South Region, Brazil

The **South Region of Brazil** () is one of the five geographical regions of Brazil defined by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics in 1969. It includes the states of Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul.

## Geography 
The South Region has an area of , the smallest region of the country.

It is the only region of Brazil located outside the tropical zone, with clear variations about the seasons. In winter there are frosts and rarely snow. The relief is just a bit hilly, with a predominance of a large plateau, in general low.

It borders to the north with the Mato Grosso do Sul and São Paulo states; to the east with the Atlantic Ocean; to the south with Uruguay states; and to west with Argentina and Paraguay.

### Hydrography 

The hydrography of Southern Brazil can be classified in three great regions of Watersheds: the Paraná River, the Uruguay River and the Southeast Brazil Rivers.

The rivers of the southern region are availed for navigation, irrigation agriculture, urban water supply and power generation. The most important rivers are voluminous and have great hydroelectric potential. The Itaipu Dam, on the Parana River, is exploring the potential for power generation in the region. This operation allows the South and the Southeast an increasing use of electricity for domestic and industrial use.

### Relief 
 in the Southern Brazil, Paraná.]]
The relief of the region is characterized by many plateaus that rises at altitudes up to more than 1,000 meters above sea level, decreasing to the west. Covering about 3/4 parts of the regional relief, this set is called *Southern Plateau of Brazil* and breaks down into plateaus that go from east to west.

The highest point of the different states of the South Region are:

### Climate 
Only Brazilian region located almost entirely in a subtropical climate, the South is the coldest area of Brazil, with frost and even, in some places, the snowfall. The seasons are well defined and the rains are evenly distributed over the year.

Southern Brazil has subtropical or temperate climate. The annual average temperatures vary between 12&nbsp;°C (53.6&nbsp;°F) and 22&nbsp;°C (71.6&nbsp;°F). Frost is very common and can snow in some mountain ranges.

## States 
This region is formed by three states: Paraná, Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul.

## Panorama 
* - UFPR ("Federal University of Paraná") is the oldest Brazilian university.]]

What most characterizes the South is the way it was colonized and kind of colonizers received. Received short black slaves, but many Caucasian immigrants. The Europeans gave the population the predominance of white skin color, gave to the landscape marks of their original countries and introduced the system of medium and small farms.

The southern region has good social indicators : it has the highest HDI in Brazil (0.831), and the third highest GDP per capita of the country. The region is also, 94.8% of the population.

The region is highly urbanized (82%) and many cities are famous for their urban planning, like Curitiba and Maringá. It has a  relatively high standard of living in many aspects, with the highest Human Development Index of Brazil, 0.859 (2007), and the second highest per capita income of the country, $13.396. The region is also the most literate, 94% literacy rate.

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.

## History 
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.

## Demographics 
 is the unofficial symbol of the region.
.

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.

## Gallery 

Image:Iguacu-002.jpg|Iguaçu Falls, in Paraná.
Image:SaltoSaoFrancisco.Parana.jpg|Saint Francis Waterfall, Paraná
Image:Missoes.jpg|The ruins of St. Michael of the Missions is a Unesco World Heritage site in Rio Grande do Sul.
|Botanical Garden of Curitiba, in Paraná.
Image:ItaipuAerea2AAL.jpg|The *Hidroelétrica de Itaipú* dam.
Image:Universidade_Federal_do_Parana_3_Curitiba_Parana.jpg|The *Universidade Federal do Paraná'' is the oldest Brazilian university.
Image:MoinhoCastroParana.JPG|Windmill in Paraná.

## References