Santa Catarina

Santa e bela Catarina, paraíso encantador!

http://www.sc.gov.br/ 

Santa Catarina (pron. IPA: ['sɐ̃.ta ka.ta.'ɾi.na] ) is a state in southern Brazil with one of the highest standards of living in the country. Its capital is Florianópolis, which mostly lies on the Santa Catarina Island.

Neighboring states are Rio Grande do Sul to the south and Paraná to the north. It is bounded on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, and to the west it borders the province of Misiones, Argentina.

Most of its inhabitants are descendants of Portuguese, German and Italian immigrants.

Joinville is its largest city.And hometown of the super model Ana Claudia Michels,the catwalk queen.

Santa Catarina is not just a summer destination. The State which was initially known for its beautiful coastline with more than 500 beaches grew to acknowledge that its geographic and cultural diversity was also a big tourist attraction and as a result, tourists can today enjoy contrasting sceneries and climates which are very close to each other – only two hours by car separate paradisiacal beaches from some 2000 meters-high mountains.

Santa Catarina offers a number of products and specialized segments throughout the year: rural tourism, thermal mineral resorts, ecological tourism and adventure sports, historic monuments and sights, religious tourism, Beto Carrero World and Unipraias parks) and the unforgettable beach resort of Balneário Camboriú.

Some of the products can only be sold in the off-season, like the snow spectacle on the Catarinense Mountain Range - the only place in Brazil where it snows every year. This region is the birthplace of rural tourism, has farm hotels with trout fishing in the ice-cold rivers, horse riding, trekking and outdoor sports activities.

Between July and November, the Right whales visit the state's coast – and the number of tourists wishing to see this spectacle has increased year after year.

The big festivities are in October. The main Oktoberfest in Blumenau is Brazil's largest and the world's second largest (after Germany's Munich).Hometown of super model Mariana Weickert.

Joinville is the host city of the July "Joinville Dance Festival" 3 and several business events in its Convention Center.

Florianópolis the city/island State Capital attracts a large numbers of tourists during the summer months lured by its 42 beaches.

Santa Catarina has one of the most beautiful coastlines in Brazil, with one very busy beach resort: Balneário Camboriú.

There are also many smaller resort towns, including Itapema, Piçarras, Barra Velha and Penha, home to the famous amusement park "Beto Carrero World".