The Bay of Montevideo ( es, Bahía de Montevideo) is the bay around the city of

Montevideo Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

in the

Rio de la Plata Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...

. It was previously named by

Pedro de Mendoza Pedro de Mendoza () (c. 1499 – June 23, 1537) was a Spanish ''conquistador'', soldier and explorer, and the first ''adelantado'' of New Andalusia. Setting sail Pedro de Mendoza was born in Guadix, Grenada, part of a large noble family that ...

as "Bahía de la Candelaria".

Description

The bay has a round shape – approximately in diameter at low tide – and a very secure port suited for boats with a deep draft. On its west side, is the

Cerro de Montevideo The Fortaleza del Cerro, also known as Fortaleza General Artigas, is a fortress situated in Montevideo, Uruguay overlooking the Bay of Montevideo. It belongs to the ''barrio'' of Casabó, at the west of Villa del Cerro. It holds a dominant positi ...

crowned by the fortress of the same name with a lighthouse which dominates the landscape.

Port

The

Port of Montevideo The Port of Montevideo ( es, Puerto de Montevideo), in the northern part of the Old City of Montevideo, Uruguay, is one of the major ports of South America and plays a very important role in the economy of Uruguay. Notably the port includes a nu ...

annually receives many passengers and cargo. It is one of the major ports of South America and plays a very important role in the economy of Uruguay. The port's proximity has contributed to the installation of various industries in the area surrounding the bay, particularly import/export businesses, and business related to port activity and naval activity. Because of the density of industrial development in the area surrounding the port, the residential popularity is relatively low. The main environmental problems are subaquatic sedimentation and air and water contamination. The port has been growing rapidly and consistently at an average annual rate of 14 percent due to an increase in foreign trade. The city has received a

US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

20 million loan from the

Inter-American Development Bank The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB or IADB) is an international financial institution headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States of America, and serving as the largest source of development financing for Latin America and the Caribb ...

to modernize the port, increase its size and efficiency, and enable lower maritime and river transportation costs.

References

External links

{{Coord, 34, 53, 59, S, 56, 14, 3, W, type:landmark, display=title Coasts of Uruguay Bodies of water of Uruguay Geography of Montevideo Bays of Uruguay Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo Aguada, Montevideo Capurro Villa del Cerro