Encarnación, Administrative centre in Itapúa Department, Paraguay
Encarnación is an administrative centre in Itapúa Department in Paraguay and sits on the banks of the Paraná River opposite the Argentine city of Posadas. A bridge connects both sides and shapes the cityscape with broad boulevards and low buildings near the water.
Jesuits founded the settlement in the early 17th century as a mission station that later had to be moved due to flooding. Today's city structure developed after the railroad line and the international bridge project were built in the 20th century.
The city holds the nickname Carnival Capital of Paraguay and draws visitors from across the country each February. Riverfront promenades offer green spaces and bathing areas that families and young people use heavily on summer weekends.
Most shops and facilities concentrate in the area between the riverfront and the central streets a few blocks inland. Visitors planning to cross into Argentina should have valid travel documents ready and expect possible waiting times at border checkpoints.
The lower part of the city was partly flooded by the construction of the Yacyretá Dam in the mid-1970s and later rebuilt on higher ground. Some old streets now lie beneath the raised water level and can only be seen on historical maps.
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