Río Negro Department
Encyclopedia
The Río Negro Department is an administrative division
of Uruguay
located in the west of the country. It has 53,989 inhabitants and an area of 9,282 km² (3,585 sq mi). Its capital is Fray Bentos
.
to the North, Tacuarembó
to the East, Durazno
to the Southeast, and Soriano
to the South. To the West is Argentina
, from which the department is separated by the Uruguay River
.
The Río Negro
runs along the southern border, marking the limit between Río Negro and the departments of Durazno and Soriano. There are four main creeks in the department. They are: Tres Árboles, Grande, Don Esteban (all of which are tributaries to the Río Negro), and Negro
The department has two ranges of hills, the most important of which is the Haedo Hill Range which runs from northeast to the southwest. The second range is the de Navarro Hill Range.
.
The cities of Fray Bentos and San Javier
attracted settlers, mostly European
immigrants from countries such as Spain
, Italy
, France
, Britain
, Germany
, Russia
and the Ukraine
, as well many Argentineans in the period of late 19th and early 20th centuries.
, sunflower
, wheat
, maize
, grain
s, grape
s, amognst others. The eastern half of the department has many pastures for the grazing of sheep and cattle which are an important contributor to the economy of the department. The main industries are again based around agro-industry the most prominent being wineries and dairies. The department also has a fluvial port located in Fray Bentos.
Tourism is becoming popular in the department especially in the thermal spas
around the area of Las Cañas.
corporation Botnia, is currently building a large cellulose
factory in Fray Bentos to produce bleached eucalyptus
pulp. The investment in the project is about 1 billion USD
and the factory will directly or indirectly employ more than 8,000 people. The project, however, is not without opponents. On 30 April 2005 about 40,000 Argentinians from Entre Ríos
, along with environmental groups from both countries, blocked an international bridge and demanded the Argentine government to intercede before the Uruguayan one to stop the building of the factory, claiming it will gravely pollute the Uruguay River. On 20 December 2005 a World Bank
study concluded that the factory would not have a negative impact on the environment or tourism in either country, however, this was not accepted by the environmental groups, who blocked again the bridge (partially blocking the bridge near Paysandu, as well) several times near the end of 2005.
Departments of Uruguay
||Uruguay consists of 19 departments :# Artigas . Formed in 1884 from part of Salto Department. The only department to border both Argentina in the west and Brazil in the north and east.# Canelones . One of the original 6 departments created in 1816...
of Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
located in the west of the country. It has 53,989 inhabitants and an area of 9,282 km² (3,585 sq mi). Its capital is Fray Bentos
Fray Bentos
Fray Bentos, the capital of the Río Negro Department of western Uruguay, is a port on the Uruguay River. It is close to the border with Argentina and about due north of Buenos Aires.-History:...
.
Geography and climate
Neighbouring departments are PaysandúPaysandú Department
Paysandú Department is a department of Uruguay. Its capital is Paysandú. Its name origin is debated but is likely to be of charrua origin.The fertile soils of Paysandú have encouraged much agricultural development. Livestock raising is one of the principal agricultural activities, with cattle...
to the North, Tacuarembó
Tacuarembó Department
Tacuarembó is the largest department of Uruguay. Its capital is Tacuarembó.-Population and Demographics:As of the census of 2004, there were 90,489 people and 28,054 households in the department. The average household size was 3.2...
to the East, Durazno
Durazno Department
Durazno is a department of Uruguay. Its capital is Durazno. Its name means "peach" in Spanish, referring to the department's peaches and its status as an agricultural breadbasket.-Economy and Geography:...
to the Southeast, and Soriano
Soriano Department
Soriano is a department of Uruguay. Its capital is Mercedes.-Population and Demographics:As of the census of 2004, there were 84,563 people and 26,105 households in the department. The average household size was 3.2...
to the South. To the West is Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, from which the department is separated by the Uruguay River
Uruguay River
The Uruguay River is a river in South America. It flows from north to south and makes boundary with Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, separating some of the Argentine provinces of the Mesopotamia from the other two countries...
.
The Río Negro
Río Negro (Uruguay)
The Río Negro is the most important river in Uruguay. It originates in the southern highlands of Brazil, just east of Bagé, and flows west across the entire width of Uruguay to the Uruguay River. The course of the Río Negro across Uruguay effectively divides the south of the country from the north...
runs along the southern border, marking the limit between Río Negro and the departments of Durazno and Soriano. There are four main creeks in the department. They are: Tres Árboles, Grande, Don Esteban (all of which are tributaries to the Río Negro), and Negro
Negro Creek
Negro Creek is a creek located in the East Kootenay region of British Columbia. It was formerly named "Nigger Creek", but the name was changed in 1961. The creek flows into the Moyie River and was discovered in the 1860s. This creek has been mined by both Europeans and Chinese miners....
The department has two ranges of hills, the most important of which is the Haedo Hill Range which runs from northeast to the southwest. The second range is the de Navarro Hill Range.
History
The department was created in 1868 from a part of the old territory of PaysandúPaysandú
-Transportation:The city is served by Tydeo Larre Borges International Airport.-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 cities of Fray Bentos and San Javier
San Javier, Uruguay
San Javier is a small town situated on the east bank of the river Río Uruguay in the Río Negro Department of Uruguay. It was founded by Russian settlers in 1913. It is located west of Route 24, north of the department capital Fray Bentos, west of Young and south of Paysandú, the capital of...
attracted settlers, mostly European
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
immigrants from countries such as Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and the Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, as well many Argentineans in the period of late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Economy
Agriculture is the main source of industry in the western part of the department. The main agricultural products are flaxFlax
Flax is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent...
, sunflower
Sunflower
Sunflower is an annual plant native to the Americas. It possesses a large inflorescence . The sunflower got its name from its huge, fiery blooms, whose shape and image is often used to depict the sun. The sunflower has a rough, hairy stem, broad, coarsely toothed, rough leaves and circular heads...
, wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
, maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, grain
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
s, grape
Grape
A grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...
s, amognst others. The eastern half of the department has many pastures for the grazing of sheep and cattle which are an important contributor to the economy of the department. The main industries are again based around agro-industry the most prominent being wineries and dairies. The department also has a fluvial port located in Fray Bentos.
Tourism is becoming popular in the department especially in the thermal spas
Hot spring
A hot spring is a spring that is produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater from the Earth's crust. There are geothermal hot springs in many locations all over the crust of the earth.-Definitions:...
around the area of Las Cañas.
Botnia
Botnia S.A., a subsidiary of FinnishFinland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
corporation Botnia, is currently building a large cellulose
Cellulose
Cellulose is an organic compound with the formula , a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to over ten thousand β linked D-glucose units....
factory in Fray Bentos to produce bleached eucalyptus
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
pulp. The investment in the project is about 1 billion USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
and the factory will directly or indirectly employ more than 8,000 people. The project, however, is not without opponents. On 30 April 2005 about 40,000 Argentinians from Entre Ríos
Entre Ríos Province
Entre Ríos is a northeastern province of Argentina, located in the Mesopotamia region. It borders the provinces of Buenos Aires , Corrientes and Santa Fe , and Uruguay in the east....
, along with environmental groups from both countries, blocked an international bridge and demanded the Argentine government to intercede before the Uruguayan one to stop the building of the factory, claiming it will gravely pollute the Uruguay River. On 20 December 2005 a World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
study concluded that the factory would not have a negative impact on the environment or tourism in either country, however, this was not accepted by the environmental groups, who blocked again the bridge (partially blocking the bridge near Paysandu, as well) several times near the end of 2005.
Population and Demographics
As of the census of 2004, there were 53,989 people and 15,786 households in the department. The average household size was 3.3. For every 100 females, there were 105.2 males.- Population growth rate: 0.509% (2004)
- Birth Rate: 17.91 births/1,000 people (2004)
- Death Rate: 7.95 deaths/1,000 people
- Average age: 29.3 (29.0 Males, 29.7 Females)
- Life Expectancy at Birth (2004):
- Total population: 75.97 years
- Male: 72.52 years
- Female: 79.56 years
- Average Family Size: 2.60 children/woman
- Urban per capita income (cities of 5,000 inhabitants or more): 3,521.1 pesos/month
Main Urban Centres
Population stated as per 2004 census.| City / Town | Population |
|---|---|
| Fray Bentos Fray Bentos Fray Bentos, the capital of the Río Negro Department of western Uruguay, is a port on the Uruguay River. It is close to the border with Argentina and about due north of Buenos Aires.-History:... |
22,577 |
| Young Young, Uruguay Young is a city in the centre of Río Negro Department of Uruguay. It is located on Route 3, about northwest of Trinidad, the capital of Flores Department. Its status was elevated to the category of "City" on 15 October 1963 by decree Ley No... |
14,521 |
| Nuevo Berlín Nuevo Berlín Nuevo Berlín is a town in the Río Negro Department of western Uruguay. It is located on the east bank of Uruguay River northwest of the junction of Route 24 with Route 20. South of the town flows the stream Arroyo de la Yeguada and to its west, in the Uruguay River, is the island Isla del Burro... |
2,240 |
| San Javier San Javier, Uruguay San Javier is a small town situated on the east bank of the river Río Uruguay in the Río Negro Department of Uruguay. It was founded by Russian settlers in 1913. It is located west of Route 24, north of the department capital Fray Bentos, west of Young and south of Paysandú, the capital of... |
1,358 |
Other towns and villages
| Town / Village | Population |
|---|---|
| Barrio Anglo Barrio Anglo Barrio Anglo is a village in the Río Negro Department of Uruguay. It is located just across the stream Arroyo Fray Bentos from Fray Bentos, the capital of the department, being a western barrio of the city.-Population:... |
818 |
| Algorta Algorta, Uruguay Algorta is a town in the Río Negro Department of Uruguay. It is located on Route 25, close to the border with Paysandú Department, northeast of the city of Young. It is situated on the Cuchilla de Haedo range of hills.-Population:... |
804 |
| Grecco Grecco Grecco is a town in the Río Negro Department of Uruguay. It is located south of Route 20 and about east of the junction of Route 20 with Route 4. Its status was elevated to "Pueblo" category on 17 November 1964 by decree Ley No. 13.299.-Population:... |
726 |
Rural population
According to the 2004 census, Río Negro department has an additional rural poulation of 6,755.Noted local persons
- Guillermo StirlingGuillermo Stirling-Background and political alignment:Stirling is a prominent member of the Uruguayan Colorado Party. He has been a close colleague of Presidents Julio María Sanguinetti and Jorge Batlle.His grandfather Manuel Stirling was a Deputy and Senator for Paysandú....
(1937-) was the Colorado PartyColorado PartyColorado Party can refer to two South American political parties:* Colorado Party * Colorado Party...
's Presidential candidate in 2005. - Gaston RamirezGastón RamírezGastón Ezequiel Ramírez Pereyra is a Uruguayan professional football player. Currently, he plays for Bologna in Serie A and the Uruguay national football team.-Club career:...
(Fray BentosFray BentosFray Bentos, the capital of the Río Negro Department of western Uruguay, is a port on the Uruguay River. It is close to the border with Argentina and about due north of Buenos Aires.-History:...
, UruguayUruguayUruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
, December 2 of 1990) Football Player of Peñarol. - Vladimir Roslik, a Russian-Uruguayan medical doctor who was tortured and later killed by the Uruguayan military during the regime (1973-84).
See also
- List of populated places in Uruguay#Río Negro Department
- Cellulose plant conflict between Argentina and UruguayCellulose plant conflict between Argentina and UruguayThe pulp mill dispute was a dispute in South America between Argentina and Uruguay concerning the construction of pulp mills on the Uruguay River. The presidents at the time were Néstor Kirchner and Tabaré Vázquez...