Which capital city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River? The answer is Asunción, Paraguay.
Asunción occupies the eastern, or left, bank of the Paraguay River near its confluence with the Pilcomayo River. The waterway separates the capital from Paraguay’s Western Region, known as the Chaco, and from parts of Argentina farther south. The river has shaped the city’s trade, geography, and history.
Founded by Juan de Salazar y Espinosa in 1537, Asunción was named Nuestra Señora Santa María de la Asunción, meaning Our Lady Saint Mary of the Assumption. Its river port helped make the settlement an important colonial center and later a commercial gateway for landlocked Paraguay.
The river is also the source of a frequent geographical confusion: Asunción is on the eastern bank, while Nueva Asunción lies across the river on the western bank. Asunción Bay borders the city, but a narrow lowland peninsula called the San Miguel Bank separates the bay from the main river channel. Today, the capital remains Paraguay’s political, cultural, and economic center.