Curiúva is a Brazilian municipality located in the interior of the state of Paraná. It belongs to the Intermediate Geographic Region of Ponta Grossa and the Immediate Geographic Region of Telêmaco Borba and is situated northwest of the state capital, approximately away. It covers an area of , of which are in the urban area. According to 2018 IBGE estimates, its population was inhabitants.
The municipal seat has an average annual temperature of , and the predominant vegetation in the municipality is the mixed ombrophilous forest. With 68.77% of its residents living in the urban area, the municipality had nine healthcare facilities in 2009. Its Human Development Index (HDI) is 0.675, which is considered to be in the medium range compared to the state average.
The territory where Curiúva is located began to be colonized around 1947. The original name of Curiúva was Caetê, and its earliest inhabitants were the Kaingang people. Founded through State Law No. 2 on October 10, 1947, and officially established on October 26 of the same year, it was emancipated from São Jerônimo da Serra. Today, the main economic activities in Curiúva are agriculture and service provision.
History Origins
The explorations that took place in the mid-19th century, aimed at forging paths into the interior along the Tibagi and Paranapanema rivers, are the earliest historical records of what is now the municipality of Curiúva. At that time, at the request of the Baron of Antonina, the explorer Joaquim Francisco Lopes ventured into the tropical forest, crossing the Facão and Caeté ranges. The old trail, connecting the to the then Jataí Military Colony, evolved into a highway due to the constant movement of numerous troops in the opposite direction.
The first residents of the area were Fortunato Rodrigues Jardim and Antônio Cunha, who owned vast tracts of land in the region. Many travelers passing through the small settlement that formed grew fond of the place and stayed, beginning to establish a new way of life in a land of warm climate and fertile soil.
There were no doctors in the settlement, and diseases, many transmitted by animals, were a constant issue. Healing was done solely through folk healing and blessings, with doctors or medicine traders visiting only occasionally, arriving on horseback. In 1912, a police district was established, and on November 1, 1913, the area received its first visit from a priest. In 1922, João Antônio Desidério de Oliveira was appointed as the official postman.
Administrative formation and etymology
The original name of Curiúva was Caetê, referencing the range of the same name, which in the Guarani language means "virgin forest." Under this name, the settlement was elevated to the status of a Police District in 1912 by Paraná State Decree-Law No. 985, belonging to the municipality of São Jerônimo da Serra. By Paraná State Decree-Law No. 199 of December 30, 1943, amended by Decree-Law No. 311 of February 26, 1945, the Caetê District began to form the municipalities of Araiporanga (São Jerônimo) and Congonhinhas. From then on, the district was renamed Curiúva.
On October 10, 1947, through Paraná State Law No. 2, approved by the then governor of Paraná, Moysés Lupion de Tróia, the municipality of Curiúva was founded and officially established on October 26 of the same year. On the same day, Luíz Lemos took office as the first appointed mayor. The first elected mayor in 1947 was Joaquim Carneiro, a businessman, ceramist, and pharmacist. However, his term was short-lived, ending the following year, as he took his own life, overwhelmed by insurmountable issues in the cooperative he founded. In 1951, the Sapopema District was created, which was emancipated from Curiúva in 1960 to become a municipality. In 1983, Curiúva lost another portion of its territory to form the municipality of Figueira. Today, Alecrim is the only Administrative District.
The name Curiúva comes from the Guarani language and refers to a variety of pine tree, which was abundant in the region during the time of settlement. The term “curi” means “pine cone” or “pine nut,” and “uva” means “tree.” Thus, the city’s name can be interpreted as “pine wood” or “pine tree.”
Geography According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, the municipality’s area is , with in the urban area and the remaining in the rural area. It is located at and is west of the state capital. It borders Sapopema, Figueira, and Ibaiti to the north; Ortigueira to the west; Telêmaco Borba to the south; and Ibaiti and Ventania to the east.
According to the regional division in effect since 2017, established by the IBGE, the municipality belongs to the Intermediate Geographic Region of Ponta Grossa and the Immediate Geographic Region of Telêmaco Borba. Previously, under the division into microregions and mesoregions, it was part of the Ibaiti microregion, which was included in the Norte Pioneiro Paranaense mesoregion.
Geomorphology and hydrography
Geologically, the municipality’s terrain is of Permo-Carboniferous, Permian, and Paleozoic-Permian origin. The soils in the municipality include red-yellow acrisol, latosol, lithic neosol, and haplic cambisol, predominantly with a sandy texture. The municipal seat is at an elevation of . The municipality’s terrain is quite undulating and almost mountainous, with elevations ranging between . Curiúva is located in the Second Paranaense Plateau. The maximum elevation is approximately at Serra do Caeté, and the minimum is at the Tibagi River.
Curiúva is part of the hydrographic basins of the Tibagi and Das Cinzas rivers. The main rivers that flow through the municipality are not navigable, including the Laranjinha, Lajeado, and Das Antas, except for the Tibagi, which originates in Campos Gerais.
Climate According to the IBGE, Curiúva’s climate is classified as humid subtropical (type Cfa according to the Köppen classification), with an average annual temperature of , mild temperatures, and constant rainfall throughout the year. The warmest month, January, has an average temperature of , with a maximum of and a minimum of . The coldest month, June, averages , with a maximum of and a minimum of . Autumn and spring are transitional seasons.
The average annual precipitation is , with August being the driest month, receiving . January, the wettest month, averages . In recent years, however, hot and dry days during winter have become more frequent, often exceeding , especially between July and September. For example, on August 30, 1994, thermometers reached nearly in the middle of winter. According to the SIMEPAR Technological Institute, the highest recorded temperature was on November 17, 1975, when some areas reached . The lowest recorded temperature was on July 18, 1975, with an average of .
Ecology and environment
At the time of the discovery of Brazil in 1500, the municipality was covered by a single vegetation formation, the mixed ombrophilous forest. Over time, parts of the native forest gave way to the timber industry and the exploitation of aspidosperma spruceanum, pine, and coal, which are the main plant and mineral resources found in the municipality, as well as to agriculture and pastures for the expansion of livestock farming.
Coal has been mined since 1941 by the Cambuí Coal Company (Figueira), and there are traces of uranium, although the presence of permanent preservation areas (APP) now limits which areas can be exploited, even on private property. Non-governmental organizations also contribute to combating illegal deforestation, with projects in the municipality focused on environmental preservation, including native forest restoration, rural property adaptation with technicians and farmers, and environmental education in local schools.
Demography
In 2010, the municipality’s population was counted by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) at inhabitants. According to the 2010 census, inhabitants were male, and were female. The same census reported that inhabitants lived in the urban area, while resided in the rural area. According to 2018 estimates, the municipal population was . Of the total population in 2010, inhabitants (25.25%) were under 15 years old, (66.34%) were aged 15 to 64, and (8.41%) were over 65, with a life expectancy at birth of 72.7 years and a fertility rate of 2.5 children per woman.
In 2010, Curiúva’s population consisted of whites (66.86%), 630 blacks (4.52%), 116 Asians (0.83%), pardos (27.77%), and two indigenous people (0.01%). Regarding region of birth, were born in the South (92.16%), 48 in the North (0.34%), 148 in the Northeast (1.06%), 33 in the Central-West (0.24%), and 810 in the Southeast (5.82%). inhabitants were natives of Paraná (91.44%), of which were born in Curiúva (60.35%). Among the natives of other states, São Paulo had the largest presence with 514 people (3.69%), followed by Minas Gerais with 268 residents (1.93%), and Santa Catarina with 63 inhabitants (0.45%). Curiúva has two quilombola communities located in the rural area: Água Morna and Guajuvira.
The municipal Human Development Index (HDI-M) of Curiúva is considered medium by the UNDP, with a value of 0.656 (the 2986th highest in Brazil). The city’s indicators are close to the national average according to the UNDP. Considering only the education index, the value is 0.546; longevity is 0.795, and income is 0.649. From 2000 to 2010, the proportion of people with a per capita household income of up to half a minimum wage decreased by 69.1%, and in 2010, 87.2% of the population lived above the poverty line, 8.8% were at the poverty line, and 4.1% were below. The Gini coefficient, which measures social inequality, was 0.450, with 1.00 being the worst and 0.00 the best. The share of the richest 20% of the city’s population in the total municipal income was 50.4%, or 9.7 times higher than the 5.2% share of the poorest 20%.
According to 2010 census data from the IBGE, Curiúva’s population consisted of Catholics (72.86%), Protestants (23.12%), 421 people without religion (3.02%), 19 Spiritists (0.13%), and 0.87% were divided among other religions. According to the Catholic Church division, the city is home to the Divine Holy Spirit Parish, established as a community on February 14, 1952, and emancipated in 1953, under the Diocese of Cornélio Procópio.
Politics and administration Municipal administration is carried out by the executive and legislative branches. The representative of the executive power in Curiúva, chosen by the people in the 2024 municipal elections, was Christiano Borges of the Social Democratic Party, who won a total of votes (48.55% of the electorate), with Pithi as vice-mayor.
The legislative branch consists of the Municipal Chamber, composed of nine councilors elected for four-year terms (in accordance with Article 29 of the Constitution). It comprises two seats from the PMB, two from the PSC, two from the PTB, two from the PSB, and one from the PP. The chamber is responsible for drafting and voting on fundamental laws for the administration and the executive, particularly the participatory budget (Budget Guidelines Law).
The municipality is part of the Curiúva Judicial District, created by Decree-Law No. 5809 on June 15, 1968, following requests from local and regional authorities and leaders, and officially established on July 15, 1970. It also includes the municipalities of Figueira and Sapopema. There were voters in February 2014, representing 0.144% of the total in Paraná.
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