Joinville is the largest city in Santa Catarina, in the Southern Region of Brazil. It is the third largest municipality in the southern region of Brazil, after the much larger state capitals of Curitiba and Porto Alegre. Joinville is also a major industrial, financial and commerce center.
The city has a very high human development index among Brazilian municipalities, occupying the 21st national position. One study pointed to Joinville as the second best city to live in Brazil. Joinville holds the titles of "Brazilian Manchester", "City of Flowers", "City of the Princes", "City of Bicycles" and "City of Dance". It is known for hosting the Joinville Dance Festival, as well as for having the only branch of the Bolshoi Ballet School outside Russia in the world.
In 2020, the population of Joinville was estimated at 597,658 people, many of whom are of Portuguese, German, Swiss, Norwegian and Italian descent. The metropolitan area is home to 1,340,997 residents according to the 2010 census by IBGE, thus, the most populous metropolitan region of the state of Santa Catarina.