Foz do Iguaçu
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Foz do Iguaçu (fɔs do iɤwa'su) is the 5th largest city of Paraná state and the 12nd largest of the Brazil's Southern region, with a population of 302,000 habitants (including the nearby community of Santa Terezinha de Itaipu). It is located approximately 650 km west of Curitiba, Parana's capital city. The inhabitants of the city are called iguaçuenses. It is situated at .
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[edit] Economy
The city is one of the most visited city by tourists in Brazil. Most of the tourists are Brazilians and Argentinians, but Americans, Germans, Italians, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese and Chinese tourists are also common in the city. The city has approximately 100 hotels and "pousadas". The attractions of the city are many:
- The Iguazu Falls (large as three Niagara Falls together), part of the falls are in the Brazilian side, others (including the "Garganta do Diabo", the tallest of the falls, 97 meters high) are in the Argentinian side.
- Parque Nacional do Iguaçu (Iguazu National Park), also in both Brazil and Argentina, where the falls are. It is protected by the IBAMA.
- Itaipu Dam, the most powerful dam of the world, in Parana river, together with Paraguay.
- The Tríplice Fronteira (Triple Frontier), location where Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay meet. Each side has its own Marco (landmark).
- The Omar Ibn Al-Khatab mosque, the largest outside Middle East.
- The Bird's Park (Parque das Aves), with a reasonably big collection of wild birds, and the "Bosque Guarani", the city's zoo.
The Itaipu Dam produces about 20% of Brazil's need, and employees (directly and indirectly) about 5000 Iguaçuenses.
Many people who live in the city work in its neighbor, Ciudad del Este. All trade between Brazil and Paraguay is made by the Friendship Bridge (called Ponte da Amizade, in Brazil). There is also another bridge, the Fraternity Bridge (Ponte da Fraternidade, or Ponte Tancredo Neves, in Brazil), that connects Foz do Iguaçu with its Argentinian neighbor, Puerto Iguazú, but this bridge is far less important than the Friendship Bridge. In the last years, the Friendship Bridge faced numerous problems like big traffic jams and protests and blockades.
The city is strategically positioned, seeing its position in Mercosul, and it is expected that its importance as a major city rises after the very formation of the SACN (South Community of Nations).
Foz do Iguaçu has very few industries, apart from electrical energy generation; mostly, basic textiles. Because of its high links with tourism, any major domestic or international crisis can put the city's economy down, either by bringing fewer tourists to the city or by bringing fewer consumers to Ciudad del Este (a duty-free city where swarms of Brazilians every day try to import, without paying taxes, Paraguayan lower-priced goods to Brazil).
[edit] History
In 1549, a Spanish explorer, Cabeza de Vaca, found the falls while trailing down the river. Very impressed, he named them "Quedas de Santa Maria". But later the name changed to Quedas del Iguazu, this name is a native name from the Guarani Indians who once lived there.
Until 1860, it was in Paraguayan territory, but given its defeat in the War of the Triple Alliance, and big loses of territory to the winners, the falls passed to Brazilian control in the north side and Argentinian control in the south side.
The region was almost uninhabited, there was only a military colony until 1897, with the creation of a postal office in the region. Given the little attention of the political authorities, the region was very predated by foreigners, mainly Argentinians.
In 1910, the colony's status was upgraded to the position of "vila" (town or village), named "Vila Iguazu", and, in 1914, to city. At that time, the city was known as Foz do Iguazu.
In 1916, Alberto Santos-Dumont visited the region and, impressed with the beauties of the region, suggested more attention of the government to the area and asked for the misappropriation of the land where actually is the Parque do Iguaçu (Iguazu Park). Until 1917, this region had an owner, Jezus Val. The state misappropriated the land in the next year, and, in 1939, the Parque do Iguaçu was created.
In 1945, an agreement between the Brazilian Academy of Letters and the Academy of Lisbon changed the city name to Foz do Iguaçu.
The city experienced a big economical boom in the 1960s to the late 1980s, first with the construction of the Friendship Bridge, concluded in 1965, and the Itaipu Dam, finished in the beginning of the 1980s. However, the city suffered with the world economy's recession, that resulted in fewer tourists and fewer consumers of Ciudad del Este's imported goods.
In 2004, the city's economy started again to grow up, after a long time of recession.
On October 19, 2005, was considered changing the city name to Foz do Iguassu. The proposal was approved in first debate and then denied in second debate, at the Town Hall (Câmara Municipal), by four votes for and eight against, a billPSDB's city councillor Djalma Pastorello was the author of the proposal. The purpose of changing the city name is to make the city's spelling return to the original, when the city was founded in 1914 by the name Foz do Iguassu, but in 1945 Brazilian Portuguese passed through an orthography reform, but proper names didn't have to change. Another reason for the change is that 146 of the 198 countries homologated by ONU don't have the "ç" character in the alphabet, this way would make easier the search for the city in search engines, since Foz do Iguaçu is world wide known by his falls, which by the way is commercially divulgated as Iguassu Falls. This change, according to Djalma Pastorello, will improve the city's tourism, however, he estimates that 70% of the city's population were against the name change because the local midia antecipated the change showing this in a distorted way, making population unable to see the advance that this will make to all.
[edit] Population
The city has a population of 270,000 inhabitants, and the Triplice Fronteira (Tri Frontier) zone (Ciudad del Este, Hernandarias, Puerto Iguazú and rural areas inside the municipality areas) has a total of 800,000. The city is very heterogeneous. There are many colonies of immigrants there, most African, Arabs, Chinese, Germans, Italians, Lebanese, Paraguayans, Portuguese and Ukrainians.
The city has the second largest Chinese colony of immigrants in Brazil (approx. 5,000, second only to São Paulo), and the third largest Arab colony of immigrants (approx. 4,000, behind São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro).
The city is predominantly Roman Catholic and Protestant, but a relative large minority of Muslims and Buddhists are present in the city as well. The city itself has a large Muslim mosque (largest outside the Middle East) and a Buddhist temple (the largest in Brazil).
Fenartec is an annual event held in the city's convention centre commemorating the city's multicultural diversity, usually in May.
[edit] Climate
The climate of Foz do Iguaçu is sub-tropical, with two distinctive seasons; one humid and hot in the summer and another, dry and cool, in the winter. The city's annual average temperature is 23.8°C, but can be as high as 43°C in the summer (highest) or as low as -5°C in the winter (lowest). The average in the summer is 26,5°C and in the winter 15,4°C.
The climate of the city is generally hot or warm throughout the year, due to the relatively low altitude (standing only 173 above sea's level).
Generally, the city is sunny during the year, but rain is fairly common during the spring and in the summer. The weather of the city, however, changes very constantly, because the region where the city stands is the zone where frequently three fronts meet. As consequence, it is not uncommon to see temperatures as high as 35°C and in the summer as low as 8°C in the city, and commonly, thunderstorms.
[edit] Transportation
Foz do Iguaçu is connected to the east by the BR-277, to Paranaguá, to the east by the Friendship Bridge to Ciudad del Este, and to the south to Puerto Iguazú by the Fraternity Bridge. Both the BR-277 and the Friendship Bridge are very busy roads, linking Paraguay to the Paranaguá's seaport.
The city has an international airport, the Foz do Iguaçu International Airport(IGU), which served around 600,000 passengers in 2003.
[edit] Public Transportation
The city does not operate public transportation, instead, the transportation is given by four private bus companies that competes one with each other, although the fare is issued by the city and valid for all companies. Recently, in 2003, the city implemented an integrated city fare, and created a bus hub near downtown's city, most of the buses' lines pass through the hub, so people would pay only a fare to go anywhere in the city, even taking two lines of two different companies. The transportation covers far areas as the city's airport and the Iguazu Park, but not between the city and its neighbor Ciudad del Este, nor with Puerto Iguazú, which are offered by other companies and paying a higher fare. These lines are not integrated with the city's lines.
[edit] Informal Transportation
Every day, hundreds of vans act as commuting vehicles to the people whose earnings is based in informal economy (mainly smuggling). This worsens the traffic problems in the Friendship Bridge, where they act, and are claimed to increase the deficits of Brazilian commerce with smuggling and crime rates near the bridge.
[edit] Avenida Brasil (Brazil Avenue)
Since Foz do Iguaçu's foundation, Brazil Avenue is the city's main road. While during its early years the street was primarily the military headquarters' location (now they are just in the right beginning of the Avenue), nowadays the street is a very active place where many retail stores are located. It is located at the downtown of the city and it is 5 km long (3 km arterial road).
As of 2004, the prefecture of the city decided that a major revitalization of "Avenida Brasil" (Brazil Avenue) was needed. Attracting many consumers from many different areas of the city and even from its neighbours Ciudad del Este and Puerto Iguazú, the avenue, wide enough only to support two cars side-by-side, is frequently used during business days, and even more in important commerce holidays (Christmas, Children's day, Easter, Mother's day, with many cars competing for a space for park.
The revitalization proposals asks for removal of parking space, giving major attention to pedestrians. Also, the avenue would be wide enough only to support one car side-by-side. The project started at the end of 2004, and by 2006 are not over yet. The avenue does not have a bus route, by municipal order.
[edit] Social Care & Problems
Health and education are two extremes in the city. Recently, in a survey, citizens declared that public education and transport (particular companies, although heavily subsidized) as the strongest points of the city, but health care and criminality as the lowest. Citizens gave emphasis to the effort that the prefecture is doing in transportation and daycare.
Foz do Iguaçu has a HDI of approximately ~0.780 (medium).
[edit] Education
The city has a literacy rate of 95.5%, with most children attending public or private schools. Public education has been a priority of the municipality of the city and the government of the state of Paraná; however, most middle and high classes families, kept in sending their children in particular schools.
The city has five colleges, UDC, Uniamérica, Unifoz, Unioeste and Anglo-Americano Faculdades., approximately 30 private schools and approximately 60 public schools (including daycare and kindergarten schools).
[edit] Health
As most Brazilian cities, health care in Foz is either public or private. While the private system provides the city's middle and elite classes with a rather good, modern and reliable health care, the public system is completely inefficient and insufficient to suit the demand of the lower income or very poor classes (which compose 40% of the city's population).
[edit] Sanitation
Sanepar is responsible for water treatment, distribution and sewage. 98% of the population has access to clean water, and 90% to public sanitary services (sewer and/or garbage collection). Most of the sanitary problems in the city are in the slums.
[edit] Criminality & Unemployment
Because of economic depression and Real exchange-rate depreciation in recent years, unemployment is about 15% and criminality rates are high. Approximately 20% of the population is living in poverty, a lot of them in slums along the Paraná River. Crime rate is very low in the downtown core and in other areas of tourist interest.
The Brazilian Federal Police has increased its operations in the region for the last few decades, although its staff did not meet the local needs. This led to a moderate reduction of 45% in smuggled goods value between 1999 and 2004. Some locals blame the stronger law enforcement by the crisis and economic decline of the city. Meanwhile, Brazilian commercial laws have always allowed importing as long as the taxes were properly paid.
In 2004 and 2005, the Friendship Bridge was blocked several times by smugglers and their suppliers, in protest against the Brazilian government's enforcement in area.
[edit] The city and the terrorism threat
After the 9/11 attacks, the USA thought that the city could be part of a terrorism web. Many people of Arab origin were succeeding economically in the city, having a reasonably wealthy life, and many sent part of the money earned by their business to the countries to their homeland countries. However, the city was never a stage of terrorist attacks and the thoughts that the city was acting as fund booster for terrorism was never proved as being correct.
There are claims that Hezbollah-related businessmen and crime-lords, most of them operating on the Paraguayan side of the border, could have been financing terrorist operations in Argentina or even sending money to anti-semite organizations across the world.
The city was the location of peace rallies in 2002 and in 2004.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- (Portuguese) Official site of the city.
- (Portuguese) City Tourist Office
- (Portuguese) Name change to Foz do Iguassu (from Folha Online)
- Explained Satellite Map of Three Borders region
