Santa Catarina (state)

Santa Catarina is one of the 27 states in Brazil. It is in the Southern part of the country. It is next to Paraná to the north, Rio Grande do Sul to the south, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Argentine province of Misiones to the west.

The state covers about 95,730 square kilometers. That is about the same size as Hungary. About 7.6 million people live there.

Santa Catarina is famous for its beautiful views. Much of the land is above 600 meters high. The weather changes, with humid and subtropical conditions near the coast and cooler climates in higher areas. The capital city is Florianópolis. The biggest city is Joinville.

Santa Catarina is one of Brazil’s oldest states. It became separate from São Paulo in 1738. First, indigenous peoples lived there. Later, many people from Portugal, Italy, Germany, and other places came to live there. Over time, the state grew and became known for good living conditions and safety.

Etymology

See also: Catherine of Alexandria

Long ago, around 1675, a man named Francisco Dias Velho came to an island now called Santa Catarina. He built a chapel there to honor a saint named Catherine of Alexandria. Some people think he named the place after one of his daughters. Others believe an explorer named Sebastian Cabot, who sailed through the area between 1526 and 1527, gave the island its name. He might have dedicated it to Saint Catherine or to his wife, Catarina Medrano. The state got its name from this island.

People who live in this state are called Catarinenses or Barrigas-Verdes, meaning "Green-Belly." This name comes from the uniforms worn by soldiers from Santa Catarina who traveled to fight in Rio Grande do Sul in 1753.

The name comes from Catholicism and honors the state's patron saint. The name Catherine comes from an ancient Greek word meaning "pure" or "immaculate."

History

Indigenous peoples, colonial and imperial era

In the early 1500s, the land that is now Santa Catarina was home to the Carijós, a group of Indigenous people. Explorers from Portugal and Spain began visiting the coast soon after Brazil was discovered. In 1526, a sailor named Sebastian Cabot named an island Santa Catarina. For many years, few people lived there.

Slowly, small settlements grew. In 1658, people founded the first lasting village. More villages appeared over time, and in 1738, Santa Catarina became its own region. New settlers came from places like Madeira Island and the Azores. Later, many people from Germany and Italy settled here, shaping the state's culture.

Republican period

After Brazil became a republic, Santa Catarina experienced some unrest. In 1893, a group tried to change the government but were stopped. A bigger conflict called the Contestado War happened from 1912 to 1916.

During World War II, there were concerns about influences from Nazi groups among some German communities, but these were handled without major issues. Since the 1950s, more people from other parts of Brazil have moved to Santa Catarina, helping the state grow.

Geography

Santa Catarina is one of the three states in the Southern Region of Brazil. It is bordered to the north by the state of Paraná, to the south by the state of Rio Grande do Sul, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, and to the west by the Argentine province of Misiones. The state is the seventh smallest in Brazil.

The land in Santa Catarina is mostly above 300 metres, giving the state varied landscapes from coastal lowlands to plateaus. The climate has four seasons, with cool winters and warm summers. Some areas can see frost or snow during winter. The state has many rivers and forests, with many plants and animals.

Relief

Santa Catarina has many hills and mountains. The landscape includes coastal lowlands, mountain ranges, and plateaus. The Serra do Mar mountain range runs along the coast. Behind this range lies a plateau. The Basaltic plateau covers much of the state. Rivers have carved deep valleys, creating fertile lands.

Climate

Santa Catarina has two main climate types. Coastal areas have a humid subtropical climate, with average temperatures around 20 °C. Higher areas have cooler temperatures. The state has four distinct seasons. Some regions can get cold enough for frost, and snow sometimes falls in winter. Summers can get very hot, especially in the west and south.

Hydrography

The rivers in Santa Catarina belong to two large systems. Some flow into the South Atlantic Ocean, including the Itajaí-Açu, Tubarão, Araranguá, Tijucas, and Itapocu rivers. Others join the Plata basin, such as the Paraná and Uruguay River, along with their tributaries.

Fauna and flora

Santa Catarina is part of the Atlantic Forest biome and has many different plants and animals. The region includes mixed forests with coniferous trees like Araucaria and broadleaved trees, as well as grasslands. The state is home to many birds, mammals, amphibians, butterflies, and plants.

Flag

The flag of Santa Catarina is a rectangle split into three horizontal parts. The top and bottom parts are dark green, and the middle part is silver. In the center is a green diamond with the state's coat of arms. The flag was made on August 15, 1895, by José Artur Boiteux.

Demography

According to the 2022 Brazilian census, Santa Catarina has 7.6 million people. The largest city is Joinville with 616,317 people, and the capital, Florianópolis, has 537,211 people.

The Human Development Index for Santa Catarina is high. It ranks 3rd among all states in Brazil. The state is strong in income, education, and life expectancy. Santa Catarina also has good public safety. It has the third-highest GDP per capita and very low infant mortality and illiteracy.

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Overview of Florianópolis

Overview of Joinville

Castelinho of Moellmann in Blumenau

Partial view of Balneário Camboriú

Ethnicity

In 2022, most people in Santa Catarina were White Brazilians, followed by mixed race individuals, Black Brazilians, indigenous peoples, and Asian Brazilians.

Historically, the area was home to the Kaingang, Xokleng, and Guarani peoples. During colonial Brazil, Spanish settlers arrived first, followed by Portuguese settlers and African slaves. Later, many Europeans arrived, including Italians, Germans, Poles, Ukrainians, and others, as well as Japanese.

Languages

Santa Catarina has both indigenous languages and languages brought by settlers. The most common language is Portuguese, but other languages are spoken too, such as Talian, High German, and Low German.

Religions

In 2010, most people in Santa Catarina were Roman Catholics, with Protestants or Evangelicals making up a smaller group. Other groups included Spiritists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and smaller numbers of Mormons, Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church members, Buddhists, and followers of other faiths. About 3.27% had no religion.

Economy

Santa Catarina is an important state in Brazil for growing crops like corn and soybeans. It grows rice, apples, onions, bananas, garlic, barley, wheat, and yerba mate.

Santa Catarina is a big producer of pork, chicken, milk, and eggs. The state has many farms with cattle and is known for fishing, especially for oysters, scallops, and mussels.

The state has many industries. It makes textiles, food products, cars, wood products, paper, ceramics, and household appliances. Major cities like Florianópolis, Joinville, and Blumenau have different kinds of industries and services.

Infrastructure

Roads

In 2019, Santa Catarina had 62,871 kilometers of roads. Of these, 9,321 kilometers were paved. Some roads were two-way, with 556 kilometers being like this.

The main road is BR-101. It runs along the coast and connects many busy cities. Other important roads are BR-470, BR-280, BR-116, BR-282, BR-153, and BR-158. Some of these roads are being improved.

Airports

Santa Catarina has several important airports. Five of these airports have regular flights:

Florianópolis, the capital, uses Hercílio Luz International Airport for travel inside and outside the country. A new airport opened in October 2019 to help more people travel.

In Navegantes, Navegantes Airport is the second largest in the state. It serves a busy area with many businesses and can handle up to 3.5 million passengers each year.

In Joinville, Joinville-Lauro Carneiro de Loyola Airport serves the largest city in the state. The area around Joinville is important for industry and business. This airport can handle up to 800,000 passengers a year.

In Chapecó, Chapecó Airport serves the biggest city in the western part of the state. It handles around 500,000 passengers each year.

Near Criciúma, Jaguaruna Regional Airport opened in 2014 and now serves around 120,000 passengers a year.

Ports

The state has five specialized ports: Itajaí, São Francisco do Sul, Itapoá, Imbituba, and Navegantes. The ports at Itajaí and São Francisco do Sul are very important. São Francisco do Sul exports things like soybeans and wood and imports steel and fertilizers. Itajaí exports chicken, wood, and meat products and imports machines, chemicals, and textiles. Imbituba is a place where coal is loaded onto ships, and Laguna is a port for fishing. In 2021, Itajaí handled a lot of cargo, and São Francisco do Sul handled a lot too, making them very busy.

Tourism

Santa Catarina is a beautiful place to visit. You can enjoy the countryside, warm water resorts, nature walks, and fun adventures. There are old monuments, parks like Beto Carrero World and Unipraias in Balneário Camboriú, and lovely beaches in places like Florianópolis, Laguna, Porto Belo, and Itajaí.

Some sights are best seen when there are fewer people around, like snow on the Catarinense Mountain Range. Between July and November, southern right whales visit the coast. Timbó is a great place for adventure sports like rafting. In October, Blumenau hosts a big party called Oktoberfest, the largest in Brazil. Joinville has a famous dance festival and a flower show in November.

Urubici is a wonderful spot in the mountains, known for its amazing views, waterfalls, and cool weather. It’s one of the coldest places in Brazil and has tasty local food. Florianópolis, the state capital, is popular in summer for its many beaches.

Smaller towns like Itapema, Piçarras, Barra Velha, and Penha also attract visitors.

The Turvo State Park in the northwest of the state has the impressive Yucumã Falls on the Uruguay River, near the border with Argentina. Many tourists visit to see these tall, wide waterfalls.

Sports

Santa Catarina has produced many talented athletes. Some famous names include Gustavo Kuerten, one of Brazil’s greatest tennis players, and Fernando Scherer, an Olympic medalist in swimming. The state is also home to several important football clubs.

The biggest football clubs in Santa Catarina include Criciuma EC from Criciúma. Figueirense FC and Avaí FC are both from Florianópolis. Another club, Joinville Esporte Clube, has moved between different levels of Brazilian football over the years. Associação Chapecoense de Futebol plays in Brazil’s top league.

Santa Catarina is also well known for surfing. Campeche Beach near Florianópolis is famous for its great waves and hosts an important international surfing competition each April.