SANTOS

port city, southeastern So Paulo state, Brazil, occupying an alluvial plain on the inner side of the Ilha (island) de So Vicente, cut off from the mainland by a tidal channel. The city lies only a few feet above sea level, and its swampy island is drained by deep concrete conduits. The channel is free from obstructions, and in front of the city it widens into a bay deep enough for the largest vessels. The docks are 4 mi (6 km) long and can accommodate about 50 ships at a time. Founded in 1543 and named for the Hospital dos Santos in Lisbon, it was sacked by the English privateer Thomas Cavendish in 1591. It has become the world's leading coffee port, and the aroma of coffee permeates the city. In addition to coffee, exports include cotton, sugar, bananas, castor oil, xarque (jerked beef), corn (maize), seafood (sardines, croakers, hake, lobster), oranges, and hides. Transport equipment, electrical machinery, steel and ferroalloy products, methol, wood veneers, and textiles are manufactured there for export. Other industries include sawmills, canneries, and factories producing cement, candy, soap, soft drinks, and canvas items. A petroleum refinery at Cubato and a hydroelectric plant serve the city, which will also receive energy from the Itaipu plant. Santos is the nation's largest port. A humid, subtropical climate and marshy surroundings once created unfavourable living conditions, but drainage canals, the paving of streets, better housing, sanitation, and port improvements have made Santos a healthful city. A suburban seaside resort, Guaruj, attracts many visitors from inland Brazil. Railroads and highways descend the steep coastal range, the Serra do Mar, from the city of So Paulo, the state capital, 49 mi northwest. Santos also has two airports. Pop. (1980) 410,933.