Pedro Juan Caballero () is a

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

an city and the capital of the

Amambay Department Amambay () is a Department (subnational entity), department in Paraguay. The capital is Pedro Juan Caballero, Paraguay, Pedro Juan Caballero. The name comes from the name of a part of the Caaguazú Cordillera, "Amambai Mountains". Amambay is t ...

. It lies on the

border Borders are generally defined as geography, geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by polity, political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other administrative divisio ...

with the Brazilian city of Ponta Porã in the state of

Mato Grosso do Sul Mato Grosso do Sul ( ) is one of Federative units of Brazil, Brazil's 27 federal units, located in the southern part of the Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West Region, bordering five Brazilian states: Mato Grosso (to the north), Goiás and ...

and is known as a centre for cheap electronic and

consumer goods A final good or consumer good is a final product ready for sale that is used by the consumer to satisfy current wants or needs, unlike an intermediate good, which is used to produce other goods. A microwave oven or a bicycle is a final good. W ...

, and also as a centre for

drug smuggling The illegal drug trade, drug trafficking, or narcotrafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types ...

. This city is the highest city in Paraguay at 670 m (2201 ft) above sea level and is named after Pedro Juan Caballero. Pedro Juan Caballero is serviced by the Dr. Augusto Roberto Fuster International Airport and the country's most modern shopping centre, the Shopping Dubai, which cost US$30million. The Blue Lagoon Amambay Hotel & Residential Complex is located in the city, the hotel is modernly structured and Paraguay.com considered it a First World condominium. The city is home to the Club Sportivo 2 de Mayo, counting with the Monumental Río Parapití which was used for the 1999 Copa América and is Paraguay's fifth biggest football stadium.

History

Pedro Juan Caballero originated around a small lake. The city based its economy initially on the processing of

yerba mate Yerba mate or yerba maté (), ''Ilex paraguariensis'', is a plant species of the holly genus native to South America. It was named by the French botanist Augustin Saint-Hilaire. The leaves of the plant can be steeped in hot water to make a bev ...

(it is located in the south end of the herds of Tacurupyta, that, after the War of the Triple Alliance, were almost totally passed into the hands of Brazil) and the forest exploitation. On December 1, 1899, a police station was built, near the Punta Porá Lagoon, a date that is considered to be that of the creation of the city. Some scholars, however, consider that the correct date of foundation is August 30, 1901. In 1899, merchant Don Jorge Casaccia, owner of large tracts of land, plantations and an import-export company founded at the end of the War of the Triple Alliance, a large shareholder of "La Industrial Paraguaya" and the "Mercantile Bank", ceded to the government a land for the settlement of the population, according to SA Cardona. The first house was built in 1894, owned by Don Jose Tapia Ortiz, although it actually settled in a place called "Portera", a year after the foundation of Ponta Porã. But as early as 1893, Don Pablino Ramirez had settled with his wagons and footpaths on the shores of Lake Punta Porá, making it difficult to known for sure who was the first "official" Pedrojuanino. Pedro Juan Caballero was founded on December 1, 1900. On December 13, 1901, the first peace court was created, with José Ramón Giménez as the first judge. On December 29, 1905, the Junta Económico Administrativa was created to carry out activities very similar to those of the present communes and municipalities. Don Rufino Spika Henry was the first president. On July 10, 1945, the city of Pedro Juan Caballero was designated capital of the department of Amambay XIII. In the second half of the 20th century, the city had a rapid commercial development, being nowadays not only a border trade city with Brazil, but also a tourist city and host of international events.

Population

The district of Pedro Juan Caballero has a total of 114,917 inhabitants according to the census conducted by the General Directorate of Statistics, Surveys and Censuses in 2002; of this total 77,504 inhabitants are in the urban area of the district, the rest of the population are in the rural area. It is the most populated city in the northern part of the country.

Government

In 2020, 75 prisoners escaped the local prison in the city.

Education

The district has a total of 31 secondary schools and high schools. Among the private ones, the best known are: The Parochial Rosenstiel School, of the Redemptorist Missionaries; Santa María de los Ángeles School, of the Franciscan Education Sisters of Cristo Rey; the Ebenezer College and the Baptist School. Among the nationals, the best known is the Dr. Raúl Peña Regional Education Center and the Cerro Corá National School of Commerce. It is the headquarters of universities such as the subsidiaries of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and the Faculty of Law and Social Sciences of the National University of Asunción; private universities such as the Universidad Sudamericana, Columbia University, UniNorte, the Catholic University "Nuestra Señora de la Asunción", Polytechnic and Artistic University of Paraguay, Universidad del Pacífico, Intercontinental University, American University, Technological University, La Serrana University, Three University Borders, San Carlos University, San Lorenzo University, National University of Villa Rica del Espíritu Santo, among others.

Climate

The climate of Pedro Juan Caballero is classified as

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(''Cfa'') , according to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

), which borders on a Tropical monsoon (''Am''). The average annual temperature is . The annual average of precipitations is abundant, with approximately. Summers are hot, with a January average of . The high humidity usually becomes suffocating to heat. The winter is mild, with an average July temperature of . Temperatures below or above are rarely encountered.

Transportation

Route 5 "Gral. Bernardino Caballero" connects the city with Concepción and

Asunción Asunción (, ) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay. The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay of Asunción in the north ...

Consular representation

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

has a Consulate in Pedro Juan Caballero.

References

Sources

World Gazeteer: Paraguay
– World-Gazetteer.com

External links

{{Authority control 1899 establishments in Paraguay Populated places in the Amambay Department Brazil–Paraguay border crossings