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Paraná state

State of Paraná
State
Flag of State of Paraná
Flag
Coat of arms of State of Paraná
Coat of arms
Anthem: Hino do Paraná
Location of State of Paraná in Brazil
Location of State of Paraná in Brazil
Coordinates: 24°0′S 51°0′W / 24.000°S 51.000°W / -24.000; -51.000Coordinates: 24°0′S 51°0′W / 24.000°S 51.000°W / -24.000; -51.000
Country  Brazil
Capital and Largest City Curitiba
Government
 • Governor Beto Richa (PSDB)
 • Vice Governor Cida Borghetti (PP)
Area
 • Total 199,314.9 km2 (76,955.9 sq mi)
Area rank 15th
Population (2013)
 • Total 10,997,462
 • Rank 6th
 • Density 55/km2 (140/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Paranaense
GDP
 • Year 2012 estimate
 • Total R$ 255,927,000,000 (5th)
 • Per capita R$ 24,195 (7th)
HDI
 • Year 2010
 • Category 0.749 - high (5th)
Time zone BRT (UTC-3)
 • Summer (DST) BRST (UTC-2)
Postal Code 80000-000 to 87999-999
ISO 3166 code BR-PR
Website pr.gov.br

Paraná (Portuguese pronunciation: [paɾaˈna]) is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the south of the country, bordered on the north by São Paulo state, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by Santa Catarina state and the province of Misiones, Argentina, and on the west by Mato Grosso do Sul and the departments of Alto Paraná and Canindeyú in Paraguay, with the Paraná River as its western boundary line.

Its area is 199,307.922 km2 (76,953.219 sq mi), slightly smaller than Romania, a country with similar shape. It is subdivided into 39 municipalities. Its capital is the city of Curitiba. Other major cities are Londrina, Maringá, Ponta Grossa, Cascavel, São José dos Pinhais and Foz do Iguaçu.

Crossed by the Tropic of Capricorn, 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. At only 40 km (25 mi) from there, at the border with Paraguay, the largest dam in the world was built, the Hidroelétrica de Itaipu (Itaipu Hydroelectric Dam). The crime rate is considered low by Brazilian standards and the state is one of the most developed in the nation.


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