São Joaquim is a municipality in the state of Santa Catarina, situated in southern Brazil. It is located at latitude 28° 17' 38" south and longitude 49° 55' 54" west, with an altitude of 1360m. Its population in 2004 was 23,114 inhabitants. Located in the Planalto Serrano, it lies 136km from Tubarão, 81km from Lages and 227km from Florianópolis. The town is home to a variety of ethnic groups, including Italian, Portuguese, Japanese and Afro- Brazilians, though composed mainly of descendants of German and Swedish immigrants. There is also a large proportation of the population from other states in Brazil, especially from Rio Grande do Sul.
