Tubarão, city, southeastern Santa Catarina estado (state), southern Brazil. It is the seat of Tubarão municipality, a unit of local government created in 1870. The city lies on the Tubarão River. Crops cultivated in the surrounding coastal plain include grains, beans, coffee, rice, and sugarcane. Iron ore and steel are mined for export. Products are transported by highway to Florianópolis, the state capital, 120 miles (193 km) northeast, and by railway or road to the ocean port at Laguna, 20 miles (32 km) northeast. Pop. (2010) 97,281.