| Ciudad del Este | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| — City — | |||
| View of Ciudad del Este skyline | |||
|
|||
|
Ciudad del Este
|
|||
| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Paraguay | ||
| Department | Alto Paraná | ||
| Founded | February 3, 1957 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Intendente Municipal | Sandra Mac Leod de Zacarias | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 104 km2 (40.2 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2008) | |||
| • Total | 320,782 | ||
| • Density | 3,084.4/km2 (7,988.7/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | AST (UTC-04) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | ADT (UTC-03) | ||
| Postal code | 7000 | ||
| Area code(s) | (595) (61) | ||
| Website | mcde.gov.py | ||
Ciudad del Este (Spanish for City of the East) is the second largest city in Paraguay and capital of Alto Paraná department, located at the Rio Paraná.
Founded in 1957, it was originally called Puerto Flor de Lis, then until 1989 Puerto Presidente Stroessner, after Alfredo Stroessner. It is part of a triangle known as the Triple Frontier. It is linked to the Brazilian city of Foz do Iguaçu by the Friendship Bridge. The city is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ciudad del Este.
Contents |
The city has a large Asian-born population, specifically Taiwanese, Koreans, Lebanese, and Iranians, evident in the city's mosque and pagodas. The Taiwanese government paid for the construction of the city's town hall in exchange for Paraguayan support in the United Nations, hence the Taiwanese flag that flies on the building.
From the 1970s, Sunni Muslim Arabs moved to the city. This changed in the 1980s to Shia Muslim Arabs from South Lebanon.[1]
The city is the headquarters of the company that operates the nearby Itaipu Dam dam. The city's economy (and Paraguay's economy as well) relies heavily on the mood of the Brazilian economy, as 95% of Paraguay's share of the energy generated by the Itaipu Dam is sold to Brazil (for US$300 million), and that every day many Brazilians cross the border to buy less expensive products[2] (US$1.2 billion, mostly electronics). Smuggling is a major occupation in the city, with some estimates putting the value of this black market at five times the national economy. Even if someone or some countries affirm that there are terrorist organizations in the area, no evidence have been already found of this statement .[3][4]
Guarani International Airport, located in the suburb city of Minga Guazú, connects the city with other South American destinations.
| Climate data for Ciudad del Este, Paraguay | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 32 (90) |
32 (90) |
31 (88) |
28 (82) |
25 (77) |
22 (72) |
23 (73) |
24 (75) |
26 (79) |
28 (82) |
30 (86) |
31 (88) |
28 (82) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 26 (79) |
26 (79) |
25 (77) |
22 (72) |
18 (64) |
16 (61) |
16 (61) |
18 (64) |
19 (66) |
22 (72) |
24 (75) |
26 (79) |
22 (72) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 21 (70) |
21 (70) |
20 (68) |
17 (63) |
14 (57) |
11 (52) |
11 (52) |
12 (54) |
14 (57) |
17 (63) |
18 (64) |
20 (68) |
16 (61) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 184 (7.24) |
154 (6.06) |
136 (5.35) |
141 (5.55) |
132 (5.2) |
132 (5.2) |
91 (3.58) |
115 (4.53) |
130 (5.12) |
176 (6.93) |
164 (6.46) |
140 (5.51) |
1,695 (66.73) |
| Avg. precipitation days | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 101 |
|
||||||||||||||||