Florianópolis
[key], city, capital of Santa Catarina state, SE Brazil, on Santa Catarina
Island. An administrative and cultural center and a port city, it is linked
with the mainland by a huge suspension bridge (built 1926). The city was
founded as Destêrro in 1673 by colonists from São Paulo and
became the capital of the captaincy of Santa Catarina in 1739. It was
renamed (1893) for Floriano Peixoto, a president of Brazil. Its commercial
importance began to decrease in the late 19th cent. as the interior of the
state was developed. The Univ. of Santa Catarina is in
Florianópolis.
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