Curitiba, formerly Curytiba, city in southern Brazil, capital of Paraná State, on the Cubatão Plateau, near Paranaguá. Curitiba is commercially important as a center of trade for the surrounding fertile region. The principal products are maté, coffee, and pine timber. Located here are the Federal University of Paraná (1912) and the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná (1959). Settled in 1654, Curitiba has been the capital of the state since 1831. In recent decades the city has pioneered in developing low-cost solutions to urban problems. Population (1996 estimate) 1,476,253.
