Porto Alegre is a major city and capital of Rio Grande do Sul state in Brazil. It is situated near the Atlantic coast at the northern end of the freshwater Lagoon dos Patos along an arm of the lagoon known as the Guaiba River and has a population of approximately 1.5 million. The city's industries include meat-packing, lard refining, leather tanning, shipbuilding, and the manufacturing of textiles, metallurgic goods, electrical and communications equipment, plastics, pharmaceuticals, perfume, beer, and chemicals. Agricultural products grown in its rural surrounds include meat and hides, wool, rice, beans, cashews, avocados, wheat, grapes, tobacco and lumber.