Paraná
Argentina · Americas
About Paraná
Paraná is the capital city of the Argentine province Entre Ríos, located on the eastern shore of the Paraná River, opposite the city of Santa Fe, capital of the neighbouring Santa Fe Province. The city has a population of 268,889 inhabitants within its urban area. Greater Paraná has a population of 312,713 inhabitants. Its original name was Bajada (landing).
In 1730 inhabitants of the city of Santa Fe settled at the other shore of the Paraná river. The first settlers called it “Baxada del Paraná”. The original settlers came to Paraná after being forced out of Santa Fe by marauding Payaguá and Muños Indians. The settlers established themselves in the modern plaza primerdo de mayo "The Square of the first of May, where they built a fort, other defenses, and a series of huts. Eventually the numbers of the settlers were stable enough to where they could move on from defense to offense and almost wiped out both the Payaguá and Muños.
Between 1854 and 1861, it was the capital city of the Argentine Confederation.
Paraná is not only the head of the provincial government, but also an important river port for...
Paraná travel guide
Understand
Paraná has what is left of the araucaria forest, one of the most important subtropical forests in the world. At the border with Argentina is the National Park of Iguaçu, considered by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. 40 km from there, at the border with Paraguay, the largest dam in the world was built, the Hidroelétrica de Itaipu (Itaipu Hydroelectric Dam). Before the arrival of European settlers, indigenous populations inhabited the region for thousands of years. They included the Carijó in the lands closer to the sea, from the Tupi group, and the Caingangues in the interior, who belonged to the Jê group. In the 1940s, the northern part of the state was settled as a result of the expansion of the São Paulo coffee industry. The main economic activities are agriculture, industry (agribusiness, automotive, and paper) and plant extraction (wood and yerba mate). In agriculture, the state stands out in the production of soybeans, maize, wheat, sugarcane, cassava, beans, tomato, orange and yerba mate.
Getting there
Afonso Pena International Airport CWB IATA in Curitiba Foz do Iguaçu International Airport in IGU IATA in Foz do Iguaçu
See
The Atlantic Forest South-East Reserves — a UNESCO World Heritage site
Overview adapted from Wikipedia, travel guide fromWikivoyage (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.