Ukrainian Brazilians (; ,
Ukrayintsi Brazylii) are Brazilian citizens born in
Ukraine, or Brazilians of Ukrainian descent who remain connected, in some degree, to Ukrainian culture. In 1994, 400,000 people of Ukrainian descent lived in Brazil, 80% (or approximately 350,000) of whom lived in a compact region approximately in size (an area slightly larger than the US state of
Rhode Island), in the hilly south central part of
State of Paraná in southern Brazil. They refer to this region as "Brazilian Ukraine." Smaller numbers of Ukrainians have settled in
São Paulo,
Santa Catarina,
Rio Grande do Sul,
Pernambuco, and
Paraiba. The cities with the largest number of Ukrainians are
Prudentópolis (approximately 38,000 Ukrainians, or 75% of the city's population),
Curitiba (33,000 Ukrainians), and
União da Vitória (approximately 26,400 Ukrainians or 50% of the city's population). In 2009 the Ukrainian population in Brazil was estimated to be 500,000 people.