It’s a bit of an island

Although Paraguay is a landlocked country, water plays an important part in its landscape, with rivers forming two-thirds of its boundaries and wetlands covering 30 to 40% of the country. Augusto Roa Bastos, an author from Paraguay, described the country as "an island surrounded by land." Wetlands are the most ecologically diverse ecosystems on the planet, and they are even more productive than tropical rainforests. They are not only important to the water cycle, but they are also important to wildlife. For example, almost 180 bird species congregate in the wetlands of Paraguay.

For generations, Paraguay has practiced self-sufficiency. Alejo Garcia, a Portuguese navigator, was the first western visitor in 1525. When Paraguay declared independence in 1811, it closed its borders. The three alliance's disastrous five-year conflict resulted in the deaths of two-thirds of the country's adult male population. It also lost the Iguassu Falls, which are now one of Brazil's most popular tourist destinations.