Caaguazú Department
Encyclopedia
Caaguazú is a department
Department (subnational entity)
Department is the name given to the administrative and political subdivisions of many countries.As a territorial unit, "department" was first used by the French Revolutionary governments, apparently to emphasize that each territory was simply an administrative sub-division of the united sovereign...

 in Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...

. The capital is the city of Coronel Oviedo
Coronel Oviedo
Coronel Oviedo is a city in Paraguay. It is the capital of the Caaguazú Department, about 150 kilometers east of Asunción.The city has a population of about 52,400 and is the hometown of president Nicanor Duarte Frutos. Coronel Oviedo is an important transit point, as it lies halfway between...

.

History

The area that today is known as Caaguazú
Caaguazú District
Caaguazú District is one of the 20 districts of Caaguazú Department, Paraguay. It contains the town of Caaguazú, which has a population of 63,000. Caaguazú had the greatest concentration of sawmills in Paraguay about fifteen to twenty years ago and up until today is still called the “Wood Capital”...

, was threatened during the 16th and 17th centuries by the Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....

 Bandeirantes and Guaicurú Indians, desolating the land for many years.

In the 18th century, Caaguazu began to be repopulated. In 1712, Gregorio Bazán de Pedraza founded the Villa de San Isidro Labrador de Curuguaty
Curuguaty
Curuguaty is a city in the Canindeyú Department of Paraguay, that was the 4th capital of Paraguay during the War against the Triple Alliance.-Toponimy:...

, followed by Ybytimí
Ybytimí
Ybytimí is a village in the Paraguarí department of Paraguay.- Sources :* – World-Gazetteer.com...

 in 1715, San Joaquín
San Joaquín District
San Joaquín District is one of thirty-three districts of the province Yauyos in Peru.-References:...

 in 1746, and Carayaó
Carayaó
Carayaó is a town in the Caaguazú department of Paraguay.- Sources :* – World-Gazetteer.com...

 in 1770.

In 1906 the 5th department of the country was created with the name Yhú
Yhú
Yhú is a district in the Caaguazú department of Paraguay.- Sources :* – World-Gazetteer.com...

, and included the city Yhú, as capital to the department, Ajos
Coronel Oviedo
Coronel Oviedo is a city in Paraguay. It is the capital of the Caaguazú Department, about 150 kilometers east of Asunción.The city has a population of about 52,400 and is the hometown of president Nicanor Duarte Frutos. Coronel Oviedo is an important transit point, as it lies halfway between...

, Carayaó
Carayaó
Carayaó is a town in the Caaguazú department of Paraguay.- Sources :* – World-Gazetteer.com...

, San Joaquín and Caaguazú. But in 1945, with the territorial reorganization, it was given the name of Caaguazú.

In 1973, the territory, surface and limits of this department were finally well defined, the way they are known nowadays.

Is the hometown of several Paraguayan personalities, such as the writer Mario Halley Mora and the musician Cayo Sila Godoy
Cayo Sila Godoy
-Childhood and Youth:Cayo Sila Godoy was born in Villarrica Paraguay on December 4, 1919. His mother and his uncles were talented musicians who exposed him at an early age to the piano, violin, mandolin, harp and tropical guitar...

.

The name "Caaguazú" (Ka'aguazu in Guaraní) means "great herb".

Limits

It is located in the middle of the Oriental Region of the country, in the coordinates 24º30’ and 25º50’ of latitude South and between the meridians 55º00’ and 56º45’ of latitude West.

Its limits are:
  • To the North, with San Pedro and Canindeyú
    Canindeyú Department
    Canindeyú is a department in Paraguay. The capital is the city of Salto del Guairá.-Districts:The department is divided in 11 districts:# Corpus Christi# Curuguaty# General Francisco Caballero Alvarez # Itanará# Katueté# La Paloma...

  • To the East, with Alto Paraná
    Alto Paraná Department
    Alto Paraná is a department in Paraguay. The capital is Ciudad del Este .The Alto Paraná department has experienced tremendous economic and population growth in the past 50 years...

  • To the West, with Cordillera
    Cordillera Department
    -History:During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries this area of the country was going through a serious crisis due to population bellicosity of the Indians from Chaco. The villagers from Tobatí located north of the river Pirapo then called, had to migrate south for the continue attacks by...

     and Paraguarí
    Paraguarí Department
    Paraguarí is a departamento in Paraguay. At the 2002 census it had a population of 221,932. The capital is the city of Paraguarí.- History :...

  • To the South, with Guairá
    Guairá Department
    Guairá is a department in Paraguay. The capital is the city of Villarrica.It covers a surface of , with a population of 178130 inhabitants .You can get there through the Road nª8 Blas Garay...

     and Caazapá
    Caazapá Department
    Caazapá is a department in Paraguay. The capital is the city of Caazapá. Among Paraguayans, the department is well known for its orange and mandarin trees, and for its forest hills...


Districts

The department is divided in 21 districts:
Districts Population (2002) Districts Population (2002)
1 Caaguazú
Caaguazú District
Caaguazú District is one of the 20 districts of Caaguazú Department, Paraguay. It contains the town of Caaguazú, which has a population of 63,000. Caaguazú had the greatest concentration of sawmills in Paraguay about fifteen to twenty years ago and up until today is still called the “Wood Capital”...

98.136 11 Raúl Arsenio Oviedo
Raúl Arsenio Oviedo
Raúl Arsenio Oviedo is a town in the Caaguazú department of Paraguay.- Sources :* – World-Gazetteer.com...

27.734
2 Carayaó
Carayaó
Carayaó is a town in the Caaguazú department of Paraguay.- Sources :* – World-Gazetteer.com...

13.234 12 Repatriación
Repatriación
Repatriación is a town in the Caaguazú department of Paraguay.- Sources :* – World-Gazetteer.com...

29.503
3 Coronel Oviedo
Coronel Oviedo
Coronel Oviedo is a city in Paraguay. It is the capital of the Caaguazú Department, about 150 kilometers east of Asunción.The city has a population of about 52,400 and is the hometown of president Nicanor Duarte Frutos. Coronel Oviedo is an important transit point, as it lies halfway between...

84.103 13 R. I. Tres Corrales 7.666
4 Doctor Cecilio Báez
Doctor Cecilio Báez
Doctor Cecilio Báez is a town in the Caaguazú department of Paraguay.- Sources :* – World-Gazetteer.com...

6.173 14 San Joaquín 14.930
5 Doctor J. Eulogio Estigarribia 24.634 15 San José de los Arroyos
San José de los Arroyos
San José de los Arroyos is a town in the Caaguazú Department of Paraguay. It is located 100 km to the east of Asuncion on a branch of the Pan-american highway, "Ruta #2". The county comprises an urban area of around 8,000 inhabitants and some twelve smaller satellite villages or dependencies...

15.299
6 Doctor Juan Manuel Frutos
Doctor Juan Manuel Frutos
Doctor Juan Manuel Frutos is a town in the Caaguazú department of Paraguay.The town was formerly called "Pastoreo" and is still commonly known by this name.- Sources :* – World-Gazetteer.com...

19.128 16 Santa Rosa del Mbutuy
Mbutuy
Santa Rosa del Mbutuy is a town and distrito in the Caaguazú department of Paraguay that is best described as the 'Cruce del Mbutuy' by residents of the Santa Rosa District, where it is located, because of the intersection of two major roads that the town is built around.Some of the town's early...

10.989
7 José Domingo Ocampos 9.198 17 Simón Bolívar 4.938
8 La Pastora 4.440 18 Tres de Febrero 8.818
9 Mariscal Francisco Solano López 7.330 19 Vaquería
Vaquería
Vaquería is a town in the Caaguazú department of Paraguay.- Sources :* – World-Gazetteer.com...

10.257
10 Nueva Londres
Nueva Londres
Nueva Londres is a town in the Caaguazú department of Paraguay.-History:In 1893 two thousand men and women led by William Lane left Australia for Paraguay where they established a utopian socialist colony called "New Australia". The colony was not a success, but their descendants can be found just...

4.110 20 Yhú
Yhú
Yhú is a district in the Caaguazú department of Paraguay.- Sources :* – World-Gazetteer.com...

34.737

*The new district of Tembiaporá is not added to the list and map yet, since it was created recently.

Climate

The average climate is mild, with abundant rains. The temperature reaches 41 degrees Celsius in summer and drops to 0 degrees C in winter. It is one of the best areas for agriculture in the country.

Orography and Soil

The Cordillera de Caaguazú goes through the department from north to south, the mountain range that conforms it is: San Joaquín, in San Joaquín and Yhú; Tajao Paú and Carayaó; and Caaguazú, between Carayaó
Carayaó
Carayaó is a town in the Caaguazú department of Paraguay.- Sources :* – World-Gazetteer.com...

 and Coronel Oviedo
Coronel Oviedo
Coronel Oviedo is a city in Paraguay. It is the capital of the Caaguazú Department, about 150 kilometers east of Asunción.The city has a population of about 52,400 and is the hometown of president Nicanor Duarte Frutos. Coronel Oviedo is an important transit point, as it lies halfway between...

. Their high is no more than 200 meters, but to the east the land elevates and reaches the 250 meters.

To the west there are formations of fluvial and glacial origins that date from the Carboniferous period (Paleozoic era), with soils of sandstone. To the east, the soil is also of fluvial origin, lacustrine and marine, correspondent to the Permian period. In the mountain range, there are sandstones from the Triassic period, with content of quartz.

The soils are sandstone and basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...

, in addition to mountains and meadows.

The territory is composed by a succession of valleys and more elevated lands that go from north to south. In the north are the valleys with ample fields apt for cattle, to the east, the land has forests and natural herbal lands.

The land is exploit for agriculture.

Hydrography

The most important bodies of water that cross the department are: the Paraguay River
Paraguay River
The Paraguay River is a major river in south central South America, running through Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina...

, the Tebicuary-mi River and the streams Tapiracuai, Mbutuy, Hondo and Tobatiry. The Paraná River
Paraná River
The Paraná River is a river in south Central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina for some . It is second in length only to the Amazon River among South American rivers. The name Paraná is an abbreviation of the phrase "para rehe onáva", which comes from the Tupi language...

 and other rivers: Acaray, Monday-mi, Yguazú, Capiibary and Guyraungua.

Natural Environment and Vegetation

The Caaguazú department includes the regions of the Central Forest, in the middle of the department, the Alto Paraná, in the east area, and the Central Littoral, in the west.

The principal activity of the region is the forestal activity, which provides the raw material for the wood industry.

This is one of the areas that is most affected by deforestation
Deforestation
Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....

. Some plant species in danger of extinction are the yvyra paje, nandyta, cedar and tumera aureli; and animal species, the tirica, jaguareté, and arira’y.

Economy

Caaguazú is the number one national producer of manioc and the second cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....

 producer. The population also dedicates to cattle and farming of other vegetables.

It is also the second producer of sugar cane and the fourth of maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...

.

The most important industries are the cotton, oil and wood industry, and also the manufacturing of furniture.

Because it is located in a crossroad, it is an important commercial center.

Communication and Services

The access routes to the department are “Mcal. Estigarribia” (number 2
Route 2 (Paraguay)
National Route 2 is one of the most important highways in Paraguay, which runs from Asunción to Caaguazu Department's capital, Coronel Oviedo. Crossing the departments of Central, Cordillera and Caaguazu...

) and “Dr. Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia” (number 7
Route 7 (Paraguay)
National Route 7 is an important highway of Paraguay. It links the departmental capitals of Caaguazú and Alto Paraná, Coronel Oviedo and Ciudad del Este, respectively. Crossing a total of 10 districts of both departments...

). They cross the entire department, from west to east and communicate the country from Asunción to Ciudad del Este.

The route “Gral. Aquino” (number 3
Route 3 (Paraguay)
National Route 3 is a highway in Paraguay, which runs from Asunción to one of the northern cities in the Oriental Region, Bella Vista. It crosses the Capital District and 5 departments...

) joins with route “Bernardino Caballero” (number 5
Route 5 (Paraguay)
National Route 5 is a highway in northern Paraguay, it runs from Pozo Colorado to Pedro Juan Caballero...

) and communicates with Concepción and Pedro Juan Caballero. The route “Dr. Blas Garay” (number 8
Route 8 (Paraguay)
National Route 8 is a highway in Paraguay, which runs from San Estanislao to Coronel Bogado. It mainly connects the north and the south regions of the Región Oriental of Paraguay...

) joins with route number 2 in Cnel. Oviedo and communicates with Villarrica and Caazapá.

There are a few runways for small airplanes.

The department has phone service for more than 10,300 lines, radio stations, in AM: Radio Excélsior, Tajy, Coronel Oviedo, La Voz del Este; and in FM: Seguritec Ingeniería S. A., Horizonte, Centenario, Lo Mita, Mensajero, Radio Clásica, América, Alborada, among others. There are also television channels.

Education

Caaguazú has 589 institutions of elementary education, 913 of basic school studies and 151 of high schools (according to the Paraguayan educational system).

Health

There are 65 health establishments, including hospitals and other health care centers.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK