Canoas

Canoas
Municipality
From top to bottom, left to right: Praça do Avião Ulbra Campus Historical Railway Station Canoas Air Base ParkShopping Canoas City Downtown .
Flag Seal
Location in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Canoas Location in Brazil
Coordinates: 29°55′12″S 51°10′48″W / 29.92000°S 51.18000°W / -29.92000; -51.18000
Country	Brazil
Region	South
State	Rio Grande do Sul
Established	June 27, 1939
Government
• Mayor	Jairo Jorge
Area
• Total	131.097 km2 (50.6 sq mi)
Elevation	8 m (26 ft)
Population  (2020[1])
• Total	348,208
• Density	2,700/km2 (6,900/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-3 (BRT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-2 (BRST)
Website	canoas.rs.gov.br

Canoas (Portuguese pronunciation: [kaˈnoɐs]) is a municipality in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, forming part of the Greater Porto Alegre area. It is the largest municipality of the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre and the third largest municipality of Rio Grande do Sul. Officially declared a city on June 27, 1939, after its separation from São Sebastião do Caí and Gravataí, Canoas derives its name from the historical crafting of canoes in the area. It is the second largest city in the Porto Alegre metropolitan area, with the third-largest population and the third-highest GDP in the state. It is also ranked as the 79th most populous city in Brazil.

Canoas is an industrial and educational hub, drawing residents from surrounding municipalities. It hosts a campus of the Federal Institute of Rio Grande do Sul and several universities including Ulbra, UniRitter, Universidade La Salle, and IPUC. The city is positioned at an elevation of eight meters above sea level, and is distinguished by the Gravataí and Sinos rivers that traverse its landscape.