Map of Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul is a first-level division of Brazil. Its largest mapped city is Porto Alegre, with about 3.92 million people in the metropolitan area. The interactive map below is centred on Rio Grande do Sul, and the tables list its 31 mapped cities along with the lakes, ports, World Heritage Sites nearest to them.
- Cities Mapped
- 31
- Largest City
- Porto Alegre
- Country
- Brazil
Interactive Map of Rio Grande do Sul
About Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul (UK: , US: , Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈʁi.u ˈɡɾɐ̃dʒ(i) du ˈsuw] ; lit. 'Great River of the South') is a state in the southern region of Brazil. It is the fifth-most populous state and the ninth-largest by area and it is divided into 497 municipalities. Located in the southernmost part of the country, Rio Grande do Sul is bordered clockwise by Santa Catarina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Uruguayan departments of Rocha, Treinta y Tres, Cerro Largo, Rivera, and Artigas to the south and southwest, and the Argentine provinces of Corrientes and Misiones to the west and northwest. The capital and largest city is Porto Alegre. The state has the highest life expectancy in Brazil, and the crime rate is relatively low compared to the Brazilian national average. The state has 5.4% of the Brazilian population and it is responsible for 6.6% of the Brazilian GDP.
The state shares a gaucho culture with its neighbors Argentina and Uruguay. Before the arrival of Portuguese and Spanish settlers, it was inhabited mostly by the Guarani and Kaingang peoples (with smaller populations of Charrúa and Minuane). The first Europeans there were Jesuits, followed by settlers from the Azores. In the 19th century it was the scene of conflicts including the Ragamuffin War and the Paraguayan War. Large waves of German and Italian migration have shaped the state as well.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Rio Grande do Sul (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Rio Grande do Sul in Depth
History
During the Brazilian Colonial period, the province of South Rio Grande was the scene of small wars and border skirmishes between Portugal and Spain for the region, the Sacramento Colony, and the Guarani Missions. It was also a focal point for internal rebellions in the 19th and the early 20th centuries.
According to the treaty of Tordesillas, the region was to be part of the Spanish possessions in South America. However, the Spanish were much more interested in the Pacific Coast, where gold, silver, and gems were quickly found. Even on the Atlantic coast, their attention was on the River Plate where they built the seaport of Buenos Aires, on its right bank.
Geography
Rio Grande do Sul is bordered to the northeast by the Brazilian State of Santa Catarina, to the southeast by the Atlantic Ocean, on the southwest by Uruguay, and to the northwest by the Argentine provinces of Corrientes and Misiones.
The northern part of the state lies on the southern slopes of the elevated plateau extending southward from São Paulo across the states of Paraná and Santa Catarina, and is much broken by low mountain ranges whose general direction across the trend of the slope gives them the appearance of escarpments. A range of low mountains extends southward from the Serra do Mar of Santa Catarina and crosses the state into Uruguay.
Economy
The industrial sector is the largest component of GDP at 43%, followed by the service sector at 41%. Agriculture represents 16% of GDP (2004). Rio Grande do Sul exports: footwear 18%, soybeans 14%, tobacco 13.6%, vehicles 8%, frozen meat 7.2%, chemicals 6.8%, and leather 5% (2002).
One of the most prosperous Brazilian states, Rio Grande do Sul is known especially for its grain production, viticulture, ranching, and for its considerable industrial output.
In 1827, emigrants from Idar-Oberstein discovered the world's most important agate deposit in Rio Grande do Sul. As early as 1834, the first delivery of agate from Rio Grande do Sul had been made to Idar-Oberstein. The Brazilian agate exhibited very even layers, much more even than those seen in the local agates.
Demographics
According to the IBGE of 2022, there were 10,882,965 people residing in the state. The population density was 38.63 inhabitants per square kilometre (100.1/sq mi).
Urbanization: 81% (2004); population growth: 1.2% (1991–2000); houses: 3,464,544 (2005).
The last 2022 census counted 8,534,229 white people (78.4%), 1,596,357 brown (Multiracial) people (14.7%), 709,837 black people (6.5%), 34,184 Amerindian people (0.3%), 8,158 Asian people (0.1%).
According to a genetic study from 2013, Brazilians in Rio Grande do Sul have an average of 73% European, 14% African and 13% Amerindian ancestry.
People of Portuguese – mostly Azorean – background predominate in the coastal region.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Rio Grande do Sul (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Rio Grande do Sul: Key Facts
| Population | 10,882,965 (2022) |
|---|---|
| Area | 281,707 km² |
| Capital | Porto Alegre |
| Head of government | Eduardo Leite |
| Highest point | Pico do Monte Negro |
| Established | 1889 |
Facts from Wikidata Q40030 (CC0).
History of Rio Grande do Sul: Empires and States
The atlas records 10 polities whose mapped territory included part of Rio Grande do Sul, from Jesuit Reducciones in 1629 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here |
|---|---|
| Jesuit Reducciones | 1629–1756 CE |
| The Portuguese Empire | 1677–1823 CE |
| The Spanish Empire | 1757–1810 CE |
| Federal League | 1814–1819 CE |
| Empire of Brazil | 1822–1889 CE |
| Riograndense Republic | 1836–1845 CE |
| Brazilian Republic | 1890–1966 CE |
| Unitary State of Brazil | 1932–1945 CE |
| Federated Republic of Brazil | 1967–1986 CE |
| Republic of Brazil | 1987–2024 CE |
Historical Maps of Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Visiting Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, bordering Uruguay and Argentina. It is in some sense a unique region that merges clearly identifiable elements of Brazilian culture, the culture of Pampas region which also includes Uruguay and a large portion of Argentina, as well as the culture of German and Italian immigrants.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Rio Grande do Sul (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Largest Cities in Rio Grande do Sul
31 cities mapped. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Porto Alegre | 3.92 million | Rio Grande do Sul | Admin-1 capital |
| 2 | Novo Hamburgo | 876,990 | Rio Grande do Sul | Populated place |
| 3 | Canoas | 600,000 | Rio Grande do Sul | Populated place |
| 4 | Caxias do Sul | 381,270 | Rio Grande do Sul | Populated place |
| 5 | Pelotas | 320,674 | Rio Grande do Sul | Populated place |
| 6 | Santa Maria | 249,219 | Rio Grande do Sul | Populated place |
| 7 | Rio Grande | 187,838 | Rio Grande do Sul | Populated place |
| 8 | Passo Fundo | 179,529 | Rio Grande do Sul | Populated place |
| 9 | Uruguaiana | 123,480 | Rio Grande do Sul | Populated place |
| 10 | Santa Cruz do Sul | 113,625 | Rio Grande do Sul | Populated place |
| 11 | Bagé | 106,098 | Rio Grande do Sul | Populated place |
| 12 | Erechim | 96,087 | Rio Grande do Sul | Populated place |
| 13 | Bento Gonçalves | 94,271 | Rio Grande do Sul | Populated place |
| 14 | Santana do Livramento | 89,694 | Rio Grande do Sul | Populated place |
| 15 | Cachoeira do Sul | 74,694 | Rio Grande do Sul | Populated place |
| 16 | Ijuí | 71,202 | Rio Grande do Sul | Populated place |
| 17 | Santo Ângelo | 65,420 | Rio Grande do Sul | Populated place |
| 18 | Canela | 60,806 | Rio Grande do Sul | Populated place |
| 19 | São Borja | 59,613 | Rio Grande do Sul | Populated place |
| 20 | Carazinho | 59,417 | Rio Grande do Sul | Populated place |
| 21 | Santa Rosa | 59,281 | Rio Grande do Sul | Populated place |
| 22 | Vacaria | 56,765 | Rio Grande do Sul | Populated place |
| 23 | São Gabriel | 55,434 | Rio Grande do Sul | Populated place |
| 24 | Camaquã | 53,169 | Rio Grande do Sul | Populated place |
| 25 | Rosário do Sul | 36,721 | Rio Grande do Sul | Populated place |
The other 6 (population, region, role)
- Osório · 34,628 · Rio Grande do Sul · Populated place
- São Luiz Gonzaga · 31,798 · Rio Grande do Sul · Populated place
- Jaguarão · 29,613 · Rio Grande do Sul · Populated place
- Santa Vitória do Palmar · 27,775 · Rio Grande do Sul · Populated place
- São Lourenço do Sul · 25,340 · Rio Grande do Sul · Populated place
- Quaraí · 23,229 · Rio Grande do Sul · Populated place
Largest Lakes in Rio Grande do Sul
1 lake mapped. Ranked by mapped surface area. A lake on a border is listed under each country it lies in, with the area of the whole lake. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Surface Area | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lagoa Mirim | 3,845 km² | Alkaline Lake |
Ports in Rio Grande do Sul
2 ports mapped. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Channel Depth | Class | Sea | Max Vessel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Porto Alegre | 49.4 m | Minor | Atlantic Coast of South America | large vessels |
| 2 | Tramandai | 12.8 m | Small | Atlantic Coast of South America | large vessels |
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Rio Grande do Sul
1 World Heritage Site mapped. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Inscribed | Type | Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jesuit missions among the Guaraní | 1983 | Cultural | (iv) |
Rio Grande do Sul: Quick Answers
- Where is Rio Grande do Sul?
- Rio Grande do Sul is a first-level division of Brazil, in South America. Its mapped cities centre on 29.8709° S, 53.0935° W.
- What is the largest city in Rio Grande do Sul?
- Porto Alegre is the largest city mapped in Rio Grande do Sul, with a metropolitan population of about 3.92 million.
- How many cities are in Rio Grande do Sul?
- YearMaps maps 31 cities and towns in Rio Grande do Sul, with a combined metropolitan population of about 8.16 million. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.
- What is the largest lake in Rio Grande do Sul?
- The largest lake mapped in or beside Rio Grande do Sul is Lagoa Mirim, at about 3,845 km².