Paraguay an inland republic of S. America which communicates with the world beyond by the rivers Paraguay and Parana which drain into the Rio de la Plata. Straddling the Tropic of Capricorn, it contains both jungle and more temperate grassland, including fertile alluvial plain that supports the growth and processing of maté, Paraguay’s most distinctive product and favourite beverage, from Ilex paraguayensis. Visitors used also to liken the colony to an orange grove, for that introduced fruit was grown all through the temperate zone, maintaining a tree being a legal obligation on householders.
