Amambay is one of the seventeen departments that, together with Asunción, the Capital District, form the Republic of Paraguay. Its capital is Pedro Juan Caballero. It is located to the north of the eastern region of the country, bounded on the north and east by Brazil, on the south by Canindeyú, on the southwest by San Pedro and on the west by Concepción. With 164 462 habs. In 2017 it is the sixth least populated department - ahead of Misiones, Presidente Hayes, Ñeembucú, Boquerón and Alto Paraguay, the least populated - and with 12.7 inhabitants / km², the fifth least densely populated, ahead of Ñeembucú, Presidente Hayes, Boquerón and Alto Paraguay, the least densely populated.
The name of the department derives from one of the main branches of the Cordillera de Caaguazú, such branch is the Cordillera de Amambay.