Itapúa Department

Itapúa
Itapúa; Departamento de Itapúa
	Department
	Flag Coat of arms
	Coordinates: 27°20′S 55°53′W
Country	Paraguay
Established	1906
Capital	Encarnación
Government
• Governor	Juan Schmalko (ANR)
Area
• Total	16,525 km2 (6,380 sq mi)
Population (2002)
• Total	453,692
• Density	27/km2 (71/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-04 (AST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-03 (ADT)
ISO 3166 code	PY-7
Number of Districts	30
Website	http://www.itapua.gov.py

Itapúa (Spanish pronunciation: [itaˈpu.a]) is a department in the southern region of Paraguay. The capital is the city of Encarnación. It is divided into 30 districts, more than any other district in the country.

History

This department was created after the breakup of the Misiones Department, with the city of Encarnación as the capital. It had a high economic growth in the first 30 years by the coming of immigrants and the Carlos Antonio Lopez Railway, the growth was accompanied with several ups and downs.

Then came an era of decline until the 50s when the Carnaval Encarnaceno became known and attracted tourists from various regions. In the 80s the department became more industrial, but modestly, compared with other departments like Central Department.

In 1989 the Yacyretá Dam displaced the people living in the Yacyretá Reservoir, which still continues. The San Roque González de Santa Cruz Bridge was inaugurated in 1991, connecting not only the city of Encarnación and Posadas, but Paraguay with Argentina.

Toponymy

The name is in Guaraní and refers to the place where Encarnación, the current capital city, was founded. The site was known as "itá" (rock, stone) and "punta" (tip); hence the name means "Tip of the Stone".

Demography

According to the 2002 National Census Itapúa has a total population of 453,692 inhabitants making it the third most populated department of the country after Central and Alto Paraná, 8,9% of Paraguay's total population lives in this department.

Cultural diversity

Much of the Itapúa region was colonized by immigrants from different origins, among them are the Italians, Germans, Russians, Ukrainians, French, Japanese, Poles, and recent time there were also immigrants from Syria and Lebanon. Because of this cultural diversity Itapúa was given the name "Melting pot", making it the most cosmopolitan department of Paraguay.

In the beginning, the first economic sector of the immigrants was the exploitation of natural resources, especially timber, in the Alto Paraná and San Rafael Hills, now a national park, but now they hold several thriving industries. They also engaged in agriculture (soybean, tung, corn, etc.) and livestock.

Administrative division

The department is divided into the following 30 districts:

District	Population (2002)	District	Population (2002)	District	Population (2002)
1 Alto Verá	13,799	11 Fram	6,923	21 Nueva Alborada	9,193
2 Bella Vista	9,193	12 General Artigas	11,042	22 Obligado	11,441
3 Cambyretá	9,193	13 General Delgado	6,611	23 Pirapó	6,754
4 Capitán Meza	9,193	14 Hohenau	9,685	24 San Cosme y Damián	7,322
5 Capitán Miranda	9,193	15 Itapúa Poty	14,642	25 San Juan del Paraná	7,091
6 Carlos Antonio López	17,622	16 Jesús	5,560	26 San Pedro del Paraná	28,598
7 Carmen del Paraná	9,193	17 La Paz	3,076	27 San Rafael del Paraná	20,434
8 Coronel Bogado	17,065	18 Leandro Oviedo	4,353	28 Tomás Romero Pereira	27,239
9 Edelira	22,287	19 Mayor Otaño	12,157	29 Trinidad	6,873
10 Encarnación	93,497	20 Natalio	19,456	30 Yatytay	11,415

Location

This department is located southeast of the Eastern Region of Paraguay.

Limits

North: the departments of Alto Paraná and Caazapá.
South: with Argentina (Provinces of Misiones and Corrientes). Separated by the Paraná River.
East: the Argentine Republic (Misiones Province).
West: with the Misiones Department.

Climate

The climate is humid subtropical with a tendency to low temperatures, the annual average is 15 °C, with a maximum of 40 °C and a minimum of -3 °C. Rainfall is abundant, with an annual average of nearly 1,700 mm, recorded throughout most of the year except in July and August.

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