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🇧🇷 South America · metro 0.7M

Florianópolis

Florianópolis is the capital of Santa Catarina, in the South Region of Brazil. The city encompasses Santa Catarina Island and part of the mainland. It has the country's third-highest HDI (0.847). The economy is heavily based on information technology, tourism, and services. The city has 42-60 beaches and is a center of surfing activity. The New York Times reported that "Florianopolis is the party destination of the year in 2009." Newsweek placed it in its "ten most dynamic cities of the world" (2006). Veja named it "the best place to live in Brazil." It is commonly known as "Floripa" and "Ilha da Magia" (Magic Island).

Typical weather

1981–present
JFMAMJJASOND
cool-winterwarm-summer
coldcool warmhot
JFMAMJJASOND
Come for everything else Florianópolis does a lot well. The weather is not on the list.

City Rhythm

measured
Eat well at 2 a.m.
12% of food & drink open past midnight
Work all day from a café
42 h open per week
Run Sunday's errands
70% of shops open on Sundays
Find breakfast before 8
3% open before 8 a.m.

Opening hours, by kind of place

median across mapped venues
Food & drink971 places mapped
11:00–23:00
0006121824
12%
open past midnight
63%
open on Sundays
42h
open per week
10%
take a midday break
Shops & errands591 places mapped
07:30–22:00
0006121824
0%
open past midnight
70%
open on Sundays
91h
open per week

Vital absurdities

measured · the Anti-Awards

Same time system

by rhythm

What to do each season

2
Nov-Mar

warm-summer

warm and the wettest; openmeteo mean 21.3-24.6 °C (Feb warmest 24.6; Wikipedia avg 21.5 °C; hottest days to 38.8 °C); the wettest months (Jan 6.2, Feb 5.6 mm/day); ~80% RH; the surf/beach season

  • the beach-and-surf high season — the 42 beaches, the ASP World Tour surfing event (the only South American stop), and Lagoa da Conceição at their busiest
  • the rainiest months; the summer party season (the NYT 'party destination of the year' 2009)
Apr-Oct

cool-winter

mild and drier; openmeteo mean 15.7-21.6 °C (Jul coolest 15.7; Wikipedia minima 6-11 °C); the driest months (Aug 3.2 mm/day); still no true dry season — 'well-distributed precipitation'

  • the mild off-season — the lowest tourist density; the most comfortable outdoor window
  • the coolest months (record −0.4 °C); the whale-watching and the hiking season

What it is known for

'Ilha da Magia' / Floripa (Magic Island)🏖42-60 beaches (the beach/surf capital)Lagoa da Conceição (the tourism/recreation hub)🏖surfing (the ASP World Tour; Joaquina, Mole beaches)the 3rd-highest HDI in Brazil (0.847)'the best place to live in Brazil' (Veja)🏖the IT / tech hub ('the Silicon Valley of Brazil, with beaches')the Azorean heritage (colonial architecture; the dialect; the fishermen)Santa Catarina Islandthe second-home / expat destination'ten most dynamic cities' (Newsweek 2006)

Important moments in a year

annual (the southern-hemisphere surf season)

Asp World Tour Surfing

  • the ASP World Tour surfing event — the only South American stop on the professional tour
  • held at Praia Mole / Joaquina
wikipedia:Tourism and lifestyle
40 days after Easter

Festa do Divino

  • the Holy Spirit Feast (Festa do Divino) — a colonial-era festival with parade, music and street food
wikipedia:Tourism and lifestyle

On the record

source-tracked
nature

Florianópolis experiences a warm humid subtropical climate (Koppen: Cfa), falling just short of a true tropical climate. The city has the exact same latitude and climate as Brisbane.

wikipedia:Climate
nature

Due to the proximity of the sea, the relative humidity of the atmosphere is 80% on average.

wikipedia:Climate
nature

There is significant precipitation, which is well distributed throughout the year. The annual normal rainfall was 1,517.8 millimetres. There is no dry season, and summer generally is the rainiest season.

wikipedia:Geography
nature

The city has 42 [to 60] beaches and is a center of surfing activity.

wikipedia:lead
social

Florianópolis has the country's third-highest Human Development Index score among all Brazilian cities (0.847).

wikipedia:lead
social

Veja, a Brazilian publication, named the city as 'the best place to live in Brazil.'

wikipedia:lead
everyday

By the late 1990s, private companies were flocking to the island, or emerging from a technology 'incubator' at the federal university. Local officials now say they aim to be the Silicon Valley of Brazil, with beaches.

wikipedia:Economy
social

Florianópolis is commonly known by the nicknames Floripa and Ilha da Magia (Magic Island).

wikipedia:lead
nature

The area is threatened by climate change, with rising sea levels expected to lead to increased coastal erosion.

wikipedia:Climate
social

The ASP World Tour of the Association of Surfing Professionals [classifies] 50 competitors … the state of Santa Catarina is the only location in South America for this surfing event.

wikipedia:Tourism and lifestyle
From the review desk · coming soon
What Cities Let You Do

The method behind this atlas — 196 pp. Not published yet.