Asunción (full name: Nuestra Señora Santa María de la Asunción), population 1,212,112 (2002), is the capital of Paraguay. The metropolitan area, named Gran Asunción, includes the cities of San Lorenzo, Fernando de la Mora, Lambaré, Luque, Mariano Roque Alonso, Ñemby and Villa Elisa; having more than 1.8 million inhabitants. Asunción is located at [show location on an interactive map] 25°16'S, 57°40'W (-25.2667, -57.6667). It is the home of the national government, principal port, chief industrial and cultural centre of the country. Local manufacturing production includes footwear, textiles, and tobacco products. The Spanish word asunción means assumption in English. It refers to the Assumption of Mary; the full name means Our Lady, Holy Mary of the Assumption.-------------------------------Since the location is right next to the Paraguay River the city offers beautiful landscapes and spreads out on gentle hills in a pattern of rectangular blocks. Places like Cerro Lambaré (a hill) located in Lambaré offer a spectacular show in the spring because of the lapacho trees in the area. Parks like Parque Independencia and Parque Carlos Antonio López offer big areas of typical Paraguayan nature and are often frequented by tourists. There are several slightly elevated areas throughout the city (small hills) such as Cabará, Clavel, Tarumá, Cachinga, Tacumbú, among others.