Salto del Guairá

Saltos del Guairá (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈsaltos ðel ɣwajˈɾa]) is a city in Paraguay and the capital of Canindeyú department. It is located about 200 km north of Ciudad del Este. It borders the Brazilian municipality of Guaíra, across the Paraná River which marks the border between Paraguay and Brazil.

The name "Guaíra" comes from the Tupi language and means "place difficult to access". The name "Saltos del Guairá", which means "Guairá Falls" in Spanish, is named after the Guaíra Falls (just like its Brazilian twin city), which were located on the border with Brazil. The falls were submerged after the construction of the Itaipu Dam in 1982 created the Itaipú lake.

The origins of Saltos del Guairá date back to March 3 of 1959 when a private company called "Colonizadora Salto del Guairá S.A" was created according to a note received by the firm's directory, formed by Mr. José Luís Serrati, Mr. Ibrahin Abud and Mr. Carlos Ricardo Méndez Goncalvez. Before its foundation, the area was named "Reserva N°10", and later, by a government law on October 17 of 1972, the Church council was created. This depended of Hernandarias District, and, at that time it was integrated by three renowned neighbors: Col (SR.) Isabelino Pimienta Medina (+) as the president, Carmelo Peralta as the treasurer, and for the secretary position, Prof. Pedro Ramón Girett.

On July 30 of 1973, the Paraguayan Government passed law n°390 officially creating the city of Salto del Guairá and also setting a third category Municipality, separating it from the district of Hernandarias. That same year, with law n°426 of Territory political division, on expense of the separation of the territories of Caaguazú and Alto Paraná that loses all the north area of the Itambey river, with the district of Salto del Guairá.

The Municipal board requested to be elevated to first category on May 29 of 1974, based on the legal dispositions and for having the requirements demanded. In consequence by Decree Law 7131 dated July 2 that year, it promoted to the First Class City of Salto del Guairá, becoming capital of Canindeyú Department.

Its establishment coincides with the period of advancing agricultural frontier eastward, the construction of the Itaipu Dam and the extinction of the waterfalls in Saltos del Guairá.

In 2023, the city name was changed from "Salto del Guairá" to "Saltos del Guairá".