Paraguay gained independence from Spain on May 17, 1811. In 1864, war broke out between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance, killing about 400,000 people.

 

The Paraguayan War was the longest and bloodiest inter-state war in Latin Americn history. Paraguay suffered catastrophic losses in population. 

 

Currently, Paraguay is having a soybean war. Over the last 20 years, 100,000 small-scale local farmers have moved to to different cities or countries. 40% of the population lives in poverty and 11% are malnourished.