Paranáis astateinSouthern Brazil. It is next toParaguayandArgentina.Paraná is a famous state because ofItaipu Damand theIguaçu Fallswith hundreds of cascades straddling the border with Argentina. Surrounding the falls is Iguaçu National Park, a subtropical rainforest with diverse wildlife, while north lies the massive Itaipu Dam. Hundreds of kilometers east, close to the Atlantic beaches of Guaratuba and the large port of Paranaguá, is the leafy state capital, Curitiba.
Paraná is one of the Brazilian states that shows the most signs of recent Europeancolonization. Most of thepopulationare descendants of European settlers, and is one of the most ethnically diverse.