Back to cities
cities
Campo Grande
Overview
Campo Grande (Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈkɐ̃pu ˈɡɾɐ̃dʒi], lit. 'Great Field') is a city in the central and western region of Brazil, capital and the largest city of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. Historically a stronghold of separatists from the North and South, the city is planned in the middle of a vast green space, with wide streets and tree-lined avenues.
The region where the city is located was in the past a waypoint for travellers who wanted to go from São Paulo or Minas Gerais to northern Mato Grosso by land. In the early 1900s, a railway was completed, connecting Campo Grande to Corumbá on the Bolivian border and to Bauru, São Paulo. Also in the beginning of the 20th century, the Western Brazilian Army Headquarters was established in Campo Grande, making it an important military center.
With a population growth from 140,000 people in 1970 to 750,000 people in 2007, Campo Grande is the third largest urban center of the Center-West region, and the 17th largest city in the country. In 1977, the State of Mato Grosso was split into two, and Campo Grande became the capital of the new state of Mato Grosso do Sul, comprising the southern portion of the former state. By that time, Campo Grande had long surpassed the latter's capital city of Cuiabá in population, which is unusual in Brazil, where most capitals are also the states' largest cities.
Today, the city has its own culture, which is a mixture of several ethnic groups, most notably immigrants from the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa, Middle Easterners, Armenians, Portuguese people, Germans, Italians, Spaniards, and Paraguayans, finally mixed with Asian and European Brazilians from the Brazilian Southern and Southeast regions, its native Amerindian peoples and Afro-Brazilians.
Facts
Rank
—
Coordinates
—
Source
WBP almanac
External sources
Media
From Wikipedia2,019 words
WBP editorial3
Beyond the Avenue: Campo Grande’s Market Pulse
While the city’s broad avenues showcase its modern ambition, the real flavour of Campo Grande lies in its neighbourhood markets. The Mercado Municipal, tucked behind the historic civic centre, offers a kaleidoscope of regional produce—from fresh river fish caught in the nearby Pantanal to the earthy beans that underpin the state’s cuisine. Vendors here often converse in a blend of Portuguese and Guarani, giving visitors a chance to pick up a few local phrases while haggling over handcrafted jewellery made by indigenous artisans. Timing your visit for early morning yields the freshest catches and a quieter atmosphere, allowing you to savour the subtle aromas of roasted cassava and coffee beans that define the city’s daily rhythm.
A Green Corridor: Linking Urban Life to the Pantanal
Campo Grande serves as an informal gateway to the Pantanal wetlands, and the city’s own green spaces mirror that ecological continuum. The Parque das Nações Indígenas, a sprawling urban park, is more than a recreational area; it is a living laboratory where native flora is conserved alongside native fauna like capybaras and caimans that occasionally wander its waterways. Guided night walks, often led by local biology students, reveal nocturnal ecosystems rarely highlighted in guidebooks. Comparing this to the more curated botanical gardens of larger Brazilian capitals, Campo Grande’s approach feels less ornamental and more integrative, reflecting a city that lives in dialogue with the surrounding savanna and wetland landscapes.