São Leopoldo
Brazil · Americas
About São Leopoldo
São Leopoldo (Portuguese for Saint Leopold) is a Brazilian industrial city located in the south state of Rio Grande do Sul.
It occupies a total area of 103.9 km2 (around 80 km2 urban area) at circa 30 km from the State Capital, Porto Alegre. The climate is sub-tropical, with temperatures varying from -2 °C minimum at Winter to more than 40 °C maximum during summer time. Summers are fairly dry.
Established on July 25, 1824, by German immigrants, São Leopoldo is considered the cradle of German culture in Brazil, that is to say, it is the first official city designed by the national Brazilian governor to start the German plan of immigration in the country. It had, in 2006, a population of approximately 210,000.
São Leopoldo is one of the 13 cities along the Rota Romântica ('Romantic Route'), a touristic scenic route that runs from the State Capital towards the Serra Gaúcha.
Riograndenser Hunsrückisch German is a regional language in South America like Pennsylvania Deitsch is in North America. They are also similar because of their origin in the Rhine region of southwest Germany. As a Brazilian...
Overview adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.