Curitiba, Brazil
The city of Curitiba is the capital city of the Brazilian state of Parana. Curitiba has both the largest population and the largest economy in Southern Brazil. Its population is almost two million people, also making it the seventh largest city nationwide. Curitiba’s gross domestic product surpassed seventeen billion dollars, also ranking it fourth in the nation, according to statistics from the Brazilian Institute of Statistics and Geography.
The metropolitan area of Curitiba is made up of twenty-six municipalities and has a total population of more than three and a half million people. It is also an important political, cultural and economic center for the country. Curitiba sits upon a plateau raised over nine hundred meters above sea level, one hundred kilometers west of the sea port of Paranagua. Curitiba is home to the Afonso Pena International airport.
Originally, growth in Curitibas was based on the cattle trade as it was half way between the cattle breeding country in the South and the cattle markets in the North. After 1850, waves of European immigrants started arriving, primarily Germans, Poles, Ukranians, and Italians that would contribute to the economic and cultural development of the city.
Today however, only a small number of foreigners migrate to Curitiba, and these immigrants are mainly from the Middle East or South America. There is, however, a substantial inward flow of Brazilians from other States. Today it is estimated that about half of Curitiba’s population was not born in the city.
The Federal University of Parana is also located in Curitiba. It was the first university in Brazil and was established in Curitiba in 1913, which was the same year that electric streetcars were first deployed.
Curitiba is also a popular destination for tourism and recreation, both domestic and international, as there are many fascinating sights to see. For example, the city is known for 24 Horas Street or the street that never sleeps. The Botanic Gardens are Curitiba’s trademark and were created to resemble the French gardens. The greenhouse houses a metallic structure that has botanic species that are national symbols and a water fountain. There is also a native forest that has many paths for walking. Each year it attracts researches from all over the world and their many exhibitions attract many visitors.
Curitiba has thriving German, Japanese, and Italian communities that are also popular locations for tourists. There they can enjoy the local food and see many presentations on folklore and culture.
As tourism has been growing rapidly in recent years, the Tourism Line was started in 1994. This is a special tour of the city that visits all of the principal tourist attractions in Curitiba. The tour uses large, comfortable white buses that have large windows and are shaped similarly to streetcars. The vehicles’ sound system plays a pre recorded message in three languages, Portuguese, English, and Spanish. It is available every half an hour and has both a shorter and more limited tour and a longer and more in depth tour.