Friendship Bridge (Paraguay–Brazil)

Friendship Bridge
The Friendship Bridge looking towards Ciudad del Este
Crosses	Paraná River
Locale	Ciudad del Este, Paraguay and Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil
Design	arch bridge
Total length	552.4 metres (1,812 ft)
Longest span	290 metres (951 ft)
Opened	1965
Coordinates	25°30′34.5″S 54°36′4.0″W / 25.509583°S 54.601111°W / -25.509583; -54.601111

The Friendship Bridge (Spanish: Puente de la Amistad, Portuguese: Ponte da Amizade) is an arch bridge connecting the Brazilian city of Foz do Iguaçu and the Paraguayan city of Ciudad del Este.

History and importance

The Brazil-Paraguay border sign on the bridge

The bridge was opened to traffic in 1965. The space between the main arch is 290m (303yds in total). The bridge itself is 552.4m long.

The bridge is extremely important to the economies of both Foz do Iguaçu and all of Paraguay. Most of Paraguay's imports and exports pass through the bridge, generating constant traffic problems throughout the area.^{[citation needed]} Brazilian smugglers usually come and go through this bridge,^{[citation needed]} smuggling mostly electronic devices such as handheld computers, digital cameras and sometimes weapons, since in Paraguay they are allowed to sell weapons that are not permitted in Brazil.^{[citation needed]} They usually transport themselves in private buses.^{[citation needed]} Although there is an import tax of 60% on the price of anything costing more than 300 dollars, coming from Paraguay into Brazil, smugglers often pay bribes to avoid paying any taxes.^{[citation needed]}

BR-277 begins immediately after the end of the bridge in the Brazilian side.

Panoramic view of Friendship Bridge from Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ponte Internacional da Amizade.

• Amizade Bridge at Structurae