Porto Alegre

Industrial port and capital of Río Grande do Sul federal unit (state), southeast Brazil; population (2000 est) 1,320,100; metropolitan area (2000 est) 3,507,600. The port is situated on the eastern bank of Río Guaíba (formed by the confluence of five rivers), at the northwestern end of Lagôa dos Patos, a freshwater lagoon which flows into the Atlantic; the lagoon is accessible to ocean-going vessels via the port of Rio Grande. It is southern Brazil's chief industrial and commercial centre; there are shipyards, iron foundries, textile, chemical, and food processing industries. Chief exports include pinewood, meat, rice, wheat, hides, and wool. The city has a cathedral, whose foundations are built over a church that dates back to 1772, and two universities. It was founded in 1755.