Pelotas () is a Brazilian city and municipality (município), the fourth most populous in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, after Porto Alegre, Caxias do Sul and Canoas. It is located 270 km (168 mi) from Porto Alegre, the state's capital city, and 130 km (80.8 mi) from the Uruguayan border. The Lagoa dos Patos lies to the east and the São Gonçalo Channel lies to the south, separating Pelotas from the municipality of Rio Grande.
In the 19th century, Pelotas was Brazil's leading center for the production of dried meat (charque), a staple food made by slaves and destined to feed the slaves of sugarcane, coffee and cocoa plantations across the country. "O Ciclo do Charque", Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Accessed on 3 April 2007. "Charqueadas e Charqueadores" , Projeto Pelotas Memória, Accessed on 4 April 2007. , Xangosol, Accessed on 6 April 2007.
Currently Pelotas hosts two major universities, the Federal University of Pelotas, Federal University of Pelotas , Accessed on 2 May 2007. and the Catholic University of Pelotas. Catholic University of Pelotas, Accessed on 2 May 2007. Together, they account for a population of 22,000 higher education students.
The city has three football clubs: Esporte Clube Pelotas (founded 1908), Esporte Clube Pelotas, Accessed on 2 May 2007. Grêmio Esportivo Brasil (also known as Brasil de Pelotas; founded 1911) Grêmio Esportivo Brasil , Accessed on 2 May 2007. and Grêmio Atlético Farroupilha (founded 1926). Grêmio Atlético Farroupilha , Accessed on 2 May 2007.
History
The history of the city begins in June 1758, through a donation that Gomes Freire de Andrade, Count of Bobadela, made to Colonel Thomáz Luiz Osório, giving him land that lay on the banks of the Lagoa dos Patos. In 1763, fleeing the Spanish invasion, many inhabitants of the village Rio Grande sought refuge in the land belonging to Osório. Later, there also came refugees from Colônia do Sacramento, which had been handed over by the Portuguese to the Spanish in 1777.
In 1780, the Portuguese rancher José Pinto Martins established himself in Pelotas, with the prosperity of his establishment stimulating the creation of other ranches and growth in the region, creating a population that would define the early city.
The Civil Parish of São Francisco de Paula, founded on 7 June 1812, by Father Pedro Pereira de Mesquita, was elevated to the category of town on 7 April 1832. Three years later, in 1835, the town was declared a city, bearing the name Pelotas. "Primeira referência histórica de Pelotas" , Prefeitura de Pelotas, Accessed on 9 March 2007.
In southern Brazil, 'pelota' can refer to a leather raft, and the name of the city comes from the boats made of cockspur coral tree covered with animal skins, used to cross rivers in ranching times.
In the first years of the 20th century, progress was stimulated by the Banco Pelotense (Bank of Pelotas), founded in 1906 by local investors. Its liquidation, in 1931, was devastating to the local economy. "Ontem e Hoje" , Projeto Pelotas Memória, Accessed on 4 April 2007.
In 1990, the Urban Conurbation of Pelotas was created as a result of a state law. In 2001, it became the Urban Conurbation of Pelotas and Rio Grande, and in 2002 the Urban Conurbation of the South. The goal is to integrate the participating towns and is the embryo of a future metropolitan region including the towns os Arroio do Padre, Capão do Leão, Pelotas, Rio Grande and São José do Norte, which have a total population of around 600,000 inhabitants. "Áreas de Atuação", Portal da Metroplan, Accessed on 3 April 2007.
Geography
Topography As it is situated on a plain near the ocean, the urban area lies on a low elevation, being, on average, 7 meters (23 ft) above sea level. The interior of the municipality is on a plateau called Serras de Sudeste (Southeastern Mountain Ranges). Consequently, the altitude in Pelotas' rural area reaches 429 meters (1,407.4 ft) in the Quilombo district.
The city stretches to the Laranjal, a bairro on the coast of the Lagoa dos Patos. Beyond the coastal regions Santo Antônio and Valverde, the area also has an even more remote area, the Balneário dos Prazeres (popularly known as Barro Duro, lit. "hard mud"), and Colônia Z-3, a fishing village that primarily explores the art of shrimping.
Climate The climate is humid subtropical (Köppen: Cfa), a type found in Southeastern Australia (very homogeneous to Sydney, in terms of average temperatures, albeit cloudier and wetter), without major temperature deviations as found in other cities at the same latitude, elevation and near some ocean, like Brunswick and Savannah, Georgia (USA), and in Shanghai, China (but still considered very high by Brazilian standards), due to the continentality and polar vortex position in those southern cities of the United States and the Chinese city. Summers are warm to hot with regular rainfall. Winters are cool with episodic frosts (about 24 per year) and fog, with no noticeable difference in the amount of monthly rainfall.
The hottest month is January, with an average temperature of 23 °C (73.4 °F), and the coldest month is July, with an average temperature of 12 °C (53.6 °F). The wettest month is February, with 145 mm (5.7 in) of precipitation. The average annual temperature in the city is 17.5 °C (63.5 °F) and the average annual precipitation is 1,379 mm (54.29 in), with rain regularly falling all year long. The relative humidity is very high (with an annual average around 80%).
An interesting meteorological occurrence was the first snowfall, which occurred on 8 July 1994 in Pelotas from 11:00 am to 1:30 pm. Before this date, there had never been any record of snow in the city. The phenomenon was weaker in the urban parts of the city, and did not cover the ground. However, the snowfall was more intense further inland, in districts such as Cascata and Quilombo, and was able to cover the vegetation in a white blanket. Snow grains were recorded in Pelotas on 4 September 2006, Nevada de 2006: Espetáculo do sul ao norte gaúcho , Metsul, 05 de setembro de 2006 on 5 September 2008, Frente fria faz cair neve no Rio Grande do Sul, Folha de S.Paulo Online, 05 de setembro de 2008. and on 3 August 2010, Estado teve incidência de neve , Diário Popular, 4 de agosto de 2010. and graupel was registered on 12 July 2012, Reforço de ar polar chega no fim de semana e prolongará o frio , Metsul. and on 25 September 2012.Onda de frio começa a perder força na quarta no RS , Diário do Grande ABC, 25 September 2012. On 5 July 2019, the downtown area of the city registered, for 40 minutes, snow flurries with liquid drizzle, just before noon (with no accumulation). On 28 July 2021, Pelotas registered snow flurries with sleet.
On 19 July 1934 and 27 July 1935, the city recorded a temperature of -5 °C (23 °F), the lowest recorded in Pelotas. The highest recorded temperature in Pelotas was 42 °C (107.6 °F), on 1 January 1943.
Vegetation
The larger part of rural Pelotas is made up of grasslands, with low and herbaceous vegetation (pampa). Small groves of cultivated trees (Babylon willow, eucalyptus, pine, cypress, acacia, poplar and platanus) and native trees (Cockspur coral tree and araucaria angustifolia) are also found. Pelotas is 55 km (34 mi) from the Atlantic Ocean, and possesses a beach along the Lagoa dos Patos, called Laranjal. In the vicinity of the beach one can find quagmires and sand dunes.
Hydrography Pelotas is part of the watershed of the Camaquã River. The streams Quilombo and Caneleiras drain the city. They meet to form the Arroio de Pelotas, which flows into the São Gonçalo Channel. "Dados Gerais" , Prefeitura de Pelotas, Accessed on 4 April 2007.
Culture
Places of interest The Public Library of Pelotas was founded in 1875, and constructed with materials brought over from Europe. Pelotas has two theatres, the Sete de Abril and the Guarani Theatre. The Sete de Abril, which was constructed in 1831, is one of the most traditional theatres in Brazil. The city boasts four major museums: the Carlos Ritter Museum of Natural History, the Leopoldo Gotuzzo Museum of Art, the "Candy Museum", and the Museum of the Baroness.
Events One major attraction is the Fenadoce, a display of sweets prepared from traditional 18th century Portuguese recipes. More than 300,000 people come to the annual event, which began in 1986. Formerly held in different locations each year, today it is always celebrated in the Centro Internacional de Cultura e Eventos (International Center of Culture and Events).
Demographics
Ethnicities The first immigrants to the region were the Portuguese, coming mostly from the Azores, something which profoundly influenced the culture of the city, especially in its architecture and cuisine.
Another important immigration was that of the Germans (the majority from Pomerania — see Pomeranians), even though they preferred to settle in rural areas, unlike the Portuguese, who settled in the city itself. Also worthy to mention are other ethnicities that settled in Pelotas, such as Africans (descendants of slaves, mainly from Angola), Italians, Poles, French, Jews, Lebanese Arabs, etc. The number of pure indigenous people is unknown, but probably very small (being greater the number of people with some indigenous ancestry).
Before the arrival of the first European settlers, the area of the southern part of Rio Grande do Sul, including the municipality of Pelotas, was occupied by Amerindian groups. According to archaeological evidence discovered there, the groups were: Minuane, Charrua and Guaraní.
In the 2022 census there were 247,257 Whites, 38,691 Blacks, 39,107 Pardos (mixed origins), 363 native Brazilians and 264 Asians.
Religion In regards to religion, the majority of inhabitants (about 34%) are Roman Catholic, followed by Protestant religions (especially among the people of German origin), such as Evangelical Lutheran and Anglican sects (among Foursquarians, Baptists, Adventists, Presbyterians and Neopentecostal churches). In recent times there has also been a growing number of Jehovah's Witnesses and Latter-day Saints."Atlas of LDS (Mormon) Temples, Missions and Stakes Brazil" , The Cumorah Project, Accessed on 6 April 2007. Other noteworthy religions include Spiritism and Afro-Brazilian ritualism (such as Umbanda, Quimbanda and Candomblé).
The IBGE released, in 2025, statistical data of the 2022 census, concerning about religions in the Brazilian municipalities. In Pelotas, the results were 33.62% of Roman Catholics, 22.73% of Evangelical Christians (of several subgroups), 7.95% of Spiritists, 7% of Afro-Brazilian religions (like Umbanda, Quimbanda and Candomblé), 0.01% of Indigenous religions, 4.52% of other religions, 23.78% of irreligious, 0.32% unknown and 0.06% not declared.
Economy
The economy of Pelotas is mostly agricultural and commercial. The latter is largely represented by Arabs, mostly Lebanese (erroneously referred to as turcos, or Turks), and a few other foreigners.
The region is the largest producer of peaches for the country's storehouse industry, along with other products such as asparagus, cucumber, fig and strawberries. The city also is a great producer of rice and cattle products. Pelotas produces more milk than anywhere else in the state.
Pelotas has industries tied to agriculture, textile, leather tanning and bread-making. Reforestation for the production of paper and cellulose has been a rising economic activity in the whole region.
The city is a large commercial center in the region, attracting shoppers to its sidewalk and neighborhood galleries and shops.
The rural area, also called the "colony", due to the fact that German immigrants built isolated farming communities there, is characterized by the production of fruit, rice, and livestock.