Balneário Camboriú facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Balneário Camboriú
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Municipality
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| Municipality of Balneário Camboriú | |||
Balneário Camboriú
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Location of Balneário Camboriú
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 Balneário Camboriú
Location in Brazil
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| Country |  Brazil |
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| Region | Southern | ||
| State |  Santa Catarina |
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| Incorporated | July 20, 1964 | ||
| Area | |||
| • Municipality | 46 km2 (17.9 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 2 m (7 ft) | ||
| Population
(2020)
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| • Municipality | 139,155 | ||
| • Density | 30,707/km2 (7,953,1/sq mi) | ||
| • Metro | 390,990 | ||
| Time zone | UTC−3 (BRT) | ||
| HDI (2010) | 0.845 – very high | ||
Balneário Camboriú is a lively coastal city in the southern part of Brazil, in the state of Santa Catarina. It's built on hills that go right down to the sea. This city is a super popular spot for tourists from South America.
Many people visit for its main ocean road, Avenida Atlântica. The city's population of about 145,000 can grow to over a million during the summer! Balneário Camboriú is also known for its special cable car. This cable car connects the city's main beach to Laranjeiras beach.
The city is about 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of Itajaí and 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Florianópolis, the state capital. You can fly into Ministro Victor Konder International Airport in nearby Navegantes to get here.
No one is quite sure what the city's name means. Some old records say it means "River filled with Snook," which is a common fish there. Right across from the city is Ilha das Cabras (Goats' Island). It's too small to live on, but it lights up at night. You can even take a fun pirate ship ride around it!
Balneário Camboriú also has a statue similar to Rio de Janeiro's famous Christ the Redeemer. This statue, called Cristo Luz (Christ Light), is 33 meters (108 feet) tall. It shows Jesus holding a "broad-brimmed hat" that shines light over the city. At night, colorful lights make the statue glow. You'll often see paragliders flying over the beach, right next to the tall buildings.
Because of its many skyscrapers and wealthy visitors, the city is sometimes called the "Brazilian Dubai".
Contents
A Look at Balneário Camboriú's Past
The first people to live in this area were the Tupi-Guaraní tribe. Europeans started settling here in 1758. A few families from Porto Belo moved to a place they called Our Lady of Bon Sucesso. This area is now known as Barra.
Later, groups of Germans came looking for good land. They built a church and founded the town of Bom Sucesso. In 1848, it became a district of the city of Itajaí. By 1930, people started choosing this beautiful area for their beach vacations. The first hotel was built just two years later. In 1964, the district became its own city, first called Balneário de Camboriú, then changed to Balneário Camboriú in 1979.
There are two ideas about where the name Camboriú came from. One idea is that people used to say "camba the river" because the river made a sharp turn near its mouth. Cambar is a Portuguese word meaning "to sharply change direction." Another idea, from a local priest, is that the name was on old maps before Europeans arrived. He believed it came from the Tupi language.
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Who Lives in Balneário Camboriú?
People and Their Backgrounds
The first settlers in this region were from the Azores. However, most people living in Balneário Camboriú today have German family backgrounds.
Here's a look at the different groups of people in the city:
| Color / Race | % |
|---|---|
| White | 92.5% |
| Black | 1.2% |
| Pardo (Multiracial) | 5.6% |
| Asian | 0.7% |
What's the Weather Like?
Balneário Camboriú's Climate
The climate in Balneário Camboriú is usually mild. It's known as a humid subtropical climate with hot summers. In summer, temperatures are warm but rarely reach 40°C (104°F). The average summer temperature is around 25°C (77°F).
In winter, the average temperature is about 15°C (59°F). Early mornings can be cooler, sometimes dropping to 0°C to 4°C (32°F to 39°F). The average temperature for the whole year is 19°C (66°F). It's generally a humid place, with about 1,500 mm (59 inches) of rain each year. There isn't a specific dry season.
The ocean water temperature changes with the seasons. In winter, it's about 16°C (61°F). In summer, it's warmer, around 24.4°C (76°F). During autumn and spring, it's about 21°C (70°F). February and March are the best months to enjoy the beach because the water is warmest then.
| Climate data for Balneário Camboriú | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 29.0 (84.2) |
28.8 (83.8) |
28.3 (82.9) |
25.8 (78.4) |
23.8 (74.8) |
22.1 (71.8) |
21.3 (70.3) |
21.5 (70.7) |
22.1 (71.8) |
23.7 (74.7) |
25.4 (77.7) |
27.3 (81.1) |
24.5 (76.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 24.2 (75.6) |
24.1 (75.4) |
23.5 (74.3) |
20.8 (69.4) |
18.4 (65.1) |
16.7 (62.1) |
15.8 (60.4) |
16.5 (61.7) |
17.8 (64.0) |
19.5 (67.1) |
21.0 (69.8) |
22.7 (72.9) |
20.1 (68.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 19.8 (67.6) |
19.6 (67.3) |
18.7 (65.7) |
15.8 (60.4) |
13.1 (55.6) |
11.3 (52.3) |
10.4 (50.7) |
11.6 (52.9) |
13.6 (56.5) |
15.3 (59.5) |
16.6 (61.9) |
18.2 (64.8) |
15.8 (60.4) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 186 (7.3) |
209 (8.2) |
166 (6.5) |
131 (5.2) |
105 (4.1) |
82 (3.2) |
79 (3.1) |
96 (3.8) |
119 (4.7) |
146 (5.7) |
115 (4.5) |
135 (5.3) |
1,569 (61.8) |
| Source: World Meteorological Organization | |||||||||||||
How Does Balneário Camboriú Make Money?
The city's main way of making money is through its real estate market. This means building and selling homes, especially tall buildings near the beach. Prices for beachfront apartments can be very high. The city has some of the tallest buildings in the Southern Hemisphere!
Because so many tourists visit, especially in summer, the city's services like water supply can get very busy. This can sometimes cause problems. Getting into Balneário Camboriú is mostly by one main road, BR-101. This means traffic jams can be common, especially when many tourists arrive. The closest airport is in Navegantes, about 16 km (10 miles) away.
A new cruise ship terminal is planned to open around 2025-2026. This will bring even more tourists to the city. Near the future terminal, you'll find the cable car at the Tourist Complex UNIPRAIAS. It connects the central beach to Laranjeiras beach. There are also many other beautiful beaches south of the city, like Bamboos, Estaleiro, Estaleirinho, and Pinho beach. These beaches are linked by the Interpraias road.
Besides real estate and tourism, trade and other services are also important for the city's economy. Balneário Camboriú has about 100 hotels and many commercial and residential buildings.
Most Brazilian tourists (45%) come from the state of São Paulo. Others come from nearby states like Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul. For international visitors, about 30% are from Argentina. The rest come from neighboring countries like Uruguay, Paraguay, and Chile.
Fun Places to Visit
- Parque Unipraias (Unipraias Park) – This park has parts of the Mata Atlântica (Atlantic Woods), which is a very important forest that is almost gone. It offers amazing ocean views.
- Cristo Luz – This is a 33-meter (108-foot) tall statue on top of Morro da Cruz hill. It's part of a tourist area with restaurants, shops, live shows, and playgrounds.
- Parque Cyro Gevaerd (Santur Park) – Here you can see birds, an aquarium, and museums about archaeology, the ocean, and fishermen. There's also a mini-farm that shows local animals and plants. You can see lions, tigers, monkeys, and alligators in the zoo.
- Capela de Santo Amaro (St. Amaro Chapel) – Built in 1810 using a mix of whale oil and mortar! It was made a local historical landmark in 1998. You can find it in the Bairro da Barra neighborhood, near the Fishermen Plaza.
- Parque Natural Municipal Raimundo Gonçalez Malta – This park, once called Parque Ecológico Rio Camboriú, has many types of local plants and beautiful gardens. It also has walking trails, playgrounds, and parking.
Music Scene
In 2012, Forbes magazine wrote about how popular electronic music was becoming in Brazil. They called Balneário Camboriú the country's "capital of e-music". According to Forbes, the city is home to two of Brazil's best clubs: Warung club (in nearby Itajaí) and Green Valley club. These clubs can make a lot of money in one night! In 2012, the famous nightclub Space also opened a club in the city, called Space B. Camboriú.
Sister Cities
Balneário Camboriú has special partnerships with these cities:
See also
In Spanish: Balneario Camboriú para niños
