City (pop., 2002 est.: city, 1,644,600; metro. area, 2,866,000), capital of Paraná state, southern Brazil.
It lies about 3,000 ft (900 m) above sea level in the Brazilian Highlands near the headwaters of the Iguazú River . Founded in 1654 as a gold-mining camp, it became the state capital in 1854. From the early 19th century it received many European settlers, and immigration continued during the 20th century with the arrival of newcomers from Syria and Japan. It is a modern commercial centre. Its cathedral (1894) was inspired by that of Barcelona , Spain.