Joinville

Joinville (, or ) is a city in Santa Catarina State, in the Southern Region of Brazil. Joinville is Santa Catarina's largest city and a major financial and commerce centre. In 2010, its population reached approximately 520,000 people, many of whom are of German descent. Joinville's metropolitan area is home to 1,212,997 residents according to the 2010 census by IBGE

Owing to urban development and relatively good infrastructure, Joinville has become a major center for events and business conferences. The city has one of the highest standards of living in Latin America;

History


The first inhabitants in the region of Joinville were a Tupi people. Joinville was founded on March 9, 1851, by German, Swiss and Norwegian immigrants.

Even though it is considered a German-Brazilian city, its name is French (Joinville was named after François d'Orléans, prince of Joinville, son of King Louis-Philippe of France, who married Princess Francisca of Brazil, in 1843). The city's former name was Colônia Dona Francisca (meaning Ms. Francisca Colony), but was changed to Joinville in 1851.

The land where Joinville is located was part of the French and Brazilian Royal Family wedding gift, even though the Prince of Joinville and his Brazilian bride had never been to the land.

However, a Royal Palace was built in their honor around 1870. In 1851, the French prince, after a financial crisis, sold almost all his lands in Southern Brazil to the German Senator Mathias Schröder.

Senator Schröder was a member of the Colonization Society of Hamburg. This society, made up of bankers, businessmen and merchants, attracted immigrants to be sent to Brazil and thereby establish commercial ties between Germany and the German communities in Brazil. In 1851, the first 118 German and Swiss immigrants arrived, followed by 74 Norwegian immigrants.

From 1850 to 1888, Joinville received 17,000 German immigrants, most of them Lutherans, poor peasants coming to occupy this part of Brazil.

Overview
Joinville is located in northwest of the State of Santa Catarina, close to the Atlantic coast, and is crossed by the river Cachoeira. It is not too far from the borders with the state of Paraná and its capital, Curitiba. The city is surrounded by the municipalities of Garuva, São Francisco do Sul, Araquari, Guaramirim, Schroeder, Jaraguá do Sul and Campo Alegre (this one in the microregion of São Bento do Sul).

Climate
In some rare cases, Joinville gets hit by South Atlantic cyclones, the most notable being Cyclone Catarina in 2004. Although Joinville lies in the temperate zone, because of its low altitude and proximity to the Atlantic Ocean it sees little temperature variation throughout the year, with every month seeing average highs in the 20s C.

Neighborhoods

 * Adhemar Garcia
 * América
 * Anita Garibaldi
 * Atiradores
 * Aventureiro
 * Boa Vista
 * Bohemerwald
 * Bom Retiro
 * Bucarein
 * Centro
 * Comasa
 * Costa e Silva
 * Dona Francisca
 * Espinheiros
 * Fátima


 * Floresta
 * Glória
 * Guanabara
 * Iririú
 * Itaum
 * Itinga
 * Itoupava Açu
 * Jardim Iririú
 * Jardim Paraíso
 * Jardim Sophia
 * Jarivatuba
 * João Costa
 * Morro do Meio
 * Nova Brasília


 * Paranaguamirim
 * Parque Guarani
 * Petrópolis
 * Pirabeiraba-centro
 * Rio Bonito
 * Rio Velho
 * Saguaçu
 * Santa Catarina
 * Santo Antônio
 * São Marcos
 * Vila Cubatão
 * Vila Nova
 * Zona Industrial Norte
 * Zona Industrial Tupy



Characteristics and tourism
Joinville is famous for its strong German-influenced culture. The city retains many aspects of the German culture, in its architecture, in the local dishes, parties and in the way of life of its inhabitants, known as workaholics.

Joinville is the host city of the Festival de Dança de Joinville (Joinville Dance Festival) which is the world's largest dance event, held every year during the month of July. Joinville is the only city outside of Moscow to have a school of the Bolshoi Ballet, the renowned Russian Ballet Company. The city is home to a Catholic bishop, several Lutheran churches (one of the largest communities in Brazil), a Botanical Garden and a Zoo. Parks, and several beaches are less than an hour's drive away from the city. Joinville is also home to several museums including the "MUBI" bicycle museum.

The Royal Palace, built in the mid-19th century, nowadays is a museum about the German immigration to Brazil. It has furniture and costumes dating back to the mid-19th century.

International Dance Festival
Every year since 1982, Joinville's Dance Festival gathers in the city thousands of professional dancers and viewers from all over the world. The festival always takes place in the second half of July. The 11 days of presentations attract around 50 thousand people to Centreventos Cau Hansen, making it one of the largest events of its kind in the world. Joinville's Dance Festival has even received a mention in the 2005 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's "largest dance festival". There are competitions in seven different categories, from classical ballet to folk dances. Squares, shopping centres and many companies take the opportunity to promote other events at the same time, such as courses and talks.

Industrial tourism
With a population of over 500,000 inhabitants and an economy based mainly on industry, Joinville has become the largest city in State of Santa Catarina. Also called the “Manchester catarinense”, for its economic and technological leadership — the name refers to the English city that is an industrial historical point of reference — Joinville stands out as one of the most important Brazilian cities, being on the tour schedule of visitors from all over Brazil and the world.

Ethnicities
White Brazilians compose most of the city's population, tracing their origins mostly from Southern and Central Europe. A minority of the population (7.32%) are Black or Pardo (Brown-colored multiracials).

''Source: IBGE 2000. ''

Religion
The first settlers were mainly Lutherans but, nowadays, followers of this religion make up only 6.13% of the population. Today, most of the Protestants are of Pentecostal faith. The first congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Brazil was organized in Joinville. The main religion, as in most of Brazil, is Roman Catholicism.

''Source: IBGE 2000. ''

Economy
Joinville's economy is based on industrial activities and commerce. The city is also the center to some of Brazil's largest software companies such as: Datasul, Logocenter, Microvix and SoftExpert

Joinville is also home to many very well known large corporations in Brazil such as: Tupy, Tigre, Embraco, Dohler, Whirlpool, Wetzel, Busscar, Ciser, Schulz S/A.

The city has one of the highest standards of living in Brazil. Its industrial output is the third-largest in the Southern States of Brazil, after the large main cities of Porto Alegre and Curitiba. Joinville is also the third most populous city in the southern region of Brazil, after the neighboring state capitals of Curitiba and Porto Alegre.

Languages
Portuguese, the official language of Brazil, is spoken and used by the entire population. English and Spanish are part of the official high school curriculum. As most of Joinville's inhabitants are of German ancestry, the German language is also taught in some schools.

Colleges and universities

 * INESA - Instituto de Ensino Superior Santo Antônio;
 * ACE - Associação Catarinense de Ensino;
 * FCJ - Faculdade Cenecista de Joinville;
 * Ielusc - Instituto Superior e Centro Educacional Luterano Bom Jesus;
 * IESville - Instituto de Ensino Superior de Joinville;
 * SOCIESC - Sociedade Educacional de Santa Catarina;
 * UDESC - Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina;
 * Univille - Universidade da Região de Joinville;
 * UFSC;
 * and many others.

Domestic airport
Joinville-Lauro Carneiro de Loyola Airport (IATA code: JOI) is a minor airport in southern Brazil and serves only domestic flights. It is located 13 km from downtown, 75 km from Navegantes Airport, 110 km from Curitiba International Airport and 163 km from Florianópolis International Airport.

In 2003 Joinville Airport recorded movement of 180,000 passengers and nearly 10,000 takeoffs and landings. On March 8, 2004, during commemorations of the city’s 153rd anniversary, Joinville gained a newly upgraded airport. A new passenger terminal opened at Joinville-Lauro Carneiro de Loyola Airport, able to handle up to 500,000 people a year. A new administrative building and control tower were also built.

The airport adopted the Aeroshopping concept, which Infraero is implementing at its airports. The number of shops went from 8 to 22. The expectation is that implementation of the airport/shopping center idea will boost the number of jobs generated by the airport by 40%.

In spite of the growth in the number of flights and passengers, the airport lacks sufficient public transportation connecting it with the city center and other neighboring towns. Commuting from and to the airport is performed chiefly by taxis and private vehicles.

Highways
Joinville is 135 km away from Curitiba on the BR-101, and 184 km from Florianópolis, the state capital.

Distances

 * São Francisco do Sul: 41 km;
 * Itajaí: 87 km;
 * Blumenau: 97 km;
 * Curitiba: 135 km;
 * Florianópolis: 184 km;
 * Criciúma: 355 km;
 * São Paulo: 525 km;
 * Rio de Janeiro: 971 km.

Sport
The city also offers leisure options in sports: there is a golf course, equestrian centre and a kart track. For outdoor activities lovers, there are places suitable for practicing any sport, from shooting (German tradition from the Middle Ages, kept until today) to adventure and nautical - the largest and best equipped Yacht Club in Santa Catarina State is in the municipality.

Sporting clubs
 * Joinville Esporte Clube (abbreviation: JEC).

Famous people

 * Fritz Alt, sculptor.
 * Mário Avancini, sculptor.
 * Eduardo Fisher, swimming champion.
 * Maurício Gugelmin, former Formula One and ChampCar driver.
 * Juarez Machado, artist.
 * Ana Cláudia Michels, Brazilian fashion model.
 * Antônio Mir, artist.
 * Vitor Miranda, Thaiboxer and martial artist.
 * Márcia Narloch gold medal winner in the women's marathon at the 2003 Pan American Games.
 * Fausto Rocha Junior, actor.
 * Luiz Henrique Schwanke, artist.
 * Tiago Splitter, Brazilian basketball player.

Links to universities and private colleges

 * INESA - Instituto de Ensino Superior de Joinville
 * ACE - Assosciação Catarinense de Ensino
 * FCJ - Faculdade Cenecista de Joinville
 * Ielusc - Instituto Superior e Centro Educacional Luterano Bom Jesus
 * IESville - Instituto de Ensino Superior de Joinville
 * SOCIESC
 * UDESC - Centro de Ciências Tecnologicas
 * UNIVILLE
 * UFSC

Aerial views

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