Coordinates	3°8′51″N101°41′36″N
Native name
Conventional long name	Republic of Paraguay
Common name	Paraguay
Image coat	Coat of arms of Paraguay.svg
National motto	''Paz y justicia''"Peace and justice"
National anthem	''Paraguayos, República o Muerte''"Paraguayans, Republic or Death"
Official languages	Spanish Guaraní
Ethnic groups	74.5% mestizo 20% white 3.5% mulatto 1.5% native
Demonym	Paraguayan
Capital	Asunción
Latns	S
Longew	W
Largest city	Asunción
Government type	Constitutional presidential republic
Leader title1	President
Leader name1	Fernando Lugo
Leader title2	Vice President
Leader name2	Federico Franco
Legislature	Congress
Upper house	Chamber of Senators
Lower house	Chamber of Deputies
Area rank	59th
Area magnitude	1 E11
Area km2	406752
Percent water	2.3
Population estimate	6,460,000
Population estimate rank	103rd
Population estimate year	2009
Population density km2	14.2
Population density sq mi	39
Population density rank	204th
Gdp ppp	$33.306 billion
Gdp ppp year	2010
Gdp ppp per capita	$5,202
Gdp nominal year	2010
Gdp nominal	$18.475 billion
Gdp nominal per capita	$2,885
Sovereignty type	Independence
Sovereignty note	from Spain
Established event1	.
Established date1	May 14, 1811
Hdi	0.640
Hdi year	2010
Hdi category	medium
Hdi rank	96th
Gini	50.8
Gini year	2008
Gini category	high
Currency	Guaraní
Currency code	PYG
Country code	PRY
Utc offset	-4
Utc offset dst	-3
Drives on	right
Cctld	.py
Calling code	595 }}

Paraguay (), officially the Republic of Paraguay (, ; Guaraní: ''Tetã Paraguái'' ), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the country from north to south. Due to its central location in South America, it is sometimes referred to as ''Corazón de América'', or the Heart of America.

As of 2009 the population was estimated at 6.3 million. The capital and largest city is Asunción. The official languages are Spanish and Guaraní, both being widely spoken in the country. Most of the population are mestizos.

The Guaraní have been living in Paraguay since prior to the arrival of Europeans in the 16th century, when Paraguay became part of the Spanish colonial empire. Paraguay gained independence from Spain in 1811.

Etymology

The official name comes from Guaraní and the literal translation is: Para = of many varieties; Gua = from, belonging to or place; Y = water, river or lake.

There is not a final conclusion of the origin of the name "Paraguay". The most common interpretations along the nation's history suggest:

# "River which originates a sea" (there's a similar term for Uruguay). # The Spanish military and scientist Félix de Azara contains two versions: "water from Payaguas (Payaguá-and Payagua-i), referring to natural Payaguas living on the coasts of the river, and the other was due to name a great chief called "Paraguaio." # The historian French-Argentine, the writer Paul Groussac argued that it meant "river that flows through the sea (Pantanal)." # The ex-president and Paraguayan politician, Juan Natalicio Gonzalez said it meant "river of the habitants of the sea." # Fray Antonio Ruiz de Montoya said that it meant "river crowned."

Geography

Paraguay is divided by the Río Paraguay into the eastern region, called Eastern Paraguay (Paraguay Oriental) and known as the Paraná region; and the western region, officially called Western Paraguay (Paraguay Occidental) and also known as the Chaco. The country lies between latitudes 19° and 28°S, and longitudes 54° and 63°W. The terrain consists of grassy plains and wooded hills in the east. To the west, there are mostly low, marshy plains.

Climate

The local climate ranges from subtropical to temperate, with substantial rainfall in the eastern portions, though becoming semi-arid in the far west.

History

Pre-Columbian society in the wooded, fertile region which is now present-day Paraguay consisted of seminomadic tribes, who were recognized for their fierce warrior traditions. These indigenous tribes were members of five distinct language families, and 17 separate ethnolinguistic groups still remain today.

Europeans first arrived in the area in the early sixteenth century, and the settlement of Asunción was founded on August 15, 1537, by the Spanish explorer Juan de Salazar de Espinosa. The city eventually became the center of a Spanish colonial province, as well as a primary site of the Jesuit missions and settlements in South America in the eighteenth century. Jesuit Reductions were founded and flourished in eastern Paraguay for about 150 years until the expulsion of the Jesuits by the Spanish crown in 1767. Paraguay overthrew the local Spanish administration on May 15, 1811. They became independent from Spain, but the relation with Buenos Aires was limited to a non-aggression pact; Paraguayan independence from Argentina was declared in 1842.

Paraguay fought the War of the Triple Alliance against Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, and was defeated in 1870 after five years of the bloodiest war in South America. According to William D. Rubinstein, "The normal estimate is that of a Paraguayan population of somewhere between 450,000 and 900,000, only 221,000 survived the war, of whom only 28,000 were adult males." Paraguay also suffered extensive territorial losses to Brazil and Argentina.

The Chaco War was fought with Bolivia in the 1930s, and Bolivia was defeated. Paraguay re-established sovereignty over the region called the Chaco, but forfeited additional territorial gains as a price of peace.

The official narrative of Paraguay's history is fraught with disputes among historians, educators and politicians. The "authentic" version of historical events, wars in particular, varies depending on whether it was written in Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Europe, or North America.

Both the Colorado Party and Liberal Party maintain distinct official versions of Paraguayan history. During the pillaging of Asunción (''Saqueo de Asunción'') in 1869, the Brazilian Imperial Army ransacked and relocated the Paraguayan National Archives to Rio de Janeiro where they have been kept in secrecy, making Colonial and early National Period Paraguayan history difficult to study.

Between 1904 and 1954, Paraguay had thirty-one presidents, most of whom were removed from office by force.

From 1954 to 1989, the country was ruled by Alfredo Stroessner and the Colorado party. The dictator oversaw an era of economic expansion, but at the cost of a poor human rights and environmental record (see "Political History"). Torture and death for political opponents was routine. After his overthrow, the Colorado continued to dominate national politics until 2008.

Leftist former bishop Fernando Lugo achieved a historic victory in Paraguay's presidential election in April 2008, defeating the ruling party candidate and ending 61 years of conservative rule. Lugo won with nearly 41% of the vote compared to almost 31% for Blanca Ovelar of the Colorado party.

Government and politics

Paraguay is a representative democratic republic, with a multi-party system and separation of powers in three branches. Executive power is exercised solely by the President, who is both head of state and head of government; Legislative power is vested in the two chambers of the National Congress. The Judiciary is vested on Tribunals and Courts of Civil Law and a nine-member Supreme Court of Justice, all of them independent of the executive and the legislature.

Political history

Paraguay gained its independence from Spain in 1811, and its first president was José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia, who was originally appointed with Fulgencio Yegros as alternative consul, but in 1814, de Francia was appointed president. He established new laws that more-or-less completely removed the powers of the church and the cabinet, forbid colonial citizens from marrying each other, having only be allowed to marry blacks, mulattoes or natives and cut off Paraguay from the rest of South America. Because of his abolition of freedom and gain to complete power, Yegros and several other ex-politicians attempted to host a coup d'état against him, which failed and they were imprisoned for life.

After World War II, politics became particularly unstable with several political parties fighting for power in the late 1940s, which most notably led to the Paraguayan civil war of 1947. A series of unstable governments ensued until the establishment in 1954 of the stable regime of dictator Alfredo Stroessner, who remained in office for more than three decades. Paraguay modernized to some extent under Stroessner's regime, though his rule was marked by extensive abuses.

The splits in the Colorado Party in the 1980s and the conditions that led to this — Stroessner's age, the character of the regime, the economic downturn, and international isolation — provided an opportunity for demonstrations and statements by the opposition prior to the 1988 general elections.

PLRA leader Domingo Laino served as the focal point of the opposition in the second half of the 1980s. The government's effort to isolate Laino by exiling him in 1982 had backfired. On his sixth attempt, in 1986, Laino returned with three television crews from the U.S., a former United States ambassador to Paraguay, and a group of Uruguayan and Argentine congressmen. Despite the international contingent, the police violently barred Laino's return.

However, the Stroessner regime relented in April 1987 and permitted Laino to arrive in Asunción. Laino took the lead in organizing demonstrations and diminishing somewhat the normal opposition party infighting. The opposition was unable to reach agreement on a common strategy regarding the elections, with some parties advocating abstention and others calling for blank voting. Nonetheless, the parties did cooperate in holding numerous lightning demonstrations (''mítines relámpagos''), especially in rural areas. Such demonstrations were held and disbanded quickly before the arrival of the police.

In response to the upsurge in opposition activities, Stroessner condemned the Accord for advocating "sabotage of the general elections and disrespect of the law" and used the national police and civilian vigilantes of the Colorado Party to break up demonstrations. A number of opposition leaders were imprisoned or otherwise harassed. Hermes Rafael Saguier, another key leader of the PLRA, was imprisoned for four months in 1987 on charges of sedition. In early February 1988, police arrested 200 people attending a National Coordinating Committee meeting in Coronel Oviedo. Laino and several other opposition figures were arrested before dawn on the day of the election, February 14, and held for twelve hours. The government declared Stroessner's re-election with 89% of the vote.

Although contending that these results reflected the Colorados' virtual monopoly of the mass media, opposition politicians also saw several encouraging developments. Some 53% of those polled indicated that there was an "uneasiness" in Paraguayan society. Furthermore, 74% believed that the political situation needed changes, including 45% who wanted a substantial or total change. Finally, 31% stated that they planned to abstain from voting in the February elections.

On February 3, 1989, Stroessner was overthrown in a military coup headed by General Andrés Rodríguez. As president, Rodríguez instituted political, legal, and economic reforms and initiated a rapprochement with the international community.

The June 1992 constitution established a democratic system of government and dramatically improved protection of fundamental rights. In May 1993, Colorado Party candidate Juan Carlos Wasmosy was elected as Paraguay's first civilian president in almost 40 years in what international observers deemed fair and free elections.

With support from the United States, the Organization of American States, and other countries in the region, the Paraguayan people rejected an April 1996 attempt by then Army Chief General Lino Oviedo to oust President Wasmosy, taking an important step to strengthen democracy.

Oviedo became the Colorado candidate for president in the 1998 election, but when the Supreme Court upheld in April his conviction on charges related to the 1996 coup attempt, he was not allowed to run and remained in confinement. His former running mate, Raúl Cubas, became the Colorado Party's candidate and was elected in May in elections deemed by international observers to be free and fair. One of Cubas' first acts after taking office in August was to commute Oviedo's sentence and release him from confinement. In December 1998, Paraguay's Supreme Court declared these actions unconstitutional. In this tense atmosphere, the murder of Vice President and long-time Oviedo rival Luis María Argaña on March 23, 1999, led the Chamber of Deputies to impeach Cubas the next day. The March 26 murder of eight student antigovernment demonstrators, widely believed to have been carried out by Oviedo supporters, made it clear that the Senate would vote to remove Cubas on March 29, and Cubas resigned on March 28. Senate President Luis González Macchi, a Cubas opponent, was peacefully sworn in as president the same day.

In 2003, Nicanor Duarte Frutos was elected and sworn in as president.

For the 2008 general elections, the Colorado Party was once again a favorite. However, this time their candidate was not an internal opponent to the President and self-proclaimed reformer, as in the two previous elections, but Minister of Education Blanca Ovelar, the first woman to appear as a candidate for a major party in Paraguayan history. But after sixty years of rule by the Colorados voters chose a non-politician, former Roman Catholic Bishop Fernando Lugo. Although he was a long time follower of the controversial liberation theology he was backed by the center-right Liberal Party, the Colorados' traditional opponents.

Outgoing President Nicanor Duarte Frutos hailed the moment as the first time in the history of this nation that a government had handed power to opposition forces in an orderly and peaceful fashion.

Lugo was sworn in on August 15, 2008 but unlike other South American countries such as Venezuela, Ecuador and Bolivia, Lugo's leftist agenda remains largely unimplemented as the Paraguayan Congress continues to be dominated by right-wing elected officials.

Administrative subdivisions

Paraguay consists of seventeen departments and one capital district (''distrito capital''). These are, with their capitals indicated: {| style="background:none;" |- | style="width:34%;"| {| style="background:none;" ! !!style="text-align:left;"| Department !!style="text-align:left;"| Capital | 1 || Alto Paraguay || | 2 || Alto Paraná || | 3 || Amambay || | 4 || ''Distrito Capital'' || | 5 || Boquerón || | 6 || Caaguazú || | 7 || Caazapá || | 8 || Canindeyú || | 9 || Central || |} | style="width:34%;"| {| style="background:transparen;" ! !!style="text-align:left;"| Department !!style="text-align:left;"| Capital | 10 || Concepción || | 11 || Cordillera || | 12 || Guairá || | 13 || Itapúa || | 14 || Misiones || | 15 || Ñeembucú || | 16 || Paraguarí || | 17 || Presidente Hayes || | 18 || San Pedro || |} | style="width:220px; align:center; vertical-align:middle;"| |}

The departments are further divided into districts (''distritos'').

Demographics

There is no official data on the ethnic composition of the Paraguayan population, because the Department of Statistics, Surveys and Censuses of Paraguay does not include the concepts of ''race'' and ''ethnicity'' in census surveys, although it does inquire about the indigenous population. According to the census of 2002, the indigenous population was 1.7% of Paraguay's total population.

Traditionally, the Paraguayan population is considered mixed (''mestizo'' in Spanish), because of the widespread offspring of Guaraní women and Spanish settlers during Spain's domination of the country.

The Ministry of Education and Culture of Paraguay refers thus to the population of the country: ''"The dominant ancestry is European, which represents a large proportion of the population, mostly descendants of Spanish, Germans, Italians (who have contributed to repopulate the country after the War of the Triple Alliance) but also a large number of people of German descent, because the German Mennonites (mostly in the western part of the territory). There are 17 Mennonite colonies, mostly in the Paraguayan Chaco. It is one of South American countries with less indigenous trait (because the traditional Paraguayan population – Guaraní-Spanish mix – had been destroyed by the Allies in 1870, for which it had to repopulate the country by resorting to the Italian immigration)."''

Scientific publication ''Composición Étnica de las Tres Áreas Culturales del Continente Americano al Comienzo del Siglo XXI'' (Ethnic Composition of the Three Cultural Zones of the Americas at the Beginning of XXI century) of ''Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades de la Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México'' (Center for Research in Social Sciences and Humanities of the Mexico State Autonomous University) suggests the following ethnic composition:

Mestizos: 74.5%

White: 20%

Mulatos: 3.5%

Indigenous: 1.5%

According to the CIA World Factbook, Paraguay has a population of 6,669,086, 95% of which are mestizo (mixed European and Amerindian) and 5% are labelled as "other" and are members of indigenous tribal groups. They are divided into 17 distinct ethnolinguistic groupings, many of which are poorly documented.

One remarkable trace of the indigenous Guaraní culture that has endured in Paraguay is the Guaraní language, generally understoood by about 90% of the population. However, nearly all Paraguayans speak Spanish. Spanish and Guaraní are official languages. Small groups of ethnic Italians, Germans, Russians, Japanese, Koreans, Chinese, Arabs, Ukrainians, Brazilians, and Argentines settled in Paraguay, and they have to an extent retained their respective languages and culture, particularly the Brazilians who represent the largest number. An estimated 400,000 Brazilians live in Paraguay. Many of the Brazilians are descendants of the German, Italian and Polish immigrants. There are also an estimated 63,000 Afro-Paraguayans, or 1% of the population. Some 25,000 German-speaking Mennonites live in the Paraguayan Chaco.

Paraguay has one of the more important and representative German communities in South America. German settlers founded several towns as Hohenau, Filadelfia, Neuland, Obligado, Nueva Germania, etc. Some specialized German sites that promote German immigration to Paraguay refers to 5%-7% of German descent Paraguayan population and 150.000 German-Brazilian descent population

Paraguay's population is distributed unevenly through the country. About 56% of Paraguayans live in urban areas. The vast majority of the people live in the eastern region near the capital and largest city, Asunción, accounting for 10% of the country's population. The Gran Chaco region, which includes the Alto Paraguay, Boquerón and Presidente Hayes Department, and accounts for about 60% of the territory, is home to less than 2% of the population.

Largest cities

Religion

According to the 2002 census, 89.6% of the population is Roman Catholic, 6.2% is evangelical Christian, 1.1% is other Christian, 0.6% practice indigenous religions.

A U.S. State Department report on Religious Freedom names Roman Catholicism, evangelical Christianity, mainline Protestantism, Judaism (Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform), Mormonism, and the Baha'i Faith as prominent religious groups and also mentions a large Muslim community in Alto Paraná as a result of Middle-Eastern immigration, especially from Lebanon, and also the Mennonite community in Boquerón.

Social issues

Various poverty estimates suggest that 30-50% of the population is poor. In rural areas, 41.20% of the people lack a monthly income to cover basic necessities, whereas in urban centers this figure is 27.6%. The top 10% of the population holds 43.8% of the national income, while the lowest 10% has 0.5%. The economic recession has worsened income inequality, notably in the rural areas, where the Gini coefficient has risen from 0.56 in 1995 to 0.66 in 1999.

More recent data (2009) show that 35% of the Paraguayan population is poor, 19% of which live in extreme poverty. Moreover, 71% of the later live in rural areas of the country.

Similarly, land concentration in the Paraguayan countryside is one of the highest in the globe: 10% of the population controls 66% of the land, while 30% of the rural people are landless. This inequality has caused a great deal of tensions between the landless and land owners.

Economy

Landlocked Paraguay has a market economy distinguished by a large informal sector, featuring re-export of imported consumer goods to neighboring countries, as well as the activities of thousands of microenterprises and urban street vendors. Between 1970 and 2009 the country had the highest economic growth of South America, with an average rate of 7.2% per year and the prospect of 9% annual growth from 2010, being the highest in South America. The country also boasts the third most important free commercial zone in the world: Ciudad del Este, trailing behind Miami and Hong Kong. A large percentage of the population, especially in rural areas, derives its living from agricultural activity, often on a subsistence basis. Because of the importance of the informal sector, accurate economic measures are difficult to obtain. On a per capita basis, real income has stagnated at 1980 levels. The economy grew rapidly between 2003 and 2008 as growing world demand for commodities combined with high prices and favorable weather to support Paraguay's commodity-based export expansion. Paraguay is the sixth largest soy producer in the world. Drought hit in 2008, reducing agricultural exports and slowing the economy even before the onset of the global recession.

As of 2010, Paraguay is experiencing the greatest economical expansion of the zone and the highest of South America, with a GDP growth rate of 14.5% for by the end of the year.

Industry and manufacturing

The industrial sector produces about 25% of Paraguay's gross domestic product (GDP) and employs about 31% of the labor force. Output grew by 2.9% in 2004, after five years of declining production. Traditionally an agricultural economy, Paraguay is showing some signs of long-term industrial growth.

The pharmaceutical industry is quickly supplanting foreign suppliers in meeting the country's drug needs. Paraguayan companies now meet 70% of domestic consumption and have begun to export drugs. Strong growth also is evident in the production of edible oils, garments, organic sugar, meat processing, and steel.

Nevertheless, capital for further investment in the industrial sector of the economy is scarce. Following the revelation of widespread financial corruption in the 1990s, the government is still working to improve credit options for Paraguayan businesses. In 2003, manufacturing made up 13.6% of the GDP, and the sector employed about 11% of the working population in 2000. Paraguay's primary manufacturing focus is on food and beverages. Wood products, paper products, hides and furs, and non-metallic mineral products also contribute to manufacturing totals. Steady growth in the manufacturing GDP during the 1990s (1.2% annually) laid the foundation for 2002 and 2003, when the annual growth rate rose to 2.5%.

Education

Literacy was about 93.6% and 87.7% of Paraguayans finish the 5th grade according to UNESCO's last Educational Development Index 2008. Literacy does not differ much by gender. A more recent study reveals that the assistance to primary school of children between 6 and 12 years old is about 98%. Primary education is free, mandatory and takes nine years. Secondary education takes three years. Paraguay has several universities. The National University of Asunción was founded in 1889, and the Universidad Americana. Also, the Universidad catolica, run by the church. The net primary enrollment rate was at 88% in 2005. Public expenditure on education was about 4.3 % of GDP in the early 2000s.

Health

LIfe expectancy at birth was 75 years in 2006, and the 8th best position in America's ranking according to World Health Organization. It is the same level of Argentina. Public expenditure on health is 2.6 % of GDP and private expenditure on health 5.1 %. Infant mortality was 20 per 1,000 births in 2005. Maternal mortality was 150 per 100,000 live births in 2000. The World Bank has helped the Paraguayan government reduce Paraguay's maternal and infant mortality. The ''Mother and Child Basic Health Insurance Project'' aimed to contribute to reducing mortality by increasing the use of selected life-saving services included in the country's Mother and Child Basic Health Insurance Program (MCBI) by women of child-bearing age, and children under age six in selected areas. To this end, the project also targeted improving the quality and efficiency of the health service network within certain areas, in addition to increasing the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare's (MSPBS) management.

Sports

Sport in Paraguay

Culture

See also

International rankings of Paraguay

List of Paraguayans

South America Life Quality Rankings

References

Further reading

Abdou, Selim ''The Jesuit Republic of the Guaranis 1609–1768'', 1997

Aren, Richard ''Genocide in Paraguay'', 1976

Attenborough, David ''Zoo Quest in Paraguay'', 1950

Barret, William E. ''Woman on Horseback: the Biography of Francisco Lopez and Eliza Lynch'', 1938

Boschmann, Erwin ''Paraguay - A Tour Guide'', 2009

Brodksy, Alvin ''Madame Lynch and Friend'', 2005

Cunninghame-Graham, Robert Bontine ''A Vanished Arcadia: Being Some Account of the Jesuits in Paraguay, 1607 to 1767''

Durrell, Gerald ''The Drunken Forest'', 1956

English, Adrian J. ''The Green Hell: A Concise History of the Chaco War Between Bolivia and Paraguay, 1932-35'', 2007

Gimlette, John ''At the Tomb of the Inflatable Pig: Travels Through Paraguay'', 2003

Hebblethwaite, Margaret ''Bradt Travel Guide: Paraguay'', 2010

Jaenike, William F. ''Black Robes in Paraguay: The Success of the Guarani Missions Hastened the Abolition of the Jesuits'', 2008

Kerr, John ''A Naturalist in the Chaco'', 1950

Lambert, Peter & Nickson, Andrew ''The Transition to Democracy in Paraguay'', 1997

Lewis, Paul ''Paraguay Under Stoessner'', 1980

Ligon, Ethan; Schechter, Laura, "The Value of Social Networks in rural Paraguay", University of California, Berkeley, Seminar, March 25, 2009, Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, College of Natural Resources, University of California, Berkeley

Macintyre, Ben ''Forgotten Fatherland: The Search for Elizabeth Nietzsche'', 1993

Meyer, Gordon ''The River and the People'', 1965

Mora, Frank O. and Cooney, Jerry W. ''Paraguay anhd the United States'', 2007

Nickson, Andrew ''Historical Dictionary of Paraguay'', 1993

Nickson, Andrew ''Paraguay: An Annotated Bibliography'', 1999

O'Shaughnessy, Hugh ''The Priest of Paraguay: Fernando Lugo and the Making of a Nation'', 2009

Rees, Sián ''The Shadow of Elisa Lynch'', 2003

Saeger, James S. ''Francisco Solano L-pez and the Ruination of Paraguay: Honor and Egocentrism'', 2007

Souter, Gavin ''A Peculiar People: the Australians in Paraguay'', 1968

Stoesz, Edward ''Like a Mustard Seed: Mennonites in Paraguay'', 2008

Whitehead, Anne ''Paradise Mislaid: In Search of the Australian Tribe of Paraguay'', 1997

Spencer, Jack ''Mounting the Bull'', 2010

Paraguay in fiction (a brief chronological list)

Voltaire, ''Candide, ou l'optimisme'' (1759)

Robert Southey, ''A Tale of Paraguay'' [poem] (1825)

Joseph Conrad, ''Nostromo'' [not explicitly set in Paraguay, but the country was an important source for Conrad's composite Latin American country] (1904)

Gabriel Casaccia (the pen name of Benigno Casaccia Bibolini), ''Hombres, mujeres y fantoches'' (1930)

Graham Greene, ''Travels With My Aunt'' (1969)

Graham Greene, ''The Honorary Consul'' (1973)

Augusto Roa Bastos, ''Yo, el Supremo (I, the Supreme)'' [about José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia, dictator of Paraguay, 1814–1840] (1974)

Anne Enright, ''The Pleasure of Eliza Lynch'' [about the Irish-born mistress of President Francisco Solano López] (2002)

Lily Tuck, ''The News from Paraguay'' (2005)

Ron Terpening, ''Tropic of Fear'' (2006)

External links

; Government

Chief of State and Cabinet Members

National Department of Tourism Ministry of Finance with economic and Government information, available also in English

Paraguay Photos

; General information

"Paraguay" from the ''Encyclopædia Britannica''

Paraguay at ''UCB Libraries GovPubs''

; News media [http://www.larueda.com.py/ La Rueda - Weekly reviews] ABC Color Última Hora La Nación Paraguay.com Ñanduti

; Travel

Guia Tour Paraguay

Paraguay Convention & Visitor's Bureau

Paraguay.com: Tradition, Culture, Maps, Tourism

Tourism in Paraguay, information, pictures and more. Turismo.com.py

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Coordinates	3°8′51″N101°41′36″N
name	Mark Knopfler
background	solo_singer
birth name	Mark Freuder Knopfler
born	August 12, 1949Glasgow, Scotland
origin	Newcastle upon Tyne, England
instrument	Vocals, guitar
genre	RockRoots rockCeltic rockCountry rockBlues-rock
occupation	Musician, Songwriter, Record producer, Film score composer
years active	1965–present
label	Vertigo, Mercury, Warner
associated acts	Dire StraitsThe Notting HillbilliesChet AtkinsEmmylou HarrisBob DylanEric ClaptonSonny Landreth
website	MarkKnopfler.com
notable instruments	Mark Knopfler StratocasterFender TelecasterGibson Les PaulPensa Custom MKIISteinberger GL-2 }}

Mark Freuder Knopfler, OBE (born 12 August 1949) is a British guitarist, singer, songwriter, record producer and film score composer. He is best known as the lead guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for the British rock band Dire Straits, which he co-founded in 1977. After Dire Straits disbanded in 1995, Knopfler went on to record and produce six solo albums, including ''Golden Heart'' (1996), ''Sailing to Philadelphia'' (2000), and ''Get Lucky'' (2009). He has composed and produced film scores for eight films, including ''Local Hero'' (1983), ''Cal'' (1984), and ''The Princess Bride'' (1987). In addition to his work with Dire Straits and as a solo artist and composer, Knopfler has recorded and performed with many prominant musical artists, including Chet Atkins, The Chieftains, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Jools Holland, Sonny Landreth, and Van Morrison. He has produced albums for such artists as Tina Turner, Bob Dylan, and Randy Newman.

Knopfler is one of the most respected fingerstyle guitarists of the modern rock era, and was ranked 27th on ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. Knopfler and Dire Straits have sold in excess of 120 million albums to date. A four-time Grammy Award winner, Knopfler is the recipient of the Edison Award and the Steiger Award, and holds three honorary doctorate degrees in music from universities in the United Kingdom.

Early life (1949–1976)

Mark Freuder Knopfler was born on 12 August 1949 in Glasgow, Scotland, to an English mother and Hungarian Jewish father—an architect whose anti-fascist sympathies forced him to flee from his native Hungary. The family settled in Knopfler's mother's home town of Blyth, Northumberland in North East England when he was 7 years old. He and his younger brother David attended Gosforth Grammar School. Inspired by his uncle Kingsley's harmonica and boogie-woogie piano playing, he wanted to buy an expensive Fiesta Red Fender Stratocaster just like Hank Marvin's, but had to settle for a £50 twin-pick-up Höfner Super Solid. During the 1960s, he formed and joined schoolboy bands and listened to singers like Elvis Presley and guitarists Chet Atkins, Scotty Moore, B.B King, Django Reinhardt, Hank Marvin, and James Burton. At 16, he made a local TV appearance as part of a harmony duo, with his classmate Sue Hercombe.

In 1968, after studying journalism for a year at Harlow Technical College, Knopfler was hired as a junior reporter in Leeds for the ''Yorkshire Evening Post''. Two years later, he decided to further his studies, and went on to graduate with a degree in English at the University of Leeds. In April 1970, while living in Leeds, Knopfler recorded a demo disk of an original song he'd written, "Summer's Coming My Way". The recording included Mark Knopfler (guitar and vocals), Steve Phillips (second guitar), Dave Johnson (bass), and Paul Granger (percussion). Johnson, Granger, and vocalist Mick Dewhirst played with Mark in the band Silverheels.

Upon graduation in 1973, Knopfler moved to London and joined a High Wycombe-based band called Brewers Droop, appearing on the album ''The Booze Brothers''. One night while spending some time with friends, the only guitar available was an old acoustic with a badly warped neck that had been strung with extra-light strings to make it playable. Even so, he found it impossible to play unless he finger-picked it. He said in a later interview, "That was where I found my 'voice' on guitar." After a brief stint with Brewers Droop, Knopfler took a job as a lecturer at Loughton College in Essex—a position he held for three years. Throughout this time, he continued performing with local pub bands, including the Café Racers. He also formed a duo with long-time associate bluesman Steve Phillips called The Duolian String Pickers.

By the mid-1970s, Knopfler devoted much of his musical energies to his group, the Café Racers. His brother David moved to London, where he shared a flat with John Illsley—a guitarist who changed over to bass guitar. In April 1977, Mark gave up his flat in Buckhurst Hill and moved in with David and John. The three began playing music together, and soon Mark invited John to join the Café Racers.

Dire Straits (1977–1995)

Dire Straits' first demos were done in three sessions during 1977, with Pick Withers as drummer, David Knopfler as rhythm guitarist and John Illsley on bass guitar. On 27 July 1977 they recorded the now famous demo tapes of five songs: "Wild West End", "Sultans of Swing", "Down To The Waterline", "Sacred Loving" (a David Knopfler song) and "Water of Love". In what was probably October they recorded "Southbound Again", "In The Gallery" and "Six Blade Knife" for BBC Radio London and, finally, on 9 November demo tapes were made of "Setting Me Up", "Eastbound Train" and "Real Girl". Many of these songs reflected Mark's experiences in Newcastle, Leeds and London, and were to be featured on their first album, the self-titled ''Dire Straits'' which was released in the following year: "Down To The Waterline" recalled images of life in Newcastle; "In The Gallery" is a tribute to a Leeds sculptor/artist named Harry Phillips, (father of Steve Phillips); and "Lions", "Wild West End" and "Eastbound Train" were all drawn from Mark's early days in the capital.

Initially on its release, ''Dire Straits'' received little fanfare in the UK, but when "Sultans of Swing" was released as a single it became a chart hit in The Netherlands and album sales took off across Europe and then in the United States and Canada, and finally the UK. The group's second album, ''Communiqué'', produced by Jerry Wexler and Barry Beckett, followed in 1979, reaching number one in France while the first album was still at number three.

There were frequent personnel changes within Dire Straits after the release of their third album ''Making Movies'', with Mark Knopfler increasingly becoming the driving force behind the group. Released in 1980, ''Making Movies'' marked a move towards more complex arrangements and production which continued for the remainder of the group's career. The album included many of Mark Knopfler's most personal compositions, most notably "Romeo and Juliet" and "Tunnel of Love". ''Love over Gold'' followed in 1982 and included the UK #2 hit "Private Investigations", "Telegraph Road", "Industrial Disease" and "It Never Rains" as well as the title track to that album.

With ''Love Over Gold'' still in the albums charts, the band released a four-song EP titled ''ExtendedancEPlay'' in early 1983. Featuring the hit single "Twisting By the Pool", this was the first output by the band that featured new drummer Terry Williams, (formerly of Rockpile), who had replaced Pick Withers in November 1982. A world tour followed later in 1983, and in March 1984 the double album ''Alchemy Live'' was released. ''Alchemy Live'' documented the recordings of two live shows in Hammersmith Odeon in London in July 1983, and reached number three in the UK Albums Chart.

During 1983 and 1984 Knopfler was involved with other projects as well, including writing and producing the music score to the film ''Local Hero'' which was a large success, and it was followed in 1984 by his scores for the films ''Cal'' and ''Comfort and Joy''. Also during this time Knopfler produced Bob Dylan's ''Infidels'' album, as well as Aztec Camera and Willy DeVille; he also wrote ''Private Dancer'' for Tina Turner's comeback album of the same name. Dire Straits' biggest studio album by far was their fifth, ''Brothers in Arms,'' recorded at Air Studios Montserrat and released in May 1985. It became an international blockbuster which has now sold more than 30 million copies worldwide, and is the fourth best selling album in UK chart history. ''Brothers In Arms'' spawned several chart singles including the US # 1 hit "Money for Nothing", which was the first video ever to be played on MTV in Britain. It was also the first compact disc to sell a million copies and is largely credited for launching the CD format as it was also one of the first DDD CDs ever released. Other successful singles were "So Far Away", "Walk of Life", and the album's title track. The band's 1985–86 world tour of over 230 shows was immensely successful.

After the ''Brothers in Arms'' tour Dire Straits ceased to work together for some time, Knopfler concentrating mainly on film soundtracks. Knopfler joined the charity ensemble Ferry Aid on "Let It Be" in the wake of the Zeebrugge ferry disaster. The song reached #1 on the UK singles chart in March 1987. Knopfler wrote the music score for the film ''The Princess Bride'' which was released at the end of 1987.

Mark Knopfler also took part in a comedy skit (featured on the French and Saunders Show) titled "The Easy Guitar Book Sketch" with comedian Rowland Rivron and fellow British musicians David Gilmour, Lemmy from Motorhead, Mark King from Level 42, and Gary Moore. Phil Taylor explained in an interview that Knopfler used Gilmour's guitar rig and managed to sound like himself when performing in the skit.

Dire Straits regrouped for the 11 June 1988 Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute concert at Wembley Stadium, in which they were the headline act, and were accompanied by Elton John and Eric Clapton, who by this time had developed a strong friendship with Knopfler. Shortly after this, drummer Terry Williams left the band. In September 1988 Mark Knopfler announced the official dissolution of Dire Straits, saying that he "needed a rest", and in October 1988, a "best of" album, ''Money for Nothing'', was released and reached number one in the United Kingdom.

In 1989 Knopfler formed The Notting Hillbillies, a band at the other end of the commercial spectrum. It leaned heavily towards American roots music - folk, blues and country music. The band members included keyboardist Guy Fletcher, with Brendan Croker and Steve Phillips. For both the album and the tour Paul Franklin was added to the line-up on pedal steel. The Notting Hillbillies sole studio album, ''Missing...Presumed Having a Good Time'' was released in 1990, and Knopfler then toured with the Notting Hillbillies for the remainder of that year. He further emphasized his country music influences with his 1990s collaboration with Chet Atkins, ''Neck and Neck''. The Hillbillies toured the UK in early 1990 with a limited number of shows, it was strictly low key, packing out smaller venues, such as Newcastle University.

In 1990 Knopfler, John Illsley, and Alan Clark performed as Dire Straits at the Knebworth gig, joined by Eric Clapton, Ray Cooper, and guitarist Phil Palmer (who was at that time part of Eric Clapton's touring band), and in January the following year, Knopfler, John Illsley and manager Ed Bicknell decided to reform Dire Straits. Knopfler, Illsley, Alan Clark, and Guy Fletcher set about recording what turned out to be their final studio album accompanied by several part-time sidemen, including Phil Palmer, Paul Franklin, percussionist Danny Cummings and Toto drummer Jeff Porcaro.

The follow-up to ''Brothers In Arms'' was finally released in September 1991. ''On Every Street'' was nowhere near as popular as its predecessor, and met with a mixed critical reaction, with some reviewers regarding the album as an underwhelming comeback after a six year break. Nonetheless, the album sold well and reached #1 in the UK. A gruelling world tour to accompany the album followed, which lasted until the end of 1992. This was to be Dire Straits' final world tour; it was not as well received as the previous ''Brothers In Arms'' tour, and by this time Mark Knopfler had had enough of such massive operations. This drove the band into the ground, and ultimately led to the group's final dissolution in 1995.

Following the tour, Knopfler took some time off from the music business. In 1993, he received an honorary music doctorate from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. Two more Dire Straits albums were released, both live albums. ''On the Night'', released in May 1993, documented Dire Straits' final world tour. In 1995, following the release of ''Live at the BBC'', Mark Knopfler quietly dissolved Dire Straits and launched his career as a solo artist.

Since the break-up of Dire Straits, Knopfler has shown no interest in reforming the group. However, keyboardist Guy Fletcher has been associated with almost every piece of Knopfler's solo material to date, while Danny Cummings has also contributed frequently, including Knopfler's last three solo album releases ''All the Roadrunning'' (with Emmylou Harris), ''Kill to Get Crimson'' and ''Get Lucky''. In October 2008 Knopfler declined a suggestion by John Illsley that the band should reform. Illsley said that a reunion would be "entirely up to Mark", however he also suggested that Knopfler was enjoying his continued success as a solo artist, saying that "He's doing incredibly well as a solo artist, so hats off to him. He's having a perfectly good time doing what he's doing". Knopfler meanwhile is quoted as saying "Oh, I don't know whether to start getting all that stuff back together again", and that the global fame that came his way in the 1980s "just got too big".

Solo career (1996–present)

Mark Knopfler's first solo album, ''Golden Heart'', featuring the UK single "Darling Pretty", was released in March 1996. During the recording sessions for the album the main line-up of Knopfler's backing band, also known as "The 96ers," was formed, featuring Knopfler's old bandmate Guy Fletcher on keyboards, and has lasted much longer than any Dire Straits line-up.

Also in 1996, Mark Knopfler recorded guitar for Ted Christopher's Dunblane massacre tribute cover of Knocking on Heaven's Door

In 1997 Knopfler recorded the soundtrack for the movie ''Wag the Dog''. During that same year ''Rolling Stone'' magazine listed "Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll", which included "Sultans of Swing", Dire Straits' first hit. 2000 saw the release of Knopfler's next solo album, ''Sailing to Philadelphia.'' This has been his most successful to date, possibly helped by the number of collaborators to the album like Van Morrison.

In 2002 Mark Knopfler gave four charity concerts with former Dire Straits members John Illsley, Chris White, Danny Cummings and Guy Fletcher, playing old material from the Dire Straits years. The concerts also featured The Notting Hillbillies with Brendan Croker and Steve Phillips. At these four concerts (three of the four were at the Shepherd's Bush, the fourth at Beaulieu on the south coast) they were joined by Jimmy Nail, who provided backing vocals for Knopfler's 2002 composition "Why Aye Man".

Also in 2002 Knopfler released his third solo album, ''The Ragpicker's Dream''. However, in March 2003 he was involved in a motorbike crash in Grosvenor Road, Belgravia and suffered a broken collarbone, broken shoulder blade and seven broken ribs. The planned ''Ragpicker's Dream'' tour was subsequently cancelled, but Knopfler recovered and was able to return to the stage in 2004 for his fourth album, ''Shangri-La.''

''Shangri-La'' was recorded at the Shangri-La Studio in Malibu, California in 2004, where The Band made recordings years before for their documentary/movie, ''The Last Waltz.'' In the promo for "Shangri-La" on his official website he said that his current line-up of Glenn Worf (bass), Guy Fletcher (keyboards), Chad Cromwell (drums), Richard Bennett (guitar) and Matt Rollings (piano) "play Dire Straits songs better than Dire Straits did." The "Shangri-La" tour took Knopfler to countries such as India and the United Arab Emirates for the first time. In India, his concerts at Mumbai and Bangalore were very well received, with over 20,000 fans gathering at each concert to listen to a legend many thought would never visit their country.

In November 2005 a compilation, ''The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler: Private Investigations'' was released, consisting of material from most of Dire Straits' studio albums and Knopfler's solo and soundtrack material. The album was made available in two editions, as a single CD (with a grey cover) and as a double CD (with the cover in blue), and was well-received. The only previously unreleased track on the album is "All the Roadrunning", a duet with country music singer Emmylou Harris, which was followed in 2006 by an album of duets of the same name.

Released in April 2006, ''All the Roadrunning'' reached #1 in Denmark and Switzerland, #2 in Norway and Sweden, #3 in Germany, Holland and Italy, #8 in Austria and UK, #9 in Spain, #17 in the United States (''Billboard'' Top 200 Chart), #25 in Ireland and #41 in Australia. ''All the Roadrunning'' was nominated for "Best Folk Rock/Americana Album" at the 49th Grammy Awards (11 February 2007) but lost out to Bob Dylan's nomination for ''Modern Times''.

Joined by Emmylou Harris, Knopfler supported ''All the Roadrunning'' with a limited – 15 gigs in Europe, 1 in Canada and 8 in the USA – but highly successful tour of Europe and N America. Selections from the duo's 28 June performance at the Gibson Amphitheatre, Universal City, California, were released as a DVD entitled ''Real Live Roadrunning'' on 14 November 2006. In addition to several of the compositions that Harris and Knopfler recorded together in the studio, ''Real Live Roadrunning'' features solo hits from both members of the duo, as well as three tracks from Knopfler's days with Dire Straits.

A charity event in 2007 went wrong. A Fender Stratocaster guitar signed by Knopfler, Clapton, Brian May, and Jimmy Page was to be auctioned for £20,000 to raise the money for a children's hospice, was lost when being shipped. It "vanished after being posted from London to Leicestershire, England". Parcelforce, the company responsible, agreed to pay US$30,000 for its loss.

Knopfler released his fifth solo studio-album ''Kill to Get Crimson'' on 14 September 2007 in Germany, 17 September in the UK and 18 September in the United States. During the autumn of 2007 he played a series of intimate 'showcases' in various European cities to promote the album. A tour of Europe and North America followed in 2008. Many older songs from the early solo days, such as Cannibals (from Golden Heart), were brought back to life. Cannibals opened up shows throughout Europe. Cannibals was received extremely well particularly in Ireland as it was released by an Irish Country Artist David Maguire in 2007. The new version of Cannibals that David Maguire and his Band released was the 7th most requested song on Irish radio that year.

Continuing a pattern of high productivity through his solo career, Knopfler began work on his next studio album, entitled ''Get Lucky'', in September 2008 with long-time band mate Guy Fletcher, who again compiled a pictorial diary of the making of the album on his website. The album was released on September 14 the following year and Knopfler subsequently undertook an extensive tour across Europe and America. The album met with moderate success on the charts (much of it in Europe) reaching #1 only in Norway but peaking in the Top 5 in most major European countries (Germany, Italy, Holland). The album peaked at #2 on the Billboard European Album chart and at #5 on the Billboard Rock Album chart.

Knopfler's solo live performances can be characterized as relaxed—almost workmanlike. He uses very little stage production, other than some lighting effects to enhance the music's dynamics. He has been known to sip tea on stage during live performances. Richard Bennett, who has been playing with him on tour since 1996, has also joined in drinking tea with him on stage. On 31 July 2005, at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver, BC, the tea was replaced with whisky as a "last show of tour" sort of joke.

In February 2009, Knopfler gave an intimate solo concert at the Garrick Club in London. Knopfler had recently become a member of the exclusive gentlemen's club for men of letters.

In 2010, Knopfler appeared on the newest Thomas Dolby release, the EP ''Amerikana''. Knopfler performed on the track "17 Hills".

In February 2011, Knopfler began work on his next solo album, once again working with Guy Fletcher. A release date is yet to be announced. In July 2011, it was announced that Knopfler would take time out from recording this album in order to take part in a European tour with Bob Dylan during October and November.

Country music

In addition to his work in Dire Straits and solo, Mark Knopfler has made several contributions to country music. In 1988 he formed country-focused band The Notting Hillbillies, with Guy Fletcher, Brendan Croker and Steve Phillips. The Notting Hillbillies sole studio album, ''Missing...Presumed Having a Good Time'' was released in 1990 and featured the minor hit single "Your Own Sweet Way". Knopfler further emphasised his country music influences with his collaboration with Chet Atkins, ''Neck and Neck'', which was also released in 1990. "Poor Boy Blues", taken from that collaboration, peaked at #92.

Knopfler's other contributions include writing and playing guitar on John Anderson's 1992 single "When It Comes to You" (from his album ''Seminole Wind''). In 1993 Mary Chapin Carpenter also released a cover of the Dire Straits song "The Bug". Randy Travis released another of Knopfler's songs, "Are We In Trouble Now", in 1996. In that same year, Knopfler's solo single "Darling Pretty" reached a peak of #87.

Knopfler collaborated with George Jones on the 1994 "The Bradley Barn Sessions" album performing guitar duties on the classic J.P. Richardson composition White Lightnin'.

Knopfler is featured on Kris Kristofferson's album "The Austin Sessions", (on the track "Please Don't Tell Me How The Story Ends") released in 1999 by Atlantic Records.

In 2006 Knopfler and Emmylou Harris made a country album together titled ''All the Roadrunning''. Knopfler also charted two singles on the Canadian country music singles chart.

Again in 2006, Knopfler contributed the song "Whoop De Doo" to Jimmy Buffett's "Gulf and Western" style album "Take the Weather with You".

Personal life

Mark Knopfler has been married three times. His first marriage was to Kathy White, his long-time girlfriend from school days. They separated before Knopfler moved to London to join Brewers Droop in 1973. In November 1983, Knopfler married his second wife, Lourdes Salomone. Their marriage produced twin sons, Benji and Joseph (born 1987), both of whom are musically talented and aspiring musicians, according to Knopfler. His marriage to Salomone ended in 1993. On Valentine's Day 1997, Knopfler married his third and current wife, British actress and writer Kitty Aldridge on the Caribbean island of Barbados. They had been dating for three years. Their marriage so far has produced two daughters, Isabella (born 1998) and Katya Ruby Rose (born 2003). The family currently lives in Chelsea.

Musical style and equipment

Musical style

Mark Knopfler is left-handed, but plays right-handed, and fingerpicks (using a personal variant of the clawhammer style) instead of using a plectrum (i.e., "pick"). Fingerpicking is usually associated with the acoustic guitar, but Knopfler usually (though not always) plays an electric guitar. He revealed during a French interview that he uses a pick for his rhythm work during recording sessions. He surprised the interviewer by pulling a pick out of his pocket and saying that he usually carries one. He has long favoured Fender Telecaster and Stratocaster style guitars. Fender carries a Mark Knopfler Artist Series Stratocaster. During the 1980s he came to appreciate the tone of the Gibson Les Paul and his original 1958 has been used regularly in the studio and on stage.

Guitars

Knopfler has estimated that he now owns "around 70 guitars". They include:

National Triplate, 1930s National Style O 14 fret

Pensa Custom MKII, a custom Pensa guitar given to Knopfler by his friend Rudy Pensa in 2005 Pensa custom-built solid body guitars, models MK-1, MK-2, and MK-80 are named in Knopfler's honour Red-painted (Stratocaster style) Melancon Pro Artist

Hofner V-2 (Mark's first guitar)

Fender Stratocasters, including a 1962 Fiesta Red and a 1954 Sunburst (one of the first ever produced), which Knopfler named "Jurassic Strat"

Gibson Les Paul Special (used in the 1970s)

National Tricone 1928 model

National Style O Resonator guitar 1937 model ("Romeo and Juliet"), a replica of which is available from National Resophonic Guitars

Fender Telecaster 1952

Burns Baldwin 12-string ("Angel of Mercy" and the ''Get Lucky'' album)

Ovation Acoustic

Schecter Telecaster and Stratocaster models (from 1980 on)

Rickenbacker 425 (Used on Portobello Belle, later on The Ragpicker's Dream session)

Fernandes Stratocaster

Ovation Adamas (''Love Over Gold'' album, ''Brothers in Arms'' tour)

Gibson Chet Atkins (''Love Over Gold'' album)

Erlewine Automatic ("Industrial Disease")

Martin Acoustics, HD-40MK, 000-40S Mark Knopfler, and 00028 ("Brothers in Arms")

Gibson SG (Two Young Lovers, Alchemy tour)

Gibson Les Paul 1958, 1959, and 1984 models

Pensa-Suhr R Custom (Knopfler's first Pensa) (''Brothers in Arms'' album, "Ride Across the River" and "So far Away")

Gretsch Super Chet, 6120 (''Golden Heart'' album)

Steinberger GL2 (''Brothers in Arms'' tour)

Beltona Electro Resonator

Flamed Pensa, 3 models (late 1980s)

Gibson J45 (''On Every Street'' album)

Gibson Super 400 (''On Every Street'' album and tour)

Godin L.R. Baggs (''On Every Street'' tour)

Red Pensa (''On Every Street'' tour)

Ramírez Spanish Guitar (from 1992 on)

Pensa-Suhr, black (''Golden Heart'' album and tour)

Gibson ES-335

Danelectro Silvertone

Gibson Southerner

Fender Jazzmaster

Eko 700

Teisco Spectrum, 2 models

Danelectro 59 DC

Fender Duo Sonic 11 (''Kill to Get Crimson'' album)

Gibson Advanced Jumbo

Gibson ES-330

NS 14, Steve Phillips (''Get Lucky'' album)

Monteleone Isabella

Don Grosh Electrajet

Gibson Dove

Effects

Throughout his career Knopfler has used a wide selection of effect pedals in the studio and during live performances. Here is a list of some of them:

Alesis Quadraverb

Boss BF-2 Flanger

Boss CE-2 Chorus

Boss CE-300 Chorus

Boss CS-2 Compressor

Boss DM-2 Delay

MXR Micro Amp

Boss OC-2 Octaver

Boss PH-2 Phaser

DeltaLab Digital Delay

Ibanez UE 303 Multi Effect

Lexicon 300 Reverb

Mantec Preamp

Master Room Reverb

Morley Volume Pedal

Mic-Mix Dyna-Flanger

MXR Analog Delay

Roland Graphic Equalizer

Roland SRE 555 Chorus/Echo

Yamaha REV 5

Zoom Multieffect 9010

Amplifiers

Knopfler has often used many different combinations of amplifiers and cabinets to create his desired sounds.

Crate VC5212 amplifier

Crate 2x12 cabinet

Fender Concert

Fender Vibrolux

Fender Twin Reverb

Gallien & Krueger amplifier

Jim Kelley combo

Jim Kelley heads

Komet amplifiers

Marshall JTM heads

Marshall 4x12 cabinet

Mesa Boogie heads

Music Man HD 130

Soldano SLO 100

Roland Jazz Chorus

Tone King Imperial

Vox AC30

On the "Get Lucky" tour in 2010, Knopfler used a pair of custom built Reinhardt guitar amp heads with matching cabinets, and a Tone King combo in between that is used on some songs.

Honours and awards

1983 BRIT Award for Best British Group (with Dire Straits)

1986 Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal with Dire Straits (for "Money for Nothing")

1986 Grammy Award nomination for Song of the Year (for "Money for Nothing")

1986 Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance with Chet Atkins (for "Cosmic Square Dance")

1986 Juno Award for International Album of the Year (for ''Brothers in Arms'' with Dire Straits)

1986 BRIT Award for Best British Group (with Dire Straits)

1987 BRIT Award for Best British Album (for ''Brothers in Arms'' with Dire Straits)

1991 Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Collaboration with Chet Atkins (for "Poor Boy Blues")

1991 Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance with Chet Atkins (for "So Soft, Your Goodbye")

1992 Grammy Award nomination for Best Country Instrumental Performance with Chet Atkins (for "Neck and Neck")

1993 Honorary Doctor of Music from Newcastle University

1995 Honorary Doctor of Music from the University of Leeds

1999 OBE 2001 Masiakasaurus knopfleri (a species of dinosaur) was named after him by scientists who had listened to his music while digging the fossils. 2003 Edison Award for Outstanding Achievements in the Music Industry, the highest award for musicians in the Netherlands

2006 Grammy Award for Best Surround Sound Album (for ''Brothers in Arms'' 20th Anniversary Edition with Dire Straits)

2007 Honorary Doctor of Music from the University of Sunderland

2007 Grammy Award nomination for Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album with Emmylou Harris (for "All the Roadrunning").

2009 Music Producers Guild Award for Best Studio (for Knopfler's British Grove Studios

2009 PRS for Music Heritage Award (with Dire Straits)

2011 Steiger Award

Knopfler's influence

Played together with Dire Straits' drummer Pick Withers on Bob Dylan's studio album ''Slow Train Coming'', which was recorded in May 1979 and released 20 August; providing Dylan with what Dylan considered his best guitar backing since the days of Mike Bloomfield and Robbie Robertson. Knopfler also played in and co-produced Dylan's 1983 album ''Infidels''.

British author and humorist Douglas Adams said about Knopfler, in his book ''So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish'': "Mark Knopfler has an extraordinary ability to make a Schecter Custom Stratocaster hoot and sing like angels on a Saturday night, exhausted from being good all week and needing a stiff drink." The dinosaur species ''Masiakasaurus knopfleri'' was named after Knopfler. The palaeontologists were listening to Dire Straits recordings when they discovered the species.

On "Weird Al" Yankovic's parody of "Money for Nothing", "Money for Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies*", which merges the instrumentals of "Money For Nothing" with the lyrics to the theme song for the American television series ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' ("The Ballad of Jed Clampett"), Knopfler played guitar in the song, recreating the guitar riff from the original song. He would only allow Yankovic to parody the song if he was allowed to play on the recording.

Knopfler's song "Going Home" from the soundtrack to ''Local Hero'' is played before kick-off at Newcastle United's home matches at St James' Park.

"Going Home" is also the theme music for John Stanley on Sydney radio station 2UE.

According to director Rob Reiner, Knopfler agreed to write the music for Reiner's ''The Princess Bride'' on one condition: Reiner had to put the hat that he wore in ''This Is Spinal Tap'' in ''Princess Bride'', "somewhere in evidence", as homage to the rock mockumentary. The hat makes its appearance in ''Princess Bride'' in the Grandson's (Fred Savage) bedroom. Indian cricket superstar Sachin Tendulkar is a fan of Mark Knopfler. They once had a joint interview on cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle's show ''Harsha Online''.

The 2008 stage production Celtic Thunder has covers of multiple Mark Knopfler songs. "Brothers in Arms", written by Mark Knopfler and performed originally by Dire Straits, is performed by Ryan Kelly. As well, the song "Irish Boy" (from ''Cal'') and "Going Home" (from ''Local Hero'') are performed together as an instrumental, entitled "Cal/Local Hero".

Discography

Dire Straits albums

''Dire Straits'' (1978)

''Communiqué'' (1979)

''Making Movies'' (1980)

''Love over Gold'' (1982)

''Alchemy'' (1984, live)

''Brothers in Arms'' (1985)

''Money for Nothing'' (1988, compilation)

''On Every Street'' (1991)

''On the Night'' (1993, live)

''Live at the BBC'' (1995, live)

''Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits'' (1998, compilation)

''The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler: Private Investigations'' (2005, compilation)

Solo albums

''Golden Heart'' (1996)

''Sailing to Philadelphia'' (2000)

''The Ragpicker's Dream'' (2002)

''Shangri-La'' (2004)

''The Trawlerman's Song EP'' (2005, EP)

''One Take Radio Sessions'' (2005, EP live)

''The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler: Private Investigations'' (2005, compilation)

''Kill to Get Crimson'' (2007)

''Get Lucky'' (2009)

Soundtrack albums

''Local Hero'' (1983)

''Cal'' (1984)

''Comfort and Joy'' (1984)

''The Princess Bride'' (1987)

''Last Exit to Brooklyn'' (1989)

''Screenplaying'' (1993 compilation)

''Wag the Dog'' (1998)

''Metroland'' (1999)

''A Shot at Glory'' (2002)

Collaborative albums

''Missing...Presumed Having a Good Time'' (with The Notting Hillbillies, 1990)

''Neck and Neck'' (with Chet Atkins, 1990)

''All the Roadrunning'' (with Emmylou Harris, 2006)

''Real Live Roadrunning'' (with Emmylou Harris, 2006)

Produced albums

''Infidels'' (1983) by Bob Dylan. Although Mark disowned the reworked version of the album as released, his production is still noticeable. Left off the album, but later released on The Bootleg Series, is the critically acclaimed "Blind Willie McTell", featuring only Dylan, singing and playing piano, accompanied by Mark Knopfler on acoustic guitar.

''Knife'' (1984) by Aztec Camera. This Scottish indie/new wave band was mostly a vehicle for the work of Roddy Frame, much as Dire Straits only ever recorded Mark Knopfler compositions.

''Miracle'' (1987) by Willy DeVille. The album was dedicated to Mark and his wife "for their support which was nothing short of a Miracle in a time of Dire Straits." The album ends with the ballad "Storybook Love", the theme from The Princess Bride movie.

''Land of Dreams'' (1988) by Randy Newman. The album includes the single "It's Money that Matters", which unabashedly revisits the Dire Straits song "Money for Nothing".

''The Sailor's Revenge'' (2011) by Bap Kennedy. As of October 2011, the album is still unreleased.

Additional albums

The following additional albums contain guitar performances or guest appearances by Mark Knopfler.

''The Booze Brothers'' by Brewers Droop (1973)

''Slow Train Coming'' by Bob Dylan (1979)

''Sandy McLelland & the Backline'' by Sandy McLelland (1979)

''Gaucho'' by Steely Dan (1980)

''Solo in Soho'' by Phil Lynott (1980)

''The Philip Lynott Album'' by Phil Lynott (1982)

''Beautiful Vision'' by Van Morrison (1982)

''Release'' by David Knopfler (1983)

''Phil Everly'' by Phil Everly (1983)

''Love Over and Over'' by Kate and Anna McGarrigle (1983)

''Climate of Hunter'' by Scott Walker (1984)

''Never Told a Soul'' by John Illsley (1984)

''The Rock Connection'' by Cliff Richard (1984)

''Boys and Girls'' by Bryan Ferry (1985)

''Stay Tuned'' BY Chet Atkins (1985)

''Break Every Rule'' by Tina Turner (1986)

''...Nothing Like the Sun'' by Sting (1987)

''Primitive Dance'' by Paul Brady (1987)

''Sails'' by Chet Atkins (1987)

''Soldier of Fortune'' by Thin Lizzy (1987)

''C.G.P.'' by Chet Atkins (1988)

''Down in the Groove'' by Bob Dylan (1988)

''Glass'' by John Illsley (1988)

''Shouting Stage'' by Joan Armatrading (1988)

''Foreign Affair'' by Tina Turner (1989)

''River of Time'' by The Judds (1989)

''Brendan Croker & the Five O'Clock Shadows'' by Brendan Croker (1989)

''Hell to Pay'' by Jeff Healey (1990)

''Knebworth: The Album'' by Various Artists (1990)

''Damn Right, I've Got the Blues'' by Buddy Guy (1991)

''The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991'' by Bob Dylan (1991)

''Honky Tonk Demos'' by Various Artists (1991)

''Country Rockers'' by Various Artists (1992)

''Dulcimer Sessions'' by David Schnaufer (1992)

''Ain't I a Woman'' by Rory Block (1992)

''Cookin' with the Blues'' by Various Artists (1992)

''Citizen Steely Dan'' by Steely Dan (1993)

''Heartbeat'' by Hank Marvin (1993)

''Southwestern Cookin'' by Various Artists (1994)

''Flyer'' by Nanci Griffith (1994)

''Bradley Barn Sessions'' by George Jones (1994)

''Read My Licks'' by Chet Atkins (1994)

''Greatest Hits, Vol. 2'' by Weird Al Yankovic (1994)

''Adios Amigo: A Tribute to Arthur Alexander'' by Various Artists (1994)

''Long Black Veil'' by The Chieftains (1995)

''Confessin' the Blues'' by Various Artists (1995)

''The Way I Should'' by Iris DeMent (1996)

''Paradise'' by John Anderson (1996)

''Twang!: A Tribute to Hank Marvin & the Shadows'' by Various Artists (1996)

''Not Fade Away (Remembering Buddy Holly)'' by Various Artists (1996)

''Pickin' the Hits'' by Chet Atkins (1997)

''Nothin' but the Taillights'' by Clint Black (1997)

''Blues Legends'' by Various Artists (1997)

''Closing In on the Fire'' by Waylon Jennings (1998)

''Guilty: 30 Years of Randy Newman'' by Randy Newman (1998)

''Man to Woman: Men of Note Sing for a Cause'' by Various Artists (1998)

''Celtic Christmas, Vol. 4'' by Various Artists (1998)

''Tribute to Tradition'' by Various Artists (1998)

''Austin Sessions'' by Kris Kristofferson (1999)

''Another World'' by Gerry Rafferty (2000)

''Showbiz Kids: The Steely Dan Story 1972-1980'' by Steely Dan (2000)

''Prince's Trust 10th Anniversary Birthday Party'' by Various Artists (2000)

''Guitar Heroes'' by Various Artists (2001)

''Singles Collection'' by Hank Marvin (2001)

''Timeless: Hank Williams Tribute'' by Various Artists (2001)

''Good Rockin' Tonight: The Legacy of Sun Records'' by Various Artists (2001)

''Buried Treasures, Vol. 3'' by Lindisfarne (2001)

''Human'' by Rod Stewart (2001)

''Small World Big Band'' by Jools Holland (2001)

''Seminole Wind'' by John Anderson (1992)

''Chet Picks on the Grammys'' by Chet Atkins (2002)

''Jools Holland's Big Band Rhythm & Blues'' by Jools Holland (2002)

''RCA Country Legends'' by John Anderson (2002)

''Vagabonds, Kings, Warriors, Angels'' by Thin Lizzy (2002)

''Parallel Tracks'' by the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (2003)

''Double Shot Rocks'' by Alan Merrill (2003)

''Deja Vu (All Over Again)'' by John Fogerty (2004)

''Is It Rolling Bob? A Reggae Tribute to Bob Dylan'' (2004)

''Very Best of Celtic Christmas'' by Various Artists (2004)

''Guitar Ballads: Over 2 Hours of Relaxing Classics'' by Hank Marvin (2004)

''B. B. King & Friends: 80'' by B.B. King (2005, guest appearance)

''Is It Rolling Bob? Dub Versions'' by Various Artists (2005)

''Just for a Thrill'' by Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings (2005)

''36 Classic Guitar Favourites'' by Hank Marvin (2005)

''Sea Fever'' by William Topley (2005)

''Prairie Home Companion Duets'' by Various Artists (2006)

''East to West'' by Paul Burch (2006)

''Take the Weather with You'' by Jimmy Buffett (2006)

''Uncovered'' by Tony Joe White (2006)

''Timeless'' by Various Artists (2007)

''After Midnight Live'' by Eric Clapton (2007)

''Songbird: Rare Tracks and Forgotten Gems'' by Emmylou Harris (2007)

''...Earth to the Dandy Warhols...'' by The Dandy Warhols (2008, dobro)

''Burning Your Playhouse Down: The Unreleased Duets'' by George Jones (2008)

''From the Reach'' by Sonny Landreth (2008, guest appearance)

''Legacy, Vol. 1'' by Jeff Healey (2009, guest appearance)

''Life Goes On'' by Gerry Rafferty (2009)

''Greatest and Latest: Just a Thrill and Live'' by Bill Wyman (2009)

''The Secret Policeman's Balls'' by Various Artists (2009)

''Live At Knebworth'' by Various Artists (2010)

''Streets of Heaven'' by John Illsley (2010)

''Just Across the River'' by Jimmy Webb (2010, guest appearance)

''Mercury'' by Pieta Brown (2011)

''Gathering'' by Diane Schuur (2011)

''Freak Flag'' by Greg Brown (2011)

''Back Pages'' by America (2011)

''A Map Of The Floating City'' by Thomas Dolby (2011, guest appearance)

References

External links

Official website

Webradio PrivateInvestigations dedicated to Dire Straits&Mark Knopfler

Mark Knopfler Boom Like That

the long road – Mark Knopfler Sessions

Mark Knopfler News

Mark Knopfler "Old News"

Category:1949 births Category:Alumni of the University of Leeds Category:British guitarists Category:English rock guitarists Category:English Jews Category:British Jews Category:British male singers Category:English rock singers Category:British singer-songwriters Category:Dire Straits members Category:Fingerstyle guitarists Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Lead guitarists Category:Living people Category:People from Newcastle upon Tyne Category:Resonator guitarists Category:Brit Award winners Category:People educated at Gosforth Academy

bn:মার্ক নফ্‌লার bg:Марк Нопфлър ca:Mark Knopfler cs:Mark Knopfler da:Mark Knopfler de:Mark Knopfler es:Mark Knopfler eu:Mark Knopfler fa:مارک نافلر fr:Mark Knopfler gl:Mark Knopfler hr:Mark Knopfler io:Mark Knopfler it:Mark Knopfler he:מארק נופלר ka:მარკ ნოპფლერი hu:Mark Knopfler mk:Марк Нопфлер nl:Mark Knopfler ja:マーク・ノップラー no:Mark Knopfler nn:Mark Knopfler oc:Mark Knopfler pl:Mark Knopfler pt:Mark Knopfler ro:Mark Knopfler ru:Нопфлер, Марк simple:Mark Knopfler sk:Mark Knopfler sl:Mark Knopfler fi:Mark Knopfler sv:Mark Knopfler th:มาร์ก นอฟเลอร์ tr:Mark Knopfler uk:Марк Нопфлер zh:马克·诺弗勒

Coordinates	3°8′51″N101°41′36″N
Name	Alberto Jesus
Fullname	Alberto Ferreira de Jesus
Birth date	26 September 1919
Countryofbirth	Portugal
Position	Forward
Years1	| years2
clubs1	Belenenses | clubs2 Estoril Praia
Caps1	| goals1 | caps2 | goals2
Nationalyears1	1948
Nationalteam1	Portugal
Nationalcaps1	2 | nationalgoals1 0 }}

Alberto Ferreira de Jesus (born 26 September 1919 - ''unknown'') was a Portuguese footballer who played as a forward.

External links

Stats at Eu-Football

Stats at ForaDeJogo

Data at WorldFootball

Category:1919 births Category:Portuguese footballers Category:Association football forwards Category:G.D. Estoril-Praia players Category:C.F. Os Belenenses players Category:Portugal international footballers Category:Date of death missing

Coordinates	3°8′51″N101°41′36″N
name	Jesús López
team	San Diego Padres
number	--
position	Shortstop
birth date	September 12, 1987
birth place	Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico
bats	Right
throws	Right
hoffuture	(set to true if the player has been announced but not inducted) }}

Jesús Emeterio López (born September 12, 1987 in Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico) is a professional baseball shortstop who plays in the San Diego Padres organization. López signed with the Padres as a non-drafted free agent on July 3, .

Professional career

San Diego Padres

In his first professional season, , López split time between the Class-A Fort Wayne Wizards and the Short-Season Eugene Emeralds. López batted .224 with 14 doubles, two triples, three home runs and 33 RBIs in 95 games. He tied for second on the Emeralds in triples with two.

López played the entire season with the Class-A Fort Wayne Wizards of the Midwest League. He hit .232 with 88 hits, 16 doubles, two triples, two home runs, 39 RBIs and 43 walks in 117 games.

In López split the season between the Class-A Advanced Lake Elsinore Storm and the Double-A San Antonio Missions. With Lake Elsinore, López hit .248 with 84 hits, 13 doubles, two home runs, 38 RBIs and two stolen bases in 99 games. With the Missions López batted .356 with 21 hits, two doubles, one triple and 10 RBIs in 18 games. He went a combined .264 with 105 hits, 15 doubles, one triple, two home runs and 48 RBIs in 117 games.

Spending the entire season with the Double-A San Antonio Missions of the Texas League, López hit .232 with 60 hits, 14 doubles, one triple, one home run, 23 RBIs and three stolen bases. At the end of the season López participated in the Liga Mexicana del Pacífico and currently plays for the Algodoneros de Guasave.

External links

Career stats and bio at Baseball-Reference and Minor League Baseball.

Category:1987 births Category:Fort Wayne Wizards players Category:Lake Elsinore Storm players Category:San Antonio Missions players Category:Algodoneros de Guasave players Category:Mexican baseball players Category:Living people