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Geography

The area of Porto Alegre, covering 496,684 km2, is a meeting point for different natural systems that print a diversified geography to the city. A 730-million-year-old ring of granite hills frames the plains region where the large urban center of the city is located, occupying 65% of its territory. The hills are part of a platform formed by rocks that melted under pressure and intense heat in the interior of the earth and then emerged, rising to the height of mountains. Today, thinned and cracked by the erosion of millions of years, they form small hills with rounded tops that dominate the landscape of the capital. Morro Santana, 311 m high, is the highest point, with forests and native fields, waterfalls, swamps, ponds, lakes, streams and cascades.

Gastronomy and Tourism

Meat is popular here, but the gastronomic scene goes far beyond steakhouses. the cuisine of Porto Alegre is multiple, creative and full of influences. In addition to the barbecue, the famous "xis salada" (the local version of the hamburger) and the typical desserts of the gaucho table, such as sago and rice pudding, the visitor find excellent options in bistros, cafes, vegetarian cuisine and contemporary cuisine. Furthermore, this is considered the capital of micro craft breweries in Brazil, with around 25 establishments, which gives yet another tourist and gastronomic attraction to the Capital.

Touristic sites:

• Centro histórico
• Praça da Alfândega
• Estátua "O Laçador"
• Mercado Público
• Orla do Guaíba
• Parque Farroupilha