Punta del Este () is a seaside city and

peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...

on the Atlantic Coast in the

Maldonado Department The Maldonado Department ( es, Departamento de Maldonado; ), with an area of and 164,300 inhabitants (2011), is located to the southeast of Uruguay. Its capital is Maldonado. Geography and climate Neighbouring departments are Rocha to the Eas ...

of southeastern

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 ...

. Starting as a small town, Punta del Este later became internationally known as a resort for the Latin and North American

jet set In journalism, jet set is a term for an international social group of wealthy people who travel the world to participate in social activities unavailable to ordinary people. The term, which replaced "café society", came from the lifestyle of tra ...

and tourists. The city has been referred to as "the

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

of the South", "The Pearl of the Atlantic", "the

Hamptons The Hamptons, part of the East End of Long Island, consist of the towns of Southampton and East Hampton, which together comprise the South Fork of Long Island, in Suffolk County, New York. The Hamptons are a popular seaside resort and one of ...

of South America","the

Miami Beach Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter of which sep ...

of South America", or "the St. Tropez of South America". There is an extensiv
list of famous people
who visited, resided or acquired vacation properties in Punta del Este and its surroundings. Among many other historic events, Punta del Este hosted the Whitbread Around the World yacht races from 1985 to 1994 and participated in the race with a yacht under the name 'Uruguay Natural'. Punta del Este also hosted the 1967 American Summit attended by U.S. President

Lyndon Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

, and the start of the

Uruguay Round The Uruguay Round was the 8th round of multilateral trade negotiations (MTN) conducted within the framework of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), spanning from 1986 to 1993 and embracing 123 countries as "contracting parties". The R ...

of international trade negotiations in 1986 that ultimately led to the creation of the

World Trade Organization The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and e ...

in 1994. The city was also host for the 2014 Formula E Championship qualifying with the presence of the former

Toro Rosso Scuderia Toro Rosso (; literal translation of "Red Bull Racing Team"), commonly known as Toro Rosso or by its abbreviation STR, was an Italian Formula One racing team. It was one of two Formula One teams owned by Austrian beverage company Re ...

Formula 1 racer Jean-Eric Vergne from France, and the Gran Premio de Punta del Este receiving national, South American and international competitions. In addition to international film festivals, gastronomy and first-class hotels, the region has protected natural reserves such as

Isla de Lobos The Isla de Lobos is a small island located about southeast of Punta del Este (Uruguay). An islet lies east of the island. Geography The island is an outcropping of rocks as a continuation of the Cuchilla Grande, in an area of the Atlantic Oc ...

Gorriti Island Gorriti Island ( es, Isla Gorriti) is a small island near the shores of Punta del Este, Uruguay.

La Barra La Barra is a resort in the Maldonado Department of southeastern Uruguay. Location and geography The resort is located on Route 10 (Uruguay), Route 10, south of its junction with Ruta Interbalnearia. Its west coast is on the mouth of Arroyo Mald ...

, or the

Arboretum Lussich The Lussich Arboretum is an arboretum of located in the Maldonado Department of Uruguay near Punta del Este and Punta Ballena. History On 5 October 1896 Antonio Lussich bought a terrain of , which extend from "Arroyo el Potrero" to "Sierra de l ...

. Popular landmarks in the area include the La Mano giant sculpture, the

Santorini Santorini ( el, Σαντορίνη, ), officially Thira (Greek: Θήρα ) and classical Greek Thera (English pronunciation ), is an island in the southern Aegean Sea, about 200 km (120 mi) southeast from the Greek mainland. It is the ...

-styled complex

Casapueblo Casapueblo is a building constructed by the Uruguayan artist Carlos Páez Vilaró. It is located in Punta Ballena, from Punta del Este, Uruguay. Initially, it was the artist's summer home and workshop, and includes a museum, an art gallery, a c ...

, the

Rafael Viñoly Rafael Viñoly Beceiro (born 1944) is a Uruguayan architect. He is the principal of Rafael Viñoly Architects, which he founded in 1983. The firm has offices in New York City, Palo Alto, London, Manchester, Abu Dhabi, and Buenos Aires. Viñ ...

designed Puente Garzón bridge, and the Museum of the Sea. Although the city has a year-round population of about 12,400, the summer season greatly adds to this number, and its residents average 450,000.

Location

The city is located on the intersection of Route 10 with Route 39, southeast of the department capital Maldonado and about east 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 ...

History

The first Europeans to set foot in what is now Punta del Este were the Spanish at the beginning of the 16th century. However, the colonization of the area actually began around Maldonado at the end of the 18th century due to Portuguese expansionism. Punta del Este and its surroundings (Maldonado and Punta Ballena) at the end of the 19th century were kilometers of sand and dunes, but in 1896

Antonio Lussich Antonio Dionisio Lussich (March 23, 1848 in Montevideo – June 5, 1928 in Punta del Este) was an Uruguayan sailor, arboricultorist and writer. Family background His father was Filip Lukšić, a Croatian Merchant sailor who arrived in Montev ...

bought of uninhabited land and there he started a botanical garden,

, and planted trees and plants from all over the world. Later the trees started to spread on their own, and now the area is full of mostly

Pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...

Eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including '' Corymbia'', they are commonly known as euca ...

Acacias ''Acacia'', commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa and Australasia. The genus na ...

and various species of

bushes A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

. On 5 July 1907, it was declared a "Pueblo" (village) by Act of Ley 3.186. Its status was elevated to "Ciudad" (city) on 2 July 1957 by the Act of Ley Nº 12.397. During the 1970s, the city faced a decline in the number of tourists (specially from Argentina) as a result of both terrorist threats by the

Tupamaros The Tupamaros – National Liberation Movement ( es, Movimiento de Liberación Nacional – Tupamaros, MLN-T), widely known as Tupamaros, was a Marxist-Leninist urban guerrilla group in Uruguay in the 1960s and 1970s. The MLN-T is inextricab ...

guerrilla organization and an increase in the number of working class hotels and less luxurious residences. The 1973 Uruguayan coup d'état took place in Uruguay on 27 June 1973 and marked the beginning of the civic-military dictatorship which lasted until 1985.

Juan María Bordaberry Juan María Bordaberry Arocena (; 17 June 1928 – 17 July 2011) was a Uruguayan politician and cattle rancher, who served as constitutional President from 1972 until 1973, and then ruled as the head of a civilian-military dictatorship up t ...

closed parliament and ruled with the assistance of a junta of military generals. The official reason was to crush the Tupamaros. The Marxist urban guerrilla movement and leftist trade union federations called a general strike and occupation of factories. The strike lasted just over two weeks. It was ended with most of the trade union leaders in jail, dead, or exiled to Argentina. As part of the coup all associations including trade unions were declared illegal and banned; the Constitution of Uruguay of 1967 was practically voided. Unions, gatherings of any kind, and political parties remained illegal until a general strike in 1984 forced the military to accept civilian rule and the restoration of democracy in 1985. As a way to help close their open wounds, the Uruguayan people chose a former revolutionary and farmer to serve as the 40th

President of Uruguay The president of Uruguay ( es, Presidente del Uruguay), officially known as the president of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay (), is the head of state and head of government of Uruguay. Their rights are determined in the Constitution of Urugua ...

from 2010 to 2015,

José Mujica José Alberto "Pepe" Mujica Cordano (; born 20 May 1935) is a Uruguayan politician, former revolutionary and farmer who served as the 40th president of Uruguay from 2010 to 2015. A former guerrilla with the Tupamaros, he was tortured and im ...

, a former guerrilla with the Tupamaros who was tortured and imprisoned for 14 years during the military dictatorship in the 1970s and 1980s. A member of the Broad Front coalition of left-wing parties, Mujica was Minister of Livestock, Agriculture, and Fisheries from 2005 to 2008, a

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

afterwards, and then became an elected President. Punta del Este had a formidable real estate unprecedented development around the 1980s called the 'construction boom' in the spa flourished apartment towers and hotel complexes. Since then, with ups and downs conditioned by the economic cycles of the country and the region, real estate activity has become another engine of the economy of Punta del Este. In 2022, real estate market specialists see another exponential growth throughout the locality as it sits as a place to live year-round.

Population

In 2011 Punta del Este city proper had a population of 9,277 and 23,954 households and apartments. According to the Intendencia Departamental de Maldonado, the municipality of Punta del Este has an area of and a population of 15,000. Argentines, Brazilians and Europeans are gradually choosing Punta del Este as their permanent residence. Some of the reasons are peace in the midst of nature and increasing educational offerings. Source: ''Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Uruguay''

Climate

Punta del Este has an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

(''Cfb'', according to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

), with pleasant summers and cool winters. Because of the average temperature of the hottest month near 22 °C, the climate is close to a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

(''Cfa''). It is similar to southeastern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The precipitation is evenly distributed throughout the year, with an average of . The hottest month, February, has an average temperature of , and the coldest month, July, has an average of . The average yearly temperature is .

Panorama

Coastline

Punta del Este's scenic coastline is divided in two regions: Brava (Spanish for "fierce") and Mansa (Spanish for "tame"). The limit between the two marks the end of the

Río de la Plata The Río de la Plata (, "river of silver"), also called the River Plate or La Plata River in English, is the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean and fo ...

and the beginning of the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

, and split is signaled by the Mano de Punta del Este, which the sculptor designed to warn swimmers about the danger of rough waves. Beaches on the Mansa side feature thick and golden sand, while on the Brava side the sand is white and fine. Every beach of the peninsula has public access. La Barra is popular for nautical sports and fishing during the day. At later hours, La Barra becomes a central attraction for the younger generation. Starting from the end of December through to the second week of January, this location becomes a place for the local people as well as tourists to gather at the night life festivities. Other areas include the resort of El Tesoro, Montoya beach, Bikini beach and Manantiales beach. These beaches are a favourite spot for younger people as well as for many celebrities from both Uruguay and Argentina. Manantiales sunset

Once abundant, southern right whales are re-colonizing in the area, which helped create a whale sanctuary off

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

, whose establishment had been prevented for near a decade by whaling nations like

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. Unlike the majority of Uruguayan coasts, appearances of

orca The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only extant species in the genus '' Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black-and-white ...

s have been documented in the area; most notably around

Landmarks

The city has much

colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

contrasting with more modern buildings. Nowadays it has a scenic shore, typical resort houses, modern buildings, a port with mooring capacity, department stores, restaurants, and pubs. There are several large houses, and gardens lined with plants. An iconic and historic building rises on the 19th stop of the Brava Beach, the famous Hotel L'Auberg
Inicio
with its 70 year old water tower, continues to be a leader in hospitality and gastronomy with its unique rooms and still serving its traditional Belgian waffle
Waffles
with home made sauces. Punta del Este was originally home to the first Conrad Hotel in South America. Gorlero Avenue, the main avenue of Punta del Este has commercial galleries, restaurants, cinemas, casinos, shops. Artigas square, over Gorlero Ave is the place where there is a popular handicraft market. Punta del Este is well known for organizing the summit in which the

WTO The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and e ...

was created. The Formula E has hosted several races, broadcast worldwide, in the city, based on its "absolutely landmark cityscape". In 2017, the China-Latin America Forum took place in the Punta del Este Convention Center.

Enjoy Punta del Este (formerly Conrad Resort & Casino)

Enjoy Punta del Este (formerly Conrad Punta del Este) is a hotel and casino designed by Guillermo Gómez Platero. The hotel's construction started in 1993 and finished in 1997. It offers 294 rooms, including 41 luxury suites. It was originally operated by

Hilton Hotels & Resorts Hilton Hotels & Resorts (formerly known as Hilton Hotels) is a global brand of full-service hotels and resorts and the flagship brand of American multinational hospitality company Hilton Worldwide, Hilton. The original company was founded by C ...

under the brand "Conrad". The property was owned by Caesars Entertainment Corporation and

until it was sold to the Chilean group Enjoy S.A. in 2017. Hilton's affiliation ceased on April 1, 2018. The casino hosted the partypoker Latin American Poker Championships (LAPC) which lasted between February 24 and March 4, 2018, and had an attendance of 1,137 players.

Fundación Pablo Atchugarry

One of the leading artistic institutions of

, the Fundación Pablo Atchugarry (Pablo Atchugarry Foundation) is dedicated to the promotion of arts and culture in Punta del Este. The foundation was created in 2007 by international sculpture artist

Pablo Atchugarry Pablo Atchugarry (born August 23, 1954) is a Uruguayan artist, best known for his abstract sculptural art. His works are included in many major collections, both private and public, and he has held more than one hundred solo and collective exhibi ...

, with the aim to keep a dialogue between art and nature. During the summer season (December to February) the foundation proposes a series of exhibitions and events such as concerts of lyrical to popular music, ballet representations and more. Once a year, the institution present an iconic exhibition from a major artist or collection. Over the past five years, the works of

František Kupka František Kupka (23 September 1871 – 24 June 1957), also known as ''Frank Kupka'' or ''François Kupka,'' was a Czech Republic, Czech Painting, painter and graphic artist. He was a pioneer and co-founder of the early phases of the Abstract ...

Le Corbusier Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (6 October 188727 August 1965), known as Le Corbusier ( , , ), was a Swiss-French architect, designer, painter, urban planner, writer, and one of the pioneers of what is now regarded as modern architecture. He was ...

, Collection MACBA, José Gurvich and

have been exhibited in the main building. The premises of the institution are composed of the sculptor's workshop, a building with three exhibition rooms, an auditorium, an open-air stage for a variety of shows, a restaurant, a didactic room where sculpture, painting, drawing and ceramic classes are held, and finally a space which holds the permanent collection and the work of the founder. A 30-hectare sculpture park surrounds the compound.

Punta del Este Lighthouse

The lighthouse is 45 metres tall, and the crystal panels which are part of its illumination system were brought from France. It works by electricity, with acetylene gas as emergency backup. It is possible to climb the 150 steps of its spiral staircase. Lobos2

Gorriti Island

This island of 21 hectares of surface is daily visited to enjoy its two beaches: Garden Port and Honda beach. It consists of a natural port, with ships anchoring close to it, and it also became a popular area to practice water sports.

Transportation

The city is served by Capitán de Corbeta Carlos A. Curbelo International Airport, being the second most important of Uruguay, located near

Laguna del Sauce Laguna del Sauce (Lagoon of the Willow) is a subtropical shallow lake and the largest water body in the Maldonado Department of Uruguay. It is located west of Punta del Este. The lake is the only freshwater ecosystem in the country classified for ...

on the outskirts of the city. This modern airport opened in 1996. It offers domestic and international flights within the region. Punta del Este can be reached from

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

by ferryboat to Montevideo (the capital city), from Punta del Este, and then by car or bus. Most international flights land at

Carrasco International Airport Carrasco/General Cesáreo L. Berisso International Airport is the main international airport of Uruguay. It is the country's largest airport and is located in the Carrasco, Montevideo, Carrasco neighborhood of Montevideo. It has been cited as ...

around from Punta del Este. The bus companies ''Copsa'' and ''Cot'' connect the airport with Punta del Este, and there are several private taxi and remise services available. Also in the area is

El Jagüel airport El Jagüel Airport is a general aviation airport serving Maldonado, Uruguay. The airport is in the El Jagüel neighborhood of Punta del Este, east of Maldonado. El Jagüel was formerly the main Punta del Este airport, but a major highway was ...

, which is very close to Punta del Este and Maldonado; decades ago it used to be its only international airport, now it is only used by small-sized private aircraft.

Places of worship

Punta del Este has numerous temples: * Parish Church of Our Lady of Candelaria (Roman Catholic) * Fátima Chapel (Roman Catholic) * St. Raphael Chapel (Roman Catholic) * Rafael Temple (

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

) * Beit Yaacov (

) * Beit Jabad (Jewish-

Chabad Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (), is an Orthodox Jewish Hasidic dynasty. Chabad is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, particularly for its outreach activities. It is one of the largest Hasidic grou ...

)

Activities

Among its attractions, the city offers music and cinema festivals, whale sightseeing, and "haute cuisine". Punta del Este ePrix 2014 02

The city is host to the

2014 Punta del Este ePrix The 2014 Punta del Este ePrix, formally the 2014 FIA Formula E Julius Baer Punta del Este ePrix is a Formula E motor race held on 13 December 2014 at the Punta del Este Street Circuit in Punta del Este, Uruguay. It was the first Punta del Est ...

; the third round of the Formula E championship and opening date of the category in the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

. The event's street circuit of 2.8 kilometers of length runs along Punta del Este's harbour and has been nicknamed the

Monte Carlo Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is ...

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

,. There is also the traditional

Punta Del Este Sevens The Uruguay Sevens, branded as Seven Punta, is an annual international rugby sevens tournament. Currently held in the capital Montevideo, it was hosted as the Punta del Este Sevens in the resort city of the same name for three decades from 198 ...

, a rugby competition that takes place in January since 1989.

Notable people

* Margaret Cooper (1918–2016), British cryptographer, born in Punta del Este * Nahitan Nandez (1995–), Uruguayan football player, born in Punta del Este

References

External links

Official site of Punta del Este municipality
* {{Authority control Populated places in the Maldonado Department Populated places established in 1907 Port cities and towns in Uruguay