Santa Catarina Island ( pt, Ilha de Santa Catarina) is an island in the

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

ian state of Santa Catarina, located off the southern coast. It is home to the state capital,

Florianópolis 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 populat ...

Location

Santa Catarina Island is approximately 54 km (33 mi) long (measuring north-south) by 18 km (11 mi) wide, measuring east-west at its widest point (in the north of the island), with a total area of 424.4 km² (163.9 mi²). The island is the largest of an

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Arch ...

of more than 30 islands, the majority of which lies within the Florianópolis municipality. Nearby islands are also part of the archipelago, which belong to other cities, including: Anhatomirim Island, Cabras Island, Arvoredo Island, Deserta Island, and Galés Island. The three main bridges, Hercílio Luz Bridge (which was closed in 1991, and reopened in December 2019), Colombo Salles Bridge, and Pedro Ivo Campos Bridge, span a 500-meter wide and 28-meter deep channel that delimits the north and south bays of the island. One of the continental neighborhoods in Florianópolis is named after this strait.

Urban areas

Santa Catarina Island is home to the state capital,

, and is connected to the mainland by three bridges. The island also contains numerous beach resorts, including: Jurerê Internacional, Santinho, Canasvieiras and Cachoeira do Bom Jesus. A large part of the city of Florianópolis lies within the borders of the island. The downtown area lies in the mid-west, but many other neighborhoods and districts are spread over the island. One notable neighborhood is Trindade, where the

Federal University of Santa Catarina The Federal University of Santa Catarina ( pt, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, UFSC) is a public university in Florianópolis, the capital city of Santa Catarina in southern Brazil. Considered one of the leading universities in Brazil, ...

(UFSC) is located. In the north, the communities of Ingleses, Canasvieiras and Jurerê can be found, and those of Vargem Grande and Vargem Pequena are in the far north. The neighborhoods Santo Antônio de Lisboa, Cacupé, Sambaqui, Barra do Sambaqui, Rio Vermelho and Praia da Daniela are located in the northwest. To the south lie Pântano do Sul, Costa de Dentro, Caieira da Barra do Sul and Ribeirão da Ilha, though Costa de Cima is in the mid-south. Morro das Pedras and Armação do Pântano do Sul lie in the southeast. The east contains the communities Barra da Lagoa, Lagoa da Conceição, Rio Tavares and Campeche. Other neighborhoods on the island include Carvoeira, Córrego Grande, Itacorubi, Pantanal, Parque São Jorge, and Santa Mônica.

Conservation

The Carijós Ecological Station was established by decree of 20 July 1987, covering an area of in the municipality. It preserves a significant area of mangroves on the Ilha de Santa Catarina. The Pirajubaé Marine Extractive Reserve in the south bay of the Ilha de Santa Catarina protects people engaged in traditional harvesting of marine resources, mainly shellfish, from the sandbanks of the bay. The tip of the island is in the

Serra do Tabuleiro State Park Serra do Tabuleiro State Park ( pt, Parque Estadual da Serra do Tabuleiro) is a state park in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. It protects a mountainous area near the city of Florianópolis, covered in Atlantic Forest, which is an important so ...

, a protected area created in 1975. The Rio Vermelho State Park, created in 2007, is in the northeast of the island.

Tourism

The most attractive places to visit are São Joaquim National Park, Serra do Rio do Rastro, surf at Joaquina, Lagoinha do Leste, Florianópolis city. This is one of the smallest states in the country, meaning that exploring all the places is very manageable.

References

{{Coord, 27, 36, S, 48, 30, W, region:BR_type:isle_scale:500000_source:GNS, display=title Landforms of Santa Catarina (state) Atlantic islands of Brazil