Paraguay
Paraguay is a landlocked country in South America, bordered by Argentina to the south, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. The capital and largest city is Asunción.
The area was colonised by Spain beginning in 1524. It was a center for Jesuit missionaries in the 17th century, who offered the native Guaraní people protection from Spanish and Portuguese slave-traders in exchange for conversion to Christianity. However, this close association meant that after the expulsion of the Jesuits from Spanish territories in 1767, Paraguay increasingly became a peripheral colony. It gained independence from Spain in 1811, which was followed by a series of authoritarian governments culminating in the Paraguayan War (1864–1870) against Brazil, during which the country lost half its population, and around 25% of its territory. Following rule by a succession of military dictators, Alfredo Stroessner siezed power, ruling for three decades, ending with his overthrow in 1989 by a military coup, which established democracy.
Paraguay is a member of Mercosur, the United Nations, the Organization of American States, and the Non-Aligned Movement. Additionally, the city of Luque, in metropolitan Asuncion, is the seat of the South American Football Confederation. A 2017 Positive Experience Index poll ranked Paraguay as the "world's happiest place".