Londrina

Londrina (.mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}Portuguese pronunciation: [lõˈdɾĩnɐ], literally "Little London") is a city located in the north of the state of Paraná, South Region, Brazil, and is 369 km (229 miles) away from the state capital, Curitiba. It is the second largest city in the state and fourth largest in the southern region of the country, with 588,125 inhabitants in the city proper (2022).[2] Londrina was originally explored by British settlers, and then officially established in 1930 by a small group of Italian, Japanese and German settlers. It rapidly became the commercial, political, and cultural centre of the state's northern pioneer zone.[3] Its universities include the Universidade Estadual de Londrina (Londrina State University) and the Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná (Federal University of Technology – Paraná). The city was named after British entrepreneurs who launched railroad stations in the region to ease the transportation of coffee grains from northern Paraná and southern São Paulo states to the port of Santos. The word Londrina pays homage to the British capital (Londres in Portuguese), since a London cotton company, Paraná Plantations Limited, made the original investment to settle in this area.