This article is about Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. You may be looking for Portalegre, Alentejo, Portugal.

Porto Alegre, one of the largest cities in southern Brazil, is the capital of Rio Grande do Sul State. Population: over 1.5 million (2004).

The city is located at the conjunction of five rivers, among them the Gua�ba River (actually a lake). Although its origins date from the early 1700s, the city was officially established in 1809.

Porto Alegre is a major industrial center for southern Brazil, and a key city for Mercosul. It also is a center for ga�cho (the popular name for natives of the State) history and culture, famous for its churrasco (grilled meat) and chimarr�o (a strong tea prepared from erva-mate). Several important Brazilian universities are located there.

The city has hosted four of the five World Social Forums.

External links

• City's home page (http://www.portoalegre.rs.gov.br/) (in Portuguese)

da:Porto Alegre de:Porto Alegre eo:Porto Alegro fr:Porto Alegre no:Porto Alegre pt:Porto Alegre ja:ポルト・アレグレ