Paraná is a state in Southern Brazil. It is next to Paraguay and Argentina. Paraná is a famous state because of Itaipu Dam and the Iguaçu Falls with 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 European colonization. Most of the population are descendants of European settlers, and is one of the most ethnically diverse.