Parana

Travel Guide South America Brazil Parana

Introduction

Iguazu Falls

Parana is a Brazilian state in the south of the country. Only the states of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul are more to the south. The capital is Curitiba.

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Geography

Parana covers roughly 200,000 square kilometres. To the north is the state of Sao Paulo and to the northwest is Mato Grosso do Sul. Santa Catarina is to the south. It also borders both Argentina and Paraguay and has a coastline along its eastern shore, which borders the Atlantic Ocean.

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Cities

Curitiba - the capital
Foz do Iguacu - gateway to the Iguacu Falls

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Sights and Activities

Iguazu Falls

These amazing and famous waterfalls are truly one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Bordering Brazil and Argentina, the Iguazu Falls comprise of 275 waterfalls which cascade along the cliff edges for some 2700 metres, falling from heights of up to 80 metres. The falls can be viewed from both Brazil and Argentina, however with more than 70% of the falls located within Argentina, visitors are advised to allow more time on the Argentinean side to appreciate this spectacular sight. Wilst the Argentinean side of the falls allows you get "up close and personal", the Brazillian side offers spectacular panoramic views. For more information, also see the Iguazu Falls article.

Ilha do Mel

Ilha do Mel is a popular island getaway in the Golf of Paranagua, off the coast of the state. It's popular with both Brazilians and foreign visitors and activities include hiking, surfing, relaxing on the beach, paragliding, fishing and sailing. The number of visitors that can visit the island is restricted and the accommodation on the island are mostl low-key pousadas. Ilha do Mel can be reached by regular multi-stop ferries from the port city of Paranaguá, or on shorter direct ferries from nearby Pontal do Sul

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Events and Festivals

World Cup 2014

Australian Fans

The FIFA World Cup 2014 will be held in Brazil. It takes place from 12 June to 13 July 2014. It will be the second time that Brazil has hosted the competition, the previous being in 1950. The national teams of 32 countries will join the second biggest sports event in the world (after the Olympic Games). A total of 64 matches are to be played in twelve cities across Brazil, with the tournament beginning with a group stage. For the first time at a World Cup Finals, the matches will use goal-line technology. Twelve locations will be World Cup host cities: Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Cuiabá, Curitiba, Fortaleza, Manaus, Natal, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and São Paulo. They cover all the main regions of Brazil and create more evenly distributed hosting than the 1950 finals in Brazil provided, when matches were concentrated in the south-east and south. As a result the tournament will require significant long-distance travel for teams. Brazil opens the tournament against Croatia, played in Sao Paulo on the 12th of June, and the final will be played on the 13th of July in Rio de Janeiro.

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