Paysandú

Paysandú
Capital city
Paysandú

Location in Uruguay

Coordinates: 32°19′17″S 58°4′32″W / 32.32139°S 58.07556°WCoordinates: 32°19′17″S 58°4′32″W / 32.32139°S 58.07556°W
Country  Uruguay
Department Paysandú Department
Founded 1756
Elevation 34 m (112 ft)
Population (2011)
  Total 76,412
Time zone UTC -3
Postal code 60000
Dial plan +598 472 (+5 digits)

Paysandú is the capital of Paysandú Department in western Uruguay.

Location

The city is located on the banks of Uruguay River, which forms the border with Argentina. It lies 378 kilometres (235 mi) northwest of Montevideo via Route 1 and Route 3, on the junction of the latter with Route 90. As of the census of 2011, it is the fourth most populated city of the country.

A small distance north of the city is the General Artigas Bridge that links Uruguay with the Entre Ríos Province of Argentina, south of the city Colón.[1]

History

It was founded on October 1756 and had acquired the status of "Villa" (town) before the Independence of Uruguay. On 8 June 1863, its status was elevated to "Ciudad" (city) by the Act of Ley Nº 780.[2]

General Leandro Gomez led Uruguayan forces to save the town from an invasion by Brazilian forces in 1864-5. A battle took place on 2 December 1864.[3]

Population

In 2011 Paysandú had a population of 76,412.[4] It is the fourth largest city in Uruguay, after Montevideo, Salto and Ciudad de la Costa.

Year Population
1908 20,953
1963 51,645
1975 62,199
1985 68,466
1996 74,568
2004 73,292
2011 76,412

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Uruguay[2]

Paysandú is more cosmopolitan than most Uruguayan cities, with many settlers from Italy, Switzerland, Poland, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, Belgium and various African nations.

Climate

Paysandú has a humid subtropical climate, described by the Köppen climate classification as Cfa. Summers are warm to hot and winters are cool, with the occurrence of frosts and fog. The precipitation is evenly distributed throughout the year, with an average of 1,181 mm (46.5 in), and the annual average temperature is around 19 °C (66 °F).

Climate data for Paysandú, Uruguay
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 44.0
(111.2)
42.4
(108.3)
39.4
(102.9)
36.0
(96.8)
33.0
(91.4)
29.2
(84.6)
30.6
(87.1)
32.8
(91)
36.4
(97.5)
38.0
(100.4)
41.5
(106.7)
41.9
(107.4)
44.0
(111.2)
Average high °C (°F) 31.5
(88.7)
30.0
(86)
27.6
(81.7)
23.9
(75)
20.4
(68.7)
16.8
(62.2)
16.9
(62.4)
18.5
(65.3)
20.5
(68.9)
23.5
(74.3)
26.4
(79.5)
29.7
(85.5)
23.8
(74.8)
Daily mean °C (°F) 24.8
(76.6)
23.7
(74.7)
21.6
(70.9)
18.0
(64.4)
14.8
(58.6)
11.7
(53.1)
11.8
(53.2)
12.9
(55.2)
14.6
(58.3)
17.5
(63.5)
20.4
(68.7)
23.1
(73.6)
17.9
(64.2)
Average low °C (°F) 18.3
(64.9)
17.6
(63.7)
15.7
(60.3)
12.5
(54.5)
9.6
(49.3)
6.9
(44.4)
7.1
(44.8)
7.5
(45.5)
8.8
(47.8)
11.6
(52.9)
14.1
(57.4)
16.8
(62.2)
12.2
(54)
Record low °C (°F) 7.8
(46)
3.2
(37.8)
3.2
(37.8)
0.0
(32)
−2.6
(27.3)
−7.4
(18.7)
−6.6
(20.1)
−4.0
(24.8)
−3.4
(25.9)
0.6
(33.1)
2.3
(36.1)
4.8
(40.6)
−7.4
(18.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 100
(3.94)
131
(5.16)
147
(5.79)
103
(4.06)
77
(3.03)
70
(2.76)
71
(2.8)
73
(2.87)
91
(3.58)
122
(4.8)
118
(4.65)
115
(4.53)
1,218
(47.95)
Avg. precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 6 6 7 6 6 5 6 5 6 7 6 6 72
Average relative humidity (%) 65 69 72 75 77 80 79 75 73 72 69 66 73
Mean monthly sunshine hours 287.8 222.6 233.5 198.6 183.8 149.0 167.2 183.6 203.1 244.0 258.6 289.8 2,621.6
Source: Dirección Nacional de Meteorología (extremes 1937–1994[5][6]

Economy

The main industries in the city are Norteña brewery, Azucarlito (sugar), Paylana (which is a producer of world-class woolen fabrics), and Paycuero (leather). Paysandú is also the centre of plantation forest industry in Uruguay, with many companies involved in the planting and harvesting of Eucalyptus plantations.[7]

A welcome sign in the old port of Paysandú

Transportation

The city is served by Tydeo Larre Borges International Airport.

Recreation

Paysandú has some fine recreational beaches on the Uruguay River which have lifeguards during the summer. It is also home to many sporting clubs, including a rowing club, yacht club, and numerous others for football, rugby, hockey, tennis and polo.

Places of worship

Notable residents

Twinned cities

See also

References

  1. Leitner, Gerry (January 2001). Argentina Travel Companion. Hunter Publishing, Inc. p. 936. ISBN 978-0-9587498-1-7. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Statistics of urban localities (1908–2004)" (PDF). INE. 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  3. Marley, David (February 2008). Wars of the Americas: a chronology of armed conflict in the Western Hemisphere, 1492 to the present. ABC-CLIO. p. 855. ISBN 978-1-59884-100-8. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
  4. "Censos 2011 Cuadros Paysandú". INE. 2012. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
  5. "Estadísticas climatológicas" (in Spanish). Dirección Nacional de Meteorología. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  6. "RECORDS METEOROLOGICOS EN EL URUGUAY" (in Spanish). Dirección Nacional de Meteorología. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  7. Bouton, Lawrence (1998). The private sector and development: five case studies. World Bank Publications. p. 42. ISBN 978-0-8213-4199-5. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
  8. "Sign of twining agreement between Wilaya of Smara and city of Paysandú". Sahara Press Service. 2011-10-24. Retrieved 2011-10-27.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Paysandú.