Ponta Grossa

, in the back shows the old village in 1820. It is noted that the referred high hill surrounded by some forest ahead a vast region dominated by fields The place where it is located has a toponymia related to a hill seen long distance during trips to the Campos Gerais. In 1871 the city came to be called Pitangui, but the following year it resumed its original name. Sometimes it is the target of malicious humor due to what its name can send like in Portuguese. One way or another describes the characteristics of the vegetation and the regional topography. == History ==

According to the historian Paulo Eduardo Dias de Mello the earliest account of European activity in this area is of the tropeiros who travelled with their wares towards the fair of Sorocaba. Ponta Grossa served as a resting point since 1703 of the long voyages that left Rio Grande do Sul. Along the way was commercialized the charque, where the meat was preserved only with salt. Unlike other settlements, Ponta Grossa was not inhabited, indigenous groups occupied places to the north, with expansion, conflicts later came with European settlers, such as that of the city of Reserva, but outside the urban space of the city in question. Another version, but not necessarily contradictory, states that the farmers of the area would launch a couple of pigeons and where these birds would land would mark the beginning of the Freguesia with the construction of the chapel Mrs. Saint Anne. Colonial Expeditions Ponta Grossa had its territory traversed from the 16th century, when the Campos Gerais were crossed by Spanish expeditions that demanded of the Santa Catarina coast until Asunción, in Paraguay. Later it was successively moved on account of the seiscentistas bandeirantes, notably for capture of the natives. Tropeiros, people who used mules and donkeys to transport goods (normally called muleteers in English) used the region as a route, the landscape in the form of a field became welcome to pass with mules and in the future cattle ranching. At a later point some former tropeiros settled in the area and began to farm. Much of the products from these new farms was used for the feeding of animals used by the muleteers. Other muleteers settled down and started farming because events like floods disrupted the distribution of their goods and so they had to take their losses and began new activities. Preferably, the tropeiros chose to settle near the banks of the Verde and Pitangui River. The first settlers who settled here were farmers from the state of São Paulo. They chose this area due to the abundance of natural pastures and the beauty of the Campos Gerais. They settled in the environs of the rivers Verde and Pitangui. Shortly after Benedictines of the Monastery of the Saints obtained grant of these fields, that called Santa Bárbara Farm. However, in 1813, the interim governor of the Province of São Paulo, D. Matheus Abreu Pereira, donated these same lands to the lieutenant Atanagildo Pinto Martins, a bandeirante from Paraná who traveled through and surveyed the way of the Fields of Palms. The Benedictines protested, claiming acquired rights, presenting the Term of concession, but nothing of value was worth the appeals, finishing the immense area in possession of bandeirante Atanagildo. The Santa Bárbara chapel, constructed by Jesuit reductions to the control of the Spanish government was used by oratory by the tropeiros and travelers of Campos Gerais from 1727 by donation of sesmaria of Itaiacoca or the Pitangui. With the abolition of slavery, what did not continue with the catechization and slavery, even with religious groups that came later. Not far from the farm, in the 1970s human bones were found possibly from the slaves of the time. Where today is the Metropolitan Cathedral, there was a ranch of inn, erected by tropeiros, next to a centenary fig tree, under which they planted a cross. It was there the point of stop of troops and travelers. Another point of reference at this time was the Casa de Telhas (in English: House of Tiles), constructed by the Jesuits for relate with people of the region. In this house were celebrated the offices of the sacrament and religious festivals. In a short time, around the Casa de Telhas appeared the first huts. two years after the visit of the Emperor Dom Pedro II, main incentive of the immigrations, when he stayed in the residence of Major Domingos Pereira Pinto to whom granted the title of Baron of Guaraúna. The state government also encouraged through the figure of Lamenha Lins. By the middle of the nineteenth century, altogether 2,300 ethnic Germans from the Russian Empire arrived in the region. This immigration was in part fueled by the arrival of the railroad. The presence of the railroad also lead to other groups of immigrants coming to the city. This included Slavs, Italians and some people from southwest Asia. The city experienced great progress from 2 March 1894, when the Curitiba-Ponta Grossa Railroad was inaugurated (the road facilitated the connection between cities and offered work opportunities In the early years of the Brazilian Republic, the farmers began to suffer the scarcity of labor, so the main economic source became the yerba mate and wood. On this occasion Getúlio walked through the city streets alongside Lieutenant-Colonel Galdino Luís Esteves and Aristides Krauser do Canto, being cheered by the population who waved red handkerchiefs and flags, symbols of the revolution. Ponta Grossa was the birthplace of great names of Paraná politics, being known as "Civic Capital of Paraná" (in English: Civic Capital of Paraná). == Geography ==

Ponta Grossa is on the Second Plateau Paranaense (also known as Plateau of Ponta Grossa, limited the east through the Escarpa Devoniana), at a latitude of 25º09'S and longitude of 50º16'W, from the capital of Paraná to downtown is 70,8 miles (114 km). The city has 16 neighbourhoods giving the urban area a sum of . The relief is quite bumpy is found numerous valleys within the urban area. It is considered the main road and rail junction in southern Brazil. It has access to the federal highway BR-376 that connects to the north of the state and gives access to BR-277 that allows access from west to east of the state, including Curitiba and Foz do Iguaçu. The same highway gives access in the south direction to resume the BR-376 allowing to go towards Santa Catarina. The average salary is 2.7 Brazilian minimum wage, placing it in a satisfactory position in Paraná in relation to other areas. The number of people to be in regular employment is 99,317, almost 1/3 of the population, a little more of this proportion represents the number of workers who receive half of a minimum wage stipulated for the country. The schooling rate is 98.2%. GDP per capita (2015) is R$34,941.59. The HDI is 0.763 for 2010. Infant mortality is 11 occurrences for every thousand births, a high value for state statistics. The treatment of sewage is 81.3% in relation to the pipes connected to the network. It is also characterized by low urban afforestation in relation to most of the paranaenses cities. For a historical and phytogeographic regionalization, the city is located in the Campos Gerais do Paraná (In English: General Fields of the Paraná) the most important of the region. For the IBGE's official regionalization, the city is located in the Central-Eastern region of Paraná. Locating in the meso and microregion homonymous to the name of this urban settlement. Climate On the Koppen classification is Cfb, typical of the plateaus of southern Brazil which is usually attributed as subtropical of the highlands with mild or warm summers. Although far from the coast has a strong oceanic influence combined with altitude. The average annual temperature is 63.5 °F (17.5 °C). Winters are cold to their latitude, but are generally mild to be considered temperate as the true ocean climates. The average temperature in the winter (July) is from 56.7 °F (13.7 °C) and in the summer (January) is from 70.5 °F (21.4 °C), a high temperature average relatively low for the location. In the plant hardiness of the USDA the city is in zone 9b in almost your totality, in the same zone that the Central Florida by which it allows the growth of the genus Pinus, among other subtropical species. The various valleys are important to create microclimates with different temperatures and humidity. Heat islands can occur in the Downtown and Santa Paula (besides the urban density is associated too with the predominant direction of slopes). , as shown in the example of Ponta Grossa. According to data from the National Institute of Meteorology (INMET), Brazilian institute, referring to the period from 1961 to 1973 (until 28 February), the lowest temperature recorded in Ponta Grossa was 21.7 °F (−5.7 °C) on 9 June 1967, and the highest reached 94.5 °F (34.7 °C) on 3 November 1968. The largest accumulated precipitation in 24 hours was 5.1' (130.5 mm) on 13 February 1966. Other large accumulations were 4.4' (110.9 mm) on 6 May 1970 and 3.9' (100 mm) on 4 July 1965. The lowest relative humidity was recorded in the afternoon of 9 June 1967, at 14%. Other years recorded were 1975 and 1981. Usually can stay up to 20 years without the occurrence, other times the interval may be 2 years. Frosts are the most common winter event, about 5 annual freezes. The fog is a common winter event, which can contribute to the cause of accidents and delayed flights. {{Weather box Ecology applied to the urban area during a drought at the end of winter 2017 In ecological terms it is diversified. The composition and species varies according to climatic, pedological and rock formation. The biota differs from region to region. One of the ecosystems found are of field vegetation similar to North American prairies. Tree vegetation is rare, usually dominated by grasses and herbaceous. Sometimes it is interspersed with shrubs. Covering an area of 22,800 ha in 1996. The trampling of the herds is responsible for the modification of the location and quantity of species that live in these fields. The renovation of the pasture is done by the slash-and-burn, a technique used a long time ago. Other paradigms for the original conservation of the vegetation is the inclusion of some species with seeds, decharacterizing the original phytogeographic region. The backing for affirmative is also indicated for the presence of agroindustries. Part of the lack of conservation is to for consider the fields as a monotonous vegetation without diversity. It usually appears in regions of smaller altimetric oscillations (for example: Furnas Formation in Itaiacoca or in the elevated portions of Uvaia with the Itararé Formation).) and around springs and slopes of the escarpment. One of the largest areas of forest is located in the District of Guaragi.) of Paleozoic age on the Crystalline Basement presenting metamorphic and igneous rocks. Pre-Cambrian igneous rocks of the Cunhaporanga granitic complex are the exception because do not belong of the sedimentary basin covering a large part of the state. Within the larger structure that models the relief is the morphosculptural unit represented by the Second Planalto modeled by climatic influence to millions of years of similar origins and modeling. The relief is gently undulating (though rugged) exhibiting prominent hills and points. Furnas and ruiniform reliefs are present within its political limit. Rivers like the Tibagi accompany the slope, as posteriorly prescribed, while others, like the Pitangui, cross deep valleys between the steep relief towards the 2nd plateau. To the northeast the altitudes can exceed 1800 meters, places where it finds the greater slopes. Larger elevations are explained due to the passage of the topographic step known as Devonian Escarpament to the east and northeast of Ponta Grossa. Devonian sandstone rocks are the basis of the geological substrate: Furnas and Ponta Grossa, above are carboniferous sandstones of the Itararé Group. Each unit is intercepted by dikes and mesozoic sills as a consequence of the separation grooves of the South American and African Plate, where the breakage began. The sandstones of the Ponta Grossa and Furnas Formation are in the form of shales (when they touch disintegrate on leaf or layer forms) of siltstone or clay structure. It deposited as a result of the basalts of the Serra Geral Formation. The rivers and sediments flowing downstream from the mineral compound are responsible for Cenozoic deposition. of the Vila Velha Park, mystically known as the "City of Lost Stones", remembering an ancient city of ruins It is famous the sandstone of the Vila Velha Park, an example of ruiniform relief. In geological terms the forms visualized are recent, originated during the gondwana megacontinente, where South America was linked to Africa, Oceania, Antarctica and India. In which the ruins lie in the Carboniferous period was a more southern latitude covered by glaciers. The landscape itself was formed after several burials and erosive processes. Different shapes can be found: flutes, dissolution cones, pointed tops, towers and pillars. Although the popular saying has long ago explained that Vila Velha was originated by the action of the wind, geological research however has been stating that it is the fruit of rainwater, action of the solar energy, changes in temperature and activity of living beings on the rock (in discontinuities and shear zone). Graben Graben of Ponta Grossa is a tectonic fossa with blocks slaughtered of the NE-SW direction (average values: 3 km wide and 10 km long), where the city is located in the greater part of the urban perimeter. Caused by the displacement of rocks, so that the whole block can descend. The spaces in vain are occupied by rocks of the fault, allowing that rocks of the Itararé Group and of the Ponta Grossa Formation, therefore of rocks of very different ages are at the same stratigraphic level. The geological unit of Furnas has a fractured and karstic aquifer where it has been receiving innumerable grants in the last decades for the installation of tubular wells due to water quality. The Itararé Group also has aquifer, although the lower quality is used because it is outcrop, since the Furnas normally be lower. The Ponta Grossa Formation has a good form of water storage but difficult to flow and is usually associated with another two in well records. Being in an urban environment is susceptible of contamination. Other cares refer to the karst relief in Furnas that can cause landslides. Arch of the Ponta Grossa This arch, named after the city, is located on a rise of the Earth's crust on the eastern limit of the Paraná Basin. It arose about 130 million years ago when the South American and African continents were separating. It has an NW-SE direction with NW trim, diabase dikes appear in subparallel bundles near the arch and these same fractures are responsible for the third plateau basalt effluent. In the second plateau but mainly in horizontal fracturing. The topography is also a consequence of the arching, exposing the older rocks at the edges of the sedimentary basin. Several parallel faults, aquifers and magnetic alignments follow the direction of the Arch of the Ponta Grossa. It is believed that the resulting dikes were not formed simultaneously, but over a period of 100 years, and not necessarily all are situated to the northwest. The drainage of some rivers that pass through the city and in the region of Campos Gerais is accompanied by canyons, rocky walls and waterfalls as found in the municipality in the São Jorge River, which demonstrates a morfoestrutural control. Hydrography The main drainage basin that covers Ponta Grossa is the Tibagi River (original indigenous denotation "Tibaji"), tributary of the Paranapanema River its tributaries are the Pitangui River which in its margin is subdivided into: Verde, Cará-Cará and Botuquara known in the city. There are no major watercourses on the left bank. The municipality also has the source of the Ribeira River within the Campos Gerais Park in a depression with altitude much smaller than the urban area and it is found in the 1st Planalto (Plateau of Curitiba). The area is considered well irrigated even if it has relatively small basins outside the Tibagi River that covers the whole region. With the retention of moisture has its rapid displacement to the main water flows. The drainage pattern normally found is radial. Pitangui River, one of the most important rivers of the municipality was dammed in 1939 originating the Dam of the Alagados. The same is responsible for the water supply in the city, also by the direct capture of the river. There are, however, problems associated with aggradation and eutrophication. The presence of agriculture, industrial effluents and vehicular traffic instead of the riparian forest affects the chemistry of water with levels of chlorides, phosphors and alkaline. In all there are 12 drainage basins in the municipality. They are: Ronda, Olarias, Pilão de Pedra, Lajeado Grande, Santa Tereza, Cará-Cará, Francelina, Santa Monica, Grande Arroyo, Taquari, Colônia Adelaide and Gertudes. With rapid urbanization and without efficient public policies, several arroyos, especially in the 1980s, were occupied by irregular housing. By that it aggravated the quality of the municipal air, a singular characteristic before other cities of Paraná. Limits It borders seven municipalities as a whole, although their downtown may be more than 56 miles (90 km) in some cases. To the north are the towns of Castro and Carambeí and Tibagi, to the south are the towns of Palmeira and Teixeira Soares, to the east is the city of Campo Largo, and to the west is Ipiranga. == Demographics ==

For the data collected by the census the population in 2010 was 311,611 inhabitants with a density of 150.72 inhabitants/km2, for an estimate of 2018 the value is 348,043 inhabitants of Paraná. Historically its geographical condition was important for the population increase, from the breeding and wintering to the yerba mate and wood and finally the services sector. Ponta Grossa grew faster in the late 17th century, though Jesuits had settled a century earlier. Used as a breeding ground for the troops of Viamão due to natural pasture, in the freguesia in 1853 there were 3,033 people (1652 men and 1381 women). In 1877 by order of the Empire, this city as well as other of the south of Brazil received immigrants such as: Poles, Germans, Ukrainians, Russians and Italians, generating a cultural broth and increasing population. Demographic growth continued at the end of the same century with the railway under construction. Finalized, it allowed greater interconnection between other regions. In 1890 there were 4,774 inhabitants. Being the population concentrated in rail districts in Uvaranas and Oficinas, accompanying of basic services that were coming up successively. Ponta Grossa lives in a historical context of urbanization seen in the south and southeast of the country. It is in 1940 that it becomes the second largest population contingent of Paraná and consequently reference to the interior of the lost state in the following decade. Guaragi, reincorporated in 1957 (annexed by Palmeira in 1940) brought a new demographic balance. In 1969 with fiscal incentives in the government of Cyro Martins was installed of new industries, which generated a boom of factories. In the 1980s there was an expansion of the urban network, while the railroad is now located in Uvaranas, accompanied by a better infrastructure and then the growth of the urban network and peripheral neighborhoods. In the later decade there were improvements in other sectors. Other districts have predominantly agrarian characteristics, although Guaragi is closer to an urbanized environment. By 2040 the population may reach 460 thousand inhabitants, an increase of 31% in relation to that registered in 2019, 3.4% above the national average and 11% of the predicted state average. Due to the history of European colonization and slavery not so present as in other regions, even in Paraná, the population is predominantly white. The black population declared is smaller than cities with lower population size such as Cascavel, Foz do Iguaçu and São José dos Pinhais. At the same time the number of whites is lower in these cities, but in relation to "Princess of the Fields" is proportional to their fourth place by total number of people. The indigenous population is larger than Maringá, which has a larger population, and Ponta Grossa is behind only the two largest cities in the state. The yellow population is the smallest in proportion to the number of inhabitants in front of the five largest cities of Paraná, with values closer to cities between 100 thousand and 200 thousand inhabitants, being surpassed by some cities of Paraná, especially in the north of the state. The self-reported white population is higher in the center (91.3%) and the lowest in the south of the city: Cará-Cará (72.6%). Internal Migration The migration by internal population contingents follows a geographical logic of proximity and flows. The population also underwent changes due to the limit of the municipality that normally went until the Santa Catarina border to the south, since the registries was by the area covered by the parish. It is noticed that between 1823 and 1879 of the residents of Ponta Grossa who live in the same country or had origin in some city of Paraná (305 people or 8.9%) or of São Paulo, in a greater number: 462 people (13.5%) Among the Paraná cities that contributed most to the population increase were Castro (for historical and economic reasons), followed by Campo Largo, Palmeira, Lapa, São José dos Pinhais, Curitiba, Itapetininga, Itapeva and Sorocaba. But it was not just the two states that made up the population of the city. Rio Grande do Sul had its participation in consequence of the tropeirismo, mainly with the cities of the north of the state: Passo Fundo, Vacaria and Cruz Alta. Other cities that have emerged along the Way of Viamão as well as Ponta Grossa also appear in the origin of the resident princesinos like Lages in Santa Catarina (6 men and 4 women). In recent history Ponta Grossa has received interstate migrants between 1990 and 2010, as a consequence of the dynamics of flows to the mesoregion centers, as has also been occurring in other attractive urban areas of the state. Immigration Russians, Germans, Poles and Austrians form the largest group of immigrants of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. By the civil registry in the Sant'Ana Registry, one of the principal of the city, the largest registry of grooms between 1889 and 1920 are from the previous three, which proves the affirmative. They are 257 Poles, 102 Germans and 64 Austrians, with booms in different decades according to the biggest waves of immigrants. Since 1870, Empire politicians have encouraged European immigration to the country, considering their advanced agricultural techniques and seeking to fill areas. Although inhabited, were often surrounded by forests and depopulated regions such as the case of Paraná. Other reasons were the lack of the basic foodstuffs. Most of the population was focused on yerba mate production and there were no more slaves for free labor. Other ethnic groups include arabs that reflect in the gastronomy. Independently of the origin, a large part of the immigrants had importance for the economic base of Ponta Grossa, several commercial establishments and services were created, from tailoring to butchers and same industrial activities. Emerging, therefore, as social actors of the city. In coexistence with different social classes and ethnicities. Among the German immigrants, some re-emigrated from the Dona Francisca Colony (from 1875 in the present city of Joinville). Jens Jansen came riding from Curitiba to Ponta Grossa establishing in the farm of Jose Miró, in 1877 he lived in Colônia Moema, time that came a leads directly to the city. Many families were adapting to different places, like some that came from Santa Catarina. But the settlement itself was between 1877 and 1879 mainly. Some colonies were separated due to the religious aspect, Tavares Bastos, for example was Catholic different from other groups of Lutheran tradition. It is believed that the cost of housing an immigrant was 60 milreis. The assistance of Alfredo Heinsler to the Volga Germans is remarkable. In 1927 he and the immigrants celebrate the centennial of immigration. Besides the Otavio Colony, the oldest settlement of the Volga Germans, there were other immigrant villages such as the Euridice Colony in the Chapada Neighborhood where there is the house of August Jansen, one of these immigrants from the period with his name indicated in his house. Among other colonies were formed, subdivided of the oldest colony such as: Moema, Tavares Bastos, Conchas/Uvaia and Dona Luiza. Guarauna was one of the largest with 322 settlements, followed by Adelaide (142) and Tavares Bastos (112). Family farming and livestock were base. This as well as other colonies did not obtain success with the planting of wheat that had been replaced by other cereals. Volga Germans were encouraged not to lose their customs of their ethnic origin by which they were replicated in written publications. In 1917 were registered in Ponta Grossa 84 Germans, is the second largest German community, being behind only of Curitiba. In the following year it is surpassed by Guarapuava, remaining in the third place with 29 new registered immigrants, adding between 1917 and 1918 to the whole 9.7% of the police record of Paraná. . Poles The Poles settled in 1878 in the settlement called Colony Moema abandoned by the Germans who complained of the dry fields due to their low fertility. With about 26 families (84 people) coming from Tarnnow, southern Poland who were waiting somewhere in the metropolitan area of Curitiba, being the first of the ethnic group. In January 1891, a new group of Poles arrived, distributed in more colonies and, consequently, in a larger number of people: Colony of Taquari (125), Guarauna (140), Rio Verde (78), Butuquara (73), Itaiacoca (46) and Euridice (23), in the municipality of Ponta Grossa. In Conchas, today annexed to the municipality went to Adelaide (99) and Floresta (29). At 6.2 miles (10 km) from the center, the Guaraúna and Taquari Colonies are the largest immigrants in quantity. Some colonies had no planning and were built of wattle and daub, covered with straw and wood, in the condition of poverty they tried to go until the "ranchões" (place that the immigrants are situated to wait their constructed houses). The club served for many years as a meeting place for descendants of Poles, to build it there was a need for many people. Gary Dvoreck, the then president of the Polish Society, was against the tipping of the Renaissance Club in 2012. He believes that after being overthrown it would not be possible to make reforms. In 2017 Polish club was at risk of demolition (by which it was denied) and thus came the disclosure of reforms. The Campos Gerais Museum exhibited in 2012 the traditions, the dances folklores, the elements of the first immigrants as well as the Polish architecture. Also the typical costumes pisanki, wycinanki and lepianka, there were a version of Matryoshka, the Christmas wafer: oplatek and Christmas tree, one of the first versions of the ornament. Periods were a form of socialization of the Polish community in Brazil. In Ponta Grossa there was the Sowirzdrzal w Paranie ("The pesky ones in Paraná"). Population pyramid Ponta Grossa, as well as the southern half of Brazil, live a demographic transition period, where the largest population is no longer in the children's zone, but has not yet reached the highest peaks in adulthood, a trend of the future. The number of elderly people has been increasing, although in larger proportion in the Female sex. The population over 65 years of age reaches 21416 (2010, 6.87% of aging index). Currently, considering the 2010 census, the largest age group is between 15 and 24 years old, therefore a predominance among adolescents and young people, giving the population pyramid a "beahive" shape rather than the previous pyramid shape of the previous two decades. There are other phases of higher growth in relation to age bands before or after them, such as 5–9 years (before) and 10–14 years (after). However, the number of inhabitants 80 and older is not so different as the number of 1-year-olds (4109 vs 4376). Over 30 years old there is predominance of female gender, an opposite situation in the infantile-juvenile phase, where the male sex loses only at the age of 7 years. In a total balance, women predominate (51.43%) with 160249 residents of the sex, a proportion similar to 1991. Men corresponded to a figure of 9,000 below the total number of women, altogether 151362 (48.57%). In the last decade the ratio of adolescents' dependence on the financial issue has reduced to less than half, in 1991 it was 60%. Religion As the main colonizers were Iberians and descendants of other regions of Brazil during the first settlements and emergence of farms, the main religion is the Roman Catholic Church. In turn it reflects even in the mode of establishment of the city (settlement linked to the location of the parish and patrons of Catholicism). And it interrelated with the history of the "Princess of the Fields", as the Santa Barbara Chapel founded by Spanish Jesuits is the oldest of the Campos Gerais, founded in the eighteenth century. Even the decree was in devotion to St. Anne. Known as the grandmother of Jesus in the Catholic tradition the same is the patroness of Ponta Grossa and by the strong influence of religion on 26 July is municipal holiday. The construction of the chapel was in 1823 in a former shelter of tropeiros that marks the beginning of the village. Other buildings that are also part of the religious patrimony are the Immaculate Conception Church ("the little church of Uvaranas") and the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church ("the church of the Poles"). Religious festivals take place annually as Feast of the Divine Holy Spirit and of the Lady Saint Anne. The city houses the Resurrection Monastery and a monument dedicated to the bible. On 16 December 1929 the Diocese of Ponta Grossa was created. Cardinal Henrique Gasparri took possession of the diocese on 23 February 1930. Bishop Antônio Mazzarotto built spaces that provided for the formation of religious as seminaries and congregations of religious sisters. Since 5 September 2003, bishop Sergio Arthur Braschi is the bishop of the Diocese of Ponta Grossa. For the 2010 census, 209,678 people identify themselves as Roman Catholics (67.29%). The second largest in number is the Evangelical Church in general with 74842 followers (24.02%). Among the religious minorities with more than 1,000 believers are Spiritism (2.35%), Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (0.89%), Jehovah's Witnesses (0.48%) and other Christian religions summed up (0.47%). Hundreds of people follow Buddhism (0.10%), Umbanda (0.04%), Esotericism (0.06%), Catholic Churches that do not obey the papal hierarchy (0.14%) and new Eastern religions as a whole (0.04%). Other religious groups are usually isolated in proportional numbers of families as if they were from the same kinship or few expressive in percentage terms. The number of people without religion is greater than the number of believers of the major non-Christian religions in the municipality. They are 11422 who declare that they have no affiliation with an institution of any creed (3.67%), although only slightly more than a tenth identify themselves as either an atheist (0.29%) or an agnostic (0.06%). People like more than one religion reach 0.32% and do not know 0.04%. Religions that are generally classified as Christian add up to 286,414 people or 91.91% of the city's population. Adding a value of 4.41% for other religions. There have been events to bring Christian religions closer together like the Semana de Oração pela Unidade Cristã (in English: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity). A project of ecumenical reconciliation, involving biblical symbols between institutions. The diocese of the municipality studies reactivating the hermitage, seen prominently for people who pass through the BR-376 and see the Vila Velha Park and see the structure in the shape of an elongated cone. It became a shrine on 25 July 1983 designed by Bishop Geraldo Pellanda. The same falls within a religious tourism project. Periodic celebrations should be held as well as gatherings, retreats and events. However, it was passed to the technical analysis of the responsible environmental agency in the state. During the first week of October 2018, it was authorized the reform of the hermitage with a budget of 300 thousand reais (77800 dollars) and it is very likely to reopen in 2019 for religious tourism with the support of the local tourism foundation. The sanctuary emerged in the late 1970s. == Economy ==

It is one of the major economic forces in the state of Parana. The economy of Ponta Grossa has always been linked to agriculture. It was in the last decade of the nineteenth century that there was a jump in the then small town. It is the time of the inauguration of the railway. Products such as yerba mate, soybeans, wood and cereals that were cultivated in this place are now processed in the municipality, entering the first wave of industrialization. The installation of logistics companies and shopping centers such as Palladium Shopping Center further strengthened the economy, especially in terms of trade. In terms of GDP per Capita, it is in 63rd place with 34,941.59 reais, which shows the social inequality in relation to other cities of economic port such as Araucária and São José dos Pinhais. Even so, the value is close to Belo Horizonte, which may indicate that the inequality is not yet the most serious, even more compared to other cities outside the center-south. In terms of wealth generated, in 2015 the industry generated the city the 5th place in the city, the front of services (6th place) and the agricultural sector (17th place), in a total balance is in 7th place for the sum of sectors. Being among the 100 largest economies, in terms of city in the national ranking (72nd position). GDP in 2015 was R$10,289,960.68. In 2017 it was 6.6 trillion. In 2018 there was an increase in Tetra Pak and Madero's growth, as well as the installation of AmBev. In the same year, trade and services fell to seventh and there is an intention to foster these sectors with the Ponta Grossa Economic Development Council (CDEPG). Ponta Grossa has 56% of the GDP of Campos Gerais, largely due to the Value Added Tax (VAT). Between the years 1910 and 1920 Ponta Grossa became the second largest economy in the state. The relapse of the economy surfaced in 1940, even during the crisis of 1929 the city managed to remodel itself. In addition, much of the area was a victim of deforestation of native vegetation, as well as other areas of Paraná that were sold to Buenos Aires and London. Ahead the municipality saw the solution in mechanization, in the concentration of capital, the division of factors of production and tasks. The Industrial District of Ponta Grossa was to share with Curitiba the development project for eastern Paraná, but in fact it was to concentrate industries in the capital of Paraná and leave the factories related to agriculture inland. The Industrial District was created in 1971, near the Cará-Cará neighborhood in the south of the city. The city hall gives ownership to industries. In the late 1970s Ponta Grossa became known as one of the main agro-industrial processing centers for soybeans. Until 1987 it was called the Botuquara Industrial District, but from that year on it became the Industrial District Mayor Cyro Martins. In 1992 the planned community determined that much of the right bank of the BR-376 towards Curitiba was destined as Industrial Zone. Between 2001 and 2007 there was an increase of 54.43% of the area occupied by industries. Between 2010 and 2015 there was a considerable increase in formal jobs, especially in the services sector. The increase was 13,3%, going from 34650 to 39261 formal jobs. In trade alone there was an increase of 15.6% between 2010 and 2017, formal employment rose from 20,199 to 23,353, respectively. Between 2017 and 2018 were 1137 jobs. The amount between June 2016 and June 2017 is less than a third of the figure. Highlighting whether it serves the service sector, followed by the Manufacturing industry, with associated with an increase of more than 40 industries. Currently, Ponta Grossa is the fifth largest city in export and import in Paraná, with a balance in the order of hundreds of millions of dollars. Exports increased by 136.5% and imports by 19.4% in 2019 compared to 2018, which helps to significantly increase the positive trade balance. 80.9% of the products exported to the municipality go to China and Europe. In the same percentage, soybean as a result of production leads international flow, either as shredded or uncrushed grain or pure oil. 37.3% of imports come from machinery, electrical materials and the like. A recent increase has been detected in recent years in vehicle parts and accessories. When considered in isolation, European countries are the main partners of the pontagrossenses than the Chinese buyer. Recently, a greater partnership has been sought between Mercosur and the European Union, which together make up 1/4 of the world economy, according to Gustavo Ribas Netto, president of the Ponta Grossa Rural Union. Productive sectors For the 2006 data of the Master Plan/ParanáCidade Institute, the largest share is in wholesale trade, but the number of retail establishments is much larger. For the 2017 data, Ponta Grossa is the fourth largest exporter in the state (R$1.05 billion), ahead of cities like Araucária, Londrina, Cascavel and Foz do Iguaçu. At the same time, it is the fifth largest exporter (R$283.2 million). In April 2015 reached second place (470 million reais) in the placement, behind only Paranaguá. Louis Dreyfus Company, Cargill Agricultural, Bunge Foods, BIOSEV (Louis Dreyfus Company), Tetra Pak Brazil, COFCO Brazil and COFCO Internacional, LP Brazil, Crown Embalagens, Makita Tools, Continental of the Brazil, Heineken and Meridional TCS breweries are companies that export more than 50 million sometimes exceeding the mark of 100 million, which together amounts to 330 million reais. Agriculture Despite the minor highlight, agriculture adds 2200 establishments. The main crops are peanuts, rice, beans, cassava, maize and the largest cultivation of soybeans. Even though it plays a significant role in the state itself, it represents 3% of all value added and represents only 2.1% of its territorial extension. The idea was to represent the grain as economic potential and productivity. Before the fame Xuxa Meneghel was in Ponta Grossa and participated as a candidate of the Queen of Soy. In 2015 Vilson Hilgemberg along with his son Alisson Hilgemberg reached the mark of 142 sacks of soybeans per hectare proposed by a challenge of maximizing productivity. And being that year the largest producer of oleoginosa in Brazil. The average production is 40 to 60 bags. The Hilgemberg family said it intends to pass the world record of 179 bags per hectare. Between 2017 and 2019, more than 2 million tons of soybeans were produced in each crop. Soy is also represented by its derivatives as bran and oil, Pontagross products that are most exported abroad, reaching in 2018 to 3.14 billion, the main destination being China. The beneficiation is concentrated among 5 companies: Bunge, Cargill, Nidera, Louis Dreyfus and Cofco. Promotion and assistance has been carried out in family farming. Technical assistance, seedling and seed donation are made by the Parana Institute of Technical Assistance and Rural Extension (EMATER). One of the destinations for small property products is for public schools, Feira Verde (in English: Green Fair): project that allows the exchange of recyclable for food – in 2019 with 18 producers and even for the supply of military battalions. The municipality has the Associação de Agricultura Ecológica Conchas Velhas (in English: Conchas Velhas Ecological Agriculture Association Familiar), currently the only one that belongs to a federal government program that purchases these foods and distributes them to educational institutions, for example. It was created in 2008 in the rural district of Uvaia. Between 2010 and 2015 there were 854 farmers participating in the program. Commerce and services It is the sector that occupies the most labor, due to its own characteristics. This segment occupies more than half of Campos Gerais' VAT (largely due to trade and vehicle repair), only with the value of Ponta Grossa, without considering other sectors. Ponta Grossa has already passed the mark of 56,000 jobs in its 5300 commerce and services. == Tourism ==

Several tourist attractions are in the municipality, but the main place visited is Vila Velha State Park. Even though business travel is the one that most receives visitors in the city. In tourist terms, the city is important because it is a regional center (in the Campos Gerais of the Paraná). The Marketing & Tourism magazine cites in addition to Vila Velha, the Buraco do Padre, German colonies, St. Ann Cathedral and Abadia da Ressureição as being the most important attractions in relation to marketing, contemplating nature, historical, cultural and religious tourism. Was in the third tourism hierarchy group in Paraná by TripAdivisor evaluations in 2018, along with Cascavel and Paranaguá. Ponta Grossa City Hall lists 7 natural attractions, 11 religious attractions, 11 monuments, 5 museums and 16 other buildings (including libraries, extinct railway stations and historical and cultural buildings). In the municipality there is the project "Conhecendo PG" (in English: Knowing PG) which since 2011 takes the local community to visit tourist spots within its political limit, being promoted by the Municipal Tourism Secretary, Tourism Department of the State University of Ponta Grossa and the bus company VCG. The visits are accompanied by academics to highlight the importance of preserving and valuing the attractions. Although in 2011, Ponta Grossa is declared as the fourth tourist inducing municipality in Paraná, it was not officially classified. Some obstacles are the infrastructure and accessibility of most places, in addition the necessity to greater marketing. Still, the city participated for the first time in the Brazil International Tourism Exchange (Brite) in the same year, one of the main tourism events. Still not fully explored, rural tourism has been growing in the last century. There was qualification of rural producers who began to receive visitors mostly from 2001, allowing access to wineries, cheesemaking, vegetable gardens and the manufacture of jellies, preserves, colonial coffee, candied candies, take and harvest and access to natural attractions. Attractions Vila Velha State Park The Vila Velha State Park was created on 12 October 1953, being listed as Historical and Artistic Heritage of Paraná on 18 January 1966, remaining closed between 2002 and 2004 for revitalization. Access is via BR-376 and is about 28 km from Ponta Grossa and 84 km from the capital of Paraná. The park is a conservation unit under Brazilian law and is administered by the Environmental Institute of Paraná. Much of the route, visitation takes place through trails. What most calls the attention of tourists is the features (which often resemble objects) of the exposed sandstones that originate from erosion and weathering, giving off particles during the melting of the rocks. These that formed on the sand deposit in the Carboniferous, 360 million years ago (Ice age). There is no consensus on which is the main agent, although it certainly involves the action of water. In its area it also has the furnas that are "depressions that resemble craters", there are six furnas in the place, but only two are open to visitation, in one of them there was a panoramic elevator, currently disabled. Also located in the park is Lagoa Dourada, which is also a valley hat was silted up using the material from the Guabiroba River that it has been receiving for being in its floodplain, similar to what occurs in Lagoa Tarumã. The name is due to the reflection of sunlight on the mineral mica present in the place. On 19 February 2020, private action on the park's infrastructure is authorized, authorized by the state governor, Ratinho Júnior (PSD). Eco Parques do Brasil S/A will have 30 years to explore, however, environmental management will continue to be public. Activities such as tree climbing, cycling and zip line must be implemented. Ticket sales, maintenance, monitoring and all necessary support are one of the obligations of the company that won the bid. However, for some professors and researchers, administration should remain only in the public sphere. However, it can be beneficial in terms of visibility and visitors as long as it has the least possible impact, in addition to adapting to the location. where there is a natural pool Buraco do Padre Buraco do Padre is a furna, just like the ones found in the Vila Velha State Park, that is, formed by underground erosion where the dissolution of sandstone minerals and the direction of faults and fractures contribute to forming the feature. It is situated on a private property owned by Álvaro Scheffer, 24 km from the center of Ponta Grossa and relatively close to the protected area of Vila Velha. Access is via the PR-513 connecting Itaiacoca, with part of the road not paved. The name has an uncertain origin, but it must have appeared in the second half of the twentieth century, for being on a high and secluded plateau, religious used it for retreats and thus the most intimate and individual contact with the divine. The attraction is inserted in the Campos Gerais National Park, allowing public use such as contemplation, walking the trails and bathing, just like in the Integral Protection Area of the Devonian Escarpment. Inside there is a 25 m high waterfall, through the flow of the Quebra-Pedra River that follows the NE-SW direction controlled by the Arch of the Ponta Grossa. At 50 m upstream there is another smaller furna. The need to maintain the trail and access road in the mid-2010s was pointed out. Canyon and Waterfall of the São Jorge River == Education ==

The city has two public colleges: • Ponta Grossa State University (UEPG) (Pt: Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa) • Parana Federal Technological University (UTFPR) (Pt:Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná) Both institutions attract undergraduate and graduate students from many regions, mostly from the south of Brazil. The city also has private colleges as Faculdades Uniao, Faculdades Santa Amelia (Secal) e Sant'Ana, Centro de Ensino Superior dos Campos Gerais (Cescage) and a campus of Centro Universitário Campos de Andrade (Uniandrade). == Culture ==

Ponta Grossa has three theaters, movie theaters, art galleries and spaces for visual arts and music expositions and events. Ponta Grossa State University (UEPG) offers majors in Visual Arts and Music. The city also has its own orchestra, the Ponta Grossa Symphony Orchestra, and the Paulimo Martins Music School. Museums • Campos Gerais Museum • Natural Sciences Museum • Archaeology museum • Aristides Spósito Municipal Museum Theaters • Opera Theater • Marista Theater • Pax Theater Cinema • Multiplex Palladium • Cinema Lumière ==Sport==

The local football team is Operário Ferroviário Esporte Clube. There also used to be the Ponta Grossa Esporte Clube between 1994 and 2003. ==Public administration==

The municipal government is composed of an executive, headed by the Mayor and his Secretariat, and a legislative branch, represented by the City Council. The sitting mayor (term 2021–2024) is Elizabeth Schmidt (PSD). The Municipality of Ponta Grossa is composed of 14 aldermen (or is it 15) elected to four-year terms. ==Notable people==

• Cassio Rippel, Brazilian sport shooter, gold medalist at the Pan American Games • Bruno Fuchs, footballer ==Notes==