Boquerón Department
Encyclopedia
Boquerón is a department
in the western region of Paraguay
. It is the country's largest department, with an area of 91669 km² (35,394 sq mi), but its population is only 45,617 (2002 census). The department includes the Russian Mennonite colonies of Fernheim
, Menno
and its administrative center Loma Plata and Neuland
. The capital is Filadelfia
. Other towns are General Eugenio A. Garay
, Doctor Pedro P. Peña
and Mariscal Estigarribia.
The western region—Paraguay Occidental—with two percent of the Paraguayan population, produces nearly the 65% of the milk and meat of the country. High agricultural output is linked to the advanced technology and industry of the Mennonite settlements.
In 1992 the department Nueva Asunción was merged with Boquerón, effectively recreating the departement as of 1945 when it was split, and the capital was moved from Doctor Pedro P. Peña to Filadelfia.
, from which is separated by an imaginary straight line that goes from Hito
IV Fort Tte. G. Mendoza to Fort Madrejón; and also by the road of the railway from "km 220" to "km 160".
To the South: Argentina
, from which is separated by the Pilcomayo River
, from Misión San Lorenzo to Hito I Esmeralda.
To the East: Presidente Hayes Department
, separated by the road that connects Misión San Lorenzo with Fort Gral. Díaz, Ávalos Sánchez, Zenteno, Dr. Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia, Boquerón, Isla Po'í and Casanillo; and from this point, by an imaginary straight line until "km 160". It also borders Alto Paraguay Department, separated from it by a straight imaginary line from Fort Madrejón to Fort Carlos Antonio López and from there by another line to Fort Montanía.
To the West: Bolivia
, separated by an imaginary line from Hito I Esmeralda until Hito IV Fort Tte. Gabino Mendoza.
The trees in the area are short and thorny; there are brushwood
and cactus
, dunes and small hills, especially in the north of the department. Some species of trees in this region are in danger of extinction; those are the urunde'y, white
and red quebracho, samu'u also known as palo borracho and palo santo.
The National Census in 2002 registered 45,617 people living in Boquerón. Most of them are Native-Americans, which would be 43.7% (19.945), distributed in the following ethnic groups: Nivaclé
, Manjui, Guarayos, Angaité, Ayoreo
s, Guaraní-Ñandéva, Tapieté and Toba-Maskóy
. The majority of native population of the country lives in this department.
The total Boquerón population is 45,617, 19,945 of which are natives.
Growth of the total population in Boquerón is 4.6% and in the Urban area alone is 12.4%.
Boquerón had only one district since December 18, 1944. In December 2006, Loma Plata and Filadelfia were added, and this last became the new capital of the department by Law 71/92. Boquerón now has 4 members and 40 councilors in the executive government. It is expented Neuland Colony
will become a new district in the future.
The current governor of the department is David Sawatzky. The mayor of Mariscal Estigarribia is Eladio Alcaraz, the mayor of Filadelfia is Hermann Ratzlaff and the mayor of Loma Plata is Ernst Giesbrecht.
The government of the department administers two high schools, one agricultural school, a hospital and the Hydrological Resources Director (DRH for its initials in Spanish), that belongs to the Agriculture and Cattle Ministry. In addition, it has a Health and Education Secretary, a Natural Environment Secretary, a Secretary for Native-American Related Affairs, Public Construction, Women Related Affairs, Childhood and Youth Secretaries.
Distance is the main problem that affects students and teachers; it is hard sometimes to get to the educational institutions and because of that people drop out of school. There are some marginal areas with well-defined curricular norms set by the Occidental Region,but there are not enough teachers for the classes.
The total registered students is 8,932: 6.689 in elementary school and 2,243 in high school in a total of 103 schools. There are 384 registered teachers.
The literate population of 15 years and more is 21,482.
The natives receive health care from the private sector. Some of them have Social Security, but not all. In this department are 23 health centers and 8.8 number of beds for every 10,000 inhabitants of the area.
Mennonites have private medical insurance and are very well organized in that sector. The health system is a basic necessity and is the one that needs more attention, considering that 22% of the population in the area lives in poverty.
There is considerable work in making saddles and shoes. In agriculture, the common products are: bananas, lemons, sweet and sour oranges
, tangerines, beans, sweet potatoes, onions, pumpkins, corn
, peanut
s and sorghum
.
Traveling to this region has its inconveniences; people who do must foresee the logistic aspects such as taking with them drinking water, food, enough fuel, and an emergency kit.
The labor of the Mennonites is remarkable because they maintain the roads they use by themselves with their own resources; this includes work on about 3,800 kilometers of road every year. They also know the region very well.
The Mariscal Estigarribia district has an airport used by all kinds of planes.
In some districts, modern technology such as television, internet and cell phones are available. Nevertheless there are places where communication is impossible because of the characteristics of the land. In addition most of the Ayoreo natives who still live in the interior have not yet adapted to civilization.
Radio stations serve a fundamental role as a means of communication. La Voz del Chaco Paraguayo AM, broadcasts to the entire Occidental Region, reaching places where communication is usually difficult.
There is another radio station, Radio Médano, which broadcasts in FM.
There are two community radio stations: one in Mariscal Estigarribia and another in Doctor Pedro P. Peña.
The Forts Boquerón, Toledo and Isla Po'í are much visited; in these places traces remain of the Chaco War
, an important part of Paraguayan history.
Departments of Paraguay
|Paraguay consists of 17 departments and one capital district . These are, with their capitals indicated in parentheses:- External links :...
in the western region 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...
. It is the country's largest department, with an area of 91669 km² (35,394 sq mi), but its population is only 45,617 (2002 census). The department includes the Russian Mennonite colonies of Fernheim
Fernheim Colony
Fernheim Colony is a Russian Mennonite settlement of about 5000 in the Chaco of Paraguay. Mennonites from the Soviet Union founded it between 1930 and 1932. Filadelfia is the administrative center of the colony...
, Menno
Menno, Paraguay
- Sources :* – World-Gazetteer.com...
and its administrative center Loma Plata and Neuland
Neuland Colony
Neuland Colony is a settlement of Russian Mennonites in the Boquerón Department of Paraguay with around 3,400 residents .The site is near Filadelfia, the capital of Boquerón, and not far from neighbouring Presidente Hayes Department...
. The capital is Filadelfia
Filadelfia
Filadelfia is the capital of Boquerón Department in the Gran Chaco of western Paraguay. It is the centre of the Fernheim Colony. It is about a 5 hour drive from the capital of Asunción.-History:...
. Other towns are General Eugenio A. Garay
General Eugenio A. Garay
General Eugenio Alejandrino Garay is a village in the Boquerón Department of Paraguay.- Sources :* – World-Gazetteer.com...
, Doctor Pedro P. Peña
Doctor Pedro P. Peña
Doctor Pedro P. Peña is a town in the Boquerón department of Paraguay.- Sources :* – World-Gazetteer.com...
and Mariscal Estigarribia.
The western region—Paraguay Occidental—with two percent of the Paraguayan population, produces nearly the 65% of the milk and meat of the country. High agricultural output is linked to the advanced technology and industry of the Mennonite settlements.
In 1992 the department Nueva Asunción was merged with Boquerón, effectively recreating the departement as of 1945 when it was split, and the capital was moved from Doctor Pedro P. Peña to Filadelfia.
Geography
It is located to the north in the Occidental Region of Paraguay, between parallels 20º 06' and 23º 50' of latitude South and meridians 50º 20' and 62º 40' of longitude West.Limits
To the North: Alto Paraguay DepartmentAlto Paraguay Department
Alto Paraguay is a sparsely populated department of Paraguay. The capital is the town of Fuerte Olimpo.In 1992 the Chaco Department was merged with Alto Paraguay, effectively recreating the original department Olimpo as it existed until 1945....
, from which is separated by an imaginary straight line that goes from Hito
Boundary marker
A boundary marker, boundary stone or border stone is a robust physical marker that identifies the start of a land boundary or the change in a boundary, especially a change in a direction of a boundary...
IV Fort Tte. G. Mendoza to Fort Madrejón; and also by the road of the railway from "km 220" to "km 160".
To the South: 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...
, from which is separated by the Pilcomayo River
Pilcomayo River
The Pilcomayo River is a river in central South America. At long, it is the longest western tributary of the Paraguay River. Its drainage basin is in area, and its mean discharge is ....
, from Misión San Lorenzo to Hito I Esmeralda.
To the East: Presidente Hayes Department
Presidente Hayes Department
Presidente Hayes is a department in Paraguay. The capital is the city of Villa Hayes. The department was named after U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes, who was the arbitrator in a boundary dispute between Paraguay and Argentina after the War of the Triple Alliance.-Districts:The department is...
, separated by the road that connects Misión San Lorenzo with Fort Gral. Díaz, Ávalos Sánchez, Zenteno, Dr. Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia, Boquerón, Isla Po'í and Casanillo; and from this point, by an imaginary straight line until "km 160". It also borders Alto Paraguay Department, separated from it by a straight imaginary line from Fort Madrejón to Fort Carlos Antonio López and from there by another line to Fort Montanía.
To the West: Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, separated by an imaginary line from Hito I Esmeralda until Hito IV Fort Tte. Gabino Mendoza.
Natural environment
This is the most deserted region of Paraguay; it has some small streams, but with dry riverbeds. The rain is scarce but when it does rain, it causes inundations. It rains about 350 mm a year in the north of the department and 850 mm a year in the south.The trees in the area are short and thorny; there are brushwood
Shrubland
Shrubland, scrubland, scrub or brush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity...
and cactus
Cactus
A cactus is a member of the plant family Cactaceae. Their distinctive appearance is a result of adaptations to conserve water in dry and/or hot environments. In most species, the stem has evolved to become photosynthetic and succulent, while the leaves have evolved into spines...
, dunes and small hills, especially in the north of the department. Some species of trees in this region are in danger of extinction; those are the urunde'y, white
Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco
Quebracho blanco is a South American tree species, which is found in the northern regions of Argentina. It must not be confused with other species also known as quebracho, but belonging to the genus Schinopsis.-Growth:Quebracho blanco wood is uniformly yellow-ochre, without differences between...
and red quebracho, samu'u also known as palo borracho and palo santo.
Climate
The average temperature is 25°C. The average precipitation is 400 mm annually. Boquerón is also called Alto Chaco or Dry Chaco and in summer registers the highest temperatures in the country.Demography
Boquerón is these days the department with greatest population growth, about 12.4%. This department is characterized by its native population, the Mennonites, the Paraguayans, the Brazilians and other foreign residents in the country.The National Census in 2002 registered 45,617 people living in Boquerón. Most of them are Native-Americans, which would be 43.7% (19.945), distributed in the following ethnic groups: Nivaclé
Nivaclé
Nivaclé is a Matacoan language spoken in Paraguay by c.8,400 and in Argentina by 200. It is also known as Chulupí and Ashluslay, and in older sources has been called Ashuslé, Suhin, Sujín, Chunupí, Churupí, Choropí, and other variant spellings of these names...
, Manjui, Guarayos, Angaité, Ayoreo
Ayoreo
The Ayoreo are a native ethnic group living on Gran Chaco, in an area among rivers Paraguay, Pilcomayo, Parapetí and Grande, stretching both in Bolivia and Paraguay. They speak the Ayoreo language, which is classified under Zamucoan, a small language family of Paraguay and Bolivia...
s, Guaraní-Ñandéva, Tapieté and Toba-Maskóy
Toba (tribe)
The Toba are an ethnic group in Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay. They are part of a larger group of indigenous inhabitants of the Gran Chaco region, called the Guaycurues. As of 2005, there are 47,951 Toba in Argentina, living in the provinces of Chaco, Formosa and Santa Fe.The Toba name themselves...
. The majority of native population of the country lives in this department.
Population
The total Native population of the country is 87,099. The quantity in Chaco is 42,939.The total Boquerón population is 45,617, 19,945 of which are natives.
Growth of the total population in Boquerón is 4.6% and in the Urban area alone is 12.4%.
- Filadelfia: 7,750
- Loma Plata: 6,500
- Yalve Sanga: 4,200
- Mariscal Estigarribia: 2,000
- Neu-Halbstadt: 720
- Choferes del Chaco: 600
District and departmental governments
The department is divided in 3 districts:- FiladelfiaFiladelfiaFiladelfia is the capital of Boquerón Department in the Gran Chaco of western Paraguay. It is the centre of the Fernheim Colony. It is about a 5 hour drive from the capital of Asunción.-History:...
- Loma PlataLoma PlataLoma Plata is a city and distrito of the Department of Boquerón, Paraguay, located 407 km from Asunción by a detour of Route IX "Carlos A. Lopez". It is part of one of the Mennonite colonies of the Paraguayan Chaco.-Climate:...
- Mariscal EstigarribiaMariscal EstigarribiaMariscal Estigarribia is a town in the Boquerón Department, Paraguay.- Strategic importance :Mariscal Estigarribia is home to Dr. Luis Maria Argaña International Airport , which some media reports claim is a US military base set up to provide access to the strategic Triple Frontera region.400 US...
Boquerón had only one district since December 18, 1944. In December 2006, Loma Plata and Filadelfia were added, and this last became the new capital of the department by Law 71/92. Boquerón now has 4 members and 40 councilors in the executive government. It is expented Neuland Colony
Neuland Colony
Neuland Colony is a settlement of Russian Mennonites in the Boquerón Department of Paraguay with around 3,400 residents .The site is near Filadelfia, the capital of Boquerón, and not far from neighbouring Presidente Hayes Department...
will become a new district in the future.
The current governor of the department is David Sawatzky. The mayor of Mariscal Estigarribia is Eladio Alcaraz, the mayor of Filadelfia is Hermann Ratzlaff and the mayor of Loma Plata is Ernst Giesbrecht.
The government of the department administers two high schools, one agricultural school, a hospital and the Hydrological Resources Director (DRH for its initials in Spanish), that belongs to the Agriculture and Cattle Ministry. In addition, it has a Health and Education Secretary, a Natural Environment Secretary, a Secretary for Native-American Related Affairs, Public Construction, Women Related Affairs, Childhood and Youth Secretaries.
Education
The department has 160 educational institutions with 9,000 students and more than 450 teachers. These numbers include the private institutions and the one that provide professional skills education. Literacy instruction reaches the 80% according to the Census of 2002.Distance is the main problem that affects students and teachers; it is hard sometimes to get to the educational institutions and because of that people drop out of school. There are some marginal areas with well-defined curricular norms set by the Occidental Region,but there are not enough teachers for the classes.
The literate population of 15 years and more is 21,482.
Health
This department has 4 private hospitals; the 17th Health Region, assisted by the Ministry of Public Health and Social Wellbeing, has a regional hospital in Mariscal Estigarribia;the government supports the Maternal and Childhood Center in Villa Choferes del Chaco. More than half of the population is in Filadelfia, Loma Plata, Yalve Sanga and Colonia Neuland.The natives receive health care from the private sector. Some of them have Social Security, but not all. In this department are 23 health centers and 8.8 number of beds for every 10,000 inhabitants of the area.
Mennonites have private medical insurance and are very well organized in that sector. The health system is a basic necessity and is the one that needs more attention, considering that 22% of the population in the area lives in poverty.
Economy
Cattle raising generates the greatest share of the income, with the dairy products and meat being exported. There are 4,500 owners of 900,000 cows. The dairy production is about 450,000 to 500,000 liters of milk in a day; this forms 70% of the industry in the Central Chaco.There is considerable work in making saddles and shoes. In agriculture, the common products are: bananas, lemons, sweet and sour oranges
Orange (fruit)
An orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus × sinensis and its fruit. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world....
, tangerines, beans, sweet potatoes, onions, pumpkins, corn
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...
, peanut
Peanut
The peanut, or groundnut , is a species in the legume or "bean" family , so it is not a nut. The peanut was probably first cultivated in the valleys of Peru. It is an annual herbaceous plant growing tall...
s and sorghum
Sorghum
Sorghum is a genus of numerous species of grasses, one of which is raised for grain and many of which are used as fodder plants either cultivated or as part of pasture. The plants are cultivated in warmer climates worldwide. Species are native to tropical and subtropical regions of all continents...
.
Communications
Boquerón has 120 kilometers of paved roads but also many that are not paved, which makes travel difficult in the rainy and dry seasons.Traveling to this region has its inconveniences; people who do must foresee the logistic aspects such as taking with them drinking water, food, enough fuel, and an emergency kit.
The labor of the Mennonites is remarkable because they maintain the roads they use by themselves with their own resources; this includes work on about 3,800 kilometers of road every year. They also know the region very well.
The Mariscal Estigarribia district has an airport used by all kinds of planes.
In some districts, modern technology such as television, internet and cell phones are available. Nevertheless there are places where communication is impossible because of the characteristics of the land. In addition most of the Ayoreo natives who still live in the interior have not yet adapted to civilization.
Radio stations serve a fundamental role as a means of communication. La Voz del Chaco Paraguayo AM, broadcasts to the entire Occidental Region, reaching places where communication is usually difficult.
There is another radio station, Radio Médano, which broadcasts in FM.
There are two community radio stations: one in Mariscal Estigarribia and another in Doctor Pedro P. Peña.
Tourism
Rural and ecological tourism has become very popular in the Central Chaco, where people can witness the life and process of adaptation of the colonial immigrants. Many tourists and students visit the native villages and colonies that are dedicate to cattle and some other industries; most of them leave very pleased by the experience.The Forts Boquerón, Toledo and Isla Po'í are much visited; in these places traces remain of the Chaco War
Chaco War
The Chaco War was fought between Bolivia and Paraguay over control of the northern part of the Gran Chaco region of South America, which was incorrectly thought to be rich in oil. It is also referred to as La Guerra de la Sed in literary circles for being fought in the semi-arid Chaco...
, an important part of Paraguayan history.