Editing Porto Alegre (section)

==History==
{{Main|History of Porto Alegre}}
[[File:Wendroth02.jpg|thumb|left|Porto Alegre in 1852]]
[[File:Praça Otávio Rocha - 1930.jpg|thumb|left|Otávio Rocha Square in 1930]]
{{see also|Timeline of Porto Alegre}}
The official date of the foundation of the city of Porto Alegre is 26 March 1772, by Manuel Sepúlveda, when Freguesia de São Francisco do Porto dos Casais was created and changed a year later to Nossa Senhora da Madre de Deus de Porto Alegre. However, the village started in 1752, when 60 [[Azorean people|Azorean]] couples were brought over by the [[Treaty of Madrid (13 January 1750)|Treaty of Madrid]] to set up Missions at the Northeast Region of [[Rio Grande do Sul]] that was handed over to the Portuguese Crown in exchange for the [[Sacramento Colony]] located on the margin of the [[Plata River]]. Land demarcation took a long time and the Azoreans settled permanently at Porto de Viamão, which was the first name by which Porto Alegre went.<ref name="portoalegre.travel">{{cite web|url=http://www.portoalegre.travel/site/ing/info_servicos.php?idIndice=7&bitPesquisa=1|title=PortoAlegre.travel|website=Portoalegre.travel|access-date=12 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171013064608/http://www.portoalegre.travel/site/ing/info_servicos.php?idIndice=7&bitPesquisa=1|archive-date=13 October 2017|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

On 24 July 1773, Porto Alegre became the capital city of the province, when the administration of Manuel Sepúlveda, who used the fictitious name or pseudonym José Marcelino de Figueiredo, to hide his identity, officially started. In 1824, immigrants from all over the world started arriving, especially [[German colonization in Rio Grande do Sul|German]], [[Italian people|Italian]], [[Spanish people|Spanish]], [[Polish people|Polish]], [[Jewish]], and [[Lebanese people|Lebanese]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Alegre|first=Prefeitura Municipal de Porto|title=Turismo|url=http://www2.portoalegre.rs.gov.br/turismo/default.php?p_secao=257|access-date=2021-05-15|website=www2.portoalegre.rs.gov.br|language=pt-br|archive-date=2014-08-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140828021440/http://www2.portoalegre.rs.gov.br/turismo/default.php?p_secao=257|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The capital city of Rio Grande do Sul is also the capital city in the [[Pampas]] region, the name given to the region of fauna and flora typical of the vast plains that dominate the landscape of the southern tip of Brazil, and parts of [[Argentina]] and [[Uruguay]], from where the ''[[gaúcho]]'' comes, the historical figure of a brave warrior who fought legendary battles and wars in the quest to conquer the borders of the kingdoms of Portugal and Spain in the 16th century.<ref name="portoalegre.travel"/>

After the declaration of Brazilian Independence in 1822, this was opposed by the inhabitants of the region and they fought a long war for their independence from the [[Brazilian Empire]]. The [[Farrapos]] War started with the confrontation in Porto Alegre, near the [[Azenha Bridge|Azenha bridge]] on 20 September 1835. This conflict began the myth of the gaucho who is still praised in songs and celebrated in annual pageants and honored as names of streets and parks.<ref name="portoalegre.travel"/>
[[File:Porto Alegre Centro déc1950 1.jpg|thumb|left|Downtown Porto Alegre in the 1950s]]
When the Farrapos War ended, the city continued to develop and underwent strong urban restructuring during the last decades of the 18th century, driven by the accelerated growth of port-related activities and shipyards. Its development continued over time and the city kept abreast with cultural, political and social events that were taking place within Brazil.

The city became known worldwide in 1963 through hosting the [[World University Games]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Spotlight: Porto Alegre 1963 Summer Universiade memories|url=https://www.fisu.net/news/summer-universiade/spotlight-porto-alegre-1963-summer-universiade-memories|access-date=2021-01-31|website=www.fisu.net|date=4 November 2019 |language=en-US}}</ref> In 1985, the people of Porto Alegre joined the movement for [[free elections]] and one of the largest demonstrations took place in the city.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sustainablecities.net/plusnetwork/plus-cities/porto-alegre-brazil |title=History of Porto Alegre |publisher=Sustainablecities.net |access-date=2010-10-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100605214840/http://sustainablecities.net/plusnetwork/plus-cities/porto-alegre-brazil |archive-date=2010-06-05 }}</ref>
In 2024, the city and other neighbouring areas were [[2024 Rio Grande do Sul floods|flooded]] due to heavy rain.