Florida () is the capital of
Florida Department of
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 ...
. Having a population of over 36,000, it is home to almost half of the inhabitants of the department.
Geography
It is located on
Route 5, around north of
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 ...
.
The stream Arroyo Santa Lucía Chico flows along the east and south limits of the city.
Climate
On 14 January 2022, Florida recorded a temperature of , which is the joint highest temperature (along with
Paysandú
Paysandú () is the capital and most populous city of the Paysandú Department in western Uruguay. Located on the banks of the Uruguay River, it is the country's List of cities in Uruguay, fourth-largest city and a vital cultural and economic hu ...
) to have ever been recorded in Uruguay.
History
The city was founded on 24 April 1809 with this name, Florida, in honor of the
count of Floridablanca, the prime minister of the Spanish crown. It had acquired the status of "Villa" (town) before the Independence of Uruguay. On 10 July 1856, it became capital city of the department by the Act of Ley Nº 493 and on 19 April 1894 its status was elevated to "Ciudad" (city) by the Act of Ley Nº 2.258.
It is home of the famous ''Piedra Alta de la Florida'', the place of the Declaration of Independence in 1825. The city is also famous for San Cono's chapel, where multitudes gather every 3 June.
An important building is the
Cathedral of Florida, which is the National Sanctuary of the
Virgin of the Thirty-Three.
Population
In 2023, Florida had a population of 36,471.
Source: ''Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Uruguay''
Economic activity and noted events
Sister city
Florida has one sister city:
*
Asunción
Asunción (, ) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay. The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay of Asunción in the north ...
, Paraguay
Places of worship
*
Cathedral Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Thirty-Three (
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. Joseph Parish Church (Roman Catholic)
*
St. Thérèse of Lisieux Parish Church (Roman Catholic)
*
St. Conus Chapel in Florida, a very popular Roman Catholic pilgrimage sanctuary
Notable People
*
Medardo R. Farías (1898-1960), Uruguayan army general and aviator
References
External links
INE map of Ciudad de FloridaCentro Comercial e Industrial de Florida
{{Authority control
Populated places in the Florida Department
Populated places established in 1809
1809 establishments in South America