Boquerón, Paraguay
Boquerón Department | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates: 21°31′S 60°42′W / 21.517°S 60.700°W | |
| Country | Paraguay |
| Capital | Filadelfia |
| Number of Districts | 4 |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Harold Bergen (ANR) |
| Area | |
• Total | 91,669 km2 (35,394 sq mi) |
| Population (2022 census) | |
• Total | 71,078 |
| • Density | 0.78/km2 (2.0/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC-03 (PYT) |
| ISO 3166 code | PY-19 |
Boquerón (Spanish pronunciation: [bokeˈɾon]) is a department in the western region of Paraguay. It is the country's largest department, with an area of 91,669 km2 (35,394 sq mi), but, according to the census for 2022 by INE, its population is 71,078, being the second least populated department. The department includes the Mennonite colonies of Fernheim, Menno and its administrative center Loma Plata and Neuland. The capital is Filadelfia. Other towns are General Eugenio A. Garay, Doctor Pedro P. Peña and Mariscal Estigarribia.
In 1945 Boquerón was split, with the northern portion separated off being renamed "Chaco". The reduced remaining area continued to be called "Boquerón", and the department's capital was moved to Filadelfia (the previous capital had been Doctor Pedro P. Peña). However, in 1992 the previous department Chaco was re-integrated into Boquerón, effectively re-forming the department as of 1945 when it was split, except that after 1992 the enlarged department's capital remained at Filadelfia.