Ypacaraí
Encyclopedia
Ypacaraí is a town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...

 in the Central Department
Central Department
Central is a department in Paraguay. The capital is Areguá. With its 1,929,834 inhabitants it is the most populated of the 17 departments of Paraguay.-Boundaries:*North: the departments of Cordillera and Presidente Hayes....

 of 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...

 on Lake Ypacarai
Ypacaraí Lake
Ypacaraí Lake is a major waterbody located in Paraguay about 25 km east of Asunción. The lake lies in the western part of the Asunción-Sapucai-Villarrica graben, a tectonic depression of Mesozoic age, and drains to the northwest trough Salado River into Paraguay River...

. On the road system, it is located between Asunción
Asunción
Asunción is the capital and largest city of Paraguay.The "Ciudad de Asunción" is an autonomous capital district not part of any department. The metropolitan area, called Gran Asunción, includes the cities of San Lorenzo, Fernando de la Mora, Lambaré, Luque, Mariano Roque Alonso, Ñemby, San...

 and Caacupé
Caacupé
Caacupé is a city and district in Paraguay. It is the capital of the department of Cordillera.The town was founded in 1770 by Carlos Murphy, a grenadier at the service of King Charles III of Spain, although a first settlement existed here from the 17th century.The city is the seat of the Roman...

. In 2004, the village had a population of 30,150, and is 64.1 m above sea level. Notable agricultural crops of the area include tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...

 and 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....

. Lake Ypacaraí is popular with tourists and locals in the landlocked nation of Paraguay.

Footballer Carlos Gamarra
Carlos Gamarra
Carlos Alberto Gamarra Pavón is a former football player. He captained the Paraguay national team at international level, playing at Centre back, and is the most capped player in Paraguayan football history, having made 110 international appearances and scoring 12 goals.Gamarra is known for his...

 is from Ypacaraí.

According to a legend, a man (referred to as Karai-the Spanish equivalent of Señor) walked into a despensa (neighborhood-run mini market sometimes operated in the front room of a house) and asked for water (Y in Guaraní
Guaraní language
Guaraní, specifically the primary variety known as Paraguayan Guaraní , is an indigenous language of South America that belongs to the Tupí–Guaraní subfamily of the Tupian languages. It is one of the official languages of Paraguay , where it is spoken by the majority of the population, and half of...

). The pa suffix in guaraní suggests that it is a question. So, put together the phrase Ypakarai means "Water sir?" Supposedly the question posed by the despensa owner was somewhat rude.

Another meaning of the city name is from the two words, "ypa" meaning lake and "karai" meaning Lord or blessed. Thus we have the Lord's Lake or Blessed Lake.

Sister city

Ypacaraí's sister city
Town twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...

 is: Santa Fe
Santa Fe, Argentina
Santa Fe is the capital city of province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It sits in northeastern Argentina, near the junction of the Paraná and Salado rivers. It lies opposite the city of Paraná, to which it is linked by the Hernandarias Subfluvial Tunnel. The city is also connected by canal with the...

, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

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