PARAGUAY PART III: THE SOUTHWEST REGION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79-01009A002600010008-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 17
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 23, 2004
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: October 1, 1960
• Content Type: IR

CONFIDENTIAL
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copy No.3,~
GEOGRAPHIC INTELLIGENCE REPORT
PARAGUAY
PART III: THE SOITrHWEST REGION
CIA~RR GR L-60-3, Part III
October 1960
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND REPORTS
DOCUMENT NO.
NO CHANGE IN CLASS. {t7
I DECLASSIFIED
CLASS. CHANGED TO: TS 3 C
NEXTRf=VIEW DATE: ~s~,~^
AUTH: HR TO-2
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CONFIDFN'I'IAt.
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This material contains information affecting
the National Defense of the United States
within the meaning of the espionage laws,
Title 18, USC, Secs. 793 and 794, the trans-
mission or revelation of which in any manner
to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
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PART III: TSE SOUI`HWE9T REGION
~fYA~t C,1~ L-60-3, Part YII
~!etober 1950
{~#'fice of Research anal Reports
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X . General Orientation l
TI. Physical Emrironment 2
A. Terrain . 2
B. Soils 2
C . Flora and Fauna . 3
D. Climate . ~
E. Water SuPP~,Y ? ~
IIY 9 Population . . 5
A. Distribution . 5
B. Ethnic Groups . 6
C. Health and Sanitation . . fi
IV. Civil Government and Mtlit~ Centers . 6
V a Transportation . , . 7
A. RQesds . . . . . . 7
B. Railroads . . . 8
C . Waterways . . . . . 8
D. Air . . ;IO
VII. Economic Development . . . . :].].
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PARAGUAY
I. General Orientation
The Southwest Region, rough],y triangular in shape, is bounded on
the west by the Paraguay River, on the south by the Alto Parana Ri~Ter
and on the northeast by the Central Region (see Part II). It encompass-
es all of the Departamenta de Neembucu and parts of the Departamen~tos
de Misiones, Paraguar~, and Central, The approximate area of the region
is 18,x+0 square kilometers X7,110 square miles), which is about lt)
percent less than the area of the State of Massachusetts. Fifty-tiaa
percent of ttae total land area is grassland, 38 percent swamp, 9 percent
forest, and on7~y 1 percent of the land is under cultivation. See
sketch below and map annex..~*~'
Regions of Para
I.. Eastern Upland Region
II. Central Region
III. Southwest Region
Ill. North Central Region
ll. Chaco Region
~' The information in Part III of this report on Paraguay is based on
the best sources available to this Office as of 1 September 1960.
~`~' ':!'be map annex is Part VI of this report.
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iI~ Physical Environment
A. Terrain
?i'he 5outhweat Region is a vast, featureless, almost level plains
~~cept far a narrow zone in the south, where the arroyos drain into
the Alto Parana River, the surface slopes almost imperceptibly from
the eastern boundary to the high banks of the Paraguay River. Although
-tY~e banks of the Paraguay are almost vertical bluffs from 10 to 20 feet
highs the sloping banks along the eastern reaches of the Tebicuary River
are only 4 to 6 feet high at low water, and the banks along the weistern
reaches of the river where it approaches the Paraguay are only half as
uig~.
BQ Soils
The soils of the region are alluvial and vary from sandy loans to
sane and gravel. The sandy loans are faund in the interfluves~ whereas
the coarser sands and gravel occur as natural levees along the many
rivers and arroyos. ~3ecause surface drainage is poor and subsurface
drainage impeded: the water table is high at all times; and dur3.ng the
:sa~.njr seasan January through Mays extensive areas are flooded. T.he
areas mast subject to flooding are (a~ a narrow band all along the Alto
Parana River, ~bj the lower reaches of such rivers as the Neembucu and
~'ebicuary} where they z"low into the Paraguay; and ~c) that part of the
~?egion north of the Tebicuary that is more ar less permanent marsh.
As far as can be determined, most of the area classified as i1swamp"
actually is marshland, about one-third of it permanent marsh. Areas of
true swamp are found an]y in the law-etying stretches along the Alta
Parana River and, to a lesser extent, along the Paraguay River, where
they support fairly dense stands of parrs.
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Because of the floodit~ and the sodden condition of the soils,
automotive transport during the rainy season is impossible throughout
the Southwest Region; and movement on foot is feasible on7.y along the
east-(rest-trending interfluves. During the rainy season, north-south
movement of any sari is nonexistent except on the road that parallels
the Paraguay River, where it is only moderately difficult.
~. Fiora_and Fauna
The vegetation of the Southwest Region is predominantly grasses
and low shrubs in the better drained areas and sedges and reeds in the
marshes. Arboreal vegetation is confined to the wet and frequently
flooded areas in a fairly contiguous strip along the Alto Parana River
and in fairly large but widely separated patches along the Paraguay-
River and also along the smaller water courses of the interior.
The woods along the Alto Parana and the Paraguay are very similar
to those of the Chaco with the black palm ~c~ran or e~aranda~, c]Losely
related to the carnauba, or wa~c palm) being the predominant tree. Rib-
bons of rather stumpy mesquite and mimosa trees grow on the sandy soils
that border the waterways of the interior. Elsewhere, small and w:Ldely
scattered stands-of deciduous trees that for the most part have Quaran~
names with no English equivalents have been heavily exploited in ithe
past and now serve as sources of fence posts and firewood. The woad, is
burned locally and is also used as fuel for the wood-burning steamboats
that ply the Paraguay and, to a much lesser extent, Alto Parana Rivers.
'1`he concea3~nt possibilities provided by the vegetation of the re~~,ion
are poor.
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TYte fauna of the Southwest Region is quite simiJ~sr to that of t;he
Central Region see Part II, p. ~+), the difference being one of nun7ber
rather than kind. Probably more birds but fewer animals can be fo~uid
in the southwest than in the Central. Region, and, undoubtedly, fish
are more numerous because of the greater number of rivers. If one
does not mind a predominantly fish and fowl diet the possibilities of
living off the land in this region are quite good.
D. Climate
Meteorological data for Pilar 26052'5-58?23'W), the only recording
station in the region, show that the climate of the Southwest Region is
almost the same as that of the Central Region and similax to that of
Tarpon Springs, Florida see Part II, p. $).
In general the temperatures are a little lower than at Asunciozi
~25Q17'5-57?~+0'W~ and the region is considerably drier than the area
between San Juan Bautista de Misiones (26?38'S-5'jolU'W) and Encarnr~cion
~27a20'S-55?5~4'W). Nevertheless, the Southwest Region is hot anal :tet,
having a humid subtropical climate with a hot, rainyr season from Oc:tober
through May and a cooler, drier season from June through September., It
must be emphasized that the winter is only relatively cooler and di?ier
and that compared to Washington, D.C., it is a warm, moist period. The
worst tuns fo?r cross-country travel is probably from mid-January through
raid N1ay, when 5~ percent of the total annual rainfall occurs see 7?able
p~ 5)~
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Charaeteristies of Climate
at Pi78s, Paraguay, 191W-50
Relativ-E
Tet~erature Rainfall Humidi#~yr
Month _ {DeBreea Fahrenheit) Inches Percen~tt
Average Average Mean
?~a]t Min A
~'an
Feb
Mar
Apr
2~ay
Jrun
V u~
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
~e~
5.2
5?~
8.3
5.2
~.8
3s~
l-5
1.4
2.6
3.6
6.2
~.l
E, Water SuppI~y
Ixa average years, drinking water is plentiful itx the Southwest lEtegion,
even during the dry season. In addition to the large number of riv::rs
aaa~d arroyos throughout the region the southern part Maas maa~y lakes and
ponds; i.n the marshy area north of the Tebicuary River lies Ingo Ypoa
~~So~'S-5'7?28?W), which during the wet season becomes the country?es
largest lake. Water from all sources should be bailed or otherwise
purified before it is used.
Ill. Population
A. Distribution
The Southwest Region Maas some 91,000 inhabitants and the average
population density is about 5 persons per square kilometer X13 per
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square z~.le). Actual densities vary from those of the riverine areas,
approximately ~ to 8 persons per square kilometer (IO to 20 per sq~:are
mile), to those of the relatively uainhabited interior, 0.8 to 2.6 per
square kilometer (2.3 to 6.5 per square mile). Densities of mare Haan
lO persons per square kilometer (26 per square mile) occur only in the
vicinities of Pilar, Alberdi (26o1O'S-5$'Q09'W), General D~sz (Joss
Eduvigis Dfaz, 27o1O'S-58o25'W), and Paso de Patria (2'2'o13'S-5$o3~'W).
B. Ethnic Groves
Slightly lase than 3 percent of the population of the Southwest
Region is el8ssified as foreign= With the exception of fewer than 200
persons the foreigners are all Argentines. The remainder of the gcrpu-
lotion is the same fairly homogeneous u~anish-Guarani stock that i~~
found in the rest of Paragua~r. Approximately two-thirds of the pol~u-
lstion speaks both Spanish and Gu~aran~ and the other third speaks
Cuaran:~ only. Mast of #.he Natter groaxp IivQS i.n. the sparsely settled
interior of the region. No xndians or Mennonites (chiefly German) :Live
in the Southwest Region.
C. Healtri and Sanitation
't'he occurrence, incidence, and virulence of diseases in the Southwest
Region are aLmr~st the same as in the Central Region, although. in t~~is
aa~rshy area malmria may be more prevalent. Sanitation in the Southwest
Region also i8 similar to that of the Central Region {see Fart II, p. ll).
IV. Civil Govea:?nment and Mili. ~ Centers
Pil.ar is the only town in the region with gcavert~uental ftanction~s of
s,ray importance. In addition to being the capital of the Departamen:to
de ~teembuctz and of the Distrito de Pilar it also has a military det~achmer-t
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{unidentified and probably very sme-11); criminal, coam~ercial, and civil
courts; a customhouse; the regional hospital; a branch of the Bank of
Paraguay, as well as branch offices of various n$tianai ministries;
and a number of schools.
Tlie distrito capitals and their population are given below. Tb~ose
that have a port function are followed by an asterisk.
Pilar'~
5,061
Laureles
308
Alberdi*
1,310
General Dfa2
269
Oerrito'~
902
Pedro Gonzales
252
Iiumsita*
?92
~jrolas~
2~9
Qilla Oliva*
650
F111s Franca*
198
Paco de Patrice
352
Isla, thnbu
1$6
San Juan Bautista
Desmochados
171
de l~eembueu
34.3
Guszu-G~ia
].28
Xabebyry
313
Tacuaras
66
With the exception of 1~yolas {27o2~'S-56054?W), which is in the:
Departamento de Misiones, all of the distrito capitals located in the
Southwest Region. are in the Departamento de Neembucu.
v. Traasportation
A. Roads
In the Southwest Region there is only one "improved" road, Route IY,
which runs frown San Ignacio {26~j2's-56oo3pW) in the Departamento de
Misiones to Pilar, a distance of 156 kilometers (84 milesj. In mid-ig60,
a section from San Ignacio to a point ~5 kilcxneters {2~ miles) west had
a graveled surface; the rest was terraplen, or coumpacted earth. Aerial
photographs, apparently taken during the dry season, show a large number
of cicadas de carreta {wagon trails) that connect the small settlem~ente
with each other and, u3.timettely, with Pifer, the moat important city in
the region.
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Probably the most traveled of these trails is the vr-e running iyorth
along the Paraguay River from Pilar through Yilla Franca (26?17's-`.i8o12'W),
Alberdi, and Villa Oliva (26?41?5-57?53'W) to Villeta (25x28'5-57?:~'W),
in the Departe-mento de Central, sad the one ruanirag south from Pi].~~r,
also along the Paragu&y,through Humana (2'~'43's-5$?33'W) to Paso de
Patric at the southwesternmost tip of the country.
The ip?cedaa, and probably the dirt section of Route IY as well. can
be used by automotive vehicles only when dry. Because the rainfal:L is
high and the sails poorly drained, however, the roads are seldom ci:ry.
This means that cams, ox-drawn wagons with huge wheels, are used
most aP the time for hauling everything, and they are economical otaly
for short distances.
8. Railroads
~!he Southwest Region has no railroads.
C. Wags
Bounded as it is by the Paraguay River on the west and the Alto
Parana River an the south and traversed by the country's largest a:Ll-
Paraguayan river, the 'Bebicuary, the Southwest Region is well served by
waterways. The Paraguay is by far the most iz~ortaut watert~y bec,~use
moat products in the country are sent to or from Asuncion. The Te'bicuary
and the Alto Psar?anr~ Rivers carry little of the region's traffic.
Paraguayan sourcem list 25 parts or landing places slang the 353
kilometers (220 wiles) of the Paraguay River that form the western
border of the region. This would mean one port for every 8.8 m~.lea of
riverban.It, an amaziatig density unless one realizes that the "ports" are
merely cuts or arroyos in the rather high and steep bank where boats
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i:ie up or anchor and load or unload by gangplank or lighter. At many
of the ports the principal cargo is firewood for these boats. None: of
the ports, except Pilar, has any part facilities; send those at Pil.ar,
t~ steam crane and a dock, are now unusable because oP sedin~entatiori.
Of the 25, only 5 -- Humaita, Pilar, Villa Franca, Alberdi, and Vi7.la
Oliva -- are of importance. The ia~ortance of Alberdi is not entirely
reflected in the official statistics; it is reported to have a thr9.ving
contraband trade with Formosa, Argentina, across the river.
The stretch of the Alto Parana River that bounds the Southwest
Region is about 275 kilometers (170 miles) and has considerably fearer
ports than the Paraguay River. One of the reasons for this is that the
banks of the Alto Parana are much lower than those of the Paraguay and
as a result the areas subject to flooding are much Larger. Cerrito
(27?19"5-57??W, population 902) and Ayolas (population 249), appear
to be the on],y hamlets of any size that are located un the banks of the
Alto Parana.
The Soo-mile-long Tebieuary River flows into the Paraguay Rivex?
50 kilometers (31 miles) north of Pilar? A stretch of some 200 kilo-
meters (124 miles) lies within the Southwest Region. It is estimated
that the width of the Tebicuary varies from 115 to 150 meters (377 to
492 feet) in the reaches along the eastern boundary of the region to a
low water width of 250 meters (820 feet) near the mouth of the river.
Durin6 Iow--water periods the stretch of the Tebicuary in the Southwest
Region has a minimum depth of only 0.8 meters (2.6 feet).
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lT. Air
`i`he orgy airfield in the Southwest Region lies 6 kilometers ~3.~7
mi.l?s) from Pilar (direction not known). Regular, although not frequent,
gervicea were provided by the Linea Aerea de Transports National
~L.A.T.B.) at one time, but today only charter flights are in operE-tion.
Plig}xts are also made by the military transport service, Transporters
Aereos Militates (T.A.M.~.
VI. Telecommunications
Although the southwest Region has no telephone connection to Asuncion
;t does have its own rudi~cental telephone system. one line connects
Pilar with Puerto'Berme~o, Argentina, and another connects Pilar with
iiUm~ita, toward the south. At $umaita the line branches, with one wire
continuing south through Paso de Patria to Its Piro. ~27o16~S-58a3~+?W)
-- ?vhe Alto Parana port far Paso de Patria -- and tY~e other running
e?~stward to Pedro Gonzales ~2'~olU'S-5t3?15NW), With en intermediate
branch to General D~a2; continues through Desmochados ~27?U7?S-58a~6?6~)
and Yataity ~25o~1?5-56?28?W~, with a branch to Cerritos on the Alto
iarans River; and then throzxgh T~aureles ~27a15?S-57a2>~?W) to the ter-
z~iinus, Yabebyry ~27o2~+?S-57?11?W).
~.2he region is connected to the national telegraph net rather tenu-
o~xsly througta Asuncion. k~?ar example, if' a te~.egrapb.ic message were to
~,o sent from Yabebyry to Ayolas, 16 miles distant, #.t would have to be
~~outed via Asuncion' 16U miles to the north. Four telegraph lines run
youth front Villeta to Alberdi, which has a connection with Formosa,
~.s gentinas acrOS3 the F~araguay Hiver. `i'~ro of the 1#,nes from Alberdi
:~uia south to San Fernando ~26~'39?5-57?56?W) and the fourth connects
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San Fernar_do with File,*. From Pi lar scsuthwarcl and eastward the tele-
graph lines are carried with the telephone lines described above. filar
i~ connected with Berme~o, Argentina, and Ita Piro is connected wit;h
Paso de Patric, Argentina. Ayo]~s ie connected to the national net;work
via a branch from the uan Ignacio-Encarnacion Line. On],y three of the
distrito capitals is the region, Isla IImbu (2'7?00`x-58?l8?W), auazii-cua
(26?53e3-g8a03"W) and Tacuaras (26x49'5-58?06oW) are without aqy te:le-
communication facilities.
There is no commercial radio station in the region. In 1949, three
amateur radio stations, ZP3XA, zPSxA and ZP6XA, werL located in Pi].ar.
The Ministry of Communications maintains in Pilsr a radiotelephone
station that handles part of Paraguay?s international telecvmmunics;tivns
'gaf'f is .
~I. Economic Development
`the predominant economic activity of the Southwest Region is rs~ttle
raising. Grassland constitutes an estimated 52 percent: of the region
ana duxing the drier seasons another 1$ percent of ~~e area become..
f.~vailable far grazing. Over the past decade the bovine gopulation of
tine region has averaged abmat 500,000 head, or about: 20 percent of all
~catt:le in eastern PraragP~ay. Although more cattle are: raised in thE;
i~t~aco, the density per z~quare mile in the Southwest ~tegion is the highest
in the country.
Whet little manufacturing there is in the region is concentratE;d in
Filar, which has a textile mil]. (the second-largest in the country), an
electric pawerp]ant, a steam sawmill, a tannery, and a cotton gin. A
*~umber of smaller establishments make harnesses, hat:3, soft drinks, and
tiles for local consumption.
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The small amount of cultivated land in the Southwest Region is
somewhat concentrated in the area around Humaita and Fedro GonzaleF~,
in the southwest corner, and along the higher and relatively hilly
lands that extend as a narrow band along the Alto Parana River. Corn,
manioc, peanuts, beans, sweet potatoes, and some tobacco and sugarcane
are grown as subsistence crops throughout the region. Surpluses of,'
these crops and fresh fruits and vegetables are sent to the populated
places nearby. The on],y commercial crops of any consequence are cotton,
which is produced throughout the region and sent to Pilar, and oranges,
some of which find their way into foreign trade.
The 1950 census showed no one engaged in mining and fewer than 200
workmen engaged in lumbering or woodworking. Some wood used for ccnt-
struction is cut along the banks of the Alto Parana River; most of it is
sent to a small shipyard at Cerrito on the same river.
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f;{;)NFI.UENTIAL