Presidente Franco (also simply known as Franco) is a district and city of the
Alto Paraná Department
Alto Paraná (; ''Upper Paraná'') is a department in Paraguay. The capital is Ciudad del Este (formerly known as Puerto Presidente Stroessner, originally Puerto Flor de Lis).
The Alto Paraná department has experienced tremendous economic and ...
,
Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
. Aside from being the oldest city in Alto Paraná Department, it is a place of rich exports of fruits and vegetables. Also, Presidente Franco is well known for
Saltos del Monday
The Municipal Park Monday and its main attraction – approximately tall and wide waterfall named Saltos del Monday – are located in the Presidente Franco District, Alto Paraná Department, Paraguay, located around 25°33'40.6"S latitude and 5 ...
, a 45 m tall and 120 m wide waterfall, Eastern Paraguay.
It is a border port city in
Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
, located in the eastern sector of the country, along the
Paraná River
The Paraná River ( es, Río Paraná, links=no , pt, Rio Paraná, gn, Ysyry Parana) is a river in south-central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina for some ."Parana River". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Br ...
,
Alto Paraná Department
Alto Paraná (; ''Upper Paraná'') is a department in Paraguay. The capital is Ciudad del Este (formerly known as Puerto Presidente Stroessner, originally Puerto Flor de Lis).
The Alto Paraná department has experienced tremendous economic and ...
.
Etymology
City located at the junction of rivers
Paraná and
Monday
Monday is the day of the week between Sunday and Tuesday. According to the International Organization for Standardization's ISO 8601 standard, it is the first day of the week and in countries that adopt the "Sunday-first" convention, it is ...
, neighbor of
Puerto Iguazú
Puerto Iguazú is a border city in the province of Misiones, Argentina. With a population of 82,227 (),
it is the fourth largest city in the Province, after Posadas, Oberá, and Eldorado.
The world-renowned Iguazú Falls are only away from ...
, in Argentina, is called the "City of the Three Borders", since there converge the territories of the countries of Paraguay, Brazil and
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
.
Its name is in honor of
Manuel Franco
Manuel Franco (July 9, 1871 – June 5, 1919) was President of Paraguay from August 15, 1916, to June 5, 1919.
Childhood and Youth
Doctor Manuel Franco was born in Concepción on June 9, 1871, in times of the government of Cirilo Antonio Rivar ...
, president of Paraguay in 1918.
Weather
The average annual temperature is 21 °C, the highest reaches 38 °C and the minimum 0 °C. The highest annual amount of the country in rainfall occurs in the region of Alto Paraná.
Demography
Presidente Franco has a total of 68,242 inhabitants, whom 33,998 are male and 34,245 are women, according to the Directorate General of Statistics, Census and Surveys.
Since the limits of
Ciudad del Este
Ciudad del Este (, Spanish for Eastern City; often shortered as CDE) is the second-largest city in Paraguay and capital of the Alto Paraná Department, situated on the Paraná River. It is located 327 km from Asunción, the capital, and is ...
and Presidente Franco and are not distinguishable due to population growth in the area, they are integrated into all aspects, economic, educational, health, etc.
President Franco is considered a "dormitory town" because more than half of its residents are active in the labor in
Ciudad del Este
Ciudad del Este (, Spanish for Eastern City; often shortered as CDE) is the second-largest city in Paraguay and capital of the Alto Paraná Department, situated on the Paraná River. It is located 327 km from Asunción, the capital, and is ...
, departmental capital of Alto Paraná.
History
The city was founded in 1929 by Don
Vicente Matiauda, near
Ciudad del Este
Ciudad del Este (, Spanish for Eastern City; often shortered as CDE) is the second-largest city in Paraguay and capital of the Alto Paraná Department, situated on the Paraná River. It is located 327 km from Asunción, the capital, and is ...
, and constitutes one of the largest ports in the region, especially for transporting timber and mate.
In 1974 it became a municipality of the third category and in 1979 a first-class municipality. After several years of development and population increase, the city became the head of other river ports such as Puerto Indio,
Hernandarias, Marangatú and Carlos Antonio Lopez. It became an outstanding commercial center, being near the river port of
Encarnación and the major commercial products that came.
President Franco, is a sort of "mother of cities" in the department because it was the first to be founded. Within the district boundaries are two major attractions that are Monument Scientific
Moises Bertoni,
botanical
Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...
interest,
ethnic
An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...
and
historic
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
and beautiful
Saltos del Monday
The Municipal Park Monday and its main attraction – approximately tall and wide waterfall named Saltos del Monday – are located in the Presidente Franco District, Alto Paraná Department, Paraguay, located around 25°33'40.6"S latitude and 5 ...
, natural wonder, station
Tape Avirú and today the site of adventure sports.
Economy
Because of the variety of trees several sawmills operate in the area. The production of soybeans is also very important.
Industry in the city includes dairy factories, oil palm and processing.
Tourism
![Saltos_del_Monday](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Saltos_del_Monday.jpg)
Presidente Franco is a rich area on vegetation and wildlife, some of the attractions are:
*
Saltos del Monday
The Municipal Park Monday and its main attraction – approximately tall and wide waterfall named Saltos del Monday – are located in the Presidente Franco District, Alto Paraná Department, Paraguay, located around 25°33'40.6"S latitude and 5 ...
: remarkable natural landmark - a waterfall, one of the stations prehispánic route of the Guarani. Falls are more than 40 meters high and consist of three main falls and several smaller steps. Falls are located near the mouth of the River Monday, one of the major tributaries of the Paraná River. It is a beautiful spectacle with its white foam and steam caused by the impact of water with rocks and bushes that surround Monday River can be viewed from a system of walkways and viewpoints in a beautiful and well cared natural park.
The park is used by tourists in the region for picnics, hikes and camps. Its nature is its own species of flora and fauna unique characteristics and very representative of the forested region of the former Alto Paraná.
The stone walls are ideal for tourists to be able to practice climbing and rappelling, surrounded by wild foliage, almost virgin to the hand of man. You can hike trails that cut through the park and go up the banks of the river, shortly after the waterfalls.
The beaches near the break are very busy during summer by tourists to placate the heat.
*'' 'About Paraná River at the mouth of
Iguazu River
__NOTOC__
The Iguazu River ( pt, Rio Iguaçu, br , es, Río Iguazú} ), also called Rio Iguassu, is a river in Brazil and Argentina. It is an important tributary of the Paraná River. The Iguazu River is long, with a drainage basin of .
Cou ...
, "Viewpoint", where can be seen from the boundary pillars in the colors of the three countries. You can cross the river in a raft to reach Argentina.
*'' 'Museum Moisés Bertoni, a unique place, where they are housed his research work on the Paraguayan rich flora, this museum was recently restored. This protected area has 199 hectares which can be seen in the legacies of wise Bertoni in
botany
Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...
,
zoology
Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...
,
meteorology
Meteorology is a branch of the atmospheric sciences (which include atmospheric chemistry and physics) with a major focus on weather forecasting. The study of meteorology dates back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not ...
,
anthropology
Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...
and other
sciences
Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe.
Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...
. It is located on the banks of the Paraná River. Here we guard a small area of the Atlantic forests of the Paraná River; there are some nascent water and waterfalls. There are also essays, agroforest experimental investigations, it is estimated that about 60% of plant species were introduced by
Moises Bertoni. The ethnicity
Mbya sits north of the region.
*'' 'Milestone of the Tres Fronteras, 3 km from the city center, on site join the two rivers, Paraguay and Iguaçu and three countries, Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina.
There are parties in March such as Festival of integration and the Brotherhood in the Tres Fronteras.
Nature and environmental education
The Paraná River, one of the most plentiful in the world, offers in Ciudad President Franco scenarios of great beauty.
These attractions water joined several streams and major river Monday, which flow into the Parana but not before forming with its beautiful waters and giant leaps that captivate with their strength and imposing to visitors.
The Interior Atlantic Forest, which once covered the entire territory of Alto Paraná, is kept in large areas of state protection as the Monument Scientific Moses Bertoni, with its rich flora serve as a natural habitat for wild animals indigenous to the area.
The park may also serve to observe animals, birds and to contemplate nature. In their environment, in the region, four indigenous communities are settled. There are 40 families of the
Guarani tribe who sell crafts in the museum Bertoni.
How to get there
If you are coming from the capital,
Asunción
Asunción (, , , Guarani: Paraguay) 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 ...
, which is 341 km from Presidente Franco, take the
National Route 2. If you are coming from
Encarnación, take the
National Route 6. Presidente Franco is 7 km south of Ciudad del Este, in Eastern Paraguay. There's also a not-paved road from the south, to
Los Cedrales.
Sister cities
Presidente Franco is
twinned with:
*
Puerto Iguazú
Puerto Iguazú is a border city in the province of Misiones, Argentina. With a population of 82,227 (),
it is the fourth largest city in the Province, after Posadas, Oberá, and Eldorado.
The world-renowned Iguazú Falls are only away from ...
, Argentina
*
Acquarossa, Switzerland
References
* Illustrated Geography of Paraguay, SRL Distributed Arami, 2007.
* Geography of Paraguay, First Edition 1999, Publisher Hispanic Paraguay SRL
External links
National Secretary of TourismNatura Express Tourism in ParaguayTrade Directory of the East Region of Paraguay{{Districts in the Alto Parana Department
Populated places in the Alto Paraná Department