The dam lake
River beaches.
Carlos Alves — CC BY 3.0 · Carlos Alves — CC BY 3.0 · caetano051068 — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Carlos Alves — CC BY 3.0 · Barão de Itararé — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Carlos Alves — CC BY 3.0 · Barão de Itararé — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Barão de Itararé — CC BY-SA 4.0
Ilha Solteira is a city of about 26,000 people in the far west of São Paulo state, near where the Tietê meets the Paraná and on the Mato Grosso do Sul border, and one of the main towns on the Tietê–Paraná waterway. It is one of Brazil's few planned cities: the São Paulo state power company built it to house the thousands of workers needed to build the Ilha Solteira hydroelectric plant on the Paraná, since the area was far from large towns and had no infrastructure. The result is a town of orderly streets, districts and gardens. The dam formed a wide lake on the Paraná, whose river beaches and marinas draw people for swimming, boating and fishing, especially in summer. The town looks out over the huge dam and makes a stop for visitors to the border of the two states.
River beaches.
Orderly streets.
And boating.
Ilha Solteira, on the Paraná River, far west of São Paulo state
To house the workers building the Ilha Solteira hydroelectric plant.