Ponta Porã is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

located in the

Brazilian state The federative units of Brazil ( pt, unidades federativas do Brasil) are subnational entities with a certain degree of autonomy (self-government, self-regulation and self-collection) and endowed with their own government and constitution, which ...

Mato Grosso do Sul Mato Grosso do Sul () is one of the Midwestern states of Brazil. Neighboring Brazilian states are (from north clockwise) Mato Grosso, Goiás, Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Paraná. It also borders the countries of Paraguay, to the southwest, and ...

. Its population is 93,937 (2020) and its area is 5,329 km². It has a dry border and a

conurbation A conurbation is a region comprising a number of metropolises, cities, large towns, and other urban areas which through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban or industrially developed area. In most ca ...

with the city of Pedro Juan Caballero in

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

. Ponta Porã is 1346 kilometers away from Brasilia, the country's capital, and 324 km away from

Campo Grande Campo Grande (, ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul in the Center-West region of the country. The city is nicknamed ''Cidade Morena'' ("Swarthy City" in Portuguese) because of the reddish-brown colour ...

, the state capital. Ponta Porã has a humid subtropical climate with temperature of 30 ° throughout the year. The city has a good number of hotels, both in the Brazilian side as the Paraguayan. The city's economy is focused on agriculture and livestock. The main crops found near the city are soybeans, wheat and corn.

Ponta Porã International Airport Ponta Porã International Airport is the airport serving Ponta Porã, Brazil. During a transitional period, the airport is jointly operated by Infraero and AENA. History The airport was commissioned on March 11, 1955. Previously operated by In ...

is located in the municipality but currently without scheduled flights.

History

The origin of Ponta Porã begins with the formation of a village called Punta Porã. Before the

Paraguayan War The Paraguayan War, also known as the War of the Triple Alliance, was a South American war that lasted from 1864 to 1870. It was fought between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, the Empire of Brazil, and Uruguay. It was the deadlies ...

, the site of the city was a deserted region in the interior of Paraguay inhabited by tribes of Indians, such as Nhandevas and Caiuás, descendants of the Guarani people. The region was also a place where travelers stopped to rest while crossing from

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. In 1777 a military expedition arrived in the region, aiming to explore the region. In 1862 the military unit led by Lieutenant

Antonio João Ribeiro Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular male ...

established a base near the Dourados River (in what is now the municipality of

Antônio João Antônio João is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul Mato Grosso do Sul () is one of the Midwestern states of Brazil. Neighboring Brazilian states are (from north clockwise) Mato Grosso, Goiás, Minas Gerais, S� ...

) and there founded the Military Colony of Dourados. In 1864, the time of the

, the Military Colony of Dourados was destroyed by the Paraguayans, and Lieutenant Ribeiro was killed. In 1872, after the end of the

, the border between

and

was definitely established, leaving the region of Ponta Porã in Brazilian territory. In 1880 arrived in the region Mr. Nazareth, a military commander who established his camp in what is now the city of Pedro Juan Caballero. In 1882,

Tomás Laranjeiras Tomás may refer to: * Tomás (given name) * Tomás (surname) Tomás is a Spanish and Portuguese surname, equivalent of '' Thomas''. It may refer to: * Antonio Tomás (born 1985), professional Spanish footballer * Belarmino Tomás (1892–1950) ...

started producing and selling

yerba mate Yerba mate or yerba-maté (''Ilex paraguariensis''; from Spanish ; pt, erva-mate, or ; gn, ka'a, ) is a plant species of the holly genus ''Ilex'' native to South America. It was named by the French botanist Augustin Saint-Hilaire. The leave ...

in Ponta Porã and exporting it to

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. In 1892, with the garrison of the Military Colony of Dourados protecting the region, Ponta Porã begun to make its initial economic progress. Furthermore, many

gaucho A gaucho () or gaúcho () is a skilled horseman, reputed to be brave and unruly. The figure of the gaucho is a folk symbol of Argentina, Uruguay, Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, and the south of Chilean Patagonia. Gauchos became greatly admired and ...

immigrants arrived, who came to work in agriculture and raise cattle. In 1897 the first police department in Ponta Porã was created and Mr. Nazareth was appointed its commander. Ponta Porã became part of the District of

Bela Vista, Mato Grosso do Sul Bela Vista is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul Mato Grosso do Sul () is one of the Midwestern states of Brazil. Neighboring Brazilian states are (from north clockwise) Mato Grosso, Goiás, Minas Gerais, São ...

in 1900. In 1913 the municipality of Ponta Porã was founded, the city no longer belonging to the district of Bela Vista. The first Mayor appointed was Ponciano de Matos Pereira. In 1915 the Governor of the State of

Mato Grosso Mato Grosso ( – lit. "Thick Bush") is one of the states of Brazil, the third largest by area, located in the Central-West region. The state has 1.66% of the Brazilian population and is responsible for 1.9% of the Brazilian GDP. Neighboring ...

, Caetano de Albuquerque raised the status of Ponta Porã's municipality to county and in 1916 the first Judge of Ponta Porã's County was appointed, Possidônio de Souza Guimarães. In 1919 was created in Ponta Porã the 11th Cavalry Regiment and the following year its first commander was installed, Captain Hipólito Paes. In 1943,

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Getúlio Vargas Getúlio Dornelles Vargas (; 19 April 1882 – 24 August 1954) was a Brazilian lawyer and politician who served as the 14th and 17th president of Brazil, from 1930 to 1945 and from 1951 to 1954. Due to his long and controversial tenure as Brazi ...

created the Federal Territory of Ponta Porã, with Ponta Porã as its capital city. In 1977 the state of

was created, of which Ponta Porã is currently part.

Geography

Location

The municipality of Ponta Porã is located at the south of the Center-West region of

Brasil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area an ...

. Nearby cities: *324 km from the State Capital (

) *1346 km from the Country's Capital (

Brasília Brasília (; ) is the federal capital of Brazil and seat of government of the Federal District. The city is located at the top of the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West region. It was founded by President Juscelino Kubitsche ...

). *54 km from

*118 km from

Dourados Dourados is a Brazilian municipality, situated in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Southwest of Campo Grande (the state's capital). It has a population of about 225,000 inhabitants, and its economy is based mainly in arable agriculture (particu ...

*126 km from

Bela Vista Bela Vista (also known as ''Bexiga'' or ''Bixiga'') is one of the most traditional Italian neighborhoods in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. It belongs to the borough of Sé, and it has been a mixed neighborhood since its beginning, where free A ...

*180 km from

Rio Brilhante Rio Brilhante is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality located in the States of Brazil, Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul. Its population was 38,186 (2020) and its area is 3,988 km². References

Municipalities in Mato Grosso do ...

*209 km from

Naviraí , motto = pt, Corredor do Mercosul, lit=Corridor of Mercosur , image_flag = Bandeira-de-navirai,Brasil.png , image_seal = Brasao-de-armas-navirai.png , image_map ...

*235 km from

Eldorado El Dorado (, ; Spanish for "the golden"), originally ''El Hombre Dorado'' ("The Golden Man") or ''El Rey Dorado'' ("The Golden King"), was the term used by the Spanish in the 16th century to describe a mythical tribal chief (''zipa'') or king o ...

*256 km from Mundo Novo *292 km from

Nova Andradina Nova Andradina is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul. Its population was 45,585 (2020) and its area is 4,776 km². It is known as the "Capital of the Ivinhema Valley." The area has many farms, and its primar ...

*278 km from Guaíra - PR *425 km from

Cascavel Cascavel is a municipality in the state of Paraná in Brazil. It is the fifth most populous city in the state with 332,333 residents, according to IBGE, a government agency. The distance to Curitiba, the state capital, is 491 kilometers by fr ...

- PR *368 km from

Umuarama Umuarama is a municipality in the state of Paraná in Brazil. Its population was 112,500 inhabitants in 2020. Umuarama is one of the most important cities in Paraná, one of the three states of southern Brazil. The city elevation is 430 m (1,300 ...

- PR *536 km from

Foz do Iguaçu Foz do Iguaçu (''Iguazu River Mouth'') () is the Brazilian city on the border of Iguaçu Falls. The city is the 7th largest in the state of Paraná. The city's population is approximately 258,000. It is approximately 650 km (400 mi) we ...

- PR *904 km from

Curitiba Curitiba () is the capital and largest city in the state of Paraná (state), Paraná in Brazil. The city's population was 1,948,626 , making it the List of cities in Brazil by population, eighth most populous city in Brazil and the largest in ...

- PR *671 km from

São Miguel do Oeste São Miguel do Oeste is a municipality of the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. It is located 730 km west of Florianópolis. It has a population of 40,868 (2020/IBGE) and an area of 234 kmª. It is the largest Brazilian city from the border with A ...

- SC *1243 km from

Porto Alegre Porto Alegre (, , Brazilian ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population of 1,488,252 inhabitants (2020) makes it the List of largest cities in Brazil, twelfth most populous city in the country ...

- RS

In popular culture

Ponta Porã is the main setting in the beginning of the

John Grisham John Ray Grisham Jr. (; born February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas) is an American novelist, lawyer and former member of the 7th district of the Mississippi House of Representatives, known for his popular legal thrillers. According to the Am ...

novel '' The Partner''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ponta Pora 1912 establishments in Brazil Municipalities in Mato Grosso do Sul