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Misiones Department Departamento de Misiones | |
|---|---|
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Misiones shown in red | |
| Coordinates:26°38′S57°10′W / 26.633°S 57.167°W /-26.633; -57.167 | |
| Country |  Paraguay |
| Region | Eastern Region |
| Established | 1906 |
| Capital | San Juan Bautista |
| Largest city | San Ignacio |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Richard Ramírez (ANR) |
| Area | |
• Total | 9,556 km2 (3,690 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 12 |
| Population (2022 census)[1] | |
• Total | 111,142 |
| • Rank | 14 |
| • Density | 11.63/km2 (30.12/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC-04 (AST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-03 (ADT) |
| ISO 3166 code | PY-8 |
| Number of Districts | 10 |
| Website | www.misiones.gov.py |
Misiones (Spanish pronunciation:[miˈsjo.nes]) is adepartment located in the southern region ofParaguay. Its capital isSan Juan Bautista. The eighth of Paraguay's 17 departments, it was created in 1906, then known as theSan Ignacio Department, and was not given its present name until 1945. Its current name reflects its status as home to severalJesuit Reductions, or missions.
Misiones borders the departments ofParaguarí andCaazapá to the north,Itapúa to the east,Ñeembucú to the west, and theCorrientes Province ofArgentina to the south.
The modern settling of Misiones began with the arrival of Jesuit missionaries to the region in the 17th century and the subsequent establishment of severalreductions whose purpose was to both civilize andcatechize the indigenousGuaraní peoples. While several of these reductions would ultimately be in Argentinian andBrazilian territory, 8 of the reductions would remain in Paraguay, concentrated in what would become the Misiones and Itapúa departments. Some of these reductions, namelySan Ignacio Guazú,Santa Maria de Fe andSantiago would become the foundation for subsequent towns in Misiones.
The town ofYabebyry was established in 1790, and later, during the presidency ofCarlos Antonio López, the towns of San Miguel and San Juan Bautista were founded. When the Misiones department was created in 1906 as the San Ignacio department, these towns were made several of the department's first 8 districts, along withSanta Rosa,Ayolas andVilla Florida. When the department was renamed in 1945, its capital was moved from San Ignacio to San Juan Bautista.
Misiones department is relatively flat and crossed by a number of rivers and streams. The northern and southern borders of the department are formed by, respectively, theTebicuary and theParaná rivers, the latter of which is an important waterway in the region. A number of other streams cross the department, including the Yabebyry, Atingui, San Roque, Sauce, Uruguay, Ca'a Po'i, Tororo, San Tadeo, San Antonio and Itay.
The department is divided into tendistricts:
| District | Area (km2) | Population (2021)[2] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ayolas | 1,060 | 19,265 | |
| San Ignacio | 2,020 | 35,497 | |
| San Juan Bautista | 2,300 | 24,484 | |
| San Miguel | 540 | 6,075 | |
| San Patricio | 190 | 3,758 | |
| Santa María | 520 | 9,146 | |
| Santa Rosa | 1,010 | 18,558 | |
| Santiago | 740 | 6,532 | |
| Villa Florida | 196 | 3,787 | |
| Yabebyry | 984 | 2,683 |
The main economic activities are livestock raising and agriculture. Cattle are the most common livestock, and pigs, sheep, horses, and goats are common as well. Agriculture is widely practiced, with fields mainly in the north and center of the department. The main crops are rice, soya, corn, sweet oranges, sugar cane, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and cotton.
Misiones is connected toAsunción andEncarnación via national routePY01 which passes through 6 of the 10 districts: Villa Florida, San Miguel, San Juan Bautista, San Ignacio, Santa Rosa and San Patricio, it even passes through the district of Santiago, but not by its urban area.
The national routesPY04 andPY20 connects Misiones with neighborÑeembucú department.
All ten districts urban areas are accessible by paved road.
Small airports are located in San Juan Bautista and Ayolas (Juan de Ayolas Airport) to the south.
The southern part of the department is accessible to theParaná River, which is navigable by large cargo ships downstream of theYacyretá Dam near Ayolas.
There are numerous institutions which provide Pre-school Education, Elementary and Highschool . with Technical and Scientific emphasis.
Its main attractions are the beaches formed by the rivers Paraná and Tebicuary. Villa Florida is a city which offers landscapes to its visitors.This department is known by the work of evangelizing by the Jesuits priests who founded the place with many reductions. A few towns still have the remains of that era such as the colonial churches.
Part of the historical remains is exposed in Museums with many samples of wooden carvings made by the Indians at the reductions period.
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