Apucarana

Apucarana is a municipality in the state of Paraná, in the South Region of Brazil. It covers about 548 square kilometres at an elevation of roughly 840 metres, and the 2022 census counted 130,134 people, with the national statistics institute estimating 134,910 for 2025. The area was colonised from about 1930 by the Northern Paraná Land Company, the same company that settled Londrina and Maringá. Apucarana became a regional village in 1938 and was separated from Londrina as a municipality on 28 January 1944. The local economy rests on coffee, soy, beans and corn, and the town is known for leather and for manufacturing caps, which its source puts at about 80 percent of Brazilian production. Immigrants from Portugal, Ukraine, Poland, Germany and especially Japan shaped its culture, and the city holds an annual Cherry Festival among more than 20,000 planted cherry trees. It is the seat of a Roman Catholic diocese and is served by Cap. João Busse Airport.