Since its independence in 1811, Paraguay has changed out of all recognition and yet there are some entrenched cultural features that provide a continuing link with the past. Even the Paraguay's territory has changed considerably as a result of involvement of the country in two major wars.
In 1811, Paraguay's independence leaders had laid claim to important areas of what is today Brazil and Argentina. These dominant neighbors refused to recognize the independence of Paraguay until many decades. The defeat of Paraguay in the Triple Alliance War had striped the country roughly to one-fifth of its pre-war territory. The dispute between Bolivia and Paraguay relating to possession of Chaco region deteriorated over the succeeding decades and was resolved with the victory of Paraguay over Bolivia in the Chaco War. The borders of Paraguay had been established by 2011 giving the ownership of most of the Chaco region.
The rapid population growth has driven many dramatic changes in the history of Paraguay. On the verge of Paraguayan independence, the estimated population of the country was not more than 110,000 and most of them lived in the rural settlements within a radius of 50 km of its capital, Asuncion, which had a total population of 7,000 only. The total population of the country has risen to around 600,000 by 1911, which is much less as compared to the population that would have been if the country had not suffered the Triple Alliance War's genocide effects. A recent study shows that the population of the country was around 420,000-450,000 in 1864, which fell to around 140,000-166,000 in 1870.
The ethnic composition of country's population has also changed significantly over the past 200 years. On the verge of country's independence in 1811, around 45% of the population of country's capital and 11% of the population of the Province of Paraguay was black. During the second half of the 20thcentury, there was a slow but steady improvement in the population growth rate. Many of the Paraguay's problems can be traced to the exclusionary style of development that characterized the history of the country during the first 200 years of its independent life.
