Rio Grande do Sul

Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost province of Brazil, is bounded on the N. and W. by the river Uruguay, on the S. by the republic of Uruguay, and on the E. by the Atlantic. Area, 91,310 sq. m.; pop. (1890) 897,455, of whom 100,000 are Germans and 52,000 Italians. The northern portion of the province consists of an elevated plateau, the edges of which are heavily timbered; the southern half is a rolling grassy plain, on which large numbers of cattle are kept. The climate is healthy, well suited for Europeans, and the Germans and Italians have established large and prosperous colonies here. All the cereals and fruits of central Europe can be grown advantageously, and the inhabitants are awakening to the importance of developing the immense agricultural resources of the province. The fisheries are of some importance. Along the coast stretch the two lagoons, Dos Patos (174 miles long by 34 wide) and Mirim, connected by a navigable channel. The principal articles of export are beans, horns, hair, hides, bones, tallow, jerked beef, tongues, and mandioc flour, reaching nearly half a million sterling in value. The imports, valued at $1\backslash frac\{1\}\{2\}$ million pounds sterling, consist of cotton, woollen, and linen manufactures, coal, earthenware, and hardware. The principal towns are Porto Alegre (q.v.), the capital, Rio Grande, and Pelotas.—The town of Rio Grande stands on the south side of the strait leading into the southern end of the Lagoa dos Patos. Pop. 18,000. In January 1891 a beginning was made with the work of removing the sand-bar that obstructs the entrance, the intention being to deepen the harbour and eventually make Rio Grande a great port for southern Brazil.