Balneário Camboriú, Coastal resort city in Santa Catarina, Brazil
Balneário Camboriú is a coastal resort city in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, stretching along a bay on the Atlantic Ocean. The city forms a continuous urban area with high residential buildings lining the beachfront and several smaller neighboring beaches separated by rocky hillsides.
The area began in 1758 when families from Porto Belo settled near the mouth of the Camboriú river. Immigrants from the Azores and Germany arrived during the 19th century to work in farming and fishing, before tourism became the main activity from the mid-20th century onward.
The city takes its name from the Portuguese word for bathing resort, combined with the Rio Camboriú that flows into the ocean here. Along the central beachfront promenade, families and friends gather in the evening for walks, while smaller boat rental stands at the northern end offer local excursions.
Most visitor facilities concentrate along the central waterfront avenue that runs parallel to the long sand beach. A cable car system connects the main beach to smaller coves and offers views of the coastline and surrounding relief as it crosses overhead.
The population swells from around 145,000 to over one million during the summer months when travelers arrive for the beach season. This shift changes the pace of the city and the occupancy of restaurants and shops along the coast dramatically.
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