Colonia () is a department of southwestern

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 ...

. Its capital is

Colonia del Sacramento Colonia del Sacramento (; ) is a city in southwestern Uruguay, by the Río de la Plata, facing Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is one of the oldest towns in Uruguay and the capital of the Colonia Department. As of the 2023 census, it has a populatio ...

, the country's second-oldest city.

Geography

Climate

Colonia has an annual average temperature of 20.4 °C (68.7 °F). In winter it has an average temperature of 9 °C (48.2 °F) and in summer it has an average temperature of 27 °C (80.6 °F)

Economy

The southwestern region of Uruguay, in which Colonia is located, is typically associated with dairy production. Its proximity to

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

makes it the main entry point for tourists traveling from

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

. Tourism is also favored by part of the capital being a

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

. The

PepsiCo PepsiCo, Inc. is an American multinational corporation, multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation headquartered in Harrison, New York, in the hamlet of Purchase, New York, Purchase. PepsiCo's business encompasses all aspects of the f ...

plant located in the department's capital, is one of the three largest worldwide, employing more than 2,000 people and serving the entire Latin American import market. The plant operates under special economic zone legislation, and as of November 2019, has successfully approved an enlargement investment for $65 million.

Demographics

As of the census of 2023, Colonia Department has a population of 135,797. :Rural population According to the 2011 census, Colonia department has an additional rural population of 11,471.

References

External links

INE map of Colonia DepartmentNuestra Terra, Colección Los Departamentos, Vol.14 "Colonia"
Departments of Uruguay States and territories established in 1816 1816 establishments in Uruguay {{Uruguay-geo-stub