Vale do Itajaí also known as ''Vale Europeu'' (or "European Valley") is a
mesoregion located in the Northeastern part of the Brazilian state of
Santa Catarina. It has about 1.3 million inhabitants and comprises four smaller regions:
Blumenau
Blumenau () is a city in Vale do Itajaí, Santa Catarina (Brazil), Santa Catarina state, in the South Region, Brazil, South Region of Brazil, from the state capital Florianópolis.
The city was founded by the German chemist and pharmacist H ...
,
Itajaí, Ituporanga and Rio do Sul. Most of the population is of
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
and
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
ancestry.
Geography
Cities
Balneário Camboriú
Balneário Piçarras
Benedito Novo
Blumenau
Bombinhas
Brusque
Gaspar
Ibirama
Ilhota
Indaial
Itajaí
Itapema
Luiz Alves
Navegantes
Penha
Pomerode
Porto Belo
Rio do Sul
Timbó
Taió
Apiúna
Climate
Vale do Itajaí has a
humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
. The seasons of the year are distinct, with a well-defined summer and winter, and characteristic
weather
Weather is the state of the atmosphere, describing for example the degree to which it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloud cover, cloudy. On Earth, most weather phenomena occur in the lowest layer of the planet's atmo ...
for
fall and spring. Frost is infrequent, but occurs occasionally in winter. Because it is close the sea,
relative humidity
Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation (meteorology), precipitation, dew, or fog t ...
is 80% on average. There is significant precipitation which is well distributed throughout the year.
The region is subject to floods.
A major flood in 2008 caused over 100 deaths.
Economy
Itajai Valley region is fertile agricultural region. The main agricultural products in Itajai Valley are Tobacco, beef and dairy cattle and cereals. The tobacco produced on the Itajai Valley has a quality differential among other tobaccos in Brazil, what makes it one of the most desired tobaccos in the world.
The most significant period for tourism is during
Oktoberfest of Blumenau, a traditional Bavarian beer festival. In 2005, 365,288 tickets were sold and of beer were drunk at its pavilions. The record for public attendance was set in 1992, when over one million tickets were sold.
The Port of Itajaí is the main port of Santa Catarina, and the second largest in Brazil in terms of the movement of containers. It serves as the main port for exports in the region, and almost all production of the state of Santa Catarina moves through it at some point.
References
Mesoregions of Santa Catarina (state)
{{SantaCatarina-geo-stub