Pilar, Paraguay Pilar, Paraguay Pilar () is the capital city of the Paraguayan department of Ñeembucú, located along the Paraguay River in the southwestern part of the country. Located about from Asunción, Pilar serves as an important center of commerce and government for the far southwestern region of the country. Pilar was founded by Pedro Melo de Portugal on October 12, 1779. The original name of the settlement was "Villa del Ñeembucú", named for the nearby Arroyo Ñeembucú that flows into the Paraguay River. Four years later it was renamed "Villa del Pilar" by Spanish priest Marcial Antonio Uliambre, for the Basilica
Paraguay Estigarribia air base, a sprawling complex built in 1982. Paraguay consists of seventeen departments and one capital district ("distrito capital"). It is also divided into 2 regions: The "Occidental Region" or Chaco (Boquerón, Alto Paraguay and Presidente Hayes), and the "Oriental Region" (the other departments and the capital district). These are the departments, with their capitals, population, area and the number of districts: The departments are further divided into districts ("distritos"). The macroeconomy in Paraguay is characterized by a historical low inflation rate – 5% average (in 2013, the inflation rate was 3.7%), international reserves 20% of GDP and twice