Located 235 miles south-east of the capital city Asunción, lies the city of Encarnición, the capital of the department of Itapúa. It lies along the Paraná River in southeastern Paraguay facing the city of Posadas in Argentina. The cities of Encarnición and Asunción are connected via the San Roque González de Santa Cruz Bridge, making the city easily accessible from the capital.
The Jesuits established the city of Encarnición in 1615, but it actually flourished after the arrival of the railway in 1854. Later in 1957, it became the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Encarnición. The inhabitants of the city mainly comprise of people of mixed descent of Spanish and American-Indians, but one can find minorities of Ukrainians, Poles, New Zealanders, Arabs, German, Japanese, Chinese and Koreans too.
Encarnición has two main divisions in the city, the old city, which is located beside the river and the new business centre that is located inland. The city is termed as the ‘Pearl of the South’ due to its mild climate. It is also sometimes called the ‘Carnival Capital of Paraguay’ because it hosts one of the grandest carnivals in Paraguay that takes place once each year and consists of music and dance from Brazil.
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