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Porto Alegre, Brazil

Porto Alegre, the largest city in southern Brazil with over 1,600,000 inhabitants, is the capital of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, land of the Gauchos, and churrasco. The city, located on the Guaiba River, was founded in 1742 by immigrants from the Azores. Since the 19th century the city has received numerous immigrations from other parts of the world, particularly Germany, Poland, and Italy, each adding their distinctive heritage to the city's culture. Located at the junction of five rivers, it has become an important port as well as one of the chief industrial and commercial centers in Brazil. Products of the rich agricultural and pastoral interior, such as soybeans, leather, canned beef, and rice, are exported from Porto Alegre to destinations as far away as Africa and Japan.