Rio Grande do Sul is a state in the southern region of brazil, 5th most populous state and 9th largest by area. 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.5 Despite the high standard of living, unemployment is still high in the state, as of
2017.6 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.
area (total): 281,707.149 km2 (108,767.738 sq mi)
population (
2020): 11,422,973
population density: 41/km2 (110/sq mi) (13th)
