Santa Catarina (state)
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| Flag of Santa Catarina | ||
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| See other Brazilian States | ||
| Capital | Florianópolis | |
| Largest City | Joinville | |
| Area | 95,442.9 km² | |
| Population - Total - Density |
5,098,448 53.4 inh./km² |
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| Governor | Luiz Henrique da Silveira (PMDB) | |
| Demonym | Catarinense | |
| HDI (2000) | 0.822 – high | |
| Timezone | GMT-3 | |
| ISO 3166-2 | BR-SC | |
Santa Catarina (pron. IPA: ['sɐ̃.ta ka.ta.'ɾi.na] [1]) is a state in southern Brazil with one of the highest standards of living in the country. Its capital is Florianópolis, which partly lies on the Santa Catarina Island.
Neighboring states are Rio Grande do Sul to the south and Paraná to the north. It is bounded on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, and to the west it borders the province of Misiones, Argentina.
Santa Catarina is the most European state of Brazil. Most of its inhabitants are descendants of Portuguese, German and Italian immigrants.
Its largest city is Joinville.
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[edit] Geography
Santa Catarina is in a very strategic position in Mercosul, the South American Common Market. Its position in the map is situated between the parallel 25º57'41" and 29º23'55" of the Southern latitude and between the meridians 48º19'37" and 53º50'00" of Western longitude. Florianópolis, its Capital, is 1.673 km from Brasilia, 705 km from São Paulo, 1.144 km from Rio de Janeiro and 1.850 km from Buenos Aires.
The Serra Geral, a southern extension of the Serra do Mar, runs north and south through the state parallel to the Atlantic coast, dividing the state between a narrow coastal plain and a larger plateau region to the west.
The Atlantic coast of Santa Catarina has many beaches, islands, bays, inlets, and lagoons. The humid tropical Serra do Mar coastal forests cover the narrow coastal zone, which is crossed by numerous short streams from the wooded slopes of the serras.
The central part of the state is home to the Araucaria moist forests, dominated by emergent Brazilian pines (Araucaria angustifolia). The drainage of the plateau is westward to the Paraná River, the rivers being tributaries of the Iguaçu, which forms its northern boundary, and of the Uruguay, which forms its southern boundary. The semi-deciduous Paraná-Paraíba interior forests occupy the westernmost valleys of the Iguaçu and Uruguay rivers.
[edit] History
European settlement began with the Spanish settlement of Santa Catarina island in 1542. The Portuguese took control in 1675. The captaincy of Santa Catarina was established in 1738. Large numbers of European immigrants, especially from Germany, began arriving in the early 19th century. Immigrants from Italy, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Japan and other parts of Europe later arrived, with one result being an abundance of small, family held farms in the state's interior. In late March 2004, the state was hit by the first ever hurricane recorded in the South Atlantic. Because there is no naming system for such an event in Brazil, Brazilian meteorologists called it Catarina, after the state.
[edit] Ethnic groups
- 92% white
- German-Brazilians (35%);
- Italian-Brazilians (30%);
- Portuguese-Brazilians (22%);
- 5% others (Polish-Brazilians Russian-Brazilians, Norwegian-Brazilians etc)
- 8% other
- Afro-Brazilians (3.9)%
[edit] European settlement
Santa Catarina is one of the Brazilian states that exhibits the most signs of recent European colonization. The vast majority of the population are descendants of European settlers.
[edit] Portuguese
The Portuguese started arriving in the 1750s, mainly from the Azores islands, and colonized the coast. In the late 18th century, half of Santa Catarina's population was Portuguese-born. These Portuguese established many important towns of the State, such as Florianópolis, the capital.
[edit] Germans
Germans started arriving in 1828. They were peasants that were attracted to Brazil to get their own lands, since Germany was overpopulated and many people had no lands to work. German immigration was very low, until the 1850s, when waves of Germans started arriving in Southern Brazil. To stimulate the development of the German colonization in Southern Brazil, the Brazilian government created many German colonies. These colonies were ethnically Germanic areas, where people from many parts of Germany settled. Initially, these colonies were rural lands, where the immigrants were able to cultivate their own lands. Many of these German colonies had a great development and became big towns, such as Blumenau and Joinville, the largest city in Santa Catarina.
Germans had been isolated in rural communities for decades. They did not have much contact with other people of Brazil, and for generations they were able to speak German and keep their German traditions in Brazil. This situation changed in the 1930s, when Brazil declared war against Germany in 1942, and the German immigrants were 'obligated' to learn Portuguese and to follow a Brazilian way of life.
Nowadays, the German influence in the State of Santa Catarina is still very strong and visible. Many towns, especially the small ones, still retain many aspects of the German culture, such as Pomerode, a small town where 90% of the population are of German-Brazilian heritage and most of the inhabitants speak German fluently or the Oktoberfest of Blumenau and many other towns in the region. The architecture also shows German influence, which is also evident in people's customs and food.
[edit] Italians
Italian settlers started arriving in Santa Catarina in 1875 and immigrated in large numbers until the 1910s. They were peasants from Northern Italy and established themselves in ethnically Italian colonies close to the coast. In the beginning, the Italian settlement had failed, because many Italians died of tropical diseases or left the colonies to find better conditions. However, in Vale do Tubarão region (southern Santa Catarina), Italian immigrants found cooler weather and better lands, and the colonies prospered. Many Italians worked in the coal industry and, unlike the German immigrants, they did not dedicate themselves very much to agriculture. As they were not isolated in rural colonies, Italian immigrants were quickly integrated into the Brazilians of Portuguese descent, that were living there since the 18th century.
[edit] Economy
Santa Catarina has one of the highest standards of living in Brazil- comparable to the Iberian Peninsula countries, and is a major industrial and agricultural center.
In the northeast of the state, electric-mechanical, textile and furniture industries are stronger; in the west, cattle and poultry breeding, and in the south, ceramics and shellfishes.
The corridor between Joinville, Jaragua do Sul and Blumenau is heavily industrialized - more than 50% of the state's industrial output is concentrated in this small, but very developed area.
Santa Catarina has some of the most beautiful beaches in Brazil - Summer months (Dec-Mar) make the state one of the most sought-after travel destinations in Brazil and South America. Tens of thousands of Argentines and Paraguayans flock to the state's beaches from mid December to late January.
The major cities and their respective fields are:
- 1. Joinville, metal-mechanic; tourism/events; software; commerce.
- 2. Florianópolis, tourism; government; technology; education.
- 3. Blumenau, software, textile and beer.
- 4. São José.
- 5. Criciúma, ceramics.
- 6. Chapecó, cattle and poultry breeding.
- 7. Lages.
- 8. Itajai, seaport.
- 9. Jaraguá do Sul, electric motors and textile.
- 10. Palhoça
- 11. Balneário Camboriú major beach resort.
- 12. Tubarão.
- 13. Brusque, textile.
- 14. São Bento do Sul, furniture.
- 15. Caçador, lumber facilities.
[edit] Tourism and leisure all year round
Santa Catarina is not just a summer destination. The State which was initially known for its beautiful coastline with more than 500 beaches grew to acknowledge that its geographic and cultural diversity was also a big tourist attraction and as a result, tourists can today enjoy contrasting sceneries and climates which are very close to each other – only two hours by car separate paradisiacal beaches from some 2000 meters-high mountains.
Santa Catarina offers a number of products and specialized segments throughout the year: rural tourism, thermal mineral resorts, ecological tourism and adventure sports, historic monuments and sights, religious tourism, Beto Carrero World and Unipraias parks) and the unforgettable beach resort of Balneário Camboriú.
Some of the products can only be sold in the off-season, like the snow spectacle on the Catarinense Mountain Range - the only place in Brazil where it snows every year. This region is the birthplace of rural tourism, has farm hotels with trout fishing in the ice-cold rivers, horse riding, trekking and outdoor sports activities.
Between July and November, the Right whales visit the state's coast – and the number of tourists wishing to see this spectacle has increased year after year.
The big festivities are in October. The main Oktoberfest in Blumenau is Brazil's largest and the world's second largest (after Germany's Munich).
Joinville is the host city of the July "Joinville Dance Festival" 3 and several business events in its Convention Center.
Florianópolis the city/island State Capital attracts a large numbers of tourists during the summer months lured by its 42 beaches.
Santa Catarina has one of the most beautiful coastlines in Brazil, with one very busy beach resort: Balneário Camboriú.
There are also many smaller resort towns, including Itapema, Piçarras, Barra Velha and Penha, home to the famous amusement park "Beto Carrero World".
[edit] Minority languages
The minority languages of the state of Santa Catarina can be divided into two distinct groups:
The Autoctone Languages or Indigenous Languages: Kaingang; Guaraní; others...
The Extoctone Languages or Immigration Languages: German (Hunsrückisch, Pomeranian Pommersch/Plautdietsch); Italian (Italian or veneto), Ukrainian (Ukrainian ; others (Polish, etc.)
In some cities and villages, German and Ukrainian are still the first spoken language.
[edit] Main cities
- Balneário Camboriú
- Blumenau
- Brusque
- Chapecó
- Criciúma
- Florianópolis
- Itajaí
- Jaraguá do Sul
- Joaçaba
- Joinville
- Lages
- São José
See also:
- List of cities in Brazil (all cities and municipalities)
[edit] Independence
The Caterina Republic or Juliana Republic was a short-lived state proclaimed in 1839 and which was dissolved in 1840. Rebel forces defeated monarchist forces in Santa Caterina State and attempted to set up an independent nation. Shortly thereafter a monarchist force defeated the rebels and put an end to the republic. Today there are movements in South Brazil that claim for independence, like O Sul é o Meu País. But the movement is very weak and not taken seriously by the most of the population.
[edit] Notes
- ^ The presented pronunciation is in Brazilian Portuguese. The European Portuguese pronunciation is: /'sɐ̃.tɐ kɐ.tɐ.'ɾi.nɐ/.
[edit] Reference
This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
[edit] External links
- (Portuguese) Official homepage
- Official Hotel Guide; Webhotel.
- Brazilian Embassy in London
- Polícia Militar do Estado de Santa Catarina (Santa Catarina's State Military Police)
- (German) Video about Santa Catarina
- Santa Catarina enterprise profile, in twelve languages
- Santa Catarina tourist profile, in three languages
- Caterina Republic
