Porto Alegre (Brazil)

Porto Alegre (port locode BRPOA) is the largest city and the capital of Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul state. By population (around 1,5 million), the city is ranked Brazil's 10th most populous. Porto Alegre is also the capital of Brazil's 4th largest metro area (population ~4,3 million), following Sao Paulo (21,2 million), Rio de Janeiro (~12,3 million), Belo Horizonte (~6 million, Minas Gerais state), and Distrito Federal e Entorno (~4,3 million, Minas Gerais).

Porto Alegre is on the Guaíba River's eastern bank, where 5 rivers converge, forming the Guaíba Lake (delta), in the northern section of the coastal lagoon Lagoa dos Patos. The lagoon is Brazil's largest (total area around 10,000 km2 / 3900 mi2). It has length of 280 km (174 mi), max width of 70 km (44 mi) and is navigable by the largest ships. The lagoon is accessed from the Atlantic Ocean via the Port of Rio Grande.

Porto Alegre's economy is largely based on industrial and commercial activities, including the production and export of agricultural products (soybeans, rice), meat (canned beef), leather, shoes, steel, and petrochemical industries.