The first European settlement on the island was made in 1542 by Spaniards, but in 1675 control passed to the Portuguese, who established Desterro on the present city site in 1700. The settlement was given town status in 1726 and was raised to city rank in 1823. In 1893 the island was captured by revolutionaries who opposed the government of Brazilian president Floriano Peixoto. When the revolution collapsed, the city was renamed to honour the president.

Central Florianópolis consists mainly of wharves, warehouses, and business establishments. This older harbour district is encircled by a modern residential section known as Praia de Fora, built on hill slopes. Florianópolis is the seat of the Federal University of Santa Catarina (1960) and Santa Catarina State University (1966), and points of interest include the Anthropological Museum, the San Jaqui Museum, and a cathedral that dates to 1750. Florianópolis also has two substantial football (soccer) stadiums.

The city serves as the state administrative and commercial centre despite the problems of access to the interior caused by the unusually steep escarpment at the edge of the Serra do Paraná on the mainland. Greater Florianópolis includes populous mainland suburbs, such as São José and Palhoƈa. Its industries process metals and make electrical communications equipment, pharmaceuticals, plastics, and perfume. Because of reduced water levels, however, Florianópolis is no longer the major port of Santa Catarina state. It is linked with other coastal towns, such as Curitiba (185 miles 【298 km】 north) and Porto Alegre (some 240 miles 【386 km】 south), by all-weather highways and ships. There is air service to São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Porto Alegre. Pop. (2005 est.) city, 385,000; greater metropolitan region, 933,560.