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with polygyny, which allowed a Portuguese man to have many temerícos (native wives), meant
that a settler could have dozens of indigenous relatives who could then be induced to work for
him.

Other unique populations call Paraná home. During the mid-18th & 19th centuries, slow
immigration south from São Paulo brought the usual suspects (Portuguese, Japanese, Italians,
Ukrainians), but Paraná also received significant Polish and Czech populations, which are rare
in other regions. Additionally, a Volga-German colony settled both the Brazilian and
Argentinian side of the river, where to this day a unique variety of German called Paraná-

Wolga-Deutsch can still be heard.

During settlement, the foundations of agriculture and industry grew into the pillars of Paraná’s
economy today. Sugarcane, corn, soybeans, coffee, and tomatoes are the most prevalent agri-
produce. Naturally occurring flora like yerba mate and timber are also harvested, of course.
(Speaking of valuable timber: too many details outside the purview of my post, but if you’re
feeling curious, check out the auracaria forest. I wanna go!)

Not only does Mother Earth provide the
inhabitants of Paraná with agricultural
riches, she’s also been harnessed to
create the largest hydroelectric dam in
the world. Begun in 1971 and finished in
1984 on the border of Paraguay and
Brazil, the Itaipa Dam was first opposed
by Argentina, but the negotiations

around its construction ended up setting
the table for future Brazilian and
Argentinian cooperation in other sectors.
In 2016, Itaipa set a new world record by
Auracaria pine forest, Paraná, Brazil
generating 103,098,366 MWh,
surpassing the Three Gorges Dam.

Thankfully, part of Paraná’s precious
nature will remain protected thanks to
the National Park of Iguaçu. Iguaçu was
one of the first three Brazilian nature
parks created in the late 1930s. Named
after the Iguaçu river, the park offers
visitors the opportunity to visit the
spectacular Iguazu Falls, and
conservationists the opportunity to

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