The objective of this article is to argue for the insertion of the port of São Francisco do Sul into the regional dynamics of the state of Santa Catarina with emphasis on the answers given by the port to the specialization, diversification and integration of the state’s economy. Besides the introduction and final consideration, the text is divided into three parts. The first part examines the construction, the improvements and expansion plans. This topic looks at the frustrated attempts to build the new port, legal concessions, its creation as an organized port, investments made for Petrobras and the state government, and constant bottlenecks in port structure. After that, the port load movement from since the beginning of the 20th century will be presented, as a long term historical series. And finally, an economic history periodization of the port of São Francisco do Sul will be presented, beginning in 1908, when the first study for the construction of the new port was carried out.
Port of São Francisco do Sul; modernization; Santa Catarina regional economy
