Rio Grande do Sul: A European Brazil on the Southern Border

At the southernmost tip of Brazil lies a state that feels distinct in language, landscape, economy, and heritage.
Rio Grande do Sul is Brazil’s gateway to the Southern Cone, a crossroads of culture, agriculture, industry, and cross-border integration.

With 281,707 km², it is:

• Larger than the United Kingdom

• Roughly the size of Italy’s mainland

• Bordering both Argentina and Uruguay, with fluid trade and cultural exchange

• A global leader in agribusiness, wine, dairy, renewable energy, and industrial exports

🌎 Strategic Positioning

• Part of the Mercosur corridor, with road and rail links to Buenos Aires and Montevideo

• Strong cultural and economic affinity with the Southern Cone

• Industrial zones integrated into regional supply chains

• Major hubs: Porto Alegre, Caxias do Sul, Pelotas, Santa Maria

• High-quality human capital, logistics, and infrastructure

🌾 What Moves the Economy

• Grain, beef, pork, soy, rice, tobacco, and dairy exports

• Largest wine production region in Brazil: Serra Gaúcha

• Strong manufacturing base (auto parts, food processing, agritech)

• Rapidly expanding wind and solar energy parks

• Leading state in cooperative agribusiness and innovation hubs

📐 Area Comparison

Region Area (km²)

Rio Grande do Sul (BR) 281,707

United Kingdom 243,610

Ecuador 276,841

Italy (land only) ~294,140

🧠 Why It Belongs in the Series

Rio Grande do Sul is Brazil’s most “European” region in geography, economy and culture but its role today is far more South American: a cross-border platform for logistics, trade, and soft power.

It’s where Brazil looks south, and where infrastructure, capital, and culture flow in both directions.

At Latitude3, we believe Brazil’s future also lives in its borders, especially when those borders connect, not divide.

📌 Part of the series Continental Brazil
Next: “Minas Gerais: The Interior Empire