Paraguay

Asunción is Paraguay’s capital and largest city, serving as the seat of government and main economic hub. While “Asunción del Paraguay” is an older formal styling, the capital is commonly known simply as Asunción. Encarnación and Ciudad del Este are important cities—touristic and commercial respectively—but neither is the capital. Founded in 1537 on the Paraguay River, Asunción is one of South America’s oldest continuously inhabited cities and is nicknamed the “Mother of Cities” because colonial expeditions from there founded other settlements. Paraguay declared its independence in Asunción in 1811. Memory tip: “A sun shines in Paraguay”—Asunción sounds like “a sun-shine,” helping you link the bright “sun” to Paraguay’s historic capital.