Rio Grande do Sul

Rio Grande do Sul
Estado do Rio Grande do Sul
State of Rio Grande do Sul
Flag of Rio Grande do Sul
Coat of arms of Rio Grande do Sul
Motto(s): 
Liberdade, Igualdade, Humanidade (Portuguese)
"Liberty, Equality, Humanity"
Anthem: Hino Rio-Grandense
Map of Brazil with Rio Grande do Sul highlighted
Map of Brazil with Rio Grande do Sul highlighted
Coordinates: 30°S 53°W / 30°S 53°W / -30; -53
Country Brazil
Capital and largest city Porto Alegre
Government
 • GovernorEduardo Leite (PSDB)
 • Vice GovernorGabriel Souza (MDB)
 • SenatorsHamilton Mourão (REP)
Luis Carlos Heinze (PP)
Paulo Paim (PT)
Area
 • Total281,750 km2 (108,780 sq mi)
 • Rank9th
Population
 (2022)[2]
 • Total10,880,506
 • Rank6th
 • Density39/km2 (100/sq mi)
  • Rank13th
Demonym(s)Rio-grandense, sul-rio-grandense or gaúcho
GDP
 • TotalR$ 581.284 billion
(US$ 107.828 billion)
HDI
 • Year2021
 • Category0.771[4]high (5th)
Time zoneUTC-3 (BRT)
Postal code
90000-000 to 99990-000
ISO 3166 codeBR-RS
License Plate Letter SequenceIAQ to JDO
Websiters.gov.br

Rio Grande do Sul (UK: /ˌr ˌɡrændi d ˈsʊl/,[5] US: /- ˌɡrɑːndi d ˈsl/,[6] 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. 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.[7] Despite the high standard of living, unemployment is still high in the state, as of 2017.[8] 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.

  1. ^ "Primeiros Resultados de População do Censo Demográfico 2022" (PDF) (in Portuguese). IBGE.gov.br. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  2. ^ "Primeiros Resultados de População do Censo Demográfico 2022" (PDF) (in Portuguese). IBGE.gov.br. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  3. ^ "PIB por Unidade da Federação, 2021". ibge.gov.br.
  4. ^ "Atlas do Desenvolvimento Humano no Brasil. Pnud Brasil, Ipea e FJP, 2022". www.atlasbrasil.org.br. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
  5. ^ "Rio Grande do Sul". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on August 23, 2022.
  6. ^ "Rio Grande". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  7. ^ "Os estados mais e menos perigosos do Brasil" (in Portuguese). exame.abril.com.br. November 24, 2016. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  8. ^ Nicola Pamplona (November 17, 2017). "Apenas sete Estados tiveram queda no desemprego no terceiro trimestre" (in Portuguese). folha.uol.com.br. Retrieved March 1, 2020.