Flores Department
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Flores () 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 ...
, positioned in the southwest of the central part of the country. Its capital is
Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...
. It borders
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 the north and east,
Florida Department Florida () is a department of Uruguay. Its capital is Florida. It is located in the south of the central part of the country with Durazno Department to its north, the departments of Treinta y Tres and Lavalleja to its east, Canelones Department t ...
to the southeast,
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 south and
Soriano Department Soriano () is a department of Uruguay. Its capital is Mercedes. It is located on the west of the country, south of Río Negro Department, north of Colonia Department and west of Flores Department. Its western border is the Río Uruguay, separa ...
to the west. Its density of population was the lowest during the 2011 census, closely followed by the departments of Durazno and Treinta y Tres.


History

The department was formed in 1885 from part of San José Department, during the government of President
Máximo Santos Máximo Benito Santos Barbosa (15 April 1847 – 19 May 1889) was a Uruguayan political and military figure. Background Santos pursued a career in the military, prior to serving as Minister for War from 1880 to 1882. He was a member of the Color ...
. It is named after the former Colorado Party leader,
Venancio Flores Venancio Flores Barrios (18 May 1808 – 19 February 1868) was a Uruguayan political leader and general. Flores was President of Uruguay from 1854 to 1855 (interim) and from 1865 to 1868. Background and early career In 1839, he was made politic ...
, who was born in Trinidad in the nineteenth century. The department has many sites of prehistoric
rock art In archaeology, rock art is human-made markings placed on natural surfaces, typically vertical stone surfaces. A high proportion of surviving historic and prehistoric rock art is found in caves or partly enclosed rock shelters; this type also ...
. Such examples of rock art are particularly concentrated at
Chamangá Chamangá is an area within a rocky terrain in the Flores Department of Uruguay, where a considerable quantity of ancient rock art has survived. The Chamangá River, a tributary of the Yí River, flows nearby. History In recent years there has ...
(
Localidad Rupestre de Chamangá The Chamangá Rock Art Place ( es, Localidad Rupestre de Chamangá) is a concentration of rock painting located at Chamangá to the east of Trinidad, Uruguay. See also * Chamangá Chamangá is an area within a rocky terrain in the Flores De ...
). Another site of interest is the
Palace Cave The Palace Cave ( es, Gruta del Palacio) is located at Flores Department, not far away from Trinidad, Uruguay. History The rocks in which the cave is formed date to the Late Cretaceous and is composed of sandstone, which during the Paleocene. ...
.


Economy

Outside Trinidad, Flores is agricultural, primarily raising cattle for export and sheep for wool and
Gaucho A gaucho () or gaúcho () is a skilled horseman, reputed to be brave and unruly. The figure of the gaucho is a folk symbol of Argentina, Uruguay, Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, and the south of Chilean Patagonia. Gauchos became greatly admired and ...
s, the
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 sout ...
n cowboys, can still be seen riding the plains. There are many active ranches (Spanish: ''estancias''), some of which can be visited by tourists. However, Flores keeps its traditions whilst utilising the best of modern technology. For example, horses are frequently used for round-ups, but communications are all digital, and wireless internet is available throughout the department.


Fauna

Over 100 species of birds can be found in Flores. For example, rufous
hornero The hornero birds are members of the genus ''Furnarius'' in the family Furnariidae, native to South America. Horneros are brown birds with rather short tails and fairly long bills. They are known for building mud nests that resemble old wood- ...
s, with their oven-like nests, can be seen sitting atop fence posts. Huge colonies of green
parrot Parrots, also known as psittacines (), are birds of the roughly 398 species in 92 genera comprising the order Psittaciformes (), found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three superfamilies: the Psittacoide ...
s' nests hang high in the tall eucalyptus. Southern
lapwing Lapwings (subfamily Vanellinae) are any of various ground-nesting birds (family Charadriidae) akin to plovers and dotterels. They range from in length, and are noted for their slow, irregular wingbeats in flight and a shrill, wailing cry. A gro ...
s, locally known as teros,
burrowing owl The burrowing owl (''Athene cunicularia''), also called the shoco, is a small, long-legged owl found throughout open landscapes of North and South America. Burrowing owls can be found in grasslands, rangelands, agricultural areas, deserts, or an ...
s, and elegant-crested tinamou nest in open fields while long wing harriers, gray
eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...
s, and hawks soar high above. Some of the largest great kiskadees are extremely common as are the guira, a type of
cuckoo Cuckoos are birds in the Cuculidae family, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes . The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals and anis. The coucals and anis are sometimes separ ...
. Along quiet country lanes giant wood rails, pink
spoonbills Spoonbills are a genus, ''Platalea'', of large, long-legged wading birds. The spoonbills have a global distribution, being found on every continent except Antarctica. The genus name ''Platalea'' derives from Ancient Greek and means "broad", re ...
and
kingfishers Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly colored birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species found in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, ...
can be seen, alongside flocks of ibis and white
egret Egrets ( ) are herons, generally long-legged wading birds, that have white or buff plumage, developing fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season. Egrets are not a biologically distinct group from herons and have the same build ...
s in the pastures. Red headed cardinals, both orange throated and red necked woodpeckers, and scissor-tailed nightjars can be seen in the small stands of trees that dot the countryside. Long, split tailed flycatchers zip above the rich grass around twilight. Glittering-bellied emerald hummingbirds drink from the tall purple flowers that carpet the fields from Spring until Fall.
Tegu Tegu is a common name of a number of species of lizards that belong to the families Teiidae and Gymnophthalmidae. Tegus are native to Central and South America. They occupy a variety of habitats and are known for their large size and predator ...
lizards, armadillos,
fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...
, skunks, hares, opossums and
snake Snakes are elongated, Limbless vertebrate, limbless, carnivore, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other Squamata, squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping Scale (zoology), scales. Ma ...
s enjoy the undeveloped pastures which dominate the department. A nature reserve is maintained in the department's capital, Trinidad.


Population and Demographics

It is the most sparsely populated of all the Uruguayan departments with a population density of under 5 people per km² and 350,000 head of cattle. Of the total population of 25,050, some 21,430 live in the capital
Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...
. As of the census of 2011, Flores Department had a population of 25,050 (12,342 male and 12,708 female) and 10,589 households. Demographic data for Flores Department in 2010: *Population growth rate: 0.151% *Birth Rate: 14.73 births/1,000 people *Death Rate: 9.25 deaths/1,000 people *Average age: 34.3 (33.2 male, 35.5 female) *Life Expectancy at Birth: **Total population: 78.66 years **Male: 74.82 years **Female: 82.20 years *Average per household income: 26,324 pesos/month *Urban per capita income: 11,025 pesos/month ''2010 Data Source:'' :Urban population
:Rural population
Flores department has a rural population of 2,068.
Population data stated according to the 2011 census.


Culture

Noted local musical talent includes that of the musician
Danilo Pallares Echeverría Danilo Pallares Echeverría is a Uruguayan writer and musician. Writings and music By way of contributing to Uruguayan regional cultural identity, Pallares is the author of the anthem 'Flores Hymn' (Spanish: 'Himno a Flores'). This work is someti ...
. The Duo Chamangá (see also: Chamangá#Singing duo) is a noted local musical partnership.


Noted local individuals

* Dr.
Armando Castaingdebat Armando Castaingdebat Colombo (born 25 October 1959 in Trinidad, Uruguay) is a Uruguayan veterinarian and political figure of the National Party. Graduating from the University of the Republic with a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine, he has been ...
is the administrative head of Flores Department. *
Danilo Pallares Echeverría Danilo Pallares Echeverría is a Uruguayan writer and musician. Writings and music By way of contributing to Uruguayan regional cultural identity, Pallares is the author of the anthem 'Flores Hymn' (Spanish: 'Himno a Flores'). This work is someti ...
is a local writer and musician, author of the 'Flores Hymn'. * Faustino Harrison 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 ...
1962-1963. * Benito Medero was a government minister in the 1970s and Ruralist leader in the 1960s. *
Chory Castro Gonzalo "Chory" Castro Irizábal (born 14 September 1984) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays for Club Atlético River Plate (Montevideo) as a left winger. He started his career at Nacional, but played mostly in La Liga after arri ...
is an international soccer player.


See also

* List of populated places in Uruguay#Flores Department * Máximo Santos#Creation of Flores Department *
Himno a Flores Himno a Flores ('Flores hymn') is the departmental anthem
of