A new motorway in Paraguay could eventually rival the Panama Canal
That is, if governments in Brazil and Argentina build their connecting roads, too
THE GRAN CHACO, a vast sprawl of swamp, scrub and savannah which stretches across Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina, has long been hard to get through. In the 16th century its nomadic hunters ambushed Spanish would-be conquistadors. When Bolivia and Paraguay fought over the “Green Hell” in the 1930s, thirst was thought to have killed more soldiers than bullets. Until 2019 a region the size of Austria in Paraguay’s part of the Chaco contained no paved roads at all.
This article appeared in the The Americas section of the print edition under the headline “Highway through hell”
From the April 30th 2022 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from The Americas
Can Brazil’s left survive without Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva?
Brazil’s current president, a titan of the Latin American left, has no apparent heirs
Donald Trump is targeting Mexico like no other country
The United States’ southern neighbour is bracing for a wave of deportees and trapped migrants
The race to lead Canada’s Liberal Party hinges on handling Trump
Mark Carney and Chrystia Freeland are the front-runners
Canada has adopted assisted dying faster than anywhere on Earth
The province of Quebec now allows those with deteriorating illnesses to request an assisted death in advance
Tether’s move to El Salvador is a win for President Nayib Bukele
Why the stablecoin firm has picked the Central American country for its headquarters
From Greenland to Panama and Mexico, leaders are in shock
As Donald Trump eyes fine new pieces of real estate in the Americas and beyond