Paysandú () is the capital and most populous city of the Paysandú Department in western

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of 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 the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

. Located on the banks of the

Uruguay River The Uruguay River ( ; ) is a major river in South America. It flows from north to south and forms parts of the boundaries of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, separating some of the Argentine provinces of La Mesopotamia from the other two countr ...

, it is the country's fourth-largest city and a vital cultural and economic hub, with agriculture, tourism, and manufacturing serving as key industries. Located in the southwestern part of the department, across from the Argentine city of Colón in

Entre Ríos Province Entre Ríos (, "Between Rivers") is a Center Region, Argentina, central provinces of Argentina, province of Argentina, located in the Mesopotamia, Argentina, Mesopotamia region. It borders the provinces of Buenos Aires Province, Buenos Aires (so ...

, it was founded in the mid-18th century and is known as the for its rich history, particularly its resistance during the

Siege of Paysandú The siege of Paysandú began on 3 December 1864, during the Uruguayan War, when Brazilian forces (under the Marquis of Tamandaré) and Colorado forces (under Venancio Flores) attempted to capture the city of Paysandú in Uruguay from its Uru ...

in 1864-65.

History

It was founded in 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. General Leandro Gomez led Uruguayan forces to save the town from an invasion by Brazilian forces in 1864–1865. A

battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force co ...

took place on 2 December 1864.

Population

In 2023 Paysandú had a population of 81,550. It is the fourth largest city in

, after

Montevideo Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

, Salto and Ciudad de la Costa. Source: ''Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Uruguay'' Paysandú is more cosmopolitan than most Uruguayan cities, with many settlers from Italy, Switzerland, Poland, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, Belgium and various African nations.

Geography

The city is located on the banks of the

, which forms the

border Borders are generally defined as geography, geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by polity, political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other administrative divisio ...

with

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

. It lies northwest of

via Route 1 and Route 3, on the junction of the latter with Route 90. As of the census of 2011 it was 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

of Argentina, south of the city Colón.

Climate

Paysandú has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, described by the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

as ''Cfa''. Summers are warm to hot and winters are cool, with the occurrence of

frost Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor that deposits onto a freezing surface. Frost forms when the air contains more water vapor than it can normally hold at a specific temperature. The process is simila ...

s and

fog Fog is a visible aerosol consisting of tiny water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. Reprint from Fog can be considered a type of low-lying cloud usually resembling stratus and is heavily influenc ...

. The precipitation is evenly distributed throughout the year, although winters are slightly drier, with an average of 1,181 mm (46.5 in), and the annual average temperature is around 19 °C (66 °F). On 20 January 1943, Paysandú recorded a temperature of , which is the joint highest (along with

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

) temperature to have ever been recorded in Uruguay. The lowest temperature to have ever been recorded in Paysandú is in June.

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.

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.

Education

Previously the area had a German school, Deutsche Schule Paysandú. Also the city has a Center of the University of the Republic (Centro Universitario de Paysandú).

Places of worship

* Parish Church of Our Lady of the Rosary and St. Benedict of Palermo (

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

) * St. Raymond and St. John Bosco Parish Church (Roman Catholic,

Salesians of Don Bosco The Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB), formally known as the Society of Saint Francis de Sales (), is a religious congregation of men in the Catholic Church, founded in 1859 by the Italian priest John Bosco to help poor and migrant youth during the ...

) * Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish Church (Roman Catholic) * St. Joseph the Worker Parish Church (Roman Catholic)

Notable people

Politicians

* Reinaldo Gargano ( FA), Foreign Minister of Uruguay (2005–2008) † *

Jorge Larrañaga Jorge Washington Larrañaga Fraga (8 August 1956 – 22 May 2021) was a Uruguayan lawyer and politician of the National Party (Uruguay), National Party (PN) who served as Ministry of the Interior (Uruguay), Minister of the Interior from 1 ...

( PN), current Senator *

Raúl Sendic Raúl Sendic Antonaccio (March 16, 1926 – April 28, 1989) was a Uruguayan lawyer, trade unionist and founder of the National Liberation Movement – Tupamaros (MLN–T). After beginning his legal career organising agricultural workers and ag ...

( FA), Vice-President of Uruguay 2015–2017

Football players

* Sebastián Soria, Qatari football player * Walter Gargano, football player of

Peñarol Club Atlético Peñarol (), more commonly referred to as Peñarol, is a Uruguayan professional football club based in Montevideo. The club currently competes in the Uruguayan Primera División, the highest tier in Uruguayan football. The nam ...

Nicolás Lodeiro Marcelo Nicolás Lodeiro Benítez (; born 21 March 1989), commonly known as Nicolás Lodeiro, is a Uruguayan professional Association football, footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo FC, Houst ...

, football player of

Seattle Sounders FC Seattle Sounders FC is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The club was established on ...

* Bosco Frontán, retired

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played mostly in Uruguay and Mexico * Egidio Arévalo Rios, the 10th most capped player for

with 91, currently with Correcaminos UAT * Maxi Gómez, football player of

Trabzonspor Trabzonspor Kulübü is a Turkish professional sports club located in the city of Trabzon, located in Black Sea region, northeastern Turkey. Established in 1967 through the merger of several local clubs, Trabzonspor is one of the most prominent A ...

* Marcelo Saracchi, football player of Levante

Musicians

* Los Iracundos * Alfredo Eusebio Gobbi, tango musician

Other

* Clotilde Luisi (1882–1969), first woman to study law at the University of the Republic * Ricardo Armentano, professor and researcher of international repute * Hiber Conteris (1933-2020), literary critic and playwright * Cecilia Comunales (born 1988), world champion boxer

Twinned cities

Hellín Hellín is a city and Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain located in the province of Albacete, Castilla–La Mancha. The municipality spans across a total area of 781.66 km2. As of 1 January 2020, it has a population of 30,200, which mak ...

, Spain *

Muscatine, Iowa Muscatine ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Muscatine County, Iowa, United States. The population was 23,797 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, an increase from 22,697 in 2000 United States Census, 2000. It is loca ...

, United States *

Smara Smāra (also romanized Semara, , ; ) is a city in the Moroccan-controlled part of Western Sahara, with a population of 57,035 recorded in the 2014 Moroccan census. It is served by Smara Airport and Smara bus station. History The largest city in ...

Western Sahara Western Sahara is a territorial dispute, disputed territory in Maghreb, North-western Africa. It has a surface area of . Approximately 30% of the territory () is controlled by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR); the remaining 70% is ...

References

External links

Paysandú PortalTourist information for nearby Thermal Baths of Guaviú and AlmirónINE map of Paysandú and San Félix
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paysandu Populated places in the Paysandú Department Uruguay River Populated places established in 1749 Argentina–Uruguay border crossings Port cities and towns in Uruguay