Florianópolis ( , ) is the capital and second largest city of the state of Santa Catarina, in the South Region of Brazil. The city encompasses Santa Catarina Island and surrounding small islands, as well as part of the mainland. It has a population of 537,211, according to the 2022 Brazilian census, the second-most populous city in the state (after Joinville), and the 39th in Brazil. The metropolitan area has an estimated population of 1,111,702, the 21st largest in the country. The city is known for having the country's third-highest Human Development Index score among all Brazilian cities (0.847).
The economy of Florianópolis is heavily based on information technology, tourism, and services. The city has 60 beaches and is a center of surfing activity. Lagoa da Conceição is the most famous area for tourism, recreation, nature, and extreme sports. The New York Times reported that "Florianopolis is the party destination of the year in 2009." Newsweek placed Florianópolis in its "ten most dynamic cities of the world" list in 2006. Veja, a Brazilian publication, named the city as "the best place to live in Brazil." As a result of this exposure, Florianópolis is growing as a second home destination for many Paulistas, Argentines, Uruguayans, Americans, and Europeans.
Florianópolis is also commonly known by the nicknames Floripa and Ilha da Magia (Magic Island). Most of the population lives on the mainland and on the island's central and northern parts. The southern half is less inhabited. Many small commercial fishermen populate the island.
The Hercílio Luz International Airport serves the city. Florianópolis is home to the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (Federal University of Santa Catarina). There are also the Santa Catarina Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology (Instituto Federal de Santa Catarina), and two campuses of the Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina (State University of Santa Catarina), among other institutions of higher and professional education.
The city has been ranked as the safest capital to live in Brazil in 2024, according to the 2024 Security Atlas, released by the Institute for Applied Economic Research (IPEA) and the Brazilian Public Security Forum (FBSP). Among other rankings, it has been placed as well as the 5th best place to retire, in Brazil and the USA, by the Mongeral Aegon Longevity Institute in partnership with FGV.
Etymology The name Florianópolis is a tribute to Marshal Floriano Peixoto, the second President (1891–1894) of the Republic of the United States of Brazil and from Greek term polis, meaning "city". Until 1893, the city was called Nossa Senhora do Desterro ( or ; ) or simply Desterro.
Geography Vegetation Florianópolis lies within the Atlantic Forest, which has an extremely diverse and unique mix of vegetation and forest types. The main ecoregion is the coastal Atlantic forest, the narrow strip of about along the coast, which covers about 20 percent of the region. This forest extends as far as inland, and its range is as high as 2,000 meters above sea level. Altitude determines at least three vegetation types in the Atlantic Forest: the lowland forest of the coastal plain, montane forests, and the high-altitude grassland or "campo rupestre."
The municipality contains part of the offshore Marinha do Arvoredo Biological Reserve, a fully protected conservation unit established in 1990. It also contains part of the Serra do Tabuleiro State Park, a mountainous area covered in lush forests. The park protects the sources of the Vargem do Braço, Cubatão, and Una rivers, which supply most of the drinking water for greater Florianópolis and the south coast region. The municipality contains the Rio Vermelho State Park in the northeast of Santa Catarina Island, created in 2007.
Precipitation There is significant precipitation, which is well distributed throughout the year. The annual normal rainfall for the period of 1961 through 1990 was . There is no dry season, and summer generally is the rainiest season. Increased rainfall occurs from January to March, with a median of per month, and from April to December, there is somewhat less precipitation, averaging per month. The driest months are from June to August.
Climate Florianópolis experiences a warm humid subtropical climate (Koppen: Cfa), falling just short of a true tropical climate. The seasons of the year are distinct, with a well-defined summer and winter, and characteristic weather for autumn and spring. Due to the proximity of the sea, the relative humidity of the atmosphere is 80% on average. The city has exact same latitude and climate as Brisbane. Both cities have an average temperature of 21.5°C, and Florianópolis has cooler summers but warmer winters.
The area is threatened by climate change, with rising sea levels expected to lead to increased coastal erosion. Mangroves are being planted in and around the city to help mitigate potential damage while restoring local ecosystems.
The maximum temperatures of the hottest month varies from and the minimum temperatures are from . The lowest temperature ever recorded was in July 2000 while the highest temperature ever recorded was in February 1973.
Neighbourhoods
+Neighbourhoods of Florianópolis with population in 2000PositionNeighbourhoodsPopulation1Centro 44,0742Capoeiras 19,3233Trindade 15,0314Agronômica 14,5915Saco dos Limões 13,7716Coqueiros 13,5927Monte Cristo 12,6348Jardim Atlântico 12,0479Itacorubi 10,30710Costeira do Pirajubaé 9,30111Capivari 8,68612Tapera da Base 7,08113Estreito 7,00714Monte Verde 6,19815Balneário 6,11016São João do Rio Vermelho 5,57117Canto 5,56018Abraão 5,21019Santa Mônica 5,08120Lagoa 5,08121Saco Grande 5,00222Córrego Grande 4,83323Canasvieiras 4,82224Pantanal 4,70325Coloninha 4,43226Barra da Lagoa 3,81227Carianos 3,65628José Mendes 3,51429Ingleses Centro 3,14230João Paulo 3,05731Campeche Leste 2,97432Campeche Sul 2,80233Rio Tavares Central 2,61334Santinho 2,52135Ponta das Canas 2,47336Vargem do Bom Jesus 2,28637Armação 2,24738Cachoeira do Bom Jesus Leste 2,24139Pântano do Sul 2,23440Itaguaçu 2,22941Jurere Leste 2,03142Campeche Norte 2,00943Vargem Grande 1,87544Campeche Central 1,81545Ressacada 1,69046Morro das Pedras 1,52747Alto Ribeirão Leste 1,49348Alto Ribeirão 1,48749Ribeirão da Ilha 1,37650Santo Antônio 1,35251Sambaqui 1,34552Ingleses Sul 1,32353Bom Abrigo 1,26254Jurere Oeste 1,22155Porto da Lagoa 1,20056Cachoeira do Bom Jesus 1,19957Rio Tavares do Norte 1,08258Pedregal 1,03459Ratones 1,02360Canto da Lagoa 98061Retiro 94362Cacupé 86363Lagoa Pequena 85764Barra do Sambaqui 78165Caiacanga 76966Lagoinha do Norte 65167Base Aérea 60568Pedrita 58969Açores 55270Costeira do Ribeirão 54071Moenda 53372Tapera 43073Daniela 42674Vargem Pequena 41875Canto dos Araçás 40876Recanto dos Açores 38277Canto do Lamim 34878Vargem de Fora 34579Dunas da Lagoa 33180Autódromo 29981Forte 26682Ingleses Norte 20383Caieira 17084Praia Brava 13085Praia Mole 108
History
Carijós Indians, a Tupi people, were the first inhabitants of the Florianópolis area. The traces of its presence are verified through archaeological sites and sambaquis dating up to 4000 years ago. The Indians called the place Meiembipe, meaning "mountain along the channel."
Around 1514, the Portuguese landed and gave the area the name Ilha dos Patos (Island of the Ducks), but in 1526 it was renamed Ilha de Santa Catarina (Saint Catherine's Island). The area supplied the vessels that went to the River Plate (Río de la Plata) Basin.
The official settlement of the island began in 1673 with the arrival of bandeirante Francisco Dias Velho's agricultural company, and it continued in 1678 with the construction of a chapel consecrated to Nossa Senhora do Desterro. At this time, a villa began to take form, slowly becoming a colonial settlement.
To guarantee its domain, the Portuguese Crown elevated Santa Catarina Island to the category of village in 1714 with the name of Nossa Senhora do Desterro, and already in 1726, they promoted it again, now to the category of town.
From this date on, Vila do Desterro and mainly the port began to have a strategic function because it was situated halfway between Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires, possibly two of the largest seaside cities of South America at that time. For this reason, in 1739, the Capitania da Ilha de Santa Catarina was created, and Desterro became its capital. Soon, the most expressive seaside defensive ring of Southern Brazil started to be built: Santa Cruz, São José da Ponta Grossa, Santo Antonio, and Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Barra do Sul fortresses.
With the coming of the Captaincy, the population began to grow, but the great population growth happened between 1747 and 1756 with the arrival of about 6,000 settlers coming from the Archipelago of Azores and from Madeira Island. The development of agriculture, the cotton and linen industry, and the commerce followed the Azorean occupation. In 1823, during the monarchy which ended in 1889, Desterro became the Capital of Santa Catarina Province, opening a period of prosperity with many urban works and also intense political organization.
Regional elites, unhappy with the government centralization, staged the Federalist Revolt at the beginning of the Brazilian Republic. The movement that started in Rio Grande do Sul spread to Santa Catarina and turned Desterro into the Federalist Capital of the Republic. The then president of Brazil, Marshal Floriano Peixoto, known as the Iron Marshal, suppressed the rebellion and ordered the shooting of many people who were considered enemies of the state, in the Anhatomirim Island Fortress. Possibly to show loyalty to the marshal, 1893 saw the change of the state capital's name: from Desterro to Florianópolis, that is to say, the city of Floriano.
Demographics
According to the 2022 census, there were 537,211 people residing in the city. The population density was . The last PNAD (National Research for Sample of Domiciles) census revealed the following numbers: 410,298 White people (76.4%), 87,542 Pardo (Multiracial) people (16.3%), 35,813 Black people (6.7%), 2.398 Asian people (0.4%) and 1,148 Amerindian people (0.2%). Florianópolis has a population mostly composed of Brazilians of European descent. The number of immigrants started to increase in the mid-18th century, mostly with the arrival of Portuguese colonists from the Azores Islands. The population of Florianópolis was composed mainly of Portuguese/Azoreans, Germans, and Italians. Further south, some neighborhoods preserve their rural village identity. The cultural heritage left by their Azorean ancestors is noticeable in their dialect, in handicrafts, and in traditional festivities.
The small village of Santo António de Lisboa (Saint Anthony of Lisbon) is an example of colonial period architecture and in Ribeirão da Ilha, the oldest part of the capital, the inhabitants speak in an accent closer to the Azorean dialect of the first settlers. In Ribeirão da Ilha is the church of Our Lady of Lapa do Ribeirão, built in 1806. Lagoa da Conceição, with its many sand dunes, restaurants, and seaside nightlife, and where women make lace to sell in the street, has also managed to retain many traces of its colonial architecture.
The city is densely populated, with a population distribution of 623.68 inhab./km2, the 6th highest in the state of Santa Catarina. The vast majority of Florianopólis residents 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.Info of Florianópolis