shallow Atlantic tidewater lagoon on the border between Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul state) and Uruguay. It is approximately 118 miles (190 km) long and 30 miles across at its widest point, covering an area of 1,542 square miles (3,994 square km). A low, marshy bar, 10 to 35 miles wide and containing smaller lagoons, separates the Mirim Lagoon from the ocean. It drains northeastward into the Patos Lagoon through the São Gonçalo Canal and is navigable by shallow-draft vessels.