Borja is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in the

Guairá Department Guaira may refer to: * Guayrá, a former region of the Spanish Empire in what is now modern Paraguay and Brazil * Guaíra Falls, former waterfalls on the Paraná River along the border between Brazil and Paraguay Brazil * Guaíra, Paraná Gu ...

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 ...

. Located 25km to the South of Villarrica and 212km to the South East of Asuncion. Its main tourist attractions are two small waterfalls Salto Cristal and Salto Tupasy Ykua. It was founded under the name of ''Yhacanguazu'' on October 22, 1778 by the Spanish Governor of Paraguay Pedro Melo de Portugal. The original name is in Guarani and it means ''large water spring''. The current name of Borja was adopted in 1929 to honor Mateo Borja, a former resident. The main economic activity are

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

cultivation and subsistence livestock farming. During Spanish rule in Paraguay (1535-1811) this area was part of a trackway known as the Royal Roads (''Caminos reales'') The roads were used by the Spanish authorities to visit the towns of Caazapa, Yuty and Itape. A report from 1851 asserts that there were 4 schools in the town. During the

Paraguayan War The Paraguayan War (, , ), also known as the War of the Triple Alliance (, , ), was a South American war that lasted from 1864 to 1870. It was fought between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, the Empire of Brazil, and Uruguay. It wa ...

many local women donated their jewelry to help with the costs. After the war, by 1873 it was reported that there were six schools and 350 children of whom 341 were

orphans An orphan is a child whose parents have died, are unknown, or have permanently abandoned them. It can also refer to a child who has lost only one parent, as the Hebrew translation, for example, is "fatherless". In some languages, such as Swedis ...

, According to the 2022 Census this district has a total population of 10 256 people. Only 3.2% of the total population lives in the urban area, 298 inhabitants.

Location

It is located in the south-western part of the Guairá department. Its urban area is located only 2 km away from the

San Salvador San Salvador () is the Capital city, capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its San Salvador Department, eponymous department. It is the country's largest agglomeration, serving as the country's political, cultural, educational and fin ...

urban area. From

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 ...

you have to follow the National Route 2 until the city of

Coronel Oviedo Coronel Oviedo (), locally simply known as Oviedo, is a city in east-central Paraguay. It is the capital of the Caaguazú Department, about 150 kilometers east of Asunción, and was founded in 1758. The city has a population of about 52,400 ( ...

. There taking the detour of the Route 8 you get to the city of Villarrica, capital of the department, and 12 kilometers to the south and taking a non-asphalted road traveling 18 kilometers more you'll get to Borja.

Notable people

* Andrés Rodríguez. President of Paraguay (1989 - 1993)

References

{{reflist Populated places in the Guairá Department