Its first inhabitants were the Tupi Guarani Indians, who gave it its first names: Miembipe and Jurerê Mirim. The first to land here was the Spanish explorer Cabeza de Vaca in 1541. The bandeirantes pioneers came a century later with Francisco Dias Velho, who founded the population of Nossa Senhora do Desterro. To maintain the settlement, from 1748 to 1756 the Portuguese government sent nearly 5 thousand settlers from the Azorean Islands and Madeira. In 1894, in homage to Marechal Floriano Peixoto, the city received its current name - Florianópolis. It is now the muse of thousands of tourists attracted not only by history, but also by the natural attributes of Santa Catarina Island, where the largest portion of the city is located. With 370 000 inhabitants, Florianópolis is the only capital of a Brazilian state where the population is exceeded by a city in the interior, in this case Joinville, which has some 440 thousand inhabitants. When the subject is beaches, wealth and abundance are distinctions of Florianópolis. With 42 beaches, some of them are wild, others of uncommon beauty and prepared for sophisticated international tourism, some have warm and calm waters, others have rough and chilly waters. Among the best known are Jurerê, which is the most internationalized, preferred by Argentines and Uruguayans; Ribeirão da Ilha, where the Azorean heritage is seen in the homes, churches and faces; Lagoa da Conceição, which has one of the most revered views; Joaquina, the stage for surf in central southern Brazil; and the much commented Canasvieiras, notable for nautical sports and night life.