year Gumercindo Saraiva invaded Rio Grande do Sul and at Passo do Salsinho, the first combat took place. During this revolution the municipality was witness to the Battle of the Traíras, the Siege of Rio Negro, and the Siege of Bagé. At Rio Negro 300 prisoners had their throats cut. In the Siege of Bagé combats took place in the center of the town. With the end of combats the beginning of the twentieth century seemed promising as Bagé had potential to become an industrial and agricultural center. Narratives from this period show that the climate was benign and the soil rich in natural resources, with special mention of the coal mines of Candiota and Rio Negro. In the cattle raising sector Bagé was a large producer of sheep, cows and horses. Agriculture was less developed with the main crops being wheat and rice. Bagé could count on considerable urban progress. The first railroad was inaugurated in 1884 with the finishing of the line to Rio Grande. Electrical lighting arrived in 1899, with Bagé being the first city in the state to have this important sign of progress. In 1913 a piped water system was installed. Due to the importance of the city for the region it is called "Queen of the Border". It is the seat of the Universidade da Região da Campanha – URCAMP and is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bagé. Location Bagé is located southwest of the state capital, Porto Alegre, and approximately north of the border with Uruguay at Aceguá. The distance to Pelotas to the east on BR-293 is . Other distances from Bagé are: Santana do Livramento: Jaguarão: Santa Maria: Comandante Gustavo Kraemer International Airport serves the city and the region although currently no scheduled flights operate to and from it. Economy The economy is based on services, light industry and agriculture. Transformation industries employed 2,460 workers in 2006 while there were 1,199 agricultural establishments on 300,000 hectares employing 3,500 workers. There were 319,000 head of cattle and 103,000 head of sheep in 2007. The main crops were rice, corn, soybeans, sorghum, and wheat. Geography Climate At an elevation of 242 meters above sea level just south of latitude 30° Bagé has a mild climate with maximum temperatures of 30 °C in January and 17 °C in June and minimum temperatures of 18 °C in January and 8 °C in