Rivera () is the capital of
Rivera Department
Rivera Department () is a department of the northern region 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 w ...
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 ...
. The border with Brazil joins it with the Brazilian city of
Santana do Livramento
Santana do Livramento is a city in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It is located along the border with the city of Rivera, Uruguay, forming together an international city of almost 170,000 inhabitants. Santana do Livramento was founded on J ...
, which is only a street away from it, at the north end of
Route 5. Together, they form an urban area of around 200,000 inhabitants. As of the census of 2011, it is the sixth most populated city of Uruguay.
History
![Obelisco - Plaza Internacional - Frontera de la Paz - Livramento - Rivera](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Obelisco_-_Plaza_Internacional_-_Frontera_de_la_Paz_-_Livramento_-_Rivera.jpeg)
On 21 March 1860 a ''pueblo'' (village) named Pereira was created by the Act of Ley Nº 614.
On 7 May 1862, it was substituted by the ''villa'' (town) named Ceballos and founded by the Act of Ley Nº 704,
[ in honour of the Spanish viceroy Pedro de Cevallos. In July 1867 it took on the official name Rivera and was recognized as a ''villa''. The Brazilian town Santana do Livramento already existed just across the border. On 1 October 1884, it became capital of the Department of Rivera by the Act of Ley Nº 1.757. Its status was elevated to ''ciudad'' (city) on 10 June 1912 by the Act of Ley Nº 4.006.][
In 1943, the Plaza Internacional Rivera-Livramento (see photo) was built to celebrate the Fifth Conference of the Commission Mixta for Mixed Limits and as a hope for the future integration of the two towns, claimed to be the only international square in the world. From 1851 to this day, inhabitants of both communities are free to move in both sides. Today, duty-free shops are one of the main economic resources of Rivera.
The first inhabitants of the city were ]Spaniards
Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance peoples, Romance ethnic group native to Spain. Within Spain, there are a number of National and regional identity in Spain, national and regional ethnic identities that reflect the country's complex Hist ...
, Italians
, flag =
, flag_caption = The national flag of Italy
, population =
, regions = Italy 55,551,000
, region1 = Brazil
, pop1 = 25–33 million
, ref1 =
, region2 ...
, Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
and some Brazilians
Brazilians ( pt, Brasileiros, ) are the citizens of Brazil. A Brazilian can also be a person born abroad to a Brazilian parent or legal guardian as well as a person who acquired Brazilian citizenship. Brazil is a multiethnic society, which me ...
immigrants who lived in Santana do Livramento
Santana do Livramento is a city in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It is located along the border with the city of Rivera, Uruguay, forming together an international city of almost 170,000 inhabitants. Santana do Livramento was founded on J ...
, on the Brazilian side of the border.
Border control
The two cities of Rivera (Uruguay) and Santana do Livramento
Santana do Livramento is a city in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It is located along the border with the city of Rivera, Uruguay, forming together an international city of almost 170,000 inhabitants. Santana do Livramento was founded on J ...
(Brazil) maintain an open border without any physical border barriers or checkpoints. Inhabitants of the twin cities are free to move anywhere within the two communities without having to undergo checks.
Travellers crossing the border here and proceeding further into the other country are required to complete border formalities at an integrated border control post located at Siñeriz Shopping in Rivera. The integrated border control post housing the immigration and customs offices of both countries was inaugurated on 28 December 2016. Previously, travellers had to visit various offices located in different parts of the twin cities.
Economy
One of the main economic activities of the city of Rivera is the duty free stores. These are aimed at Brazilian neighbors, mainly coming from the cities of Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul (, , ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative_units_of_Brazil#List, fifth-most-populous state and the List of Brazilian st ...
, near the border with Uruguay. The close proximity of Rivera makes it a popular destination for buying imported dollar products. With the fall in the price of the US currency, many devices can be bought for prices up to 40% less than similar ones sold in Brazil. The Rivera shopping limit is $300 per person. Purchases above this amount must be declared at the Federal Revenue Office for the payment of the corresponding import tax so that the product can legally enter Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
.
There is also a casino
A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...
, located on one of the avenues where the border between the two countries runs. Within the department, livestock farming, agriculture and afforestation predominate.
Population
In 2011, Rivera had a population of 64,465
Source: ''Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Uruguay''
Climate
The climate in Rivera, as well as in Santana do Livramento
Santana do Livramento is a city in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It is located along the border with the city of Rivera, Uruguay, forming together an international city of almost 170,000 inhabitants. Santana do Livramento was founded on J ...
, is humid subtropical
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'', 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 ...
), temperate in the winter and relatively warm in the summer.
Places of worship
* Church of the Immaculate Conception (Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
)
* Parish Church of St. Dominic (Roman Catholic)
* Parish Church of the Sacred Heart (Roman Catholic)
* St. Peter Parish Church (Roman Catholic)
Consular representation
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
keeps
Consulate in Rivera
located at 1159 Calle Ceballos.
Notable local people
*Ronald Araújo
Ronald Federico Araújo da Silva (born 7 March 1999) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for La Liga club Barcelona and the Uruguay national team. He was nicknamed the Titan, because of his strength and speed.
...
, professional 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 le ...
for FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football.
Founded ...
, was born in Rivera.
*Luiz Eduardo Garagorri
Luiz Eduardo Garagorri (born May 28, 1989) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight division. He competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Background
Son of a Brazilian father and an Uruguayan mother, Garago ...
, professional mixed martial artist, currently signed for UFC
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...
.
*Aparicio Méndez
Aparicio Méndez Manfredini (24 August 1904 – 27 June 1988) was a Uruguayan lawyer and political. He was a de facto President of Uruguay from 1976–1981 as a non-democratically elected authority of the civic-military dictatorship.
Backgrou ...
, from Rivera, was 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 1976 to 1981. He was never elected democratically and was chosen by the military dictatorship.
*Rodrigo Mora
Rodrigo Nicanor Mora Núñez (born 29 October 1987) is a former Uruguayan professional footballer who played as a striker.
Club career
Born in Rivera, Mora started his professional career with modest Juventud de Las Piedras. In 2008, aged 20, ...
, professional footballer for Club Atlético River Plate
Club Atlético River Plate, commonly known as River Plate, is an Argentine professional
sports club based in the Núñez, Buenos Aires, Núñez neighborhood of Buenos Aires. Founded in 1901, the club is named after the English name for the city ...
, was born in Rivera.
Transportation
There are regular bus services to 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 ...
. A rail service to Tacuarembó
Tacuarembó ( Guarani: ''Takuarembo'', literally: "Bamboo shoot") is the capital city of the Tacuarembó Department in north-central Uruguay.
Location and geography
The city is located on Km. 390 of Route 5, south-southwest of Rivera, the c ...
has been run intermittently.
Rivera is served by Pres. Gral. Óscar D. Gestido International Airport, which receives light aircraft and a regular service by Brazilian airline GOL to Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre (, , Brazilian ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population of 1,488,252 inhabitants (2020) makes it the List of largest cities in Brazil, twelfth most populous city in the country ...
.
Sports
The Estadio Atilio Paiva Olivera Estadio Atilio Paiva Olivera is a multi-use stadium in Rivera, Uruguay. It is currently used mostly for football matches.
The stadium holds 27,135 people. It was used for the 1995 Copa América and the 1999 South American Under-17 Football Champi ...
holds 27,115 people and was used in the 1995 Copa América
The 1995 Copa América football tournament was staged in Uruguay. It was won by Uruguay, who beat Brazil 5–3 in the penalty shootout after a 1–1 draw in the final. All 10 CONMEBOL members took part, with Mexico and the United States invited i ...
.
The Skatepark of Rivera is on Presidente Viera Street.
Twin towns – sister cities
Rivera is twinned with:
See also
* Rivera Department
Rivera Department () is a department of the northern region 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 w ...
* List of diplomatic missions in Uruguay#Consulate-General in Rivera
* Rivera HVDC Back-to-back station Rivera HVDC Back-to-back station is the first HVDC Back-to-back station situated south of Rivera, Uruguay
Rivera () is the capital of Rivera Department of Uruguay. The border with Brazil joins it with the Brazilian city of Santana do Livramento, w ...
References
External links
INE map of Rivera, Santa Teresa, Mandubí and Lagunón
{{Authority control
Rivera Department
Populated places in the Rivera Department
Populated places established in 1867
Divided cities
Brazil–Uruguay border crossings