Ponta Porã is a

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

located in the

Brazilian state The federative units of Brazil () 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 together form the Federative Repu ...

Mato Grosso do Sul Mato Grosso do Sul ( ) is one of Federative units of Brazil, Brazil's 27 federal units, located in the southern part of the Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West Region, bordering five Brazilian states: Mato Grosso (to the north), Goiás 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 consisting of 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 ...

with the city of Pedro Juan Caballero in

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

. Ponta Porã is away from

Brasília Brasília ( ; ) is the capital city, capital of Brazil and Federal District (Brazil), Federal District. Located in the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region, it was founded by President Juscelino ...

, the country's capital, and away from

Campo Grande Campo Grande (, ) is a city in the Central-West Region, Brazil, central and western Regions of Brazil, region of Brazil, Capital city, capital of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. Historically a Fortification, stronghold of Separatism, separatists ...

, the state capital. Ponta Porã has a humid subtropical climate with a temperature of throughout the year. 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. It is operated by AENA. History The airport was commissioned on March 11, 1955. Previously operated by Infraero, on August 18, 2022 the consortium AENA won a 30-yea ...

is located in the municipality with scheduled flights to São Paulo.

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 wa ...

, 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, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. 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 established a base near the Dourados River (in what is now the municipality of Antônio João) and there founded the Military Colony of

Dourados Dourados is a city and municipality, situated in the Brazilian 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 ( ...

. 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 started producing and selling

yerba mate Yerba mate or yerba maté (), ''Ilex paraguariensis'', is a plant species of the holly genus native to South America. It was named by the French botanist Augustin Saint-Hilaire. The leaves of the plant can be steeped in hot water to make a bev ...

in Ponta Porã and exporting it to

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

. 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, Paraguay, Uruguay, Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, the southern part of Bolivia, and the south of Chilean Patago ...

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 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 ( – ) is one of the states of Brazil, the List of Brazilian states by area, third largest by area, located in the Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region. The state has 1.66% of the Brazilian population and is responsible ...

, 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: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

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 until his suicide in 1954. Due to his long and contr ...

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

. Nearby cities: *324 km from the state capital (

) *1346 km from the country's capital (

). *54 km from Antônio João *118 km from

*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 *209 km from Naviraí *235 km from Eldorado *256 km from Mundo Novo *292 km from Nova Andradina *278 km from Guaíra - PR *425 km from

Cascavel Cascavel is a city in the state of Paraná (state), Paraná in Brazil. It is the fifth most populous city in the state with 364.104 inhabitants, according to IBGE 2024 estimate. The distance to Curitiba, the state capital, is 491 kilometers b ...

- PR *368 km from Umuarama - PR *536 km from

Foz do Iguaçu Foz do Iguaçu (; "Iguazu River mouth"), colloquially referred to as Foz, is the Brazilian city on the border of Iguaçu Falls. Foz in Portuguese language, Portuguese means the mouth or end of a river and Iguaçu in Guarani language, Guarani or Tup ...

- PR *904 km from

Curitiba Curitiba () is the capital and largest city in the state of Paraná (state), Paraná in Southern Brazil. The city's population was 1,773,718 , making it the List of cities in Brazil by population, eighth most populous city in Brazil and the larg ...

- PR *671 km from

São Miguel do Oeste São Miguel do Oeste is a Brazilian municipality in the state of Santa Catarina (state), Santa Catarina, in the southern region of Brazil, 655 km from the state capital, Florianópolis. Its population in 2022, according to the Brazilian Institute o ...

- SC *1243 km from

Porto Alegre Porto Alegre (, ; , ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian Federative units of Brazil, state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population of roughly 1.4 million inhabitants (2022) makes it the List of largest cities in Brazil, 11th-most p ...

- RS

Consular representation

has a Consulate in Ponta Porã.

In popular culture

Ponta Porã is the main setting in the beginning of the

John Grisham John Ray Grisham Jr. (; born February 8, 1955) is an American novelist, lawyer, and former politician, known for his best-selling legal thrillers. According to the Academy of Achievement, American Academy of Achievement, Grisham has written 37 ...

novel '' The Partner''.

References

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