Santa Maria

Santa Maria is a city in the central region of Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state of Brazil. It is known for the presence of a federal university (Universidade Federal de Santa Maria) and a number of private universities and faculties, due to which fact it has a relatively young population.

Santa Maria has a population of 243,611. It has a total area of 1693 km².

Santa Maria is often referred as the "culture city" (from portuguese: cidade cultura) mostly because of the great number of students and young adults who engage in many political movements, cultural and social entrepreneurs, and a wide range of academic researches of international strength.