Florianópolis

Florianópolis
Lagoa da Conceição
State	Santa Catarina
Area:	437 km²
Population:	386 913 (Estimate: 07/2004)
Height:	3 m above sea level
Postcode (CEP):	88000-000
Geographic location:	27°35′S 48°35′W
Address of the local government:	Prefeitura Municipal de Florianópolis Rua Conselheiro Mafra, 656 Centro Florianópolis
Website:	www.pmf.sc.gov.br
Contact:	e-mail
Map

Coat of arms of Florianópolis

Florianópolis (also known as Floripa) is the capital city of Santa Catarina State in southern Brazil. It is an island city with a population of 386,913 (2004/IBGE). Its metropolitan area has a population of about 800,000 inhabitants.

It is surrounded by smaller islands with forts, which protected ships in the 17th century. Most of the population lives on the island's northern half. The southern half is more isolated and less developed. Although originally settled by the Portuguese (from the Islands of Açores), like the rest of the state, the city has a strong German and Italian influence. Florianopolis is a popular destination for South American tourists, because of its location and white sand beaches.

Districts

There are 12 districts in Florianopolis:

Central island and continental part of the city

• Centro
  

East part of the island

• Barra da Lagoa
• Lagoa da Conceição
  

North part of the island

• Cachoeira do Bom Jesus
• Canasvieiras
• Ingleses do Rio Vermelho
• Ratones
• São João do Rio Vermelho

South part of the island

• Campeche
• Pântano do Sul
• Ribeirão da Ilha

West part of the island

• Santo Antônio de Lisboa

Universities

• Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), the only federal university in the state of Santa Catarina. Its website is (http://www.ufsc.br) (In Portuguese)

• Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina (UDESC), the State University of Santa Catarina. Its website is (http://www.udesc.br) (In Portuguese)

Beaches

Sand dunes at the Joaquina beach

There are about 42 well known beaches on Santa Catarina island, but more than 100 in all. The most well-known beaches are:

• Jurerê - Very developed and organized; big houses.
• Joaquina - Nice dunes, very good waves.
• Mole - Mostly surfers. Known for its soft ("mole") sand.
• Moçambique - Huge extension, surfers, camping.
• Armação - For surfers, fishermen.
• Ingleses - Family beach.
• Santinho - Has a known resort.
• Canasvieiras - Popular with Argentinians and Uruguayans.

Sports

Football

There are two professional football (soccer) teams in the city. Both of them have 13 Santa Catarina State Championship titles, which is a state record. The derby between the is known as "O Clássico da Capital" ("The Capital Classic").

• Avaí FC - blue and white. It is also known as O Leão da Ilha ("The Lion of the Island") or O Time da Raça ("The Brave Team"). Its stadium is the Aderbal Ramos da Silva, popularly known as Ressacada, located in the Carianos neighborhood, in the south part of the island.

• Figueirense FC - black and white. Its nickname is Figueira ("Figtree") and it is also known as O Furacão do Estreito ("The Estreito Hurricane") or A Máquina do Estreito ("The Estreito Machine"). Its stadium is the Orlando Scarpelli, located in the Estreito neighborhood, in the continental part of the city.

Tennis

Florianopolis is the hometown of tennis star Gustavo Kuerten.

Gallery

• 
  Lagoa da Conceição
• 
  The main church
• Lagoa da Conceição
  Lagoa da Conceição
• 
  Sight of Lagoa da Conceição from Ratones area
• 
  Aerial view of the Lagoa da Conceição bridge
• Satellite photo of Lagoa da Conceição, with captions
  Satellite photo of Lagoa da Conceição, with captions
• 
  Barra da Lagoa
• Hercilio Luz bridge, 1935
  Hercilio Luz bridge, 1935
• 
  Aerial view of Hercilio Luz bridge, 2001
• Hercilio Luz bridge
  Hercilio Luz bridge

External Links

• Template:Wikitravel
• Hotel booking at Florianópolis