Foz do Iguaçu is the 6th largest city of Other meanings: Paraná, Argentina, River Paraná Paraná is one of the states of Brazil, located in the southern part of the country, bordering Paraguay. ...Parana state and the 12nd largest of the The Brazil southern region is characterized by its high standard of living, the highest in the country, as of 2004, the states of Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul had an average of ~0. ...Brazil's Southern region, with a population of 270,000 habitants (including the nearby community of Santa Terezinha do Iguaçu). It is located approximately 500 km west of Curitiba is a city in Brazil, the capital of the state of Paraná. In 2001 it had a population of some 1,600,000 people. ...Curitiba, Parana's capital city. The habitants of the city are called iguaçuenses. It is situated at 25°50′ S 54°30′ W (http://kvaleberg.com/extensions/mapsources/index.php?params=25-50-S-54-30-W-).

Economy

The city is one of the most visited city by tourists in The Federative Republic of Brazil (República Federativa do Brasil in Portuguese) is the largest and most populous country in South America, and fifth largest in the world. ...Brazil. Most of the tourists are Brazilians and Argentina is a country in southern South America, situated between the Andes in the west and the southern Atlantic Ocean in the east. ...Argentinians, but American, when used as an adjective, can mean of the United States of America or of or relating to the Americas; when used as a noun, United States citizen, residing in the Americas, or less frequently American English. ...Americans, The Germans (German: die Deutschen) are people of German descent, i. ...Germans, The Italians are a Latin ethnic group primarily associated with Italy and the Italian language. ...Italians, France _ Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ...French and When used as an adjective, Chinese refers to anything that originates from China, , Chinese cuisine. ...Chinese tourists are also common in the city. The city has approximately 100 hotels and "pousadas". The attractions of the city are many:

• The Iguaçu Falls Iguaçu Falls For the cities where the falls are located, see Foz do Iguaçu, a major city located in the Brazilian state of Paraná Puerto Iguazú, a city located in the Argentinian province of Misiones. ...Iguassu Falls (large as three The Horseshoe Falls, one of the three Niagara Falls. ...Niagara Falls together), part of the falls are in the Brazilian side, others (including the "Garganta do Diabo", the tallest of the falls, 97 meters high) are in the Argentinian side.
• The Parque do Iguaçu, also in both Brazil and Argentina, where the falls are. It is protected by the IBAMA.
• The Itaipu Dam Itaipu (Portuguese: Itaipu; SAMPA [itajpu]) is a dam that includes the largest hydroelectric power plant in the world. ...Itaipu Dam, the most powerful dam of the world, in Parana river, together with The Republic of Paraguay is a landlocked republic in South America. ...Paraguay.
• The Triplice Fronteira, location where Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay meet.
• The Omar Ibn Al_Khatab mosque, the largest outside A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ...Middle East.
• The Bird's Park (Parque das Aves), with a reasonable big collection of wild birds, and the "Bosque Guarani", the city's A zoo. ...zoo.

The Itaipu Dam produces about 20% of Brazil's need, and employees (directly and indirectly) about 5000 Iguaçuenses.

Many people who live in the city work in its neighbor, Ciudad del Este is the capital of Alto Paraná department, in Paraguay, situated at 25°42′ S 54°63′ W. Founded in 1957, it was originally called Puerto Flor de Lis, then until 1989 Puerto Presidente Stroessner (after Alfredo Stroessner). ...Ciudad del Este. All trade between Brazil and Paraguay is made by the Friendship Bridge is the name of a number of bridges linking countries separated by rivers or straits. ...Friendship Bridge (called Ponte da Amizade, in Brazil). There is also another bridge, the The Fraternity Bridge (a direct translation of Ponte da Fraternidade, atual official name is Tancredo Neves Bridge) connects the Brazilian city of Foz do Iguaçu with Puerto Iguazu, in the country of Argentina, passing thru the Iguassu River. ...Fraternity Bridge (Ponte da Fraternidade, or Ponte Tancredo de Almeida Neves (March 4th, 1910 _ April 21, 1985) was a Brazilian banker and political figure. ...Tancredo Neves, in Brazil), that connects Foz do Iguaçu with its Argentinian neighbor, Puerto Iguazu, but this bridge is far less important than the Friendship Bridge. In the last years, the Friendship Bridge faced numerous problems like big traffic jams and manifestations and blockades.

The city is strategically positioned, seeing its position in Flag of Mercosur Mercosur or Mercosul (Spanish: Mercado Común del Sur, Portuguese: Mercado Comum do Sul, English: Southern Common Market) is a trading zone among Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, founded in 1991. ...Mercosul, and it is expected that its importance as a major city rises after the very formation of the The South American Community of Nations (SACN) (Spanish: Comunidad Sudamericana de Naciones (CSN), Portuguese: Comunidade Sul_Americana de Nações (CSN)) will be a continent_wide free trade zone that will unite two existing free_trade organizations—Mercosur and the Andean Community—eliminating tariffs for non_sensitive products by 2014 and...SACN (South Community of Nations).

Foz do Iguaçu has very few industries, apart from electrical energy generation; mostly, basic textiles. Because of its high links with tourism, any major domestic or international crisis can put the city's economy down, either by bringing less tourists to the city or by bringing less consumers to Ciudad del Este is the capital of Alto Paraná department, in Paraguay, situated at 25°42′ S 54°63′ W. Founded in 1957, it was originally called Puerto Flor de Lis, then until 1989 Puerto Presidente Stroessner (after Alfredo Stroessner). ...Ciudad del Este (duty_free city, swarms of Brazilians everyday try to import, without paying taxes, Paraguayan less_priced goods to Brazil).

History

In Events July _ Ketts Rebellion Francis Xavier arrives in Japan. ...1549, a The Kingdom of Spain or Spain ( Spanish: Reino de España or España; Catalan: Regne dEspanya; Basque: Espainiako Erresuma; Galician: Reino da España) is a country located in the southwest of Europe. ...Spanish explorer, Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca (c. ...Cabeza de Vaca, found the falls while trailing down the river. Very impressed, he named them "Quedas de Santa Maria". But later the name changed to Quedas do Iguazu, this name is an native name from the There are places that have the name Guarani in Brazil, see Guarani, Brazil The Guarani are primarily a tribal people indigenous to Paraguay and some regions of Argentina, Brazil and Bolivia. ...Guarani Indians who once lived there.

Until 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ...1860 it was in Paraguayan territory, but given its defeat in the War of the Triple Alliance also known as the Paraguayan War in 1864_1870, was the bloodiest conflict in Latin_American history, fought between Paraguay and the allied countries of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay. ...Paraguayan War, and big loses of territory to the winners, the falls passed to Brazilian control in the north side and Argentinian control in the south side.

The region was almost uninhabited, there was only a military colony until Events January 1 _ Brooklyn, New York merges with New York City. ...1897, with the creation of a postal office in the region. Given the little attention of the political authorities, the region was very predated by foreigners, mainly Argentinians.

In 1910, the colony's status was upgraded to the position of "vila" ( A street in Ynysybwl, Wales, relatively stereotypical of a small town A town is usually an urban area which is not considered to rank as a city. ...town or A village is a human settlement commonly found in rural areas. ...village), named "Vila Iguassu", and, in 1914 is a common year starting on Thursday. ...1914, to A city is an urban area, differentiated from a town, village, or hamlet by size, population density, importance, or legal status. ...city.

In 1916 is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar) Events January-February January 1 -The first successful blood transfusion using blood that had been stored and cooled. ...1916, Santos_Dumont in his trademark Panama hat. ...Alberto Santos_Dumont visited the region and, impressed with the beauties of the region, suggested more attention of the government to the area and asked for the misappropriation of the land where actually is the Parque do Iguaçu (Iguassu Park). Until 1917 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...1917, this region had a owner, Jezus Val. The state misappropriated the land in the next year, and, in 1939 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...1939, the Parque do Iguaçu was created.

The city experienced a big economical boom in the Centuries: 1st century BC _ 1st century _ 2nd century Decades: 10s _ 20s - 30s _ 40s _ 50s - 60s - 70s _ 80s _ 90s _ 100s _ 110s 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 Note: Sometimes the 60s is used as shorthand for the 1960s, the 1860s, or other such decades...60s to the late Centuries: 1st century BC _ 1st century _ 2nd century Decades: 30s _ 40s - 50s _ 60s _ 70s - 80s - 90s _ 100s _ 110s _ 120s _ 130s 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 Note: Sometimes 80s is used as shorthand for the 1980s, the 1880s, or other such decades in...80s, first with the construction of the Friendship Bridge, concluded in 1965, and the Itaipu Dam, finished in the beginning of the Centuries: 1st century BC _ 1st century _ 2nd century Decades: 20s _ 30s - 40s _ 50s _ 60s - 70s - 80s _ 90s _ 100s _ 110s _ 120s 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 Note: Sometimes the 70s is used as shorthand for the 1970s, the 1870s, or other such decades...70s. However, the city suffered with the world economy's recession, that implied in less tourists and less consumers to Ciudad del Este's imported goods.

In 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...2004, the city's economy started again to grow up, after a long time of recession.

Population

The city has a population of 270,000 habitants, and the Triplice Fronteira (Tri Frontier) zone (Ciudad del Este, Hernandarias, Puerto Iguazu and rural areas inside the municipality areas) has a total of 800,000. The city is very heterogeneous. There are many colonies of immigrants there, most World map showing location of Africa A satellite composite image of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest continent in both area and population, after Asia. ...African, For other uses, see Arab (disambiguation). ...Arabs, When used as an adjective, Chinese refers to anything that originates from China, , Chinese cuisine. ...Chinese, Germans, Italians, The Lebanese Republic or Lebanon is a country in Southwest Asia, bordering the Mediterranean Sea. ...Lebanese, Paraguayans, The word Portuguese can mean: From or related to Portugal The ethnic Portuguese people, see list of Portuguese people The Portuguese language Portuguese Creole Portuguese sidewalk Elizabeth Barrett Browning, who was nicknamed My little Portuguese by her husband Robert Browning. ...Portuguese and The Ukrainians are a Slavic people of central_eastern Europe. ...Ukrainians. It is a multi_racial city.

The city has the second largest Chinese colony of immigrants in Brazil (approx. 5.000, loses to Sao Paulo), and the third largest Arab colony of immigrants (approx. 4.000, loses to Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro).

The city is predominantly The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ...Roman Catholic and Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ...Protestant, but a relative large minority of A Muslim is a believer in or follower of Islam. ...Muslims and Buddhists are present in the city as well. The city itself has a large muslin mosque (largest outside Far East) and a Buddhist temple (the largest in Brazil).

Fernatec is an annual event held in the city's convention centre commemorating the city's multicultural faces, generally in May is the fifth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ...May.

Climate

The climate of Foz do Iguaçu is sub_tropical, with two distinctive seasons; one Humidity is the quantity of moisture in the air. ...humid and hot in the summer and another, Dry may refer to a state lacking moisture (see also drought), a high liquor content in alcoholic beverages, a low amount of unfermented sugar in wine, and is the name of a music album (below). ...dry and cool, in the winter. The city's annual average temperature is 23.8°C, but can be as high as 43°C in the summer (highest) or as low as _5°C in the winter (lowest). The average in the summer is 26,5°C and in the winter 15,4°C.

The climate of the city is generally hot or warm throughout the year, due to the relatively low altitude (standing only 173 above sea's level).

Generally, the city is sunny during the year, but rain is fairly common during the spring and in the summer. The weather of the city, however, changes very constantly, because the region where the city stands is the zone where frequently three fronts meet. As consequence, it is not uncommon to see temperatures as high as 35°C and in the summer as low as 8°C in the city, and commonly, thunderstorms.

Transportation

Foz do Iguaçu is connected to the East is most commonly a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. ...east by the The Brazilian national net of highways is the second largest of the world. ...BR_277, to Paranaguá, to the east by the Friendship Bridge to Ciudad del Este, and to the south to Puerto Iguazu by the Fraternity Bridge. Both the BR-277 and the Friendship Bridge are very busy roads, linking Paraguay to the Paranaguá's seaport.

The city has an international airport, the Foz do Iguaçu International Airport(IGU), which served around 600,000 passengers in 2003.

Public Transportation

The city does not operate public transportation, instead, the transportation is given by four private bus companies that competes one with each other, although the fare is issued by the city and valid for all companies. Recently, in 2003, the city implemented a integrated city fare, and created a bus hub near downtown's city, most of the buses' lines pass through the hub, so people would pay only a fare to go anywhere in the city, even taking two lines of two different companies. The transportation covers far areas as the city's airport and the Iguassu Park, but not between the city and its neighbor Ciudad del Este, nor with Puerto Iguazu, which are offered by other companies and paying a higher fare. These lines are not integrated with the city's lines.

Informal Transportation

Every day, hundreds of A jitney is a livery vehicle intermediate between a taxi and a bus. ...vans act as commuting vehicles to the people whose earnings is based in informal economy (mainly smuggling). This worsens the traffic problems in the Friendship Bridge, where they act, and are claimed to increase the deficits of Brazilian commerce with smuggling and crime rates near the bridge.

Avenida Brasil (Brazil Avenue)

Since Foz do Iguaçu's foundation, the Brazil Avenue is Foz do Iguaçu's main road. While during the early years of the city the street was primarily where the military headquarters of the city were located (now they are just in the right beginning of the Avenue), nowadays the street is a very active street where many retail stores are located. It is located at the downtown of the city and it is 5 km long (3 km arterial road).

As of 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...2004, the prefecture of the city decided that a major revitalization of "Avenida Brasil" (Brazil Avenue) was needed. Attracting many consumers from many different areas of the city and even from its neighbours Ciudad del Este and Puerto Iguazu, the avenue, that is wide enough only to support two cars side_by_side, is frequently used during business days, and even more before important commerce holidays ( Joseph and Mary with baby Jesus, at the first Christmas Christmas (literally, the Mass of Christ) is a holiday in the Christian calendar, usually observed on December 25, which celebrates the birth of Jesus. ...Christmas, Children's day, Easter (also called Pascha) is generally accounted the most important holiday of the Christian year, observed March or April each year to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead (after his death by crucifixion; see Good Friday), which Christians believe happened at about this time of year, almost two...Easter, Mother's day, with many cars competing for a space for park.

The revitalization proposals asks for removal of the parking space, giving major attention to A pedestrian at the intersection of Alinga Street and Northbourne Avenue, Canberra, Australia A pedestrian is a person travelling on foot, whether walking or running. ...pedestrians. Also, the avenue would be wide enough only to support one car side_by_side. As of December is the twelfth and last month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ...December 2004, no major construction had begun in the avenue yet. The avenue does not have a bus route, by A municipality or general_purpose district (compare with: special_purpose district) is an administrative local area generally composed of a clearly defined territory and commonly referring to a city, town, or village government. ...municipal order.

Social Care & Problems

Health can be defined negatively, as the absence of illness, functionally as the ability to cope with everyday activities, or positively, as fitness and well_being (Blaxter 1990). ...Health and Education encompasses teaching and learning specific skills, and also something less tangible but more profound: the imparting of knowledge, good judgement and wisdom. ...education are two extremes in the city. Recently, in a survey, citizens declared that public education and transport (particular companies, although heavily subsidized) as the strongest points of the city, but health care and criminality as the lowest. Citizens gave emphasis to the effort that the prefecture is doing in transportation and daycare.

Foz do Iguaçu has a The UN Human Development Index (HDI) measures poverty, literacy, education, life expectancy, and other factors. ...HDI of approximately ~0.780 (medium).

Education

The city has a This article or section should include material from New literacy studies. ...literacy rate of 95.5%, with most children attending public or private schools. Public education has been a priority of the municipality of the city and the government of the state of Paraná; however, most middle and high classes families, kept in sending their children in particular schools.

The city has five colleges, UDC, Uniamérica, Unifoz, Unioeste and Anglo_Americano Faculdades., approximately 30 private schools and approximately 60 public schools (including daycare and kindergarten schools).

Health

As most Brazilian cities, health care in Foz is either public or private. While the private system provides the city's middle and elite classes with a relatively good, modern and reliable health care, the public system is completely inefficient and insufficient to attend the demand of the poor or very poor classes (which composes 40% of the population of the city).

Sanitation

Sanepar is responsible for the water treatment, distribution and water waste treatment. 98% of the population has access to water of good quality, and 90% to public sanitary services (sewer and/or garbage collect). Most sanitary problems, are in the A slum is an overcrowded and squalid district of a city or town usually inhabited by the very poor. ...slums of the city.

Criminality & Unemployment

Because of the 1996_2003 recession, unemployment is about 15% and criminality rates are high. Approximately 20% of the population is living in poverty, many in slums along the Paraná River. Curiously, crime rate is very low in the downtown core or in any other areas of tourism interest.

The city and the terrorism threat

After the The World Trade Center on fire The September 11, 2001 attacks were a series of coordinated terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001. ...9/11 attacks, the The word Usa has more than one meaning: U.S.A. _ The United States of America Usa, Oita _ A city in Japan This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...USA cogitated that the city could be part of a terrorism web. Many people of Arab origin were succeeding economically in the city, having a reasonably wealthy life, and many sent part of the money earned by their business to the countries to their homeland countries. Neither the city was never a stage of terrorism attack nor the cogitations that the city was acting as fund booster for terrorism proved being as correct, however.

The city was stage of peace manifestations in 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...2002 and in 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...2004.

See Also

• Ciudad del Este is the capital of Alto Paraná department, in Paraguay, situated at 25°42′ S 54°63′ W. Founded in 1957, it was originally called Puerto Flor de Lis, then until 1989 Puerto Presidente Stroessner (after Alfredo Stroessner). ...Ciudad del Este
• Puerto Iguazu
• Iguaçu Falls Iguaçu Falls For the cities where the falls are located, see Foz do Iguaçu, a major city located in the Brazilian state of Paraná Puerto Iguazú, a city located in the Argentinian province of Misiones. ...Iguassu Falls
• Itaipu Dam Itaipu (Portuguese: Itaipu; SAMPA [itajpu]) is a dam that includes the largest hydroelectric power plant in the world. ...Itaipu Dam
• Friendship Bridge is the name of a number of bridges linking countries separated by rivers or straits. ...Friendship Bridge

External Links

• Official site of the city. (http://www.fozdoiguacu.pr.gov.br)
• Brazil (http://www.geographicguide.com/brazil.htm)
• South America (http://www.geographicguide.com/south_america.htm).
• Site of the tourist department of the city (http://www.iguassufalls.com.br)