Encarnación, Paraguay
Encarnación on the map of Paraguay
Encarnación is the capital of the department Itapúa in Paraguay on the border with Argentina.
The city was founded on March 25, 1615 on the banks of the Paraná River by the Jesuit Father Roque González de Santa Cruz and received with respect to the calendrical celebration of the announcement of the birth of Christ, the name of Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación de Itapúa ( "Our Lady of the Incarnation of Itapúa "). Under the direction of the two consuls Carlos Antonio López and Mariano Roque Alonso, the shortened name was officially established in 1843. The city is often referred to as the Pearl of the South because of the mild climate. An importance of the site in 1854 won as part of the construction of the railway from central Paraguay.
The city is divided into two areas, the higher the modern part (also financial center of the city), and the old town in the immediate vicinity of the Río Paraná. Among the 118,300 inhabitants ( as of 2011), there are many German, Japanese, Arabic, Ukrainian, New Zealand, Chinese and Polish descent. Through the Puente Internacional San Roque González de Santa Cruz, the city is connected to Posadas, Argentina.
Encarnación is also the birthplace of the former dictator of Paraguay, Alfredo Stroessner.
Near the city (28 km on the Route 6) are the former Jesuit Missions of La Santisima Trinidad de Paraná and Jesús de Tavarangüe, declared in 1993 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
Encarnación is the seat of a Catholic bishop, currently the bishop is Mgr. Ignacio Gogorza Izaguirre SCJ.
Encarnacíon is considered the capital of the Paraguayan carnival, which is celebrated there since 1916. The Sambadrome offers 8,500 spectators.
Gallery
Puente Internacional San Roque González de Santa Cruz
Samba dancer from Encarnación
Twinning
- Posadas, Argentina