Southern Region, Brazil

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South region of Brazil

States	PR - SC - RS
Geographical characteristics
Area	576.409,569 km²
Population	26.973.511 (2005)
Density	43,54/km²
Indicators
HDI	0,875 (2000)
GDP	R$ 289.252.892.000,00 2003
GDP per capita	R$ 10.723,60 2003

The southern region of Brazil is one of the five administrative regions of Brazil. It includes the states of Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul and covers 576.300,8 km ². The South Region is the smallest. It is a great tourist, economic, and cultural pole. It has a relatively high standard of living, with the highest HDI of Brazil, 0,875 (2000), and the second highest per capita income of the country, 10.723,60 reals, behind only the South-east Region. The region also has a 98,7 % literacy rate.

The region borders Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay as well as the Center-West Region, the Southeast Region and the Atlantic Ocean.

Contents 1 Cities 2 Population and ethnic diversity 3 Coast 4 Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul 5 Paraná 6 Economy 7 See also

[edit] Cities

List of largest cities:

• Curitiba (1,586,848)
• Porto Alegre (1,360,033)
• Londrina (446,822)
• Joinville (429,004)
• Florianópolis (406,781)
• Caxias do Sul (360,223)
• Pelotas (323,034)
• Canoas (305,711)
• Maringá (288,465)
• Ponta Grossa (281,000)
• Blumenau (277,500)
• Cascavel (273,000)
• Foz do Iguaçu (269,585)
• Santa Maria (243,396)
• Rio Grande (238,000)

[edit] Population and ethnic diversity

The region is highly urbanized (87%) and many cities are famous for their urban planning, like Curitiba, Londrina, and Maringá. 85% of Southern Brazil's population is made up of whites, due to strong European immigration in the past.

[edit] Coast

The population of Southern Brazil's coast is mainly of Portuguese descent, tracing their roots back to the middle XVIII century, when waves of Portuguese colonists, from the Azores islands, settled in the region.

[edit] Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul

In the states of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, most of the population is of Italian, German and Portuguese descent, tracing mostly their roots back to the late 19th century, when immigrants from Germany and Italy populated the region.

[edit] Paraná

The state of Paraná also received strong German, Italian and Portuguese immigration. But a distinctive characteristics of the European immigration to this state is the large influx of people from Eastern Europe, mainly from Poland, but also from Russia and Ukraine. In fact, this state hosts the largest number of inhabitants with Eastern European descent among all Brazilian states.

Paraná also have received immigration from East Asia, particularly from Japan, and from Middle East (Syria and Lebanon). The Japanese population of Paraná is the second (to São Paulo) largest in Brazil.

[edit] Economy

The Sul is one of the most highly industrialized regions of the country.

In Curitiba, automobile manufacturing and machinery manufacturing are the most important economy factors of the city.

In the north of Santa Catarina (Blumenau, Jaguará do Sul), textiles are produced. It is the main textile center of Brazil. The region (Joinville) also is known for computer programming.

Rio Grande do Sul produces mainly machinery equipment.

Food processing is a major industry in the area, many cities have its economy heavily relying on it (Chapecó, Cascavel, Santa Maria). The region is a major producer of grapefruits, soil, apples and cow meat.

Tourism is also a heavy economy factor, either by its natural beauty (Balneário Camboríu, Foz do Iguaçu, Florianapólis) or by the beauty and historical attractions of the region (Curitiba, Gramado, Maringá). Also, one of the biggest thematic parks of the world, the Beto Carrero Thematic Park, is installed in the region, in Balneário Camboríu) contributes significantly to the economy of Santa Catarina.

[edit] See also