Paraguay is one of the two landlocked countries in South America and is surrounded by its neighbours Brazil in the east, Argentina in the south and west, and Bolivia in the north.

The national area of Paraguay is around 410,000 km², but the country is very sparsely populated, with only 6.7 million inhabitants. About 10% of the population live in Asunción, the capital.

The majority of Paraguayans are mestizo, descendants of Spanish immigrants and Guaraní natives. The Guaraní are still the most important group of indigenous people and their language (Guaraní) has official status next to Spanish according to the 1992 constitution.

Apart from Bolivia, Paraguay is the only country in South America with no direct access to the sea, but Paraguay does not lack water. The Rio Paraguay flows through the country from north to south and divides it into two different natural areas. The western part is the "Gran Chaco", an area with dry, wooded savannah-like landscape and marshlands. The "Chaco" as the locals call it, is extremely sparsely populated, only about 5% of the population lives in this area which makes up almost 60% of the country. Most of them are native people and some are descendants of German Mennonites who still speak an old German dialect to this day.

However, as the “Gran Chaco” is only sparsely populated by people: It is the second largest animal habitat in the world after the Amazon region and is therefore definitely worth a visit!

There are fertile subtropical areas and smaller mountain ranges east of the Rio Paraguay. Over 95% of the population live there.

The climate is tropical to subtropical, so instead of the four seasons there is a rainy season (May to September) with cold winds from the Andes and a dry season (October to April) with warm winds from the Amazon.

Paraguay is a relatively unknown country and therefore worth a visit: Hardly anywhere else will you meet so few tourists and experience South America as authentically as in Paraguay.

When visiting Paraguay, you will surely be surprised, how many sights and natural attractions this country hides. A trip to Paraguay is also worth a visit for its culture. A large part of the population has remained true to its roots, so that the customs and language of Guaraní still have their place in today's society - really many people still speak Guaraní!

In any case, visiting and exploring this insider tip in South America is definitely worth it! The people are very warm and open-minded and will be happy to introduce visitors to the ceremony of drinking Tereré.

Let yourself be surprised by one of the most unknown countries in South America!

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• Learn Spanish in Paraguay