Santa Catarina (state)

Santa Catarina (German "Sankt Katharina", officially Portuguese Estado de Santa Catarina) is a state in southern Brazil. There are a significant number of ethnic Germans in Santa Catarina. Blumenau is famous for its half-timbered houses and its Oktoberfest. Other cities such as the capital Florianópolis, the port city of Itajaí, the small town of Pomerode and the textile industry have also made Santa Catarina famous. Some places with German names have been Portugueseized, such as Treze Tílias (Thirteen Linden), the "Brazilian Tyrol".

Geography

The area is only about 95,738 km² (2017), and the population was 6,248,436 according to the 2010 census. The number was estimated by the IBGE to grow to 7,252,502 residents on July 1, 2020. The population density is 65 persons per km². This places Santa Catarina among the smaller states in Brazil, ranking 11th out of 27 comparable administrative levels.

The state borders Argentina on the west with a short border. To the east, Santa Catarina is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, and to the north by Paraná.

The capital is Florianópolis, other well-known cities are Joinville and Blumenau.

In terms of landscape, the state is divided into eight regions.

History and culture

Colonial Era and "Republic of Juliana

As early as the beginning of the 16th century, references to Santa Catarina are mentioned in the records of Spanish navigators. It is certain that in 1515 a ship of the explorer Juan Díaz de Solís was shipwrecked on the coast of the state, which can be interpreted as the beginning of colonization by Spaniards. Later, the Portuguese arrived in Santa Catarina, especially emigrants from the Azores. In the 19th century, there was an increased immigration of Italians, Poles, Russians, Belgians and Germans.

To this day, these groups have left their mark on the culture of Santa Catarina and give this state a special, European-influenced charm. Well-known beyond the borders of Brazil is, among other things, the annual Oktoberfest Blumenau, which takes place in Blumenau.

From 1822 to 1889, it was the province of Santa Catarina in the Empire of Brazil. In 1839, the Farrap Revolution spread to Santa Catarina, where the short-lived Republic of Juliana was proclaimed.

emigration settlement