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Parque Nacional da Serra Geral, Parque Nacional de Aparados da Serra, and Gramado.

The region was originally thinly inhabited by Tupí-Guaraní, Ge, and Guaycurú Indians. It was
first explored and colonized by the Portuguese during the late 17th century. Long disputed
between Spain and Portugal, the region was the site of conflict between 1754 and 1870.

The state’s inhabitants include descendants of the Portuguese in the Jacuí valley, Germans
on the lower slopes of the Paraná Plateau and above the Jacuí, and Italians on the plateau.
There are also descendants of Polish and other European immigrants. A small percentage of

the population is composed of blacks and persons of mixed white and black ancestry, and the
northwest has some Indians and Asians. The main language is Portuguese. The vast majority
of the people are Roman Catholics, but there are other Christian denominations also
represented.

Porto Alegre

Capital of Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil. It lies near the Atlantic Ocean coast at the
northern end of the freshwater Patos Lagoon along an arm of the lagoon known as the Guaíba
River. The city is situated at the junction of five short but deep rivers that flow into the Patos
Lagoon.

One of the country’s largest cities, it is second only to São Paulo in commercial and industrial
importance in southern Brazil. Its rural vicinity yields a variety of agricultural and pastoral
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