Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre | |
|---|---|
| Município de Porto Alegre Municipality of Porto Alegre | |
Skyline of Porto Alegre and Guaíba Lake Mario Quintana House of Culture Statue of Laçador Gasometer Plant Monument to the Azoreans and Administrative Center Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Sorrows | |
| Motto(s): Leal e Valorosa Cidade de Porto Alegre Loyal and Valiant City of Porto Alegre | |
| Coordinates: 30°01′59″S 51°13′48″W / 30.03306°S 51.23000°W | |
| Country | Brazil |
| Region | South |
| State | Rio Grande do Sul |
| Mesoregion | Metropolitan Porto Alegre |
| Microregion | Microregion of Porto Alegre |
| Founded | 26 March 1772 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Sebastião Melo (MDB) |
| Area | |
| 496.827 km2 (191.826 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 10 m (30 ft) |
| Population (2022) | |
| 1,389,322 (12th) | |
| • Density | 2,837.5/km2 (7,349/sq mi) |
| • Metro | 4,167,025 (5th) |
| Demonym | Porto-alegrenses |
| GDP (PPP, constant 2015 values) | |
| • Year | 2023 |
| • Total | $77.7 billion |
| Time zone | UTC-3 (UTC−3) |
| Postal Code | 90000-000 |
| Area code | +55 51 |
| HDI (2010) | 0.805 – very high |
| Website | www |
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Porto Alegre (UK: /ˌpɔːrtuː əˈlɛɡreɪ/, US: /- ɑːˈleɪɡri, ˌpɔːrtoʊ əˈlɛɡrə/; Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈpoʁtu aˈlɛɡɾi, -tw aˈ-], locally [ˈpoɾ-] ⓘ; lit. 'Joyful Harbor') is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population of roughly 1.4 million inhabitants (2022) makes it the 11th-most populous city in the country and the centre of Brazil's fifth-largest metropolitan area, with 4.1 million inhabitants (2022). The city is the southernmost capital city of a Brazilian state.
Porto Alegre was founded in 1769 by Manuel Jorge Gomes de Sepúlveda, who used the pseudonym José Marcelino de Figueiredo to hide his identity; the official date, though, is 1772 with the act signed by immigrants from the Azores, Portugal.
The city lies on the eastern bank of the Guaíba Lake, where five rivers converge to form the Lagoa dos Patos, a giant freshwater lagoon navigable by even the largest of ships. This five-river junction has become an important alluvial port and a chief industrial and commercial centre of Brazil.
In recent years, Porto Alegre hosted the World Social Forum, an initiative of several nongovernment organizations. The city became famous for being the first city that implemented participatory budgeting. The 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches was held in Porto Alegre in 2006. Since 2000, Porto Alegre also hosts one of the world's largest free software events, called FISL. The city was one of the host cities of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, having previously been a venue for the 1950 FIFA World Cup.