Reply #4: Paraguay: True, no ocean coastline [View All]

[rabs]

But Paraguay does have shipping access to the Atlantic. The notion that it is completely landlocked comes from shallow reporting in the media.

Asuncion, the capital, and the city of Encarnacion further south both have ports that can receive ocean-going freighters.

The Paraguay River and the Parana River to the east are Missisippi-sized rivers that allow freighters, although small compared to today's carriers, to travel several hundred kilometers upstream.

I was in Asuncion a lot of years ago and walked down to the port area where there were several ships. What struck me was the number of Mercedes-Benz cars that were being unloaded. This was during the Strossner dictatorship, when Paraguay was known to be a smuggler's paradise. Many of those cars were smuggled to neighboring Argentina and Brazil.

Location of Paraguayan ports (map)
http://www.worldportsource.com/ports/PRY.php

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Ports and terminals: Asuncion, Villeta, San Antonio, Encarnacion

Definition: This entry lists major ports and terminals primarily on the basis of the amount of cargo tonnage shipped through the facilities on an annual basis. In some instances, the number of containers handled or ship visits were also considered.

Source: CIA World Factbook - Unless otherwise noted, information in this page is accurate as of February 19, 2010

http://www.indexmundi.com/paraguay/ports_and_terminals.html