Filadelfia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Filadelfia
Town
Main Road of Filadelfia, A mail building, City view, A letter in Filadelfia and A building
Filadelfia Location in Paraguay
Country	Paraguay
Department	Boquerón
Area
• Total	13,879 km2 (5,359 sq mi)
Population  (2021)
• Total	19,927
• Density	1.43577/km2 (3.71862/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-4
• Summer (DST)	UTC-3
Area code(s)	+595 491
Climate	BSh

Filadelfia is an important town in western Paraguay. It is the capital of the Boquerón Department. This town is located in the Gran Chaco region.

Filadelfia is the main center of the Fernheim Colony. It is about 450 kilometers (280 miles) northwest of Asunción, the capital city of Paraguay. About 20,000 people live in Filadelfia. This makes it the largest town in its area. It holds almost one-third of the department's population.

Discovering Filadelfia's Past

Filadelfia was started in 1930. It was founded by Russian Mennonites. These people came to Paraguay after leaving the Soviet Union.

The town was near the fighting during the Chaco War. However, it was not greatly affected by the war. Over time, Filadelfia has grown a lot. It became a very important place for raising cattle.

Exploring Filadelfia's Facilities

Today, Filadelfia has many useful places. You can find a museum, a library, and a radio station. There is also a hospital to help people who are sick.

The museum shows items from the town's past. These include old clothes from the Mennonite settlers. It also displays local animals, like stuffed armadillos and anteaters.

• Many villages of the Fernheim Colony are located around Filadelfia.
• Several native reserves are also nearby.
• These reserves are home to different native groups. Some of these groups are the Chulupí, Lengua, Toba-Pilaga, Sanapaná, and Ayoreo.

A modern supermarket is in the center of town. It is the last place to buy food before going further into the Chaco area. Most of the town's drinking water comes from underground tanks. These tanks are filled when it rains. The water found deep underground is too salty to drink.

A small park called Parque Trebol is about 5 kilometers (3 miles) east of town. Visitors can camp there for the night.

Getting Around Filadelfia

A new paved highway, PY09, connects Filadelfia to Asunción. This road continues past Filadelfia for another 70 kilometers (43 miles). It ends at a military checkpoint called Mariscal Estigarribia.

From this point, the road becomes very difficult to travel. It leads to the border town of General Eugenio A. Garay with Bolivia.

People from Filadelfia

• Peter P. Klassen: He was a well-known Russian Mennonite writer and historian. He lived in Filadelfia.
• Vic Toews: He was born in Filadelfia in 1952. He later became a minister in the Canadian government.

See also

In Spanish: Filadelfia (Paraguay) para niños