Regions of Brazil - South Region

South Region

• Area: 577,214 km² (6.75%)
• Population: 25,800,000 (43,46 people/km², 12.5%)
• GDP: R$503 billion / US$313,8 billion (2008; ~15%)
• HDI: 0.967
• Climate: Subtropical in all region, hot to moderately hot in the summer, mild (though very cold for Brazilian standards) and very humid winters. Snow is very common, mainly in the highlands (for example in Santa Catarina state's São Joaquim).

• States: Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina
• Largest Cities: Curitiba (1,828,092); Porto Alegre (1,441,554); Londrina (510,707); Joinville (429,004); Caxias do Sul (360,223); Florianópolis (341,781); Pelotas (323,034); Canoas (305,711); Maringá (288.,465); Ponta Grossa (281,000); Blumenau (277,500); Cascavel (273,000); Foz do Iguaçu (269,585); Santa Maria (243,396), Rio Grande (238,000)
• Economy: Machinery and automobile industries, textiles, tourism, energy production, information technology, orange, apple, grapefruit.
• Transport: There are many developed highways and railways throughout the region, although the latter is mainly used for freight. Rivers are used when possible.
• Vegetation: Rainforests along the coast (Mata Atlântica), tropical semiciduous in the north and west (Araucárias) and prairie-like vegetation in the south (Pampas). Little native vegetation still remains due to deforestation.
• Notable characteristics: The South region is characterized by its high standard of living, with by far the best social indicators of the country. This region contains the cities with the highest HDI levels: Florianópolis has an HDI of 0.975; Porto Alegre has an HDI of 0.969; Curitiba has an HDI of 0.980 (information accurate as of 1996). The region, along with the state of São Paulo, is also characterized by its strong immigrant presence, with many inhabitants descended from mainly Danish, Finnish, German, Norwegian, Portuguese and Swedish immigrants, and have added to the local culture, especially in architecture, cuisine and forms of agriculture.