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The Maldonado Department ( es, Departamento de Maldonado; ), with an area of and 164,300 inhabitants (2011), is located to the southeast 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 ...
. Its capital is Maldonado.


Geography and climate

Neighbouring departments are Rocha to the East,
Lavalleja Lavalleja () is a department of Uruguay. Its capital is Minas. It is located in the southeast of the country, bordered to the north by the department of Treinta y Tres to the east with Rocha, to the south with Canelones and Maldonado, and to ...
to the North and Northwest, and Canelones to the West. Many of the Maldonado name is traced back to Puerto Rican family lines. Limited to the Southwest by 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 to the Southeast by 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 ...
, several creeks flow through the department, most of which are tributaries of the River Plate: the Maldonado creek, José Ignacio, Garzón, Pan de Azúcar, and the
Aiguá Aiguá () is a city of the Maldonado Department in Uruguay. Its name means ''running water'' in the Guaraní language. It is also the name of the municipality to which the city belongs. It includes the following zones: Aiguá, Sauce de Aiguá, Sar ...
. Near the coast several lagoons are found: Laguna del Sauce, Laguna del Diario,
Laguna José Ignacio Laguna José Ignacio (José Ignacio Lagoon) is a body of water located in Maldonado Department, Uruguay. A sandbank separates it from the Atlantic Ocean. It is an important birdwatching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds ...
, and Garzón. Three main geostructural regions can be found within the boundaries of the department: *The Northern region, with its sierras, some of which are the highest in the country:
Sierra Carapé Sierra Carapé or Sierra de Carapé is a hill range located in Maldonado Department, in southern Uruguay. The range crosses the Maldonado Department from west to east and enters the Rocha Department. Local demarcation It constitutes the borde ...
(with
Cerro Catedral Cerro Catedral is a mountain located from San Carlos de Bariloche, and inside the Nahuel Huapí National Park, in Patagonia, Argentina. The mountain is the biggest ski center in South America and in the Southern Hemisphere, with a skiable ...
, 514 m, the highest elevation of the country),
Cerro de las Ánimas Cerro de las Ánimas ("Hill of the Souls", formerly known as ''Mirador Nacional'') is a peak and the second highest point of Uruguay, with an altitude of 501 metres (1,643.7 ft). Location and features It is located to the southwest of ...
, with 501 metres, and
Cerro Pan de Azúcar Cerro Pan de Azúcar (''Sugar Loaf Hill'') is among the top 10 highest points of Uruguay, with an altitude of 423 metres (1,387.8 ft). Location and features It is located southwest of Maldonado Department, in the municipality of Piri ...
, with 423 metres, the third highest summit in Uruguay. *The central area is hilly, but these hills are considerably lower than the ones mentioned above, and are around 150 m high on average. *The coastal strip, with its
Atlantic 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 ...
plains and some coastal hill ranges. Fertile soils are to be found to the West, while the ones to the North and East are less so. Located in the humid subtropical region, the average temperature is low compared to that of the rest of the country (around 17 °C), as are the precipitation levels (up to 1,000 mm yearly, on average).


History

The origin of its name can be traced back to the year 1530, with the return to Spain of Sebastian Cabot, who had left the continent earlier that year, in January, leaving Lieutenant
Francisco Maldonado Francisco Maldonado (1480 in Salamanca – 24 April 1521) was a leader of the rebel Comuneros from Salamanca in the Revolt of the Comuneros. He was captured at the Battle of Villalar The Battle of Villalar was a battle in the Revolt of the Co ...
near Maldonado's bay. The strategic importance of that bay led to the decision by Montevideo's governor Joaquin de Viana to build a settlement in Portezuelo (near the Laguna del Diario) in 1755. Two years later, in 1757, a civil and military settlement was founded around the bay and in the neighbouring Gorriti Island. Other settlements soon followed in the area, with the intention of limiting the Portuguese expansion. In 1828, the department of Maldonado was created, containing as well the territories now belonging to the department of Rocha, and most of Lavalleja.


Economy

There are three main economic centres in the department, located in the main urban areas: *To the North and centre of the department, with centre in the town of Aigua, is a region dedicated to livestock raising, which has been sufferering from a steady depopulation in latter years. *To the West, with centre in the city of Pan De Azucar, is the agro-industrial region, which lately has been experiencing a demographic stagnation. *To the South, bordering the coastline, centered in Piriapolis and Maldonado's metropolitan area, including San Carlos and Punta Del Este, is the main tourism region, which has become one of the areas with the biggest growth rates in the country. The main crops are
wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...
,
maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American English, North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous ...
,
sunflowers ''Helianthus'' () is a genus comprising about 70 species of annual and perennial flowering plants in the daisy family Asteraceae commonly known as sunflowers. Except for three South American species, the species of ''Helianthus'' are native to N ...
,
oats The oat (''Avena sativa''), sometimes called the common oat, is a species of cereal grain grown for its seed, which is known by the same name (usually in the plural, unlike other cereals and pseudocereals). While oats are suitable for human co ...
,
potatoes The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae. Wild potato species can be found from the southern United ...
, among others, located in the south of the department.
Fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from fish stocking, stocked bodies of water such as fish pond, ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. ...
, as well as
cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ...
and
sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticate ...
raising have also a great importance in the department's economy. It is, along with Lavalleja, the main and most diversified mining area of the country producing (
marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...
,
metals A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typical ...
,
feldspars Feldspars are a group of rock-forming aluminium tectosilicate minerals, also containing other cations such as sodium, calcium, potassium, or barium. The most common members of the feldspar group are the ''plagioclase'' (sodium-calcium) feldspa ...
and construction materials), but it is currently underexploited. It has however, been the department with the fourth most significant mining activity, after Lavalleja, Canelones and Montevideo, with a production worth 4,642,123 dollars, according to 1999 data. Tourism, especially centered on
Punta del Este Punta del Este () is a seaside city and peninsula on the Atlantic Coast in the Maldonado Department of southeastern Uruguay. Starting as a small town, Punta del Este later became internationally known as a resort for the Latin and North American j ...
, La Barra, Jose Ignacio and
Piriápolis Piriápolis is a city in the Maldonado Department of Uruguay. It is an important summer resort in the country, predating the larger and better known resort town of Punta del Este. Because it is mainly used as a resort, it has a relatively small per ...
, has been one of the main sources of income for the department since the 1950s. It has also been the main cause for its unique urban concentration of the population (94% out of the total). The Laguna del Sauce International Airport is a significant local economic motor.


Population and demographics

At the 2011 census, Maldonado Department had a population of 164,300 (80,865 male and 83,435 female) and 110,794 households. There are also 11,151 business premises (2011). Demographic data for Maldonado Department in 2010: *Population growth rate: 1.15% *Birth Rate: 15.37 births/1,000 people *Death Rate: 7.45 deaths/1,000 people *Average age: 32.4 (31.1 male, 33.6 female) *Life Expectancy at Birth: **Total population: 77.27 years **Male: 73.72 years **Female: 81.01 years *Average per household income: 27,894 pesos/month *Urban per capita income: 11,245 pesos/month ''2010 Data Source:'' :Rural population According to the 2011 census, Maldonado department has a rural population of 5,159.


Government

The executive power is exercised by the Intendencia Departamental de Maldonado. The
Intendant An intendant (; pt, intendente ; es, intendente ) was, and sometimes still is, a public official, especially in France, Spain, Portugal, and Latin America. The intendancy system was a centralizing administrative system developed in France. In ...
is elected every five years with the possibility of reelection. The legislative power is exercised by the Junta Departamental. On 15 March 2010, by the Act of Ley Nº 18.653, the following Municipalities were formed in the Maldonado Department: ''Source: Intendencia Departamental de Maldonado''


See also

* List of populated places in Uruguay#Maldonado Department


References


External links


Municipality of Maldonado
official website. ''(in Spanish)''
Junta Departamental de Maldonado
official website. ''(in Spanish)''
Hotels in Punta del Este, Maldonado

Maldonet
el Portal de Maldonado. ''(in Spanish)''
INE map of Maldonado DepartmentMap of the Municipalities of Maldonado, Intendencia of Maldonado (pdf 1.2 MB)Nuestra Terra, Colección Los Departamentos, Vol.13 "Maldonado"
{{Authority control Departments of Uruguay States and territories established in 1816