Patos, Lagoa dos

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Lagoa dos Patos (ləgô´ə dŏŏs pä´tŏŏs) [Port.,=lake of the ducks], shallow tidal lagoon, c.150 mi (240 km) long and up to 30 mi (48 km) wide, Rio Grande do Sul state, SE Brazil. A wide sandbar separates it from the Atlantic Ocean. Pôrto Alegre, at the head of the lagoon, is connected with Rio Grande and the sea by a dredged shipping channel. The lagoon is an important fishing ground. Rice is grown along the western shoreline.