History of Paraguay its capital, and Río de la Plata, with headquarters in Buenos Aires. With this decision, Asunción lost control of the Río de la Plata estuary and became dependent on Buenos Aires for maritime shipping. In 1776, the crown created the Viceroyalty of Río de la Plata; Paraguay, which had been subordinate to Lima, now became a provincial outpost of Buenos Aires. Located at the periphery of the empire, Paraguay served as a buffer state. The Portuguese blocked Paraguayan territorial expansion in the north, native tribes blocked it – until their expulsion – in the south, and the Jesuits blocked it
Alto Paraguay Department Chaco at over 200.000 hectare for 2008 alone The department's most important activity by far is cattle ranching, both extensive in the savannas of the east and intensive on the planted pastures of cleared land. Cultivation of sorghum, sugar cane and (in planning stage as of January 2009, for the arid west) jatropha are very recent developments. The department is divided into five districts: Alto Paraguay Department Alto Paraguay (; "Upper Paraguay") is a sparsely populated department of Paraguay. The capital is the town of Fuerte Olimpo. In 1992 the Chaco Department was merged with Alto Paraguay, effectively recreating the