Information from the Municipality of Pelotas
A hub city in the southern region of Rio Grande do Sul, Pelotas has approximately 340 thousand inhabitants (https://www.pelotas.com.br/cidade/dados-gerais). It is located 250 km from Porto Alegre, the state capital, and is surrounded by five roads (BRs) that provide access to municipalities in neighboring countries Uruguay and Argentina. Pelotas has beaches bathed by the waters of Lagoa dos Patos, maintains a rich historical-cultural architectural heritage and preserves strong traces of its European colonization that are reflected in its gastronomy. The city’s economy is mainly based on agribusiness and commerce. Pelotas is also considered a university city as it has thousands of students linked to three higher education institutions, the Federal University of Pelotas and two other private entities.

Location
Pelotas has road access to important cities in the State and neighboring countries Uruguay and Argentina. It maintains a river port with cargo shipping to the Atlantic Ocean and has an airport with commercial flights to the Capital of RS.
Main distances:
Rio Grande do Sul:
Chuí – 275 km
Gramado – 376 km
Jaguarão – 145 km
Porto Alegre – 249 km
Rio Grande – 59 km
Uruguay:
Punta de Leste – 450 km
Montevideo – 650 km
Argentina:
Buenos Aires – 1388 km

Natural Beauties

Pelotas maintains a strong relationship with water resources. The city is bathed by Lagoa dos Patos, Canal São Gonçalo and Arroio Pelotas. The first is one of the largest lagoons in the world, which connects to the Atlantic Ocean, bringing various species of seafood to local fishermen, such as shrimp and saltwater fish. Lagoa dos Patos gives rise to Laranjal, a neighborhood located 12 km from the city center, formed by four beaches (Santo Antônio, Valverde, Balneário dos Prazeres and Colônia dos Pescadores Z3).
The São Gonçalo Canal is one of the most important natural canals in the country, which connects Lagoa dos Patos to Mirim, providing river access from Pelotas to Uruguay. The Arroio Pelotas runs through the city, enabling sports and leisure navigation, as well as the capture of freshwater fish.

Historical heritage
Pelotas is a national historical and artistic heritage, and cultural heritage of the State of Rio Grande do Sul. The city has dozens of buildings listed or listed as historical and cultural heritage.

Gastronomy
Known as the National Capital of Sweets, Pelotas maintains the tradition of its first Portuguese immigrants in the production of artisanal egg-based sweets. Nests, egg floss, girl’s babas, cameos, angel’s puffs, stuffed straws and Santa Clara pastries can be tasted in the city’s countless sweet shops. Annually, trade entities together with the city’s sweet shops promote the National Sweets Fair (Fenadoce), which attracts thousands of tourists in search of sweet Portuguese delicacies.

Economy
Pelotas’ economic vocation is agribusiness and commerce. The region is the largest producer of peaches for the country’s canning industry. The city contributes around 30% of the State’s rice production, maintains a large and qualified beef cattle herd and has the largest milk production in RS.

UFPel
Currently, the Federal University of Pelotas has more than 20 thousand students, including 2.6 thousand postgraduate students, 16.4 thousand undergraduate students and 1.7 thousand distance learning students. The institution offers more than 90 undergraduate courses, 13 doctoral courses, 27 master’s courses, 22 specialization programs, five distance tutorials and seven medical residencies. UFPel website: here.

Updated prices for housing, transport and food can be found here.