Florianópolis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Florianópolis | |||
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| Nickname: Floripa | |||
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| Coordinates: | |||
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| Country |  Brazil |
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| Region | South | ||
| State | Santa Catarina | ||
| Founded | March 23, 1726 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Dario Elias Berger (PMDB) | ||
| Area | |||
| - City | 436.5 km² (168.5 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 3 m (10 ft) | ||
| Population (2006) | |||
| - City | 406,564 | ||
| - Density | 938.9/km² (2,412.8/sq mi) | ||
| - Urban | 358,180 | ||
| - Metro | 821,423 | ||
| Time zone | UTC-3 (UTC-3) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | UTC-2 (UTC-2) | ||
| HDI (2000) | 0.875 – high | ||
| Website: Florianópolis, Santa Catarina | |||
Florianópolis (also known by its nickname Floripa) is the capital city of Santa Catarina State in southern Brazil. It is composed of one main island, the Island of Santa Catarina, one continental part and the surrounding small islands. It has a population of 406,564 (2006/IBGE). Its metropolitan area has a population of over 821,552 inhabitants. Florianópolis was among Newsweek's 10 Most Dynamic Cities. The New York Times called Florianopolis "The hippest year round beach scene in South America." Additionally VEJA magazine, a popular Brazilian magazine, called Florianopolis the best place to live in Brazil. As a result of this publicity, Florianopolis is growing as a second home destination for many Paulistas, Argentines, North Americans and Europeans.
The Ilha de Santa Catarina is commonly known by those who live and visit here simply as Floripa. Most of the population lives on the island's northern half. The southern half is more isolated and less developed. Many fisherman populate the island and still derive their livliehood from this ancient occupation. Although originally settled by the Portuguese (from the Archipelago of Azores), the city has a strong German and Italian influence, like the rest of the state. Florianópolis is a popular destination for South American tourists, because of its location and white sugary soft sand beaches. The economy relies heavily on tourism and has 42 pristine beaches. It is the center of surfing activity in the South of Brazil.
The Hercílio Luz International Airport connects Florianópolis with Brazilian cities and also operates international flights.
The city is home to the Federal University of Santa Catarina.
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[edit] Geography
[edit] Climate
| Climate chart for Florianópolis | |||||||||||
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| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
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195
29
22
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153
29
22
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110
28
22
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81
26
20
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84
24
16
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71
22
14
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74
21
14
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61
22
14
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104
22
16
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116
24
18
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98
26
19
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140
28
21
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| temperatures in °C • precipitation totals in mm source: MSN Weather |
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Imperial conversion
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Florianópolis experiences a humid subtropical climate. The seasons of the year are distinct, with a well-defined summer and winter, and characteristic weather for fall and spring. Frost is infrequent, but occurs occasionally in the winter. Due to the proximity of the sea, the relative humidity of the atmosphere is 80% on average. There is significant precipitation which is well distributed throughout the year. The annual normal precipitation for the period of 1911 through 1984 was 1521 mm. There is no dry season, and summer generally is the rainiest season. Increased rainfall occurs from January to March, with a median of 160 mm per month, and from April to December there is somewhat less precipitation, averaging 100 mm per month. The dryest months are from June to August. On average of the maximum temperatures of the hottest month varies from 26°C (78.8°F) to 31°C (87.8°F) and on average of the minimum temperatures are from 7.5°C (45.5°F) to 12°C (53.6°F). The lowest temperature ever recorded was -2°C (28.4°F), in 1975.
[edit] Demographics
According to the IBGE of 2006, there were 406,564 residents in the city. The city has the 4th best HDI in Brazil, and the best life quality of Brazilian capitals. Florianópolis has a population mostly composed of Brazilians of European descent. Its colonization started in the mid-18th century, mostly with the arrival of Portuguese colonists from the Azores Islands. Florianópolis was composed mainly of Azoreans, Germans and Italians. Further south, some districts also preserve their rural village identity, and the heritage left by their Azorean ancestors is noticeable in their manner of speaking, in their handicraft activities, and typical feasts. On the other side, the city has taken on a cosmopolitan air with the arrival of Brazilians from other States and foreigners who chose to live there. The island, which in the beginning of the colonization period, was an important whale hunting centre, is today the technological pole of the IT industry. A State Capital of interest to tourism, Florianópolis is currently inhabited by about 400 thousand people, a number that triples every summer.
[edit] Economy
Tourism is one of the staples of Florianópolis' economy; it is considered by many inhabitants and tourists that Floripa has a singular beauty endowed with strong lines of Azorean culture, observed in the buildings, workmanship, folklore, culinary and religious traditions. Its environmental restrictions on building and commercial development have been more or less regularly enforced. This accounts for the singular natural beauty of this island. In addition to its popular sugar soft white sand beaches Florianópolis' offers many historical attractions, including the sites of the original Azorean colonists, the Lagoa da Conceição lagoon, and Santo Antônio de Lisboa. Tourism in Florianópolis has grown significantly over the past 10 years, with increasing numbers of visitors coming from other large cities in Brazil (particularly Porto Alegre, Curitiba, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro) as well as other South American countries (particularly Argentina, with direct flights offered daily from Buenos Aires) During the past several years a greater number of international tourists have also begun to frequent the island (particularly from Europe and the United States), and 2006 marked the opening of the city's first multinational hotel, a Sofitel[1], and first US-based specialty tour operator, Nexus Surf[2]. As the number of visitors to the island grows each year, Florianopolis faces the ongoing challenge of ensuring that its limited instrastructure and resources will continue to adequately accommodate them.
During the past decade technology and software development firms also experienced strong growth, and today IT services are one of the top revenue generators in Florianopolis. Several technology centers are spread around Florianopolis, making the city (together with Joinville and Blumenau) an important pole in this economic sector.
The GDP for the city was R$ 6,259,393,000 (2005).[1]
The per capita income for the city was R$ 15,776 (2005).[2]
[edit] Education
Portuguese is the official national language, and thus the primary language taught in schools. But English and Spanish are part of the official high school curriculum.
[edit] Educational institutions
- Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC);
- Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina (UDESC);
- Complexo de Ensino Superior de Santa Catarina (CESUSC);
- Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina (UNISUL);
- Universidade do Vale do Itajaí (UNIVALI);
- Faculdade Estácio de Sá;
- Centro Federal de Educação Tecnológica de Santa Catarina (Cefet-SC);
- and many others.
[edit] Tourism and recreation
Florianoplis is a beautiful city in the South of Brazil. It was named by a popular Brasilian magazine (Veja) as the "Best Place to Live in Brasil".[citation needed] It is South of São Paulo one hour by air and connected to "The Continent" by two bridges; one ornamental and the other functional. Tourism is an important source of revenue on the island.
Hercílio Luz Bridge Built over 70 years ago and now closed to traffic, it continues to be the island’s favourite post card image.
Santo Amaro da Imperatriz First thermal water facility in Brazil. Hotels with thermal water bath facilities are located in the district of Caldas da Imperatriz and in the city of Águas Mornas.
Fonte Caldas da Imperatriz – City Baths This is a source of thermal waters, which can reach the temperature of 39°C (102.2°F), where there are immersion baths and hydromassage. It is located on the Estrada Geral Highway, km 4, Caldas da Imperatriz district.
ASP World Tour, Association of Surfing Professionals (WCT) Florianópolis is the main location of the WCT, which classifies 50 competitors, among professionals and amateurs. The state of Santa Caterina is the only location in South America for this event.
Festa do Divino --Holy Spirit FeastTakes place 40 days after Easter, when a group of people takes to the streets to participate in a procession with imperial days roots . There are band presentations and kiosks with typical local food.
Praia Mole Probably the island's best known beach, Praia Mole is arguably one of the most beautiful as well. Framed by rolling green hills and unique rock formations on either side, the beach boasts truly world-class scenery. For many visitors, however, what makes the beach most memorable are the beautiful patrons who frequent it -- Praia Mole is known as a meeting point for the island's young, athletic local crowd, contributing to the vibrant yet laid back year-round atmosphere (even in the winter on sunny days, but particularly in the warmer months of the year, from early November to mid May). With no construction anywhere near the sand, save for some lively beach restaurants and bars with a variety of food and drink options, the beach retains a very natural and unspoiled atmosphere. Very consistent surfing waves, ideal for intermediate to advanced surfers, and a popular spot for the sports of 'fresco ball' (paddle ball), paragliding and kitesurfing.
Barra da Lagoa This is the world famous "Bunny Slope" of Surfing. It is home to world champion Jacqueline Silva and 2 kilometers from Praia Mole which usually hosts the WCT Surfing Championships. Barra da Lagoa is a quaint fisherman's village but the physical characteristics of the beach make it the perfect place to learn to surf. It is a cove on the Eastern part of the island and stretchs into Mozambique beach for 15 kilometers. It is in a natural setting as there are no huge hotels on the beach and the Southern headquarters of Projecto Tamar (Save the Turtles) is located here. A new luxury guest house Villa Vilalva has just opened in 2008. Penguins routinely swim into the canal and near the beach of Barra da Lagoa during the colder winter months of June, July and August. The canal at Barra da Lagoa connects the Lagoa de Conceicao with the open sea. It is not uncommon to view pescadores (fisherman) during the night tossing their nets in the lagoa to catch shrimp they sell to the fresh fish restaurants in this community.
Praia dos Ingleses Even though it is a beach preferred by tourists, Ingleses still keeps to the traditions of the Açorian colonizers. In the summer, it is one of the top beach destinations of Argentinean tourists, second only to Canasvieras. In the winter, mullet fishing, religious celebrations and regional festivities are beautiful demonstrations of the local culture. The dunes separating the Ingleses Beach from the Santinho Beach are natural attractions not to be missed. The practice of sand board is quite common there, a sport created in Florianópolis, which consists of sliding down the dunes on a board, engaging or not in radical manoeuvres. To practice it, one must have a lot of balance and rent a board. Those looking for a different outing can go on a trek of 4 km (2.48 mi) over the dunes.
Armação Beach The Sant'Anna Church, built by the Armação fishing company, is part of the beach’s history. It was from there that whale harpooners and crewmen confessed and attended the mass before going fishing. Next, the priest would go down to the beach to bless the boats that would sail out to sea. Today, the boats leave there for Ilha do Campeche, one of the most visited islands around Florianópolis. It is also in Armação that one finds one of the most important archeological sites of the State of Santa Catarina.
Campeche Beach With 5 km of white sands and a turbulent waters, Campeche is considered the Jeffreys Bay of the Santa Catarina Island for the quality of its waves. For those who are not interested in surfing, the beach offers other attractions. The paradisiacal beauty of Ilha do Campeche, for instance, located across from the beach, a football game on the Saint-Exupéry aviation field, or even fishing, are some of the leisure alternatives. At night, Campeche is also an excellent attraction. The huge reflector that illuminates part of the large sand strip in front of the bars only contributes to the partying that extends far into the night. The illumination favours both those who enjoy the merrymaking as well as the fishermen, who use the time to drag their nets in from the sea.
Joaquina Beach Won fame as of the 1970s, when surfers from around the world discovered its waves. Many surf cups began to emerge, and great Catarinense surfing personalities. It is one of the beaches that offers the best tourist facilities, receiving a large number of tourists from around Brazil and the world on the warm days in spring and summer. The rock complex situated to the left of the beach, the night lighting and the public showers are some of the trademarks at Joaquina. There is a big paid parking lot, toilets, tourist coach parking lot, lifeguards, police station, handicraft shop, bars, restaurant and hotels. In addition to the beach, it is possible to enjoy the most famous dunes in the South of the country as well as to sand board. The boards used in this sport can be rented on the spot.
Praia do Santinho Almost untouched by man, Santinho Beach is mainly sought by tourists who look for nature, the location’s paradisiacal beauty and tranquillity. Surfers are the main visitors and consider Santinho to be the best beach in the North of the Santa Catarina Island. It is in the left hand corner – where bathers do not venture -- that surfers practice their sport, sharing the space with fishermen. Forty kilometres away from the centre of Florianópolis, another great attraction of this beach are the primitive inscriptions made by hunters, fishermen and collectors inhabiting the Island five thousand years ago. The name Santinho comes from a human figure engraved on an isolated block of rock.
Outdoor Sports Florianópolis has a privileged geography that favours the practice of numerous outdoor sports, mainly radical sports: surf, diving, hang-gliding, para-gliding and mountain bike.
[edit] Infrastructure
[edit] International Airport
Florianópolis is served by Hercílio Luz International Airport for both domestic and international flights. The traffic has grown significantly at the airport and therefore the city will shortly receive a new airport able to serve 2.7 million passengers a year. The architectural design of the new airport was chosen by a public competition held by Infraero in partnership with the Brazilian Architects Institute (IAB). Among the over 150 original entries, the proposal of São Paulo architect Mário Bizelli was chosen.
[edit] Highways
Florianópolis is connected to the main cities of Brazil by BR-101 and BR-282 federal highways.
[edit] Distances
- Brasília: 1,673 km (1,040 mi);
- São Paulo: 700 km (435 mi);
- Rio de Janeiro: 1,145 km (711 mi);
- Porto Alegre: 466 km (290 mi);
- Curitiba: 300 km (186 mi).
[edit] Neighborhoods
There are more than 40 neighborhoods in Florianópolis:
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[edit] Sports
[edit] Football (Soccer)
There are two professional football teams in the city. The derby between them is known as "O Clássico da Capital" ("The Capital's Classic").
Figueirense FC - black and white. Its nickname is Figueira ("Figtree") and it is also known as O Furacão do Estreito ("The Estreito's Hurricane"). Its stadium is the Orlando Scarpelli, located in the Estreito neighborhood, in the continental part of the city. Figueirense is currently playing the Brazilian first division. As of May 4th 2008, the team has won Santa Catarina State Championship 15 times, an all-time record.
Avaí FC - blue and white. It is also known as O Leão da Ilha ("The Lion of the Island"). Its stadium is the Aderbal Ramos da Silva, popularly known as Ressacada, located in the Carianos neighborhood, in the south part of the island. Avaí is currently playing the Brazilian national second division and holds 13 State Championship titles.
Florianópolis is one of the 18 remaining candidates to host games of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, which Brazil is scheduled to host. .
[edit] Tennis
Florianópolis is the hometown of tennis star Gustavo Kuerten.
[edit] Surf
The island is generally considered to be blessed with the best and most consistent waves in Brazil, and in early November of each year hosts what is currently South America's only ASP (Association of Surfing Professionals) World Championship Tour professional surfing competition. Brazil has played host to many an ASP tour event over the past 30 years. Former contest sites include Rio de Janeiro, Barra de Tijuca and Saquarema, but the past four years have seen the tour set up shop in Florianopolis. Falling towards the end of the tour, the past few years have seen several ASP world champions crowned in Brazil. In 2004 it was Andy Irons, and in 2005 it was Kelly Slater (who had his 2006 ASP World Title already stitched up by Brazil).
[edit] Famous Florianopolitanos
- Victor Meireles (painter);
- Luís Delfino (Poet);
- Cruz e Sousa (symbolist poet);
- Fernando Scherer, the "Xuxa" (athlete - swimming);
- Gustavo Kuerten, the "Guga" (athlete - tennis player);
- Rafael Verga (Model)
[edit] Sister cities
Florianópolis is twinned with the following cities:
[edit] References
- ^ (2005) GDP (PDF) (in Portuguese), Florianópolis, Brazil: IBGE. ISBN 85-240-3919-1. Retrieved on 2007-07-18.
- ^ (2005) per capita income (PDF) (in Portuguese), Florianópolis, Brazil: IBGE. ISBN 85-240-3919-1. Retrieved on 2007-07-18.
[edit] External links
| Find more about Florianópolis on Wikipedia's sister projects: | |
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Dictionary definitions |
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Textbooks |
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Quotations |
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Images and media |
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News stories |
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Learning resources |
- Florianópolis travel guide from Wikitravel
- Floripa Images Guide
- Florianópolis information and events site
- Flickr photos tagged Florianópolis
- Florianópolis is at coordinates Coordinates:
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