2002, the registered level of rain was 1,420 millimeters. Usually, October is the month with the most precipitation, while September is the month with the least.

Neighbourhoods

The neighbourhoods of Asunción, called "barrios" by its residents, are territorial subdivisions established by law.

The city of Asunción is composed of the following neighbourhoods:

Campo Grande Carlos A. López Catedral Ciudad Nueva Ricardo Brugada, also known as La Chacarita Dr. Francia El Palomar Gral. Díaz Herrera Hipódromo Itá Pytá Punta Itá Enramada Jara La Encarnación La Residenta Loma Pytá Las Carmelitas Las Lomas Las Mercedes Los Laureles Manora Mbocayaty Mburucuyá Madame Lynch Nazareth Barrio Obrero

Pinoza Republicano Recoleta Roberto L. Petit Sajonia Salvador del Mundo San Antonio San Cristóbal San Jorge San Rafael San Roque San Pablo Santa Ana Santa María Santísima Trinidad Tablada Nueva Tacumbú Tembetary Tuyucuá Varadero Villa Antelco Villa Aurelia Villa Morra Villa Victoria Ytay Zeballos Cué

Education

The literacy rate is 95 percent, the highest in Paraguay. The number of schools has doubled since 1982, creating many new jobs for teachers. Student numbers have doubled since 1962.

Schools

The city has a large number of both public and private schools. The best known public schools are the Colegio Nacional de la Capital (which is one of the oldest schools in the city, founded after the Triple Alliance War in 1877), Colegio Presidente Franco and the Colegio Nacional de Niñas (a girls-only school). The best known private schools are Internacional, Colegio San José (Catholic school), American School of Asunción, Colegio Dante Alighieri (Italian private school), Colegio Goethe (German school), and Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola.

Universities

The main universities in the city are the Universidad Católica Nuestra Señora de la Asunción (private Catholic University) and the Universidad Nacional de Asunción (state-run). The Católica has a small campus in the downtown area next to the Cathedral and a larger campus in the adjoining city of Lambaré, while the Universidad Nacional has its main campus near the adjoining city of San Lorenzo. There are also a number of smaller privately run universities such as Universidad Americana and Universidad Autónoma de Asunción

Commerce and Industry

Since its foundation, Asunción has always been the center of the economic activity in Paraguay. This is mainly due to the location of all the national politic governing bodies and because most of the industrial, diplomatic and economic activities are taken in the city. Most of the population concentrates on commerce and services, followed by the industry and construction sector. Agriculture and animal husbandry is basically non-existent because Asunción is a strictly urban area.

Transportation

File:Bus.Terminal.Asuncion.jpg

Central Bus Terminal

Because the Paraguay River runs right next to Asunción the city is served by a river terminal in the downtown area and in the Sajonia neighbourhood. Public transportation is used heavily and is served through buses that reach all the regions of the city. The main long-distance bus terminal is on the Republica Argentina Avenue and its bus services connect all of the Departments of Paraguay, as well as international routes to nearby countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia and Uruguay. Asunción is served by the Silvio Pettirossi International Airport located in the city of Luque.

Tourist attractions

Traditional buildings in Calle Palma

The city is home to the Godoy Museum and the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (which contains old paintings from the 19th century), the Church of La Encarnación and the Cathedral, and the Panteón Nacional de los Héroes, a smaller version of Les Invalides in Paris, where many of the nation's heroes are entombed. Other landmarks include the Palacio de los López (presidential palace) [1],[2], the old Senate building (a modern building opened to house Congress in 2003), the Catedral Metropolitana and the Casa de la Independencia (one of the few examples of colonial architecture remaining in the few c\ities).

Calle Palma is the main street downtown where several historical buildings, plazas, shops, restaurants and cafes are located. The "Manzana de la Rivera," located in front of the Presidential Palace, is a series of old traditional homes that have been restored that act as a museum and showcase the architectural evolution of the city. The old railway station still maintains the old trains that now are used in tourist trips to the cities of Luque and Areguá (see Rail transport in Paraguay).

Asunción also has luxurious malls that contain shops of well-known brands. The biggest shopping malls are Shopping del Sol, which includes a Macy's-style department store; Mariscal Lopez Shopping, Shopping Villa Morra in the central part of the city and the downtown-located Mall Excelsior.

Sports and entertainment

Football is the main sport in Paraguay, and Asunción is home to some of the most important and traditional soccer teams like Olimpia, Cerro Porteño and Club Libertad, Club Nacional, Club Guaraní, Club Sol de América, which have their own stadiums and sport facilities for affiliated members. The Defensores del Chaco stadium is the main football stadium of the country and is located in the neighbourhood of Sajonia, just a few minutes away from the centre of Asunción. Since it is a national stadium sometimes it is used for other activities such as rock concerts.

The nightlife revolves around two areas: one in the downtown part of the city and the other in the neighbourhoods of Manora and Las Carmelitas, a strip full of nightclubs and bars.

Sister cities

• Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Resistencia, Argentina
• Campinas, São Paulo State, Brazil
• Curitiba, Paraná State, Brazil
• São Paulo, São Paulo State, Brazil
• Chiba, Chiba Prefecture, Japan
• Madrid, Spain
• Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States

References and external links

All links retrieved December 13, 2007.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Asunción

• Map of downtown area and a downloadable map of the city (part 1)
• Municipality of Asunción
• Additional Pictures of Asunción
• The Tramway System of Asunción
• Old Pictures / Postcards of Asunción
• Satellite map of bus station

• Maps and aerial photos
  • Mapping from Multimap or GlobalGuide or Google Maps
  • Satellite image from WikiMapia
  • Mapping from OpenStreetMap

Capitals of South America

Asunción, Paraguay · Bogotá, Colombia · Brasília, Brasil · Buenos Aires, Argentina · Caracas, Venezuela · Cayenne, French Guiana · Georgetown, Guyana · Grytviken, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands · La Paz, Bolivia · Lima, Peru · Montevideo, Uruguay · Paramaribo, Suriname · Quito, Ecuador · Santiago, Chile · Sucre, Bolivia · Stanley, Falkland Islands

Credits

New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:

• Asuncion  ^history

The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:

• History of "Asuncion"

Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.