Treinta y Tres

Capital of the department of Treinta y Tres, Uruguay, 250 km/155 mi northeast of Montevideo, lying near the River Olimar; population (1996) 27,987. Connected by road, rail, and air with Montevideo, the town is the commercial centre of an arable and livestock farming region.

The city's name is derived from the ‘thirty-three’ patriots led by Juan Antonio Lavalleja who, in 1825, were instrumental in driving Brazilian forces out of Uruguay, a key event in the country's struggle for independence. Nearby is the Quebrada de los Cuervos National Park.

Treinta y Tres

Department in east-central Uruguay, bounded on the east by Brazil, from which it is separated by the lagoon known as the Lagoa Mirim; area 9,529 sq km/3,679 sq mi; population (1996) 46,869. Cattle- and sheep-ranching is widespread, but arable farming (corn and wheat) is also important.