Founding of Curitiba

Curitiba, the capital of the state of Parana in southern Brazil, grew from a settlement of gold prospectors and settlers on a high plateau, which was officially made a town and named Nossa Senhora da Luz dos Pinhais. The name comes from the araucaria pine forests that once surrounded it, and the Tupi name is also linked to the pine nuts. The city's growth accelerated in the nineteenth century when Parana became a province, and waves of immigrants from Germany, Italy, Poland and Ukraine settled there. In the later twentieth century Curitiba became well known for innovative urban planning under mayors such as Jaime Lerner, including a bus rapid transit system, pedestrian streets and many parks.

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