The main objective of this study is the socioeconomic characterization of the South Coast in São Paulo State, more specifically the municipalities Iguape, Ilha Comprida and Cananéia. This was done through the historical occupancy, urban sprawl (1970-2010), and the land use (2010), based on the interpretation of satellite images. To achieve this goal, we adopted the supervised classification method for cartographic production, with the final result the land use and occupancy mapping (2010). We consider that the results of this study may contribute to the discussion of territorial planning, since this region was one of the first areas of the Brazilian coast to be colonized. In addition, the results can assist in making decisions, since up to now the area studied suffers conflicting processes of human action, which corresponds to different levels of intervention in the functioning of environmental systems. We found that the dynamics of landscape evolution is linked to the materialization of economic cycles, agricultural practices and tourism, as a guiding socioeconomic development.
Geography; Socioeconomic Characterization; Land Use and Occupancy; Urban Growth
