Map - Ponta Grossa (Ponta Grossa)

Ponta Grossa is a municipality in the state of Paraná, southern Brazil. The estimated population is 355,336 according to official data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics and it is the 4th most populous city in Paraná (76th in Brazil). It is also the largest city close to Greater Curitiba region, so within a radius of 186 miles (300 km) of Ponta Grossa.

It is also known as Princesa dos Campos (in English: Princess of the Fields) and Capital Cívica do Paraná (in English: Civic Capital of Paraná). The city is connected to the Caminho das Tropas (in English: Path of the Troops), being one of the network of routes used by drovers (tropeiros) in the middle of a high hill inside a grassy vegetation. The city is considered of average size, located around a central hill, while most of its growth occurred in the second half of the twentieth century with the weakening of the primary economy.

Ponta Grossa is one of the largest tourist destinations in the Paraná, especially because of the area of natural beauty, Vila Velha State Park which is located within the limits of the municipality. The cup of Vila Velha refers to its location in the collective imagination. The München Fest, a party dedicated to German culture and also known as the Festa Nacional do Chopp Escuro (in English: Dark Chopp National Party), is the biggest event in Paraná and usually lasts a week between November and December.

In this city, the industrial sector is fundamental (supported by agriculture). The city hosts the largest concentration of industry in the interior of Paraná. Agroindustry, lumber and metalworking are the major industries. The result is reflected in national GDP with the contribution from this city within the interior of Brazil, being only below Foz do Iguaçu. Municipal GDP increased over the state and national average between 2013 and 2019, this was also seen in the number of registered companies and employees.

The place where it is located has a toponymia related to a hill seen long distance during trips to the Campos Gerais. The name would have originated from a high hill that stood out before the whole pastures landscape by its prominent height and the capo of bush that covers it. The tropeiros to refer to its location said that they were near Ponta Grossa. But other stories have the same idea, like that of the foreman when he tells the farmer the place chosen to establish his farm, "there at Ponta Grossa". Or even that the name had seen later when the owner ceded the lands for settlement.

Ponta Grossa was founded on the farm of Miguel da Rocha Ferreira Carvalhaes who chose it as favorable agricultural land. The farm still exists towards Castro. In 1871 the city came to be called Pitangui, but the following year it resumed its original name. Sometimes it is the target of malicious humor due to what its name can send like in Portuguese. One way or another describes the characteristics of the vegetation and the regional topography.