Florianópolis is the capital city of Santa Catarina State in southern Brazil. It is an island city with a population of 450,000.
It is surrounded by smaller islands with forts which protected ships in the 17th century. Most of the population lives in its northern half. The southern half is more isolated and less developed. Though originally settled by Portuguese, like the rest of Brazil, the city has a heavy German and Italian influence. Florianópolis is a popular destination for South American tourists, because of its location and white sand beaches.
Beaches
There are about 42 well know beaches at Florianópolis island, but more than
100 at all. The most know beaches are:
