Giruá 5.3

Giruá is a municipality in the northern part of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The population is 17,198 (2015 est.) in an area of 855.92 km². It is located 474 km west of the state capital of Porto Alegre, northeast of Alegrete.Bounding municipalitiesSanta RosaTrês de MaioIndependênciaCatuípeSanto ÂngeloSete de SetembroSenador Salgado FilhoEconomyBecause of its rich volcanic soil, agriculture is important in Giruá, notably soy production. Its nickname is the Capital of Productivity. Other important crops are maize, wheat, sunflower and linseed.HistoryThe area of Giruá was first inhabited by the Guarani people, and in the 17th century Jesuit missions arrived. The name Giruá comes from jerivá, an indigenous word for the fruit of the butia palm.