Ciudad del Este
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Ciudad del Este | |
|---|---|
| View of Ciudad del Este skyline View of Ciudad del Este skyline | |
 Flag  Seal | |
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| Country | Paraguay |
| Department | Alto Paraná |
| Founded | February 3, 1957 |
| Government | |
| • Intendente Municipal | Sandra Mac Leod de Zacarias |
| Area | |
• Total | 104 km2 (40 sq mi) |
| Population (2008) | |
• Total | 320 782 |
| Time zone | -4 GMT |
| Postal code | 7000 |
| Area code | (595) (61) |
| Website | http://www.mcde.gov.py/ |
Ciudad del Este (Spanish for City of the East) is the capital of Alto Paraná department of Paraguay, located at the Rio Paraná at 25°25′S 54°38′W / 25.42°S 54.63°W. Founded in 1957, it was originally called Puerto Flor de Lis (Port FleurdeLis), then until 1989 Puerto Presidente Stroessner (Port President 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 city is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ciudad del Este.
Population
It is the second largest city in Paraguay, with a population estimated at 320,782 in 2008.[1]
Sizeable Immigrant Population
The city has a large Asian-born population, specifically Taiwanese, Koreans, 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[citation needed]. It is the third largest free-tax commerce zone in the world, after Miami[citation needed] 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. Indeed, evidence indicates that some of the revenue generated by smuggling may support criminal organizations based outside the region, including terrorist organizations.[2][3]
Transportation
Guarani International Airport connects the city with other South American destinations.
Miscellaneous
- 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 Cyclops: Icons series, Cyclops travels to Ciudad del Este to fight Ulysses.