Porto Alegre (English: /ˌpt_əˈlɛɡr/, English: /-_ˈlɡriˌpt_əˈlɛɡrə/, Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈpoʁtwaˈlɛɡɾi]; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population of 1,488,252 inhabitants (2020) makes it the 12th-most populous city in the country and the center of Brazil's fifth-largest metropolitan area, with 4,405,760 inhabitants (2010). The city is the southernmost capital city of a Brazilian state. Porto Alegre was founded in 1769 by Manuel Jorge Gomes d…