Rio Grande do Sul is the fifth most populous state in Brazil.
The Rio Grande rises in high mountains and flows for much of its length at high elevation; the valley floor at Albuquerque is 5,312 feet (1,619 m), and El Paso 3,762 feet (1,147 m) above sea level
 Instead, the basins formed by the opening of the Rio Grande rift were initially bolsons, with no external drainage and a central playa

