Sister city since: July 2006

Overview

Foz do Iguaçu is located at the confluence of the Parana River and the Iguazu River where Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina meet. It covers an area of 630 km² and has a population of 250,000. Receiving more than 7 million visitors per year, Foz do Iguaçu is the second largest tourist center in Brazil. Residents are mainly engaged in the tourism business. The world’s second largest hydropower station, Itaipu Hydropower Station, is 12 kilometers away from the city and the famous Iguazu Falls is 28 kilometers away. Foz do Iguaçu is only 6.5 kilometers from Ciudad del Este, Paraguay and 10 kilometers from Puerto Iguazu, Argentina.

Relations with Yichang

The friendship between Yichang and Foz do Iguaçu started with hydropower. The government of Foz do Iguaçu expressed the readiness to engage in friendly exchanges with Yichang through the Three Gorges Development Corporation in 1996. In November 2003, a delegation from Yichang City visited Foz do Iguaçu, during which the two cities held talks on establishing friendly cooperative relations and agreed to cooperate on the development of cities near dams. In September 2004, a Foz do Iguaçu government delegation was invited to attend the First International Forum on Development of Cities Near Dams in Yichang and the two sides signed a friendly cooperation agreement. Since then, the two cities have cooperated extensively in hydropower, city development near dams, tourism planning, etc. In March 2016, Yichang and Foz do Iguaçu signed the2016-2018 Cooperation Action Plan, agreeing to promote exchanges and cooperation in such areas as urban planning and management, ecological and environmental protection, tourism, agriculture, food, and modern logistics.