Pelotas

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Pelotas
State	Rio Grande do Sul
Area:	1921 km²
Population:	323 158 (source: IBGE)
Elevation:	7 m above sea level
Postcode (CEP):	96000-000
Geographic location:	31°46′S 52°20′W
Address of the local government:	Prefeitura Municipal de Pelotas Praça Coronel Pedro Osório, 101 CEP: 96015-010
Website:	www.pelotas.rs.gov.br
Contact:	e-mail
Map

Pelotas is an important town in the Southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul occupying 1 921 km² and with a population of 323 158 people (source: IBGE). Pelotas is located 271 km (source: DNIT) from Porto Alegre, the capital city of Rio Grande do Sul, and 150 km from the Uruguayan border.

In the 19th century, Pelotas was Brazil's leading center for 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.

Currently Pelotas hosts two major universities, with a total population of 22 thousand students in higher education. The city's major attraction is the annual FENADOCE, a display of sweets prepared from traditional 18th century Portuguese recipes.

The city holds three football clubs: Grêmio Esportivo Brasil (also known as Brasil de Pelotas) (founded 1911), Esporte Clube Pelotas (founded 1908) and Grêmio Atlético Farroupilha (founded 1926).