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Pôrto Alegre
Pôrto Alegre, the largest city in the south of Brazil, is the capital of the state
of Rio Grande do Sul. Immigrants from the Azores, a group of Portuguese-
owned islands in the Atlantic Ocean, founded the city in 1742. Since the 19th
century the city has received numerous German and Italian immigrants.
Lying as it does at the junction of five rivers, it has become an important
port, as well as one of Brazil’s chief industrial and commercial centers. Pôrto
Alegre exports products from the surrounding agricultural region, including
leather, canned beef, and rice.
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The Rio Grande do Sul river runs through Pôrto Alegre.