Maringá (Portuguese pronunciation: [mɐɾiŋˈɡa]) is a municipality in southern Brazil founded on 10 May 1947 as a planned urban area it is the third largest city in the state of Paraná with 385,753 inhabitants in the city, and 764,906 in its metropolitan area (IBGE 2013). Located in north west of Paraná and crossed by the Tropic of Capricorn it is a regional centre for commerce, services, agro-industries, and universities, including the State University of Maringá.