Greater Porto Alegre

Greater Porto Alegre, also called the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre, is the 5th most populous metro area in Brazil. It has about 4.3 million people living in 34 towns around the city of Porto Alegre, which is the capital of the state of Rio Grande do Sul.

The area covers 10,234 square kilometers and had a population of 4,293,050 in 2017. Only the metro areas of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, and Brasília are bigger. Porto Alegre has the 4th largest GDP in Brazil, worth about 92 billion dollars.

Greater Porto Alegre is very important for the economy of the state, the Southern Cone, and the Mercosur trade group. The area’s economy includes manufacturing, chemicals, cars, food, education, steel, semiconductors, and many services. It has a lot of industry and is home to big companies from Brazil and many multinationals.

The region also has several technology parks and universities. The federal university, UFRGS, was named the best in Brazil for three years in a row by the Ministry of Education.

Municipalities

Town / City	Joined on	Bill	Area (km²)	Population (2010)	Population (2018)	GDP (in thousands) R$ (2013)
Alvorada	June 8, 1973	LCF 14/1973	70,811	195,718	209,213	1,992,342
Araricá	July 30, 1998	LCE 11201	35,292	4,868	5,622	122,598
Arroio dos Ratos	January 1, 2000	LCE 11539	425,938	13,608	14,123	174,142
Cachoeirinha	June 8, 1973	LCF 14/1973	43,766	118,294	129,307	5,648,490
Campo Bom	June 8, 1973	LCF 14/1973	61,406	60,081	66,156	2,168,912
Canoas	June 8, 1973	LCF 14/1973	131,097	324,025	344,957	11,451,934
Capela de Santana	June 28, 2001	LCE 11645	184,003	11,613	11,810	152,665
Charqueadas	July 27, 1994	LCE 10234	216,513	35,363	40,301	1,006,974
Dois Irmãos	October 3, 1989	CE	65,156	27,572	32,205	1,323,496
Eldorado do Sul	October 3, 1989	CE	509,699	34,335	40,643	959,833
Esteio	June 8, 1973	LCF 14/1973	27,543	80,669	83,121	2,780,621
Estância Velha	June 8, 1973	LCF 14/1973	52,378	42,589	49,345	1,149,281
Glorinha	October 3, 1989	CE	323,641	6,885	7,988	358,176
Gravataí	June 8, 1973	LCF 14/1973	463,758	255,762	279,398	10,197,232
Guaíba	June 8, 1973	LCF 14/1973	376,973	95,230	98,043	4,174,309
Igrejinha	December 22, 2011	LCE 13853	136,816	31,663	36,450	1,326,577
Ivoti	October 3, 1989	CE	63,138	19,877	23,880	714,430
Montenegro	January 14, 1999	LCE 11307	420,017	59,436	64,788	2,624,259
Nova Hartz	October 3, 1989	CE	62,558	18,346	21,317	649,953
Nova Santa Rita	July 30, 1998	LCE 11201	217,868	22,706	28,670	914,883
Novo Hamburgo	June 8, 1973	LCF 14/1973	223,606	239,051	246,452	7,021,001
Parobé	October 3, 1989	CE	109,026	51,481	57,660	958,182
Porto Alegre	June 8, 1973	LCF 14/1973	496,827	1,409,939	1,479,101	57,379,337
Portão	October 3, 1989	CE	159,942	30,881	36,510	971,739
Rolante	August 5, 2010	LCE 13496	296,992	19,493	21,199	420,492
Santo Antônio da Patrulha	September 21, 2000	LCE 11530	1,048,904	39,679	42,648	886,392
Sapiranga	June 8, 1973	LCF 14/1973	137,519	75,020	81,198	2,125,761
Sapucaia do Sul	June 8, 1973	LCF 14/1973	58,644	130,988	140,311	2,630,605
São Jerônimo	June 21, 1999	LCE 11340	937,049	22,141	24,078	413,216
São Leopoldo	June 8, 1973	LCF 14/1973	102,313	214,210	234,947	5,854,218
São Sebastião do Caí	June 13, 2012	LCE 14047	111,435	21,932	25,467	526,820
Taquara	March 21, 1999	LCE 11318	457,130	54,656	57,292	999,225
Triunfo	October 3, 1989	CE	823,416	25,811	29,207	5,900,492
Viamão	June 8, 1973	LCF 14/1973	1,494,263	239,234	254,101	2,680,846
Total			10,345,447	3,958,985	4,317,508	138,659,433

Education

The Greater Porto Alegre area has several important schools and universities, including UFRGS, UFCSPA, PUCRS, and Unisinos, along with many smaller colleges. These big universities each have special areas for technology, where large companies like SAP AG, Hewlett-Packard, and Oracle work, along with new small businesses.

The region also has technical high-schools that help students learn useful skills early, preparing them for jobs in local companies.

Culture

Events

The biggest event in this area is a state fair known as Expointer. It's a major celebration that draws many visitors each year.

Transportation

Airports

The main airport for the area is the Salgado Filho International Airport. It has recently expanded its passenger terminals and parking. The main runway is also being expanded to allow longer flights in the future.

The airport connects to the region's subway system, Trensurb, through the Aeromovel, a light rail that uses compressed air. The airport is run by a company from Germany called Fraport AG.

Because Salgado Filho Airport cannot grow beyond its current runway, a new airport has been suggested for the cities of Portao and Nova Santa Rita. This new airport, called 20 de Setembro Airport, would have up to four runways. It is named after a symbolic event from the Farrapos War when the state declared independence from Brazil.

Rail

Greater Porto Alegre has a heavy-rail system called Trensurb. It links downtown Porto Alegre to downtown Novo Hamburgo and passes through Canoas, Esteio, Sapucaia, and São Leopoldo. There are plans to extend this line to the city of Portao and to southern parts of Porto Alegre. The line includes both elevated and ground-level tracks.

A second heavy-rail line is planned to go from Cachoeirinha to downtown Porto Alegre and then to Viamao. However, recent economic problems have stopped this project for now. This line would have both underground and elevated parts.

There are also several light-rail projects planned or being built. These would connect the main subway line to neighborhoods in Canoas and Porto Alegre.

Highways

The region is crossed by several major highways, including BR-290 (Freeway), BR-116, BR-386, BR-448, RS-040, and RS-118.

Ports

The main port is in Porto Alegre, but many companies have private terminals along the region's rivers.

The area also has ferry services. These connect Porto Alegre to Guaiba and travel between neighborhoods in the capital.

Sports

Football

Soccer is very popular in Brazil and in the Greater Porto Alegre area. The two main soccer teams are Gremio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense, often called Gremio, and Sport Club Internacional, known as International. Both teams have won important national and international competitions, like the World-Cup Club, Libertdores Cup, Brasileirao, and Brasil Cup.