Pedras Grandes
Appearance
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d3/Igreja_Matriz_de_Pedras_Grandes.jpg/220px-Igreja_Matriz_de_Pedras_Grandes.jpg)
Pedras Grandes is a municipality in Brazilian State of Santa Catarina.
History
Pedras Grandes is a town of Italian immigration. In 1877, the first Italian immigrants arrived from Veneto. The town throve on coal mining [1]. The town was elevated to a municipality in 1961. Until then, it was a district of Tubarão. It is considered the "cradle" of Italian settlement in Southern Santa Catarina.
Geography
Situated at 28º26'09" South and 49º11'06" West, upon River Tubarão. Its population, as of 2004, was estimated at 4 849 inhabitants, of whom 90% is estimated to be of Italian descent. The area of the municipality is 153,81 km².