Santa Catarina

Santa Catarina is a prosperous state in southern Brazil, known for its beaches, mountains and strong European heritage. Its capital is Florianopolis, set largely on an island and famed for its surf and beaches. With one of the highest standards of living in Brazil, it blends coastal leisure with alpine-style highland towns.

Santa Catarina has a varied landscape of Atlantic beaches and islands, a coastal plain, and a cool, forested highland plateau that occasionally sees snow. The climate is subtropical, with four distinct seasons in the highlands.

The state's culture is strongly shaped by German, Italian and Azorean immigration, evident in its architecture, festivals such as the Blumenau Oktoberfest, and cuisine. Florianopolis is a hub of surfing, technology and tourism.

Settled by Azorean Portuguese on the coast and later by German and Italian immigrants inland, Santa Catarina developed a distinctive European-influenced culture. It grew into one of Brazil's most developed and industrialised states.