Londrina (, literally Londonese) is a city located in the north of the state of Paraná, South Region, Brazil, and is 369 km away from the capital, Curitiba. Londrina was originally explored by British settlers, and then officially established in 1930 by a small group of Japanese and German settlers. It rapidly became the commercial, political, and cultural centre of the state’s northern pioneer zone. The city exerts great influence on Paraná and Brazil's south region. Londrina has approximately 500,000 inhabitants, being the second largest city in Paraná and the fourth largest city in the Southern Region of Brazil (after Curitiba, Porto Alegre and Joinville).