Porto Alegre, city in southern Brazil, capital of Rio Grande do Sul State, a port on Lake dos Patos (an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean). Located at the junction of five rivers, Porto Alegre is the chief trade center of Brazil, south of São Paulo. Main industries include food processing, shipbuilding, and the manufacture of textiles. Exports are mainly agricultural and livestock products from the surrounding area. The city is the seat of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (1934) and a Catholic university (1948). Porto Alegre was founded about 1742. Population (1996 estimate) 1,288,879.
