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'Ciudad del Este' (Spanish for City of the East) is the capital of Alto Paraná department of Paraguay, located at the Rio Paraná at . Founded in 1957, it was originally called 'Puerto Flor de Lis' (Port FleurdeLis), then until 1989 'Puerto Presidente Stroessner' (Port Poresident Stroessner), after Alfredo Stroessner. It is part of a triangle known as the Triple Frontera (Triple border), or Tríplice Fronteira in Portuguese. It is linked to the Brazilian city of Foz do Iguaçu by the Friendship Bridge; ''Puente de la Amistad'' in Spanish, ''Ponte da Amizade'' in Portuguese. The Rio

Contents

Population

Sizeable Immigrant Population

Economy

Transportation

Miscellaneous

External links

Population

It is the second largest city in the country, with a population estimated at 240,000 in the city centre or 375,000 including the suburbs (Hernandarias, Presidente Franco, Minga Guazú (where the Guaraní International Airport is located).

Sizeable Immigrant Population

The city has a large Asian-born population, specifically Taiwanese, Arabs and Iranians, evident in the city's mosque and pagodas. The Taiwanese government paid for the construction of the city's town hall in exchange for Paraguayan support in the United Nations, hence the Taiwanese flag that flies on the building.

Economy

Ciudad del Este generates about 60% of Paraguay's GDP. It is the third largest free-tax commerce zone in the world, after Miami and Hong Kong, and — together with Foz do Iguaçu — it is the headquarters of the company that operates the nearby Itaipu dam. The city's economy (and Paraguay's economy as well) relies heavily on the mood of the Brazilian economy, as 95% of Paraguay's share of the energy generated by the Itaipu Dam is sold to Brazil (for US$300 million), and that every day many Brazilians cross the border to buy less-expensive products (US$1.2 billion, mostly electronics). Smuggling is a major occupation in the city, with some estimates putting the value of this black market at five times the national economy.

Transportation

Guarni International Airport connects the city with other south american destinations.

Miscellaneous

★ The city has a reputation in Paraguay as being a dangerous city with high crime rates and it is not uncommon to see private guards outside many buildings.

★ There also existed rumours in Western media that Al-Qaida operatives were located here, but those claims were not proven, as these are recognised only "off the record". Other rumours had members of Hezbollah using the city as a base to launch bomb attacks on Argentine Jews. See AMIA Bombing. It is believed that the suicide bomber entered Argentina through the Triple Border.

★ In 2005, it was a filming location for ''Miami Vice'', a film directed by Michael Mann and based on his television series of the same name.

★ In the series, Cyclops travels to Ciudad del Este to fight Ulysses.

External links

★ Compare Prices in Ciudad del Este.

★ South America Pictures.

★ Images of the city

★ Ciudad del Este Streets & Shopping centers map

★ Insider information about the city

★ Article from the New Yorker by Jeffrey Goldberg about Hezbollah's connections in Ciudad del Este