Cascavel is a city in the state of Paraná in Brazil. It is the fifth most populous city in the state with 348,051 inhabitants, according to IBGE 2022 Census.[2] The distance to Curitiba, the state capital, is 491 kilometers by freeway.[3]

Cascavel
Municipality of Cascavel
Flag of Cascavel
Official seal of Cascavel
Nickname(s): 

Capital of the West
Mercosur Metropolis
Location in Paraná
Location in Paraná
Cascavel is located in Brazil
Cascavel
Cascavel
Location in Brazil
Coordinates: 24°57′20″S 53°27′19″W / 24.95556°S 53.45528°W / -24.95556; -53.45528
Country Brazil
RegionSouth
State Paraná
FoundingMarch 28, 1928
EmancipationNovember 14, 1951
Government
 • MayorLeonaldo Paranhos
Area
2,101.074 km2 (811.229 sq mi)
 • Metro
10,562.37 km2 (4,078.15 sq mi)
Elevation
781 m (2,562 ft)
Population
 (2022)
348,051
 • Density170/km2 (430/sq mi)
 • Metro
552,097
 • Metro density52/km2 (140/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-3
Postal code
85816-000
Area code( 55) 45
HDI (2010)0.782 – high[1]
Websitecascavel.pr.gov.br

Relatively new and with a privileged topography, Cascavel's development was planned, which gives it wide streets and well distributed neighborhoods. With an area of 2,100,831 km2, it is considered a strategic hub of Mercosul. It is the main city in the Cascavel Metropolitan Area.

The city is on a plateau 781 meters above sea level. It is 504 km west of the state capital of Curitiba and 605 km west of the sea port of Paranaguá, 140 km from the three borders (Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil) at 24° 58' South, 53° 26' West.

Toponymy

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The name of the city means rattlesnake in Portuguese; it arises from a variation of the classical Latin "cascabus", meaning "bubbling water boiling". According to legend, a group of settlers camped one night in the region and they were woken by the sound of a rattle; later they realized they set up the camp next to a rattlesnake.

History

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Cycle of "erva mate"

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The Caingangue natives inhabited western Paraná, which was occupied by the Spaniards in 1557, when they founded the Ciudad del Real Guayrá, in the current city of Terra Roxa.

A new occupation started in 1730 with troops (tropeirismo in Portuguese), but the settlement of the current city began in the late 1910s by settlers of mixed racial ethnicity (caboclos (people of indigenous and European descent)), and descendants of Slavic immigrants, at the peak of the cycle of erva mate.

The village began to form on March 28, 1928, when José Silverio de Oliveira, dubbed "Nho Jeca", bought a glebe from the settler Jose Antonio Elias, in the historical area called Encruzilhada dos Gomes, and which is currently the Cascavel Velho neighborhood. It was at a junction of several trails open by ervateiros (cultivators of erva mate), drovers and military, where de Oliveira set up his warehouse. His entrepreneurial spirit was key to the arrival of new people, who brought ideas and investments.

From the 1930s and 1940s, thousands of southern settlers, mostly descendants of Poles, Germans, Italians, Ukrainians and caboclos migrating from coffee regions, began logging, farming and raising pigs in the village, which became a district in 1938.

Notably, the locality was already included in military maps from 1924, and the village was made official by the town hall of Foz do Iguaçu in 1936, with the name of Cascavel. The prelate of that city, Monsignor William Maria Thiletzek, renamed it "Aparecida dos Portos" (a Brazilian name for Mary, The Mother of Jesus), a name that did not prosper amongst the inhabitants.

Cycle of wood

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In the 1930s, with the cycle of erva mate at a close, the surrounding area entered into the so-called "cycle of wood", which attracted a large number of families from Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. In particular, there were many Polish, German and Italian settlers, who formed the basis of the municipal population.

As the native forests were depleted, the land became available to agriculture sector, which underpins the present-day economy.

In 1938, Cascavel became an administrative district.

Emancipation

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The municipality of Cascavel was emancipated on November 14, 1951, by state law n° 790, separating it from Foz do Iguaçu.[4] For decades there was a discussion about whether this would be the proper date, as the installation of the first municipal government occurred only on December 14, 1952. However, in 2010, with the law n° 5.689, the discussion was put to rest.[5]

Development

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Praça do Migrante

As the cycle of timber closed in the late 1970s, industrialization began along with increased agricultural activity and a rising service industry. In less than six decades, Cascavel went from a rest stop for travelers and trappers, to the largest municipality in western Paraná and one of the largest economic centers in southern Brazil.

List of mayors

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Name Terms
José Neves Formighieri December 14, 1952, to December 14, 1956
Helberto Edwino Schwarz December 14, 1956, to December 14, 1960
Octacílio Mion December 14, 1960, to December 14, 1964
Odilon Correia Reinhardt December 14, 1964, to January 31, 1969
Octacílio Mion January 31, 1969, to January 31, 1973
Pedro Muffato January 31, 1973, to January 31, 1977
Jacy Miguel Scanagatta February 1, 1977, to January 31, 1983
Fidelcino Tolentino February 1, 1983, to December 31, 1988
Salazar Barreiros January 1, 1989, to December 31, 1992
Fidelcino Tolentino January 1, 1993 to December 31, 1996
Salazar Barreiros January 1, 1997, to December 31, 2000
Edgar Bueno January 1, 2001, to December 31, 2004
Lísias Tomé January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2008
Edgar Bueno January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2016
Leonaldo Paranhos January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2024

Source: Jornal Hoje[6]

Geography

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Climate

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Cascavel is a humid city, with a humid subtropical climate (Cfa, according to the Köppen climate classification). The annual average temperature is 21 °C (70 °F), with a maximum of 28° (85 °F). Annual average precipitation is 1965 mm (77.362 inches).

Climate data for Cascavel, elevation 760 m (2,490 ft), (1976–2005 normals, extremes 1973–1998)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 34.4
(93.9)
34.1
(93.4)
33.9
(93.0)
32.2
(90.0)
31.0
(87.8)
28.0
(82.4)
28.9
(84.0)
33.2
(91.8)
35.4
(95.7)
34.9
(94.8)
36.6
(97.9)
36.4
(97.5)
36.6
(97.9)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 28.6
(83.5)
28.3
(82.9)
28.2
(82.8)
25.8
(78.4)
22.4
(72.3)
20.4
(68.7)
20.9
(69.6)
22.7
(72.9)
24.0
(75.2)
26.2
(79.2)
27.8
(82.0)
28.3
(82.9)
25.3
(77.5)
Daily mean °C (°F) 23.1
(73.6)
22.7
(72.9)
22.2
(72.0)
19.9
(67.8)
17.0
(62.6)
15.1
(59.2)
15.2
(59.4)
16.7
(62.1)
18.0
(64.4)
20.2
(68.4)
21.8
(71.2)
22.8
(73.0)
19.6
(67.2)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 19.1
(66.4)
19.0
(66.2)
18.3
(64.9)
16.0
(60.8)
13.3
(55.9)
11.5
(52.7)
11.3
(52.3)
12.6
(54.7)
13.6
(56.5)
15.8
(60.4)
17.1
(62.8)
18.6
(65.5)
15.5
(59.9)
Record low °C (°F) 9.8
(49.6)
9.2
(48.6)
6.7
(44.1)
3.6
(38.5)
−0.4
(31.3)
−0.8
(30.6)
−4.2
(24.4)
−1.9
(28.6)
0.2
(32.4)
4.0
(39.2)
7.2
(45.0)
10.8
(51.4)
−4.2
(24.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 191.9
(7.56)
177.6
(6.99)
141.5
(5.57)
167.2
(6.58)
192.3
(7.57)
131.1
(5.16)
110.2
(4.34)
107.1
(4.22)
159.0
(6.26)
224.9
(8.85)
181.7
(7.15)
187.5
(7.38)
1,972
(77.63)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 14 13 12 10 10 10 8 8 10 12 11 12 130
Average relative humidity (%) 77 79 75 74 76 77 73 69 69 70 68 73 73
Mean monthly sunshine hours 224.3 193.7 216.0 202.3 196.5 183.9 209.7 202.8 179.0 203.7 223.9 226.4 2,462.2
Source 1: Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA)[7]
Source 2: IDR-Paraná (precipitation days and sun 1973–1998)[8]

Demographics

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According to the IBGE, the population of Cascavel is formed of the following ethnicities[9]

Ethnicity Percentage
White 70,15%
Mixed 26,25%
Black 2,59%
Asian 0,88%
Indigenous 0,27%

Evolution of the population

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The city has experienced significant population growth since its foundation, especially during the first decades. On the other hand, several municipalities were ultimately removed from Cascavel, which slightly reduced its demographic expansion.

Year Population Percent change
1950 404
1960 39,598 9.701%
1970 89,921 127,08%
1980 163,459 81,78%
1991 192,990 18,07%
2000 245,369 27,14%
2010 286,172 16,63%
2022 348,051 21,6%

Economy

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Economic center of Cascavel

Cascavel is responsible for 26% of the total production of cereals in the state of Paraná. The main crops are soybeans, wheat, corn, rice, cotton and beans. It is also a big producer of poultry, swine and cattle.

Participation in the municipal GDP:

Livestock raising: 5.95%
Industry: 16.63%
Services: 77.42%

The main industries are food processing, chemicals, metallurgy, and beverages.

It is the terminus of a metre-gauge railway line that goes to the port of Paranaguá.

Transportation

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In a strategic position within a big road junction, served by seven intercity roads, being four interstates, making it a mandatory passage for those traveling by road to the Iguazu Falls in Foz do Iguaçu, and to the neighboring countries, Argentina and Paraguay. Also for those heading from South to Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, Northwest to Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul and Uruguay or West to the state capital, Curitiba, the beaches and the seaports in the coastline.

The city is served by the Regional West Airport, previously named Coronel Adalberto Mendes da Silva Airport. The airport has been named in 2022 and 2023, the best regional airport in Brazil.

Universities

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Cascavel is a very important college center. Besides a state university, in recent years the city became an important student hub centre, with an increasing number of private universities starting their activities in the city.[10]

List of universities

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Sport

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The city is home to the Autódromo Internacional de Cascavel - Zilmar Beux, racing track hosting among others the Copa Truck, Stock Car Brasil, Campeonato Brasileiro de Turismo, and the Mercedes-Benz Challenge.

The city is home to one of the top futsal clubs, Cascavel Futsal Clube, being a two-time Futsal Libertadores Cup winner.

The local association football teams are FC Cascavel and Cascavel Clube Recreativo, in the past there was also Cascavel Esporte Clube. The home of all the teams is the Estádio Olímpico Regional Arnaldo Busatto.

References

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  1. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 8, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ^ "População em Cascavel (PR) é de 348.051 pessoas, aponta o Censo do IBGE". G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). June 28, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  3. ^ "Indicadores do Portal do Município de Cascavel". 2013. Archived from the original on May 5, 2013. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
  4. ^ "Exibir Ato". Legislacao.pr.gov.br. January 1, 1980. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  5. ^ "Portal do Município de Cascavel - Prefeito Edgar Bueno faz lançamento da marca". www.cascavel.pr.gov.br. Archived from the original on September 18, 2011. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  6. ^ "Jornal Hoje – Especial Cascavel 55 anos" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 2, 2013. Retrieved November 27, 2013.
  7. ^ "Atlas climático da Região Sul do Brasil: Estados do Paraná, Santa Catarina e Rio Grande do Sul" (PDF). EMBRAPA. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 14, 2024. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  8. ^ "Medias_Historicas - Cascavel" (PDF). IDR-Paraná. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  9. ^ IBGE Cidades - Cascavel
  10. ^ "Universitários ganham novo espaço para eventos". Portal do Município de Cascavel. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
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