Some places in the region must be emphasized, such as the Iguaçu Falls, (Natural Heritage and one of the New7Wonders of Nature) and the Ruins of St. Michael of the Missions (Cultural Heritage); the Itaipu Dam, elected the as one of the seven modern Wonders of the World); the winter cities on mountains of the SC and RS; and the Botanical Garden of Curitiba, Southern Brazil greatest icon.
The first inhabitants of southern Brazil are the indigenous people. Then came the Spanish Jesuit priests to evangelize the Indians and dominate the land. The pioneers of São Paulo attacked the missions to arrest the Indians. So, the Jesuits and the Indians abandoned the place and the cattle got loose in the fields. The São Paulo pioneers became interested in the trade of cattle. On the way through which the troops passed villages have emerged. For many years, the Portuguese and Spaniards fought over land in the region.
The population of the South has grown with the arrival of the first European immigrants in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries: Germans, Italians, Poles, Ukrainians immigrated to the region, which also received Japanese, Arabs and Jews.
, the South Region had a population of 29,439,773, for a population density of inhabitants/km.
The capital of Paraná state, Curitiba, has the largest population and also the largest economy, and the capital of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, has the largest metropolitan area.
The 10 municipalities of the South Region with more inhabitants are:
The region received large numbers of European immigrants during the 19th century, who have had a large influence on its demography and culture. The main ethnic origins of Southern Brazil are Portuguese, Italian, and German.
Portuguese, the official language of Brazil, is spoken by the entire population. But in some places dialects of German or Italian origins are also spoken; some villages even use the language of immigrants. In Porto Alegre and Curitiba there are some Yiddish speakers.
The region has as main tourist attractions their natural beauty, beaches, historical cities and their European colonies, and the well-defined seasons, characterized by the severe winter.
In Paraná, the Iguassu Falls receive thousands of tourists every year, being the main destination for foreigners in the region. The state also has a geological site of approximately 340 million years, with huge rock formations. The capital, Curitiba, was considered the best southern city for tourism
In Santa Catarina the beaches receive many visitors, and the winter colonies in the state.
The Rio Grande do Sul state - like Santa Catarina - attracts tourists in winter to the cities in mountain, where the cold is intense.
Edmund Stoiber
Edmund Rüdiger Stoiber, German pronunciation: ˈɛtmʊnt ˈʃtɔʏbɐ, (born 28 September 1941) is a German politician. He used to be the Minister-President of the state of Bavaria and the leader of the Christian Social Union party (CSU). On 18 January 2007, he said he no longer wanted to be minister-president and party leader by 30 September, after having been by his own party for weeks.
Edmund Stoiber was born in Oberaudorf in the district of Rosenheim, Bavaria. Before he became a member of the Bavarian parliament in 1974, he was a lawyer and worked at the University of Regensburg.
Stoiber is married to Karin Stoiber. They have three children: Konstanze (1971), Veronika (1977), Dominik (1980) and three grandchildren: Johannes (1999), Benedikt (2001) and Theresa Marie (2005).
Stoiber was a student at Ignaz-Günther-Gymnasium in Rosenheim, where he received his Abitur (high school diploma) in 1961. He served the military with the mountain infantry division but had to leave because he hurt his knee. After his military service, Stoiber studied political science and later law in Munich. In 1967 he passed the state law exam and then worked at the University of Regensburg in criminal law and Eastern European law. He became a doctor of jurisprudence, and then in 1971 passed the second state examination.
In 1978 Stoiber was elected secretary general of the CSU, which he stayed until 1982/83. From 1982 to 1986 he was a representative to the Bavarian secretary of the state and then a minister of state from 1982 to 1988. From 1988 to 1993 he was the Bavarian Minister of the Interior and in May 1993, the Bavarian "Landtag" (parliament) elected him as minister-president. As such he served as President of the "Bundesrat" in 1995/96. In 1998, he was made leader of the CSU.
In 2002, Stoiber removed the leader of the CDU, Angela Merkel, and was made the joint CDU/CSU's candidate for the office of chancellor, with Gerhard Schröder (SPD) as opponent.
Before the 2002 election, the CSU/CDU was on top of the opinion polls and Stoiber said that "...this election is like a football match where it's the second half and my team is ahead by 2-0", a quote that has become famous. However, on election day things had changed. The SPD had a huge comeback and the CDU/CSU got less votes. Both the SPD and CDU/CSU had 38.5% of the vote, but the SPD was ahead by 6,000 votes. Gerhard Schröder was elected again as chancellor by the parliament. He joined together with the Green party. Many people think it was Stoiber's reaction to the floods in eastern Germany, shortly before the election, that made his party lose the vote. Also, Schröder made clear that he was against the Iraq war led by the United States. He made the war the main topic in his campaign, which was seen by many people as the changing factor in the weeks before the election.
Stoiber is a great football fan and he supports the FC Bayern Munich. Before the 2002 election FC Bayern's manager Uli Hoeneß said he supported Stoiber and the CSU. Football legend, FC Bayern President and Vice-President of the German Football Association, Franz Beckenbauer, on the other hand, showed his support for Stoiber by letting him join the German national football team on their flight home from Japan after the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
California Aqueduct
The California Aqueduct is a system of aqueducts in the Central Valley in California, in the United States. It carries water from the Cascade Range about to southern California. Three major reservoirs are on the aqueduct: Bethany, Castaic, and Silverwood.
Aqueduct
An aqueduct is a man-made channel that carries water from one place to another. Usually, they are used to supply water to cities and towns. They may also carry water for irrigation, or for hydroelectricity. Pipes, canals, tunnels, and bridges that serve this purpose are all called aqueducts. Some aqueducts carry a canal for boats and ships. The word “aqueduct” comes from the Latin words “aqua” (water) and “ducere” (to lead). Aqueducts have been used since ancient times.
Orange County, California
Orange County (established 1889) is one of the counties of California, in the United States. It is in southern California, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Its county seat and largest city is Santa Ana.
The county has 3,121,251 people, spread across just 948 square miles (2,455 square kilometers). It is the third most populous county in California. The west-flowing Santa Ana River divides the county into north and south parts. On the north, the San Gabriel River forms its border with Los Angeles County. Some other big cities include Anaheim, Orange, Huntington Beach, Fullerton and Irvine. The county is mostly residential.
The highest average income in Orange County is $203,091, in the city of Villa Park. Some famous attractions, such as Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm, are in Orange County. The tallest building in Orange County is the 37-story One Broadway Plaza, an unfinished building in Santa Ana. It will be tall when it is completed.
České Budějovice
České Budějovice ( or ) is a town in the Czech Republic. About 96,000 people live there (2009). It is located in the South of the historical region Bohemia. The popular Czech beer, Budweiser Budvar, is made there.