Criciúma is a city

City

A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...

 in the Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

ian state of Santa Catarina. At 28°40′39"S 49°22′11"W, it is located 180 km

1 E5 m

A length of 100 kilometers , as a rough amount, is relatively common in measurements on Earth and for some astronomical objects.It is the altitude at which the FAI defines spaceflight to begin....

 south of Florianópolis

Florianópolis

-Climate:Florianópolis experiences a warm humid subtropical climate, falling just short of a true tropical climate. The seasons of the year are distinct, with a well-defined summer and winter, and characteristic weather for autumn and spring. Frost is infrequent, but occurs occasionally in the winter...

, the state capital and around 900 km south of São Paulo

São Paulo

São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...

. The city is the center of Brazil's flooring and home materials industry, and is the second-largest such center in the world.

City data

• Foundation: January 6, 1880
• Population: 192,236 (2010 census)
• Area: 209,8 km²
• Nearby cities: Siderópolis
  Siderópolis
  Siderópolis is a town and municipality in the state of Santa Catarina in the South region of Brazil.-History:Siderópolis is one of the first Italian colony in Brazil...
  
  , Cocal do Sul
  Cocal do Sul
  Cocal do Sul is a town and municipality in the state of Santa Catarina in the South region of Brazil.-References:...
  
  , Morro da Fumaça
  Morro da Fumaça
  Morro da Fumaça is a Brazilian municipality in the state of Santa Catarina. Its population esteem in 2009 was of 16,128 inhabitants. Possess an area of 82.935 km². It is to an average altitude of 18 meters....
  
  , Maracajá
  Maracajá
  Maracajá is a town and municipality in the state of Santa Catarina in the South region of Brazil.-References:...
  
  , Araranguá
  Araranguá
  Araranguá is a city located in the southern part of Santa Catarina state, in the south of Brazil. It has 59,134 inhabitants and was settled mainly by Azoreans and Italians. Araranguá is known as "A Cidade das Avenidas" because of its wide roads.-History:Until the 18th century, the city was...
  
  , Nova Veneza
  Nova Veneza, Santa Catarina
  Nova Veneza is a Brazilian town located in Santa Catarina, Southern Brazil. It has 12,703 inhabitants and was settled by Italian immigrants from Venice in 1891.People of Italian descent make up 95% of the population....
  
  , Forquilhinha
  Forquilhinha
  Forquilhinha is a municipality in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. As of 2004, it has a population of 20,549 inhabitants. It covers an area of 184,557 km² at an altitude of 42 meters above sea level...
  
  , Içara
  Içara
  Içara is a city in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. It is located 170 km south of Florianópolis, the state capital and around 890 km south of São Paulo...
  
  

The city was founded on January 6, 1880 by Italian immigrants. It has an approximate population of 180,000 inhabitants, and an area of 209.8 km²

1 E8 m²

To help compare different orders of magnitude and geographical regions, listed below are areas between 100 km2 and 1000 km2. See also areas of other orders of magnitude.* Areas less than 100 km2* 100 km2 is equal to:** 1 E+8 m²...

. In April 2004, Criciúma was affected by a tropical cyclone, a phenomenon unheard of in recent South Atlantic history, which caused some damage.

It is the Brazilian capital of coal

Coal

Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...

 and ceramic tiles, but also very strong in plastic, textiles (jeans), and chemicals.

Criciúma is 24 km inland from the Atlantic ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

 (Rincão beach) and around 40 km from the mountains of the interior of Santa Catarina state.

Criciúma

Criciúma Esporte Clube

Criciúma Esporte Clube, also known simply as Criciúma, is a Brazilian football club in Criciúma, Santa Catarina. The club won the Copa do Brasil in 1991, the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B in 2002, and the Campeonato Brasileiro Série C in 2006.-History:...

 is also the name of the city's football (soccer)

Football (soccer)

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

 team, which plays in the national league. They have won several championship titles, including a national championship in 1991 (Copa do Brasil

Copa do Brasil

The Copa Kia do Brasil, commonly known as Copa do Brasil , is a knockout competition played by 64 association football teams, representing all 26 Brazilian states plus the Federal District...

). Their colors are white, black and yellow, symbols of the state mineral resources, mainly coal.

Several small towns lie around Criciúma forming a metropolitan area of 250 thousand people. The most important are: Içara

Içara

Içara is a city in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. It is located 170 km south of Florianópolis, the state capital and around 890 km south of São Paulo...

 (a major producer of honey

Honey

Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans...

), Urussanga

Urussanga

Urussanga is a town and municipality in the state of Santa Catarina in the South region of Brazil.-References:...

, Nova Veneza

Nova Veneza, Santa Catarina

Nova Veneza is a Brazilian town located in Santa Catarina, Southern Brazil. It has 12,703 inhabitants and was settled by Italian immigrants from Venice in 1891.People of Italian descent make up 95% of the population....

, Siderópolis

Siderópolis

Siderópolis is a town and municipality in the state of Santa Catarina in the South region of Brazil.-History:Siderópolis is one of the first Italian colony in Brazil...

, Orleans and Araranguá

Araranguá

Araranguá is a city located in the southern part of Santa Catarina state, in the south of Brazil. It has 59,134 inhabitants and was settled mainly by Azoreans and Italians. Araranguá is known as "A Cidade das Avenidas" because of its wide roads.-History:Until the 18th century, the city was...

.

The city is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Criciúma

Roman Catholic Diocese of Criciúma

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Criciúma is a diocese located in the city of Criciúma in the Ecclesiastical province of Florianópolis in Brazil.-Leadership:* Bishops of Criciúma ** Bishop Paulo Antônio de Conto...

. Criciuma's cathedral is Catedral São José.

Criciúma is served by Diomício Freitas Airport

Diomício Freitas Airport

Diomício Freitas Airport is the airport serving Criciúma, Brazil, located in the adjoining municipality of Forquilhinha. It is named after Diomício Manoel de Freitas , a local entrepreneur and politician.It is operated by Infraero....

 located in the adjoining municipality of Forquilhinha

Forquilhinha

Forquilhinha is a municipality in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. As of 2004, it has a population of 20,549 inhabitants. It covers an area of 184,557 km² at an altitude of 42 meters above sea level...

.

External links

• City’s official website (in Portuguese)
  Portuguese language
  Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
  
  
• City’s unofficial website (in Portuguese)
  Portuguese language
  Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
  
  
• Soccer team's official weblog (in Portuguese)
  Portuguese language
  Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
  
  
• / Newspapers of Criciuma (in Portuguese)
  Portuguese language
  Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...