Located in the southern region of the national territory, the state of Santa Catarina has a territorial extension of 95,703,487 square kilometers and population of 6,248,436 inhabitants (3.2% of the Brazilian population), according to data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). This is the smallest and least populated of the states that make up the southern region of Brazil.
The majority of Santa Catarina's population resides in urban areas (84%), and the rural population corresponds to the other 16% of the total. Demographic density is 65.3 inhabitants per square kilometer and population growth is 1.6% per year.
Santa Catarina has great ethnic diversity. Its inhabitants are heavily influenced by Portuguese, German, Italian, Japanese, Austrian and Polish immigrants, a fact that directly reflects on the local culture. Other groups that also have a direct participation in this peculiar data are the indigenous, the first inhabitants of the region, in addition to the descendants of Africans.
Therefore, the state's ethnic composition is presented as follows:
Whites: 88.1%.
Brown: 9%.
Blacks: 2.7%.
Indigenous: 0.2%.
The Portuguese, from the 16th century, occupied the coastal areas of Santa Catarina, establishing villages in the region. The Germans exert a strong influence in the cities of Joinville, Blumenau, Brusque and Pomerode, a fact proven through architecture, cuisine, accent and popular festivals, such as the Oktoberfest.
The immigrant population of Italian origin, in turn, occupied the southern portion of the state, exerting influence on the culture in the cities of Criciúma, Urussanga and Nova Veneza, with emphasis on the cultivation of grapes and the production of wine.
Florianópolis, capital of Santa Catarina, has a population of 421,240 inhabitants, considered the second most populous city in the state. The municipalities in Santa Catarina with the highest population concentration are: Joinville (515,288), Blumenau (309,011), São José (209.804), Criciúma (192,308), Chapecó (183,530), Itajaí (183,373) and Lages (156.727).
The state provides a good quality of life for its population. The Human Development Index (HDI) of Santa Catarina, with an average of 0.840, is the second highest in the national ranking, inferior only to that of the Federal District (0.874). The literacy rate is 95.1% - third highest in the country. Illiteracy affects only 4.9% of the inhabitants.
The infant mortality rate is 15 per thousand live births, below the national average, which is 22. The rate of intentional homicides (with intent to kill) is 11.3 per 100,000 inhabitants.
By Wagner de Cerqueira and Francisco
Graduated in Geography
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/brasil/aspectos-populacao-santa-catarina.htm