Florida () is a
department of
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 ...
. Its capital is
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
. It is located in the south of the central part of the country with
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. It is located in the centre of the country, and is bounded ...
to its north, the departments of
Treinta y Tres
Treinta y Tres () is the capital city of the Treinta y Tres Department in eastern Uruguay.
Location
The city is located on Route 8, on the north banks of Olimar Grande River. The city is almost surrounded by a populated rural area, a zone of ' ...
and
Lavalleja
Lavalleja () is a department of Uruguay. Its capital is Minas. It is located in the southeast of the country, bordered to the north by the department of Treinta y Tres to the east with Rocha, to the south with Canelones and Maldonado, and to ...
to its east,
Canelones Department
The Departamento de Canelones ( es, Departamento de Canelones; ) is one of the 19 uruguayan departments. With an area of and 518,154 inhabitants, it is located in the south of Uruguay. Its capital is Canelones.
Geography and climate
Neighbour ...
to its south and the departments of
Flores and
San José to its west.
History
Florida Department was formed on 10 July 1856 from part of
San José Department
San José Department () is a department of Uruguay. Its capital is San José de Mayo. It borders Colonia Department to the west, Flores Department to the north and the departments of Florida, Canelones and Montevideo to the east. Its southern ...
.
In 1760 the first populated place in its territory started by creating a fortress, the Fortín del Pintado, and in 1809 the "Villa de San Fernando de la Florida" was created. During the events of the Independence of Uruguay, a temporary government was set up in this town, and on 25 August 1825, the ''Congreso de la Florida'' proclaimed the three fundamental laws of the new independent country.
Geography
Most of the border of the department with
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. It is located in the centre of the country, and is bounded ...
in the north is formed by the
Yí River
The Yí River (Spanish, ''Río Yí'') is a river in Uruguay. The Yí and the Tacuarembó Rivers are the principal tributaries of the Río Negro.
Geography
The Yí River originates in the Cuchilla Grande highlands. It flows generally west throug ...
, with many of its tributaries flowing in the north part of the department. From east to west, these are the streams: Arroyo del Pescado, Arroyo Molles del Pescado, Arroyo Illescas, Arroyo Sauce, Arroyo Mansavillagra, Arroyo Timote, Arroyo Molles del Timote, Arroyo de Castro, Arroyo Sarandí and Arroyo Sauce de Villaneuva, which also forms the border near the city of
Durazno
Durazno is the capital city of the department of Durazno in Uruguay. Durazno is characterized by being the most central city of Uruguay. It has a population of more than 30,000 inhabitants. In the past it was the capital of Uruguay; today the ca ...
. The border then follows Arroyo Batoví a tributary of Arroyo Maciel, the later forming big part of the border of the department with
Flores Department
Flores () is a department of Uruguay, positioned in the southwest of the central part of the country. Its capital is Trinidad. It borders Durazno Department to the north and east, Florida Department to the southeast, San José Department to the so ...
to the west and is itself a tributary of Yí River.
Further south, separating the department from
San José Department
San José Department () is a department of Uruguay. Its capital is San José de Mayo. It borders Colonia Department to the west, Flores Department to the north and the departments of Florida, Canelones and Montevideo to the east. Its southern ...
to the west, is the stream Arroyo de la Virgen, a tributary of
Santa Lucia River
Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnigh ...
. The later forms the south border of the department, separating it from
Canelones Department
The Departamento de Canelones ( es, Departamento de Canelones; ) is one of the 19 uruguayan departments. With an area of and 518,154 inhabitants, it is located in the south of Uruguay. Its capital is Canelones.
Geography and climate
Neighbour ...
, with its tributaries flowing through the south part of the department. From east to west, these are: Arroyo Chamaré and Arroyo Casurá, both of which are part of the east border of the department, Arroyo Chamizo, Arroyo de Arias and the Santa Lucia Chico River, with Arroyo de Pintadito as its tributary. A dam in the course of the Santa Lucia Chico River near
25 de Mayo and
Cardal forms the Paso de Severino Reservoir.
Crossing the middle of the department from west to east and separating the streams of the north with those of the south, is the Cuchilla Grande Inferior hillrange, which joins the
Cuchilla Grande
Cuchilla Grande is a hill range that crosses the east part of Uruguay from north to south. It extends from the south part of Cerro Largo Department, through the departments of Treinta y Tres and Lavalleja and ends in Maldonado Department where it ...
hillrange in the east of the department.
Population and demographics
As of the census of 2011, Florida Department had a population of 67,048 (32,953 male and 34,095 female) and 29,437 households.
Demographic data for Florida Department in 2010:
*Population growth rate: 0.431%
*Birth Rate: 13.92 births/1,000 people
*Death Rate: 9.56 deaths/1,000 people
*Average age: 33.5 (32.4 male, 34.6 female)
*Life Expectancy at Birth:
**Total population: 77.43 years
**Male: 74.28 years
**Female: 80.91 years
*Average per household income: 21,978 pesos/month
*Urban per capita income: 9,039 pesos/month
''2010 Data Source:''
:Rural population
According to the 2011 census, Florida department has a rural population of 9,101.
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See also
* List of populated places in Uruguay#Florida Department
* Detailed map of Florida Department
showing all populated places
and secondary roads.
See full size version in Commons.
References
External links
photo impressions of Florida Department
INE map of Florida Department
Nuestra Terra, Colección Los Departamentos, Vol.6 "Florida"
{{Authority control
Departments of Uruguay
States and territories established in 1856