Canoas (Portuguese pronunciation: [kaˈnoɐs]) is a municipality in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, forming part of the Greater Porto Alegre area.

Officially declared a city on June 27, 1939, after its separation from São Sebastião do Caí and Gravataí, Canoas derives its name from the historical crafting of canoes in the area.

It hosts a campus of the Federal Institute of Rio Grande do Sul and several universities including Ulbra, UniRitter, Universidade La Salle, and IPUC.

The city's name, Canoas, which means canoes in Portuguese, traces back to the area's early settlement period during the construction of the railway line from Porto Alegre to São Leopoldo in 1874.

Significant growth continued into the 20th century with the arrival of the Lasallian brothers in 1908, who founded a school that offered agricultural, primary, and secondary education.