Pilar

Pilar, town, southwestern Paraguay. It lies on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, across from the mouth of the Arroyo Bermejo.

Founded in 1779 and originally known as Ñeembucú, the town is a river port handling the agricultural products of the fertile area between the Paraguay and Paraná rivers; it is also a manufacturing centre, with textile mills, sawmills, and distilleries. A road leads eastward from Pilar to the Asunción-Encarnación highway. Pop. (2002) urban area, 24,300.