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Glossary entry

Spanish term or phrase:

litoral del (Río) Paraguay

English translation:

Land bordering the Paraguay River

Added to glossary by Chris Ellison
Jul 31, 2014 08:38
9 yrs ago
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Spanish term

litoral del Paraguay

Spanish to English Science Geography
Hi,

I can't find any English references to this area in Paraguay and hoping someone can help me. :o)

litoral del Paraguay

Una de las características geográficas del Chaco es la presencia del litoral del Paraguay, una franja de hasta 100 km de anchura, la cual engloba parte del departamento Alto Paraguay.


Obviously, Paraguay is landlocked... ;o)

Thanks in advance,
C.
Proposed translations (English)
4 Bordering the Paraguay River
5 Paraguay's River coast / littoral
4 +1 banks of the Paraguay River
4 coasline or coastal zone
4 the littoral zone of Paraguay
3 -1 Paraguay's 'Litoral' (with explanation)

Discussion

Muriel Vasconcellos Aug 1, 2014:
Here's a map that shows it clearly http://tinyurl.com/pvppd8b
Muriel Vasconcellos Aug 1, 2014:
floodplain of the Paraguay River *Keep in mind*: If you look at the map, more than half the river runs through the middle of Paraguay, so I don't think it's worth worrying about the Brazilian side on the north. And it's still a floodplain in that case, just the western half of it.

If no one wants to post this answer, I will. I think it's the best of all that have been suggested (and I read the entire thread).
Wendy Streitparth Aug 1, 2014:
I know its no longer relevant, but what bothers me is that in Donal's reference it says ""El Chaco es una llanura plana de formación aluvional," and then in the next sentence "que es plana y boscosa, relativamente alta y no sujeta a inundaciones." Or is it just no longer subject to flooding?
Yvonne Gallagher Aug 1, 2014:
@Charles
You're at it again...just posted another answer...
Charles Davis Aug 1, 2014:
@ Chris As someone who supported the option you've finally chosen, I think it's Gallagy's call, since she said it first, albeit initially as an explanation rather than an answer. Opinions vary on whether second thoughts count, but one feasible option would be to select Gallagy's answer and put the chosen translation ("bordering" rather "banks of") as the glossary entry. Personally I think that would be fair. Or Gallagy could post another answer.
Chris Ellison (asker) Aug 1, 2014:
Closing question Firstly, thank you all for the effort you have put in on this. :o)
In the end I've decided to steer clear of littoral and coast as the main aim of the text is to be accessible and understandable to the widest possible audience, and this may cause confusion. For this reason I'm plumping for your "bordering the river" suggestions. However, nobody has actually put this forward as an option. If someone would like to do so, I will be very happy to award them the points, although, in this case I wish they could be given to everyone who has spent time on the question.

Cheers,

Chris. :o)
Charles Davis Aug 1, 2014:
@ Neil True enough; I'm all for littorality in its place ;)
neilmac Aug 1, 2014:
@Charles And then again, sometimes it's the best option.
Charles Davis Aug 1, 2014:
Sometimes the littoral translation is best avoided. (Sorry, couldn't resist.)
Yvonne Gallagher Aug 1, 2014:
You're sharp for this time in morning:-) As we say in Dublin: "don't be too sharp or you might cut yourself!"

And with that she exits stage left...
Charles Davis Aug 1, 2014:
Ah, I always knew we were kindred spirits :)
Yvonne Gallagher Aug 1, 2014:
LOL. Is this an example of "on the same wavelength" or what? Right, I'd better do a bit more work before zzzzz
Charles Davis Aug 1, 2014:
@ Gallagy Spooky! I honestly think that's probably the best that can be done. I'm glad I didn't post "floodplain".
Yvonne Gallagher Aug 1, 2014:
@ Charles

Seriously psychic! I was typing just that at same time. Back to the future since that's what I started with. Also see my reservations about floodplain which I did consider at the very beginning but decided against...
Charles Davis Aug 1, 2014:
@ Donal That last quotation casts serious doubt on "floodplain" as a translation here. I thought it seemed risky. I wonder whether something descriptive like "strip of land bordering the Paraguay River" is the way to go. Or just "area bordering...".
Charles Davis Jul 31, 2014:
@ Donal Nothing in what you have quoted indicates that the Chaco extends east of the Paraguay river, and it definitely doesn't. About 61% of the territory of Paraguay lies west of the river and the rest lies east of it.

The drainage basin of the Paraguay river is definitely much more than 100 km wide. It can't mean that.
Charles Davis Jul 31, 2014:
So they're talking about the Paraguayan part of Chaco (b) in my list: the whole of Paraguay west of the Paraguay river, comprising Alto Paraguay, Presidente Hayes and Boquerón.

As I say, I think it's quite likely that "litoral" here means floodplain, and I came close to posting "floodplain of the Paraguay river" as an answer, but what held me back is that I would have thought the floodplain of the Paraguay is more than 100 km wide, so it may be that "litoral" is not the whole of the floodplain but just the part near the river. Maybe "litoral" with an explanatory note is the only way out of this.
Charles Davis Jul 31, 2014:
(continued) In other words, Chaco (c) was the southern bit of present Alto Paraguay, adjoining the Paraguay River.

3. El Paraguay can be either the country or the river. I am virtually 100% certain that here it means the river. So on that I agree with Gallagy, who is the only person who has interpreted it in that sense.

It seems unlikely that "Litoral del Paraguay" is a toponym; if it were, I think one of us would have found it by now. (Donal's Litoral Central eco-region doesn't fit the context, in my opinion.) So I think it's being used generically, and means the litoral (in the Paraguayan/Argentine/Uruguayan sense) of the Paraguay river.

What to call it? If it's up to 100 km wide it's not the bank; it's much, much more extensive than that. As I say, I don't think you can call it the littoral, and you certainly can't call it the coast. I'm inclined to think Wendy's right and that it's the floodplain, but I can't prove that it's precisely that.
Charles Davis Jul 31, 2014:
Some terminological/geographical points 1. "Litoral", of course, normally means a coastal zone, that is, an area by a sea. But in this part of South America it means:
"I. m. Py, Ar, Ur. Orilla o franja de tierra al lado de los ríos" (Diccionario de americanismos).
Littoral, in English, means what litoral normally means in Spanish: a an area adjoining a sea or lake. I agree with you, Chris, that properly used it can't be applied to an area adjoining a river.

2. Chaco: this can denote:
(a) a province of Argentina;
(b) a large area of South America bounded by the Andes to the west and the Paraguay river to the east, including a bit of Mato Grosso in Brazil, a lot of Bolivia, the whole of western Paraguay and a biggish chunk of north-eastern Argentina. This is the Gran Chaco, subdivided into Chaco Boreal, Chaco Central and Chaco Austral. The Chaco Paraguayo is the whole western part of Paraguay, consisting nowadays of the departamentos of Alto Paraguay (north), Presidente Hayes (south-east) and Boquerón (west). The first two adjoin the Paraguay river; the third doesn't.
(c) Chaco is also the name of a former departamento of Paraguay, incorporated into Alto Paraguay in 1992. (Continued.)
Chris Ellison (asker) Jul 31, 2014:
Coast According to the online Oxford dictionary "coast" is the part of land adjoining the sea:

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/coast

It seems to have lost the general "next to" idea as used in Latin languages. The text I am working on is from the EU aimed at a global audience. For this reason I question the use of "coast" in English, as I am not even sure what the "coast" of a river includes - the banks? The floodplain, as Wendy suggests?

FYI I have now come across references to the "litoral" of the Rio Uruguay, as well. I think this may be a cultural issue as to what we understand by coast, or littoral zone. As a UK geologist, I immediately think of the seaside. :o/

Again, I thank you all for your input and hope I can be of equal help some time. :o)
Chris Ellison (asker) Jul 31, 2014:
@Simon Cool, thanks! That's what it looks like in the pics. :o)
I'll add it to my growing list of LAM synonyms.
Simon Bruni Jul 31, 2014:
estero Estero isn't 'estuary' in this case. It's a marsh.

http://py.geoview.info/estero_patino,3437558

From the Oxford Spanish:

estero masculino

1 (estuario) estuary

2 (América del Sur) (laguna, pantano) marsh

3 (Chile) (arroyo) stream
Chris Ellison (asker) Jul 31, 2014:
Wiki refs Haha, after the extensive reading of wiki's take on LAC that I've done over the last few weeks, I know there's a lot out there that needs editing! ;o)

For this particular publication only SCI journal refs will do! :o)

In all seriousness, I thank you all for fighting your respective corners, that's very healthy, but I'm going to wait for Paraguay to come on line before I make any decisions.

I tend towards the opinion that "littoral" is automatically associated with the sea, and if I use it I will mention the fact that here it isn't. However, I just came across the line "En esta zona se encuentra el estero más extenso del Paraguay: el estero Patiño." Again, I though estuaries emptied into the sea...

Whoever wrote this clearly needs a week in Marina D'Or. :o)
Wendy Streitparth Jul 31, 2014:
Since the text is talking about the Chaco, which is a high floodplain, maybe you could use that.
neilmac Jul 31, 2014:
Not having a coastline... Paraguay doesn't have much of a littoral area to speak of except for the rivers, and it's often just lumped in with Argentina. The wikipedia refs are reputable enough for me... but it's not my call.
Chris Ellison (asker) Jul 31, 2014:
Littoral Normally I wouldn't hesitate to use this word, but we're talking a strip 100km wide. Also, I haven't managed to find a single reference in English to the littoral zone in Paraguay (or similar)... :o/

Find me one reputable reference and I'll go for it! :o)
neilmac Jul 31, 2014:
Littoral is perfectly good English and widely used in geo texts.
Simon Bruni Jul 31, 2014:
By the looks of it, not just the River Paraguay but an area that comprises other rivers that are part of the same system. It's not a province or district, but an unofficial designation.
Chris Ellison (asker) Jul 31, 2014:
Rio Paraguay? Could it be “el litoral del Rio Paraguay”?
On the banks of the river?

Proposed translations

1 day 49 mins
Selected

Bordering the Paraguay River

OK a reworking of answer

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Note added at 1 day50 mins (2014-08-01 09:28:47 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

since it's in the Alto Paraguay region it must be the strip of land along the river which here forms the border with Brazil



http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Departamento_de_Alto_Paraguay
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alto_Paraguay_Department
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraguay_River


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Note added at 1 day53 mins (2014-08-01 09:31:34 GMT)
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the strip of land up to 100 Km wide bordering the Paraguay River

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day56 mins (2014-08-01 09:34:20 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I didn't want to use "floodplain" because if this is the area I think it is, then half the floodplain of the river would be in Brazil as the Paraguay is forming the border. You could say the same about "banks" as the opposite bank would be in another country

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 7 days (2014-08-07 12:04:09 GMT) Post-grading
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Glad to have helped
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks. :o)"
13 mins

coasline or coastal zone

Litoral is the coastline or coastal zone of Paraguay
Example sentence:

El litoral español es extenso

The Spanish coastline is long

Note from asker:
Thanks for your contribution, it has provoked some interesting discussion! :o)
Peer comment(s):
disagree Simon Bruni : Paraguay is landlocked. It has no coast.
4 mins
neutral Paul Brown : where is the coastline in Paraguay though?
5 mins
agree Marina Ilari : It has coastline! The Paraguay river is one of the biggest rivers in the region. It has no seacost which doesn't means it has no river coastline! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraguay_River
6 hrs
Something went wrong...
-1
18 mins

Paraguay's 'Litoral' (with explanation)

Looking at references in newspaper articles, etc, it seems to refer to the strip of land on the banks of the country's river system, which has been overpopulated due to mass migration from rural areas and have problems with flooding.

The Centro de Ecología Aplicada del Litoral is in the area:

http://www.cecoal-conicet.gob.ar/

Reference:

http://www.telam.com.ar/notas/201406/69243-evacuados-litoral-crecida-rios.html

Note from asker:
Thanks Simon - you hit the nail on the head, geographically speaking, and provoked some interesting debate! :o)
Peer comment(s):
disagree neilmac : "The littoral zone is the part of a sea, lake or river"...
1 hr
According to the Oxford English, 'littoral' refers to the shore of a sea or lake, not the banks of a river system. Plus, how would an English reader know that 'littoral' was referring to a particular area of Paraguay?
Something went wrong...
1 hr

the littoral zone of Paraguay

Or "Paraguay's littoral zone". The littoral zone is the part of a sea, lake or river that is close to the shore.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2014-07-31 09:57:34 GMT)
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Even though a country is landlocked, it can still have littoral areas such as riverbanks, floodplains etc...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2014-07-31 10:00:32 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentine_Littoral

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2014-07-31 11:09:03 GMT)
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My dear colleagues, I didn't expect to have to take up cudgels on this one!:
"In freshwater situations, littoral zones occur on the edge of large lakes and rivers, often with extensive areas of wetland."

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Note added at 2 hrs (2014-07-31 11:10:34 GMT)
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"Before Argentina became independent, present-day Uruguay and Paraguay were also included in the littoral region."

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Note added at 5 hrs (2014-07-31 14:18:27 GMT)
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There are also a couple of Google hits for "Paraguayan littoral"...
https://www.google.com/search?q="paraguayan littoral"
Reference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Littoral_zone

Peer comment(s):
neutral Yvonne Gallagher : surely using "littoral" would be confusing when there's an area called "Litoral" in the country as Simon pointed out (but which is not the Alto Paraguay region)?//yes, does seem to be rather sloppily written
1 hr
Possibly. I'd take that up with the authors...
Something went wrong...
6 hrs

Paraguay's River coast / littoral

I can't believe some people are saying that Paraguay has no coast or littoral. Paraguay is named after it's river, Paraguay River it's one of the biggest rivers in South America and it feed the Parana River which crosses Paraguay, Brasil and Argentina. In the region, the "litoral" means the region sorrounding a big river, for example in Argentina, "litoral" is a way to referring to all the provinces that are crossed by the Parana River.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 hrs (2014-07-31 15:03:20 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

As reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraguay_River
Note from asker:
Thanks Marina, could you be more specific topographically as to what you understand by "litoral"? The wiki article doesn't use coast or littoral... :o(
Thanks Marina, your contribution has been very useful. :o)
Peer comment(s):
neutral Charles Davis : Rivers, in English, do not have coasts; a coast is "the land along or near a sea or ocean" (Merriam-Webster).
6 hrs
Something went wrong...
+1
53 mins

banks of the Paraguay River

since it's in the Alto Paraguay region it must be the dtrip of land along the river which here forms the brorder with Brazil



http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Departamento_de_Alto_Paraguay
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alto_Paraguay_Department
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraguay_River


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 54 mins (2014-07-31 09:32:54 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Yes, there is an area called the Litoral but that is not in Alto Paraguay

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 56 mins (2014-07-31 09:34:24 GMT)
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Just saw your discussion note...so yes, I think it's the river banks

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2014-07-31 10:20:56 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

typo in 1st line Strip (of land) and border (with Brazil)

a lot of deforestation it seems going on in that area as well

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 16 hrs (2014-08-01 00:42:23 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Just a quick look at more recent discussion (I'm still working BTW on large financial proofreading so happy to be diverted for a bit...)

I wasn't/am not entirely happy using "banks" for something up to 100 KM wide but I also didn't want to use "floodplain" because if this is the area I think it is, then half the floodplain of the river would be in Brazil as the Paraguay is forming the border. I suppose you could say the same about banks as the opposite bank would be in another country.

I think it might be safer just to say "the strip of land up to 100 Km wide along the Paraguay River" (or "bordering" but since it is a border there that might be confusing).

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day52 mins (2014-08-01 09:30:40 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

OK Chris I have put another answer though of course the glossary entry for this one could also be easily changed:-)
Note from asker:
Thanks Gallagy. I would like to give you the points, but I don't want "bank" to come up as the translation after all the lengthy discussions and reworkings. Can you change the "answer"? C.
Peer comment(s):
agree Charles Davis : I'm sure you're right that it's the Paraguay River, not Paraguay. I don't agree with "banks", though. So half an agree :) / Ah! You had "strip of land" right at the beginning, which is what I've just been suggesting! Make that a full agree :)
14 hrs
Thanks Charles. I'm a glass half-full person! Not sure about banks either...note above/You must be psychic to know that's what I was typing:-)
Something went wrong...
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