Alto Paraná Department, Administrative department in eastern Paraguay
Alto Paraná is an administrative department in eastern Paraguay, comprising twenty-two districts and bordering Brazil and Argentina. The capital, Ciudad del Este, sits on the bank of the Paraná River and serves as the economic hub of the region.
The territory was established as a separate department in 1945, having previously been part of other administrative units. In the following decades, settlers from the interior of the country and from neighboring nations moved here, drawn by agriculture and commerce.
The name comes from the river that forms the eastern boundary of the department, running along the Brazilian frontier for much of its length. In the capital, Paraguayan, Brazilian, Chinese and Korean communities mix in daily life, and their languages can be heard on the streets and inside shops.
The border bridge to the Brazilian city of Foz do Iguaçu is open daily for pedestrian and vehicle traffic, though waiting times can occur on busy days. In the southern districts of the department, quieter rural areas offer access to natural sites and farmland.
The Itaipu Dam, partly located on the department's territory, ranks among the largest hydroelectric facilities in the world and supplies most of the country with energy. Parts of the region's original forests have been placed under protection after clearing for agriculture and infrastructure led to losses.
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