Departments of Uruguay

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Uruguay consists of 19 departments:

1. Artigas Department, formed in 1884 from part of Salto Department. It is the only department to border two countries: Argentina in the west and Brazil in the north and east.
2. Canelones Department, one of the original 6 departments created in 1816. The original name was Villa de Guadalupe Department.
3. Cerro Largo Department, formed in 1821.
4. Colonia Department, one of the original 6 departments created in 1816.
5. Durazno Department, formed in 1822. The original name was Entre Ríos Yí y Negro Department.
6. Flores Department, formed in 1885 from part of San José Department.
7. Florida Department, formed in 1856 from part of San José Department.
8. Lavalleja Department, formed in 1837. Was named Minas Department until 1927.
9. Maldonado Department, one of the original 6 departments created in 1816. The original name was San Fernando de Maldonado Department.
10. Montevideo Department, one of the original 6 departments created in 1816.
11. Paysandú Department, formed in 1820.
12. Río Negro Department, formed in 1868 from parts of Paysandú Department.
13. Rivera Department, formed in 1884 from part of Tacuarembó Department.
14. Rocha Department, formed in 1880 from part of Maldonado Department.
15. Salto Department, formed in 1837.
16. San José Department, one of the original 6 departments created in 1816.
17. Soriano Department, one of the original 6 departments created in 1816. The original name was Santo Domingo Soriano Department.
18. Tacuarembó Department, formed in 1837; geographically the largest of the Uruguayan Departments.
19. Treinta y Tres Department, formed in 1884 from parts of Cerro Largo Department and Lavalleja Department.

Populations and areas

Population stated as per 2011 Census.

History

The first division of the Republic in six departments happened on 27 January 1816. In February of the same year, two more departments were formed, and in 1828 one more was added. When the First Constitution was signed in 1830, there were nine departments. These were the departments of Montevideo, Maldonado, Canelones, San José, Colonia, Soriano, Paysandú, Durazno and Cerro Largo. At that time, the department of Paysandú occupied all the territory north of the Río Negro, which included the actual departments of Artigas, Rivera, Tacuarembó, Salto, Paysandú and Río Negro.

On 17 June 1837 a new division of Uruguay was made and this northern territory was divided in three parts by the creation of the departments of Salto and Tacuarembó. At the same time the department of Minas (which was eventually renamed to Lavalleja) was created out of parts of Cerro Largo and Maldonado. Then in 1856 the department of Florida was created and on 7 July 1880 the department of Río Negro was split from Paysandú and the department of Rocha was split from Maldonado. In 1884 the department of Treinta y Tres was formed from parts of Cerro Largo and Minas, while also the department of Artigas was split from Salto, and in the same year the department of Rivera was split from Tacuarembó. Finally in the end of 1885 the department of Flores was split from San José.

1830	1837	1856	1880	1884-85
Series of maps showing the gradual formation of the actual 19 departments of Uruguay.

Municipalities

Since 2009 (Law No. 18567 of 13 September 2009),^[1] the Uruguayan departments have been subdivided into municipalities. As Uruguay is a very small country (3 million inhabitants, of which roughly one-half lives in the national capital), this system has been widely criticized as a waste of resources. Nevertheless, in the municipal elections of 2010 the local authorities were elected and they assumed office months later. Currently there are 89 municipalities scattered all over the country.

See also

• ISO 3166-2:UY

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Departments of Uruguay.

• Congreso Nacional de Intendentes (Spanish)

v t e Departments of Uruguay Artigas Canelones Cerro Largo Colonia Durazno Flores Florida Lavalleja Maldonado Montevideo Paysandú Río Negro Rivera Rocha Salto San José Soriano Tacuarembó Treinta y Tres

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