By Amelia MeyerSanta Catarina is in the south of Brazil, and measures a fraction over 95 346 square kilometres or 36 813 square miles. Its population exceeds 6 million people, and its capital city is Florianópolis, the destination of many of the foreign tourists that visit Brazil. This city is situated on an island and was listed as one of the “Ten Most Dynamic Cities in the World” in 2006 by Newsweek. Santa Catarina is the smallest southern Brazilian state. The area now known as Santa Catarina was once inhabited by semi-nomadic tribes of hunter-gatherers. However, the Spanish explorers that arrived in South America during the 16th century discovered the island and established the first settlement there in 1542.