Pelotas

Second city (behind Porto Alegre) in the state of Río Grande do Sul, Brazil; population (1996) 307,667. Pelotas is situated on the left bank of the São Gonçalo River, which flows between two large lagoons – Lagoa dos Patos and Lagoa Mirim. Pelotas is a commercial and industrial centre for a rich agricultural region, whose main products are cattle, sheep, rice, and wheat. The town has tanneries, flour mills, a refrigeration plant, and plants for the processing of agricultural products.

Its development as a port has been hampered by its proximity to the port of Río Grande, 32 km/20 mi to the southwest at the entrance to the Lagoa dos Patos.