Ciudad del Este is the second largest city in Paraguay....

 ... and the capital of the department Alto Paraná with about 280.000 inhabitants.

The city was founded in 1957 under the name Puerto Flor de Lis on the Paraná River (on the border with Brazil). It is characterized by trade and has the typical character of a bazaar because of the many merchants and the most diverse stalls. Legal is only a small part of the trade, the larger part is based on smuggled goods from the neighboring countries Argentina and Brazil (here please be careful - there are very many fake branded goods).

The city was later renamed after Alfredo Stroessner in Puerto Presidente Stroessner to receive after his fall (that was 1989) the current name.

The construction of the huge Itaipu Dam made the city grow enormously. The bridge Puente de la Amistad/Ponte da Amizade, which crosses the river, connects Ciudad del Este with Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil.