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Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre ( is the 10th largest city in Brazil, and the capital city of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Porto Alegre is one of the most important cultural, political and economic centers of Southern Brazil. With the creation of Mercosul, comprising four countries of which two, namely Argentina and Uruguay, border Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre has almost taken on the role of capital of the Southern Cone. Porto Alegre was founded in 1742 by immigrants from the Azores, Portugal. In the late 19th century the city received many immigrants from other parts of the world, particularly Germany, Italy, and Poland. The vast majority of the population is of European descent. The city lies on the eastern bank of the Rio Guaiba (Guaiba Lake), at the point where five rivers converge to form the Lagoa dos Patos (Lagoon of Ducks), a giant freshwater lagoon navigable by even the largest of ships. Located at the junction of five rivers, it has become an important alluvial port as well as one of the chief industrial and commercial centers in Brazil. The port of Porto Alegre, important for transporting local produce, the "Gaucho capital" has a broad-based economy that lays particular emphasis on agriculture and industry. Agricultural production includes produce such as plums, peaches, rice and cassava grown on rural smallholdings. The shoe and leather industries are also important, especially in Novo Hamburgo, in the Metropolitan Region of Porto Alegre. Porto Alegre has a long coastline on the Guaíba Lake, and its topography is punctuated by 40 hills. In the lake, a very vast body of water, a maze of islands facing the city create an archipelago where a unique ecosystem makes possible an exuberant wildlife. The city area concentrates 28% of the native flora of Rio Grande do Sul, with 9,288 species.[1] Among these, there are many trees which are the vestiges of the Atlantic Forest. Fauna is also diversified, specially in the islands and hills. The portoalegrense way of life includes many parks, squares and wooded streets. In recent years, Porto Alegre hosted the World Social Forum, an initiative of several Non Government Organizations which criticize the supremacy of capitalism in the international economic relations, and advocate that Governments and corporations should have a deeper social concerns when implementing their politics. The Salgado Filho International Airport connects Porto Alegre with Brazilian cities and also operates international flights, and the city is home to the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul.
The city
Farroupilha Park. 
Farroupilha Park. Before this, Porto Alegre was the port of Viamão on the shore of Guaíba Lake. Its ancient name was Porto dos Casais (Port of the couples), and it was initially settled by Azorians. Many families of settlers also came from the city of Rio Grande (Big River) in the litoral Lagunar region, to the south, a military fortress at that time. Today Rio Grande is the most important port of the State of Rio Grande do Sul. More than 70 neighborhoods (see below) are part of the city and 2/3 of the population are concentrated in the Zona Norte (Northern Zone), where most of the economic activity, including the city center, takes place. Porto Alegre was the seat of the World Social Forum in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2005. As the second largest city in southern Brazil, it is also an important industrial center in the mentioned geographical area. It also is a center for gaúcho (the popular name for natives of the State) history and culture, famous for its churrasco (barbecue) and chimarrão (a strong and hot tea prepared from erva mate). Important Brazilian universities, such as UFRGS, UFCSPA and PUCRS are located there. Porto Alegre is also one of the wealthiest cities in Latin America, and one of the most diverse. It has welcomed immigrants from all over the world, the largest numbers coming from Portugal, Germany, Italy, Spain and Poland. There are also significant Arab and Jewish contingents in the population. Geography
ClimatePorto Alegre is located in the subtropical area and so is called its climate. Average precipitation is high and regular throughout the year. Summer temperatures often rise above and high levels of humidity make the season very muggy. The highest temperature ever registered was in January 1943. Humid subtropical climate is a climate zone characterized by hot, humid summers and chilly to mild winters. This climate type covers a broad category of climates, and the term "subtropical" may be a misnomer for the winter climate in the cooler areas within this category. Significant amounts of precipitation occur in all seasons in most areas. Winter rainfall (and sometimes snowfall) is associated with large storms that the westerlies steer from west to east. Most summer rainfall occurs during thunderstorms and an occasional tropical storm, hurricane or cyclone. The winter reveals mild average temperatures, contrasting to the quite changeable, and many times sudden behavioral, windy and rainy weather which also characterizes this time of the year. Usual winter temperatures range from to . Snow is very rare, sometimes confused with sleet. The main snowfall events in Porto Alegre were in 1879, 1910 and 1984. The lowest temperature ever recorded was . Autumns tend to be as changeable as winters, but are typically warmer. Spring, stabler akin to summer, is slightly drier than all the other seasons. Occurrence of radiation fog is common, causing several delays in early flights. CityscapeDemographics
People in Porto Alegre. 
View of Porto Alegre. 
Solar Palmeiro in Porto Alegre. 
Methodist Church in the city. Porto Alegre is mostly composed of Brazilians of European descent. Its colonization started in the mid-18th century, mostly with the arrival of Portuguese colonists from the Azores Islands. From 1748 to 1756, 2,300 Azoreans were sent to the region by the King of Portugal to protect Southern Brazil from neighboring invaders.[4] These colonists, mostly composed of couples, established the city of Porto dos Casais (Port of the Couples), nowadays Porto Alegre. In 1775, 55% of Rio Grande do Sul's population was of Azorean Portuguese origin.[5] Porto Alegre was composed mainly of Azoreans and their African slaves until the first half of the 19th century. Nowadays, Blacks, Pardo people, who may also have some Amerindian ancestry compose, together, 17.1% of the city's population. The first non-Portuguese people to settle Rio Grande do Sul were German immigrants. In 1824, the first immigrants from Germany arrived in Porto Alegre, but they were sent to what is now the city of São Leopoldo (28 km away). From 1824 to 1914, 50 thousand Germans arrived in Rio Grande do Sul.[6] Most of them had rural communities in the interior of the State as their first destination. The large rural exodus in Brazil in the early 20th century brought many German-descendants to Porto Alegre and, nowadays, they compose a large percentage of the population. The other largest group of immigrants who arrived in Porto Alegre are the Italians. They started immigrating to Brazil in 1875, mainly from the Northern Italian Veneto region.[7] As the Germans, Italians were also first sent to rural communities, mainly in the Serra Gaúcha region. After some decades, many of them started to migrate to other parts of Rio Grande do Sul, including Porto Alegre. Minority communities of immigrants, such as Eastern Europeans from Poland and Ukraine; Arabs from Lebanon and Syria; Asians from Japan and Jews also made Porto Alegre their home. Population growth
<timeline> Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.7) id:sfondo value:rgb(1,1,1) id:barra value:rgb(0.6,0.7,0.8) ImageSize = width:650 height:300 PlotArea = left:50 bottom:50 top:30 right:30 DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:1700000 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:500000 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:50000 start:0 BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo BarData= bar:1800 text:1800 bar:1822 text:1822 bar:1872 text:1872 bar:1890 text:1890 bar:1900 text:1900 bar:1920 text:1920 bar:1940 text:1940 bar:1950 text:1950 bar:1960 text:1960 bar:1970 text:1970 bar:1980 text:1980 bar:1991 text:1991 bar:2000 text:2000 bar:2006 text:2006 bar:2010 text:2010(*) bar:2015 text:2015(*) PlotData= color:barra width:20 align:left bar:1800 from:0 till: 6000 bar:1822 from:0 till: 12000 bar:1872 from:0 till: 43998 bar:1890 from:0 till: 52421 bar:1900 from:0 till: 73647 bar:1920 from:0 till: 179263 bar:1940 from:0 till: 272232 bar:1950 from:0 till: 394151 bar:1960 from:0 till: 635125 bar:1970 from:0 till: 885545 bar:1980 from:0 till: 1125477 bar:1991 from:0 till: 1263403 bar:2000 from:0 till: 1360590 bar:2006 from:0 till: 1441554 bar:2010 from:0 till: 1542800 bar:2015 from:0 till: 1661821 PlotData= bar:1800 at: 6000 fontsize:S text: 6.000 shift:(-8,5) bar:1822 at: 12000 fontsize:S text: 12.000 shift:(-10,5) bar:1872 at: 43998 fontsize:S text: 43.998 shift:(-10,5) bar:1890 at: 52421 fontsize:S text: 52.421 shift:(-10,5) bar:1900 at: 73647 fontsize:S text: 73.647 shift:(-10,5) bar:1920 at: 179263 fontsize:S text: 179.263 shift:(-10,5) bar:1940 at: 272232 fontsize:S text: 272.232 shift:(-10,5) bar:1950 at: 394151 fontsize:S text: 394.151 shift:(-10,5) bar:1960 at: 635125 fontsize:S text: 635.125 shift:(-10,5) bar:1970 at: 885545 fontsize:S text: 885.545 shift:(-10,5) bar:1980 at: 1125477 fontsize:S text: 1.125.477 shift:(-10,5) bar:1991 at: 1263403 fontsize:S text: 1.263.403 shift:(-10,5) bar:2000 at: 1360590 fontsize:S text: 1.360.590 shift:(-10,5) bar:2006 at: 1441554 fontsize:S text: 1.441.554 shift:(-10,5) bar:2010 at: 1542800 fontsize:S text: 1.542.800 shift:(-10,5) bar:2015 at: 1661821 fontsize:S text: 1.661.821 shift:(-10,5) TextData= fontsize:S pos:(20,20) text: </timeline> Economy
Sunset in Porto Alegre. 
Downtown Porto Alegre at night. The GDP for the city was R$ 27,977,351,000 (2005).[11] The per capita income for the city was R$ 19,582 (2005).[12] Tourism and recreation
Porto Alegre City Hall. 
Central Public Market. 
Piratini Palace. Tourism palaeontological Although Porto Alegre is not in the geopark of Paleorrota, has the largest number of paleontologists of Rio Grande do Sul. The city has a large number of museums, and the UFRGS as a center for the study of paleontology and there can see the animals of Triassic. We can see Rhynchosaur, thecodonts, exaeretodons, Staurikosaurus, Guaibasaurus, Saturnalia tupiniquim, Sacisaurus, Unaysaurus and many others. Farroupilha Park It is located in the Farroupilha Neighborhood. Its 370 thousand sq. meters of extension hosts 45 copper and marble monuments, a luminous fountain and the "O Expedicionário" (The Expeditionary One) monument, representing a double Triumph Arch with relief sculptures which are a homage to Brazilian soldiers who fought in Italy during the World War II. It also hosts a mini-zoo, an amusement park for children, a solar retreat, a market, football and bowling fields, cycleways, athletic sports track, gymnastics equipment, and an auditorium for 4,500 people. Maurício Sirotsky Sobrinho Park Located at Cidade Baixa District, it occupies 300 thousand sq. meters, hosting in its area a replica of a traditional gaucho farm, the Harmonia Ranch, designed to maintain and practice the regional culture. It also has an aero modelling track, a nautical modelling tank, playground, football and bowling fields, volleyball courts, and over 100 barbecue grills available in different areas of the park. Botanical Gardens With an area of approximately 43 hectares, the Botanical Gardens are in the neighborhood named after it, between Cristiano Fischer Avenue and Salvador França Avenue. It harbours scientific collections with over two thousand issues, 725 vegetal species, spread over the different open areas of the park. It also has a Germplasm Bank, a Seed Bank and a Sapling Terrarium, in addition to developing environmental educational activities. The Natural Sciences Museum is headquartered at the Gardens and preserves flora and fauna species from the State Natural Heritage. Saint Hilaire Park Located on RS-040 highway, at about km 02, this park is 17 km away from Downtown Porto Alegre. It occupies 11.8 sq. km, 240 hectares of which are designed for leisure and 940 hectares reserved for permanent conservation. Its name is a homage to scientist Augustin François César Prouvençal de Saint-Hilaire, an internationally renowned French traveller and naturalist who lived in Brazil for many years. The park infrastructure has football fields, bowling fields, volleyball courts and indoor football fields, aero modelling and skating tracks, a playground and approximately 100 barbecue grills. Lami Biological Reserve The city has a Biological Reserve 170 hectares long within its territorial limits. Lami Biological Reserve shelters a meteorological station and a terrarium of native saplings. The diverse atmospheres enable growing over 300 vegetal species and a higher number of animal species; the swamps and reeds are home to many aquatic organisms. EducationPortuguese is the official national language, and thus the primary language taught in schools. But English and Spanish are part of the official high school curriculum. There are also international schools, such as the Pan American School of Porto Alegre.Educational institutions
CultureMuseumsRio Grande do Sul Museum of Art ? MARGS With an eclectic style, the building was designed by German architect Theo Wiederspahn. Originally it was the headquarters of the Fiscal Surveillance Agency of the Federal Revenue Office. Nowadays, it hosts the largest public collection of art works in Rio Grande do Sul, many of which were created by renowned local, national, and foreign artists. The internal spaces are illuminated through stained glass windows embellishing the major hall ceiling. The building became a historic landmark by the National Historic Site Office in 1983 and it is at Alfândega Plaza, Downtown.Júlio de Castilhos Museum Created in 1903, being the oldest museum in the state. Its collection comprises thousands of pieces related to the local history, from Indian relics to objects and iconography about the War of Tatters and the War of the Triple Alliance, including an important section showing fine scupltures from the Jesuitic Reductions. Joaquim José Felizardo MuseumAn important museum with a large collection of archaeological artifacts and fotographies of Porto Alegre's old times. Its historical building, dating from 1845-55, is one of the few intact relics of colonial architecture inside the modern urban environment. Rio Grande do Sul Memorial Showing a huge collection of documents, maps, objects, prints and other items related to the state's history. Its building, designed by Theodor Wiederspahn, is one of the finest examples of eclectic architecture in the city. Events
Bookfair in the city.
InfrastructureInternational AirportSalgado Filho International Airport serves flights operated by major Brazilian airlines to many areas in Brazil and other South American countries. With 37.6 thousand square meters of constructed area and four levels, the passenger terminal at Porto Alegre International Airport can receive 28 large airplanes simultaneously. The terminal has 32 check-in counters, ten boarding bridges, nine elevators and ten escalators. It has a totally automated aircraft movement control center and the main spaces are air conditioned. The apron, surfaced with prestressed concrete, can serve jumbo jets like the Boeing 747-400. The garage structure has eight levels, 44 thousand square meters and 1,440 parking spaces.Another terminal, with 15 thousand square meters and capacity for 1.5 million passengers a year, serves general, executive and third-tier aviation (conventional piston-engine and turboprop planes). Porto Alegre Airport was the first one administered by Infraero to have integrated check-in. This service offers flexibility in use of terminal facilities and installations, enabling carriers to access their own data centers via shared-use computers from any check-in counter position. This makes it much easier to allocate counter space according to demand fluctuations, making for less idle space. The Aeroshopping area, a center for commerce and leisure, operates 24 hours a day with shops, services, a food court, along with a triplex cinema, the first to be established at a Brazilian airport. Salgado Filho International Airport also has an air cargo terminal, built in 1974, with 9,500 thousand square meters of area and capacity to handle 1,500 tons of export cargo and 900 tons of imports each month. The average daily movement (arrivals and departures) is 174 aircraft, flying scheduled routes connecting Porto Alegre directly or indirectly to all the country's other major cities, as well as smaller cities in the interior of the states of the South Region and São Paulo. There are also international flights with direct connections to cities of the Southern Cone. PortThe Port of Porto Alegre is situated in the Eastern margin of lake Guaíba. Its geographical position enables a permanent traffic between Porto Alegre and Buenos Aires, transporting steel-industry products and mainly agricultural produce. 
Bus in Porto Alegre. MetroThe metro is operated jointly by the federal government, the state government of Rio Grande do Sul and the city of Porto Alegre through the company Trensurb (Company of Urban Trains of Porto Alegre) and has 17 stations, totaling of extension, carrying about 130,000 users a day. HighwaysThere are only two highways on the city, and they roughly border the North and the Northwest sides of the city. This happens because even though this is the capital city and most populous in the region, there are no major destinations to the southeastern and southern of Porto Alegre (regarding the east side of Lagoa dos Patos). BR-290 runs across the state East-West, linking the Northeast coast of the state to the Uruguay-Argentina-Brazil border. It runs across the north border of the municipality. BR-116, which runs Northeast-South across the state, linking the city to most of its satellite cities and most of Brazil northbound, and to eastern Uruguay southbound. Within the municipality, it only touches the Northwest side of the city, close to the end of Rio Gravataí (Gravataí River). Avenida Presidente Castelo Branco (Castelo Branco President Avenue), also bordering the Northwest side of the city, is a rather short () highway and the only one that is fully contained within the borders of the municipality. It links downtown with these other highways. Sports
Beira-Rio Stadium. Porto Alegre is one of the 18 remaining candidates to host games of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, for which Brazil is the only South American bidder. Sister citiesPorto Alegre's sister cities are:[13]
Notable people
Football player Ronaldinho was born in Porto Alegre.
NeighborhoodsNeighborhoods of Porto Alegre are geographical divisions of the city. There is no devolution of administrative powers to neighborhoods, although there are several neighborhoods associations devoted to improve their own standards of living. Porto Alegre has nowadays 78 official distinguished neighborhoods and 4 territories. See alsoReferencesExternal links
af:Porto Alegre ar:????? ?????? ast:Porto Alegre br:Porto Alegre bg:????? ?????? ca:Porto Alegre cs:Porto Alegre co:Porto Alegre da:Porto Alegre de:Porto Alegre et:Porto Alegre es:Porto Alegre eo:Porto-Alegro eu:Porto Alegre fa:????? ????? fr:Porto Alegre gl:Porto Alegre ko:??????? io:Porto Alegre bpy:????? ??????? id:Porto Alegre ia:Porto Alegre it:Porto Alegre ka:?????-?????? he:????? ????? la:Portus Alacer in Brasilia lt:Porto Alegr? nl:Porto Alegre ja:???????? no:Porto Alegre oc:Porto Alegre nds:Porto Alegre pl:Porto Alegre pt:Porto Alegre ro:Porto Alegre ru:?????-?????? simple:Porto Alegre sr:????? ?????? fi:Porto Alegre sv:Porto Alegre vi:Porto Alegre tg:?????-?????? tr:Porto Alegre uk:?????-?????? vec:Porto Alegre vo:Porto Alegre zh:????? Source: Wikipedia | The above article is available under the GNU FDL. | Edit this article
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