Montevideo

Department in Uruguay lying on the Río de la Plata (River Plate); area 530 sq km/205 sq mi; population (1996) 1,378,700. The city of Montevideo is the capital of Uruguay and the centre of the country's commercial, industrial, cultural, and political activities. The city itself handles almost 90% of the nation's imports and exports. The main economic activities in the district include meat-packing, food-processing, and tanning. There is some mining of salt and ballast in the area.