Montevideo
Capital and chief port of Uruguay, situated on the northen shore of the Río de la Plata estuary; 210 km/130 mi east of Buenos Aires; population (2004) 1,269,600. It is Uruguay's chief industrial and commercial centre, and handles almost 90% of the country's imports and exports. Industries include meat packing, tanning, footwear, flour milling, and textiles. The main exports are grain, meat products, and hides. All Uruguay's railways converge on the city, and a large fishing fleet is based here. Montevideo is also a tourist resort with extensive beaches.
Features include
a cathedral, (built 1790–1804) on the Plaza Constitucíon; the University of Uruguay, founded in 1849; the Teatro Solís; the Palacio Legislativo, built (1908–25) from local marble; museums of fine art and history in the park El Prado.
Founded by the Spanish in 1726 as a defence against the attacks by the Portuguese from Brazil, it has been the capital of Uruguay since 1830; it is also the capital of a department of the same name.
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. |
