About the city and the twinning
About Santa Maria
Santa Maria is a city in the central part of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil’s southernmost state. It gained municipal autonomy on 17 May 1858 and was granted city status in 1876. The arrival of the railway in the 1880s transformed Santa Maria into a regional transport and commercial hub. Its historic railway station, known as the Gare da Viação Férrea, remains one of the city’s principal landmarks.
Education and cultural heritage
The Federal University of Santa Maria, founded in 1960, helped establish the city as a regional centre for higher education. The area is also known for its fossil sites, which have been studied by researchers at the university. Santa Maria is home to families of Palestinian origin whose history forms part of the wider Palestinian diaspora in southern Brazil.
Relations with Bethlehem
On 19 September 2012, Santa Maria’s City Council issued Legislative Decree No. 008/2012 recognising Dr Victor Batarseh, then Mayor of Bethlehem, Palestine, as a distinguished visitor. In 2019, representatives of Santa Maria’s municipal administration accompanied Bethlehem Mayor Anton Salman and Palestinian Ambassador to Brazil Ibrahim Alzeben during an official visit to the Court of Justice of Rio Grande do Norte.