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Santos is a municipality located on the coast of the State of São Paulo, in Brazil. It has one of the largest ports in America, which constitutes its main economic activity, in addition to tourism and trade. The city is the seat of the State every June 13. Symbolic capital of São Paulo, headquarters in addition to various higher education institutions. It is officially considered a tourist resort. Santos Futebol Clube is located in this city, the famous soccer club where Pelé played his entire professional career in Brazil, and the Portuguese Santista.

The city is known for providing its residents with an excellent quality of life and has a human development index of 0.871 (2000), according to data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).

Geography

Physical and environmental aspects

Santos is divided into two distinct geographic areas: the insular area and the continental area. Both differ both in demographic terms, as well as in economic and geographic terms.

Insular area

The island area of Santos, seen from the top of Mount Monte Serrat.

It extends over the Island of São Vicente, whose territory is divided with the neighboring municipality of São Vicente. With an area of 39.4 km², densely urbanized, it shelters almost all the inhabitants of the city. It includes a flat part, whose altitudes rarely exceed 20 m above sea level, an extension of the São Paulo State Coastal Plain, and a part composed of isolated hills called Maciço de São Vicente, of ancient origin and irregular urban occupation, a mixture of luxury and low income, whose maximum altitude hardly exceeds 200 m above sea level.

The municipality of Santos occupies only the eastern part of the island of São Vicente. It is separated from the western part, where the municipality of São Vicente is located, by a series of granite promontories made up of Morro de Itararé, Morro Voturoá, Morro de Marapé and Morro de São Bento. The Santos Estuary, where the city's port is located, stretches out into an arm of the sea that goes around the entire island to the north, then connecting with the São Vicente area through the Caneú lagoon and the Santa Rita and finally with the Mar Pequeno.

The coastal gardens of Santos.

On the flat part of the island of São Vicente there is practically no vegetation, due to the intense process of urbanization. In the northern part of the island, in the neighborhoods of Alemoa, Chico de Paula and Saboó, there are still signs of mangroves. Before the occupation of the flat part of the island by urbanizations, there were vast flooded areas covered by mangroves and creeping vegetation close to the beach.

Continental Area

Map presenting the insular regions (1) and continental (2) of Santos.

It covers 231.6 km² and represents the largest part of the municipality. Almost 70% of it is considered an Environmental Protection Area, because it is located within the limits of the Serra do Mar State Park and because it shelters large extensions of coastal humid forest (known in Brazil as "mata atlántica")..

The extensive coastal plains are covered by mangroves, cut by rivers. On the margins of these we find banana plantations in small agricultural properties. It is a sparsely populated region compared to the insular region.

The continental area of the city is limited by the cities of Santo André, Mogi das Cruzes and Bertioga. In it is the highest point of the city, with 1,136 m s. no. m..

Beaches

Playa del José Menino
Playa del Pompeia
Playa del Gonzaga
Playa del Boqueirão
Playa del Embaré
Playa de la Aparecida
Ponta de la Playa

Islands

Urubuqueçaba Island
Barnabe Island
Island of the Diana

Tourism

Among the main tourist spots in Santos, in addition to its beaches, we can mention the Santos Shore Gardens, which are the largest beach front garden in the world. The Municipal Aquarium is another place of interest that attracts many tourists. It is worth mentioning the Brazilian Coffee Museum, the Municipal Orquidario, the Chico Mendes Botanical Garden, the Coliseu Santista Theater, the Andradas Pantheon, Mount Serrat, and the Valongo Station. Among the churches of interest are the Santos Cathedral, the Carmo Church, the Santo Antônio do Embaré Church, and the Valongo Church.

Santos is one of the 15 São Paulo municipalities considered "bath resorts" by the state of São Paulo, for meeting certain requirements defined by a state law.