Chapecó

Chapecó
City of Chapecó
Downtown Chapecó
Nicknames: 
Capital of the West, Chape, City of Chapecó
Location of Chapecó
Country Brazil
RegionSouth
State Santa Catarina
FoundedAugust 25, 1917
Government
 • MayorJoão Rodrigues (PSD)
Area
 • City
624.673 km2 (241.188 sq mi)
 • Urban
66 km2 (25 sq mi)
 • Metro
4,938.15 km2 (1,906.63 sq mi)
Elevation
674 m (2,211 ft)
Population
 (2025)(metro pop IBGE/2025)
 • City
282,648
 • Density407.76/km2 (1,056.1/sq mi)
 • Urban
242,335
 • Metro
545,283
 • Metro density110.17/km2 (285.3/sq mi)
 IBGE
DemonymChapecoense
Time zoneUTC-3 (UTC-3)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-2 (UTC-2)
Postal code
89800-000 to 89816-999
HDI (2010)0.790
Websitewww.chapeco.sc.gov.br

Chapecó (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʃapeˈkɔ]) is a municipality in the state of Santa Catarina, in the Southern Region of Brazil. Being a major industrial, financial and educational center, it is a major producer of industrialized food products. Considered a medium city, with a population estimated at 282,648 inhabitants, it is among the four most important cities in the state. It belongs to the Meso-region of Western Santa Catarina and to the Microregion of Chapecó.

Distant 550 km from the state capital, Florianópolis, it is Headquarters of the Metropolitan Region of Chapecó, and exerts significant influence not only in the Catarinense West but also in the Northwest Rio Grande do Sul and Southwest of Paraná, from an economic, cultural, or political point of view.

Chapecó became known worldwide through its association football club Chapecoense and the aftermath of LaMia Flight 2933 which killed 71, including most of the team's roster and staff.

With the titles of "Brazil's agribusiness capital" and "Brazil's business tourism capital", the planned town constructed in the form of a chess grid also has universities attracting students from all over Brazil. The main educational institutions are UFFS, UDESC, UNOCHAPECÓ, UNOESC and UCEFF.