Curitiba is one of the largest cities in the southern region of Brazil, it is the capital of the state of Paraná.
It is a popular transit destination between Sao Paulo and the Iguazú Falls (in Foz do Iguazú), well known for its innovative public transportation and large expanses of green spaces.
It is a reference for urbanism in Latin America.
Its population is largely descended from German, Ukrainian, Russian, Italian, Polish and Argentine immigrants.
In the center of the city, you can see the Old City (or cidade velha) which is in very good condition, considering that it has more than 3 centuries of existence.
Curitiba is among the three municipalities with the best infrastructure in the country, along with São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
According to the most popular hypothesis, the name Curitiba originates from the indigenous expression "cury'i ty (b) ba", which in Guarani means "place where there are pine trees".
Another hypothesis refers to the Tupi language, which is very close to Guarani and was spoken by the Portuguese colonizers at the time. In Tupi, kury would be something like pine, pinion. And tyba is a suffix indicating a group; therefore, it would be something like a group of pine trees.
Curitiba is located in the first highlands of Paraná, in its less undulating part, called the Curitiba highlands.
See more about how to get to Curitiba
See also information on São Paulo.
