Florianópolis: map, flag, climate, economy –

Florianópolis is a Brazilian municipality and capital of the state of Santa Catarina, which is located in the southern region of Brazil. The city is formed by a set of islands and a continental stretch, with the island of Santa Catarina being the largest. Due to its rich folklore and legends that permeate the popular imagination, it is known as Ilha da Magia. Florianópolis is the second most populous city in Santa Catarina, with 508,800 inhabitants, and the third largest economy in the state.

Read too: What are the capitals of the Brazilian states?

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Summary about Florianopolis

  • Florianópolis is the capital of the state of Santa Catarina, in southern Brazil.

  • Most of its territory lies on the island of Santa Catarina, the largest island in the archipelago that forms the city.

  • Integrates the Metropolitan Region of Florianópolis.

  • It has a humid subtropical climate and heterogeneous relief, consisting of plains, hills, dissected valleys and dunes.

  • It is the second most populous city in Santa Catarina, with 508,826 inhabitants.

  • Its GDP is R$ 21.05 billion, the third highest in the state.

  • Florianópolis’ economy is led by the tertiary sector, with emphasis on tourism.

  • It has a very diverse technological park.

  • The city is known as Ilha da Magia due to the countless legends that originate in the capital of Santa Catarina.

Don’t stop now… There’s more after the publicity 😉

General information about Florianópolis

  • Gentile: florianopolitan.

  • Location of Florianopolis

    • Country: Brazil.

    • Federative unit: Santa Catarina.

    • Intermediate region: Florianopolis.

    • Immediate region: Florianopolis.

    • Metropolitan region: Metropolitan Region of Florianópolis. Formed by the following municipalities: Florianópolis, Águas Mornas, Antônio Carlos, Biguaçu, Governador Celso Ramos, Palhoça, Santo Amaro da Imperatriz, São José, São Pedro de Alcântara.

    • Bordering municipalities: San Jose.

  • Florianopolis Geography

    • Total area: 674.844 km² (IBGE, 2020).

    • Total population: 508,826 inhabitants (IBGE, 2020).

    • Density: 623.68 inhabitants/km² (IBGE, 2010).

    • Climate: humid subtropical.

    • Altitude: 3 meters.

    • Time zone: GMT -3 hours.

  • History of Florianopolis

See too: Vitória — capital of the southeastern state of Espírito Santo

Florianopolis Geography

Florianópolis is a Brazilian city located in the Rsouthern region of the country and capital of the state of Santa Catarina. Located in the east of Santa Catarina, most of the municipality is located on the island of Santa Catarina. In addition to this, Florianópolis is made up of several islands and islets, all bathed by the Atlantic Ocean. According to IBGE, the total area of ​​the municipality is approximately 675 km², equivalent to 0.7% of the state area.

To the west, where its continental portion is located, the capital of Santa Catarina borders the city of São José. It integrates the Metropolitan Region of Florianópolis or Greater Florianópolis, which is formed by eight other municipalities. Its metropolitan expansion area, in turn, is made up of 13 municipalities.

Partial view of Florianópolis, capital of Santa Catarina.

The capital of Santa Catarina is located in a part of the globe where there is predominance of subtropical climates. The influence of sea conditions conditions the city to a humid subtropical or humid mesothermal climate. It is characterized by well-distributed rainfall throughout the year, totaling between 1,400 and 1,600 mm, and mild temperatures. The average in summer is around 24°C, while in winter thermometers register an average of 16°C.

Florianopolis has a very heterogeneous relief, composed of plains, in which one can observe, on certain surfaces, the formation of dunes, hills, hills, mountains and dissected valleys. The highest elevations are concentrated in the interior of the Island of Santa Catarina, notably in the northern region. Its highest point is on Morro do Ribeirão, 520 meters above sea level.

  • Vegetation in Florianópolis

Florianópolis is inserted in the Atlantic Forest biome and also exhibits formations characteristic of the Brazilian coastal-marine system. Therefore, mangroves, salt marshes and humid and tropical rain forests are found in its area in some regions.

  • Hydrography of Florianópolis

The drainage network of Florianópolis is divided into six main river basins:

  • of the Ratones,

  • from Big Bag,

  • from Lagoa da Conceição,

  • of Peri Lake,

  • of the Tavares River and

  • from Itacorubi.

Important aquifers, which are nothing more than geological structures through which groundwater moves, also make up the hydrography of the municipality, namely: Campeche, Ingleses and Rio Vermelho.

map of Florianopolis

Map of the southern coast of Brazil with focus on Florianópolis.

Florianopolis Demographics

Florianópolis is the second most populous city in the state of Santa Catarina, after Joinville. The capital has 508,826 inhabitants, equivalent to 7% of all residents of that state. The capital of Santa Catarina ranks 23rd among the state capitals in Brazil, being the least populous in the South Region, behind Curitiba (PR) and Porto Alegre (RS). On a national scale, Florianópolis ranks 48th.

In 2019, the population of Florianópolis had a high growth rate, approximately 1.6% and 1.56% in the following year, which indicates an accelerated growth and about twice the population growth of Brazil.

The city can be considered densely populated, with a population distribution of 623.68 inhab./km², the 6th highest in Santa Catarina. The vast majority of Florianopolitans live in the urban area of ​​the municipality., corresponding to 96.2% of its inhabitants, while 3.78% live in the rural area of ​​Florianópolis. The largest portion of residents of Florianópolis, 84.55%, declare themselves white. Pardos make up 9.74% of the city’s population. Blacks are 4.95%, yellows are 0.52%, and indigenous people, 0.24%.

See too: What is demographic transition?

Geographic division of Florianópolis

the territory of Florianópolis is divided into 85 neighborhoods. These are grouped into different districts, which are currently twelve in number. Are they:

  • Florianópolis (Headquarters);

  • Ribeirão da Ilha;

  • Campeche;

  • English from Rio Vermelho;

  • Bom Jesus Waterfall;

  • Canasvieiras;

  • Conceição Lagoon;

  • São João do Rio Vermelho;

  • South Swamp;

  • Santo Antônio de Lisbon;

  • Barra da Lagoa;

  • rats.

Economy of Florianopolis

Florianopolis is the third richest city in the state of Santa Catarina, second only to Joinville and Itajaí. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the capital of Santa Catarina is R$ 21.05 billion, which corresponds to 7% of the state’s GDP, as shown by IBGE data for the year 2018.

The economy of Florianópolis is led by the tertiary sector. This segment accounts for just over 75% of the collection of wealth in the municipality, even disregarding activities linked to the public sector, which makes the amount even more expressive. Thus, more than three quarters of the municipality’s economy is formed by services and commercial activities.

Tourism is an important source of revenue for Florianópolis, notably in the summer. Visitors go in search especially of the beaches, of which Jurerê Internacional and Tradicional, Praia da Daniela, Praia da Joaquina, Praia da Lagoa, among others, stand out, adding up to more than 40 locations.

Although it does not have an extensive set of industries, Florianópolis has a wide technological and innovation parkbeing responsible for the movement of other branches of the economy directly or indirectly linked to information and communication companies.

Industry accounts for 8.77% of the GDP of the capital of Santa Catarina, while the agricultural sector is responsible for a share of 0.28%. In this segment, the production of Florianópolis stands out in terms of fish, especially oysters, being one of the largest national producers of this mollusk.

Government of Florianópolis

The government of Florianópolis is a representative democracy. City dwellers elect their representatives through municipal elections, which are held at four-year intervals. The mayor is the head of the executive branch. The body that integrates the Legislative Power is the Municipal Chamber, which is formed by 23 councilors.

Florianópolis plays the role of capital of Santa Catarina. This means that the city is home to the official headquarters of the state government, which is located in the Administrative Center of the State Government of Santa Catarina.

Infrastructure of Florianópolis

The vast majority of residents of the capital of Santa Catarina live in its urban area and a small portion is in the rural area. Both situations thus demand a series of essential services and an infrastructure network to meet the basic needs of this population. The IBGE (2010) points out that just over half of households, around 54.4%, was located in areas with adequate urbanization, that is, with paving, sidewalks and manholes. Access to adequate sewage covered 87.8% of households. The general water supply network served 93.5% of households in Florianópolis, while 99.9% had access to electricity.

The connection between the Island of Santa Catarina and the mainland is made through the Hercílio Luz, Colombo Sales and Pedro Ivo Campos bridges, thus allowing transfers between the different areas of the capital of Santa Catarina. Some federal and state highways interconnect the capital with other cities and regions of the country, as is the case with BR-282. Florianópolis Hercílio Luz International Airport, located in the capital, is the main one in the state of Santa Catarina.

Hercílio Luz Bridge in Florianópolis.

Culture of Florianopolis

The culture of Florianópolis has many elements from the Azorean culture and from other peoples who migrated towards the Island of Santa Catarina. The city has a rich folkloric set of legends, dances and festivities, which earned it the nickname of Magic Island. In addition, this nickname may have a direct reference to the beautiful landscapes observed along the entire coastal zone of the capital of Santa Catarina. Among the legends are that of the stones on Praia de Itaguaçu, which — they say — are petrified witches, and that the map of the islands that make up the capital has the shape of a silhouette of a witch.

Jurerê beach is one of the main tourist destinations in Florianópolis, in addition to the beaches of Joaquina, Ilha do Campeche, Praia Mole, Praia do Forte, Praia da Lagoinha and others. The city has many historic buildings and monuments. that recount its process of formation and settlement, such as the Fortress of São José da Ponta Grossa, historical heritage of Florianópolis, the Palácio Cruz e Souza, which also houses the Historical Museum of Santa Catarina, and the Fort Santo Antônio dos Ratones.

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