Apucarana is a municipality in the state of Paraná in Brazil. The municipality covers 548 square kilometres (212sqmi) at an elevation of 840 metres (2,760ft)above mean sea level. Its 2025 population was estimated as 134,910.
History
The region in which the city is located was colonized by the Northern Paraná Land Company (CTNP), like Londrina and Maringá. The colonizers arrived around 1930. In 1938, Apucarana became a regional village. Desiring that the city be elevated to a municipality in July 1944, the pro-emancipation movement saw a visit by Interventor Manoel Ribas as a prime opportunity. After careful analysis of the considerations presented, the Interventor decided to grant the request.
With the creation of the District and Municipality of Apucarana in late 1943, the installation ceremony and the inauguration of the first appointed mayor, Colonel Luiz José dos Santos, were scheduled for the following year. Definitively separated from Londrina, Apucarana was elevated to a municipality on 28 January 1944.
In agriculture, the city stands in production of coffee, soy, beans and corn. The industry stands out for leather production (3% of Brazil's total) and the manufacturing of caps (80% of production in Brazil).
Culture
Cherry blossom in Apucarana. The first hundred trees were planted by Japanese descendants in the 1980s. Today the city has more than 20.000 sakuras.
The city received thousands of immigrants from Portugal, Ukraine, Poland, Germany and especially from Japan (who did strong influence in culture like in the Buddhist religion and the amount of cherry trees planted - the city has more than 20,000 sakuras and annually do the "Cherry Festival" to celebrate the Japanese culture).
Brazil
Paraná