Ponta Grossa

Town in the southern state of Paraná, Brazil, 100 km/62 mi northwest of Curitiba; population (1996) 256,302. Ponta Grossa is a major market town and transit centre serving a rich agricultural district. Soya is an especially important cash crop; the area lays claim to producing the largest amount in the world, and Ponta Grossa is known locally as the ‘world capital of soya’. This and other produce, such as timber and yerba maté, are sent by rail to the port of Paranaguá for export.