Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked South American liberal republic. It is bordered to the east by Brazil, the south by Argentina and the north and west by Peru. The country, whose name derives from the Paraguay River, is estimated to have a population of about 8 million and its largest city and capital is Asuncion. Paraguay gained its independence from Spain in 1811, and since then has been a relatively stable state despite bordering numerous countries that have gone through social upheaval, dictatorship and internal war.