Durazno (; ) is a 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 ...

. Its capital is

Durazno Durazno is the capital city of the Durazno Department, department of Durazno in Uruguay. Geography The city is located at the intersection of Route 5 (Uruguay), Routes 5 and 41, in the south of the department, close to the borders with the depar ...

. Its name means ''"

peach The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and Agriculture, cultivated in China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and the glossy-skinned, non-fuzzy varieties called necta ...

"'' in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

, 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 by the Río Negro and the Río Yi to the South. To its north are the departments of Río Negro and

Tacuarembó Tacuarembó ( Guaraní language, Guarani: ''Takuarembo'', literally: "Bamboo shoot") is the capital city of the Tacuarembó Department in north-central Uruguay. History On 24 October 1831, a presidential decree by Fructuoso Rivera ordered the cr ...

, to it southeast the departments of

Treinta y Tres Treinta y Tres () is the capital city of the Treinta y Tres Department in eastern Uruguay. It is known for its role in the development of folk music. History Its name means "Thirty Three" and refers to the 19th-century national heroes, the Thirty ...

, to its south the departments of

Flores Flores is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands, a group of islands in the eastern half of Indonesia. Administratively, it forms the largest island in the East Nusa Tenggara Province. The area is 14,250 km2. Including Komodo and Rinca islands ...

and

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, while on its east is the department of Cerro Largo.

History

In 1827, while the territory was under Portuguese dominion, the Portuguese asked their ally, General Fructuoso Rivera to establish a military body of cavalry and artillery in the area of Paso del Durazno on the banks of Río Yi. For this, the town of San Pedro del Durazno was founded, named after the regent of Brazil. In 1828 the department named "Entre Ríos Yí y Negro" was formed, which was soon after renamed to Durazno. When the First Constitution of Uruguay was signed in 1830, Durazno was one of the nine original departments of the Republic.

Demographics

As of the census of 2011, Durazno Department had a population of 57,088 (28,216 male and 28,872 female) and 23,023 households. Demographic data for Florida Department in 2010: *Population growth rate: 0.696% *Birth Rate: 15.62 births/1,000 people *Death Rate: 8.08 deaths/1,000 people *Average age: 31.3 (30.6 male, 32.1 female) *Life Expectancy at Birth: **Total population: 78.24 years **Male: 74.34 years **Female: 82.12 years *Average per household income: 21,515 pesos/month *Urban per capita income: 7,934 pesos/month ''2010 Data Source:'' :Rural population According to the 2011 census, Durazno department has a rural population of 4,951.

Economy

The economy of

largely depends on agriculture and agrotourism. The raising of sheep, and of cattle, both dairy and for beef are of great importance. The Rural Society of Durazno groups together many of the landowning businesses in the department. In the 1930s the Government of

Gabriel Terra José Luis Gabriel Terra Leivas (August 1, 1873 – September 15, 1942) was a Uruguayan lawyer and statesman who served as the 26th constitutional president of Uruguay from 1931 to 1933 and as dictator until 1938. He led a traditionalist and ...

undertook considerable hydroelectric development in the department.

Map of the department

Notable people

Juan José de Amézaga Juan José de Amézaga Landaroso (January 28, 1881 – August 21, 1956) was a Uruguayan political figure and 28th President of Uruguay. Background Amézaga was a prominent member of the Colorado Party, which ruled the country for long peri ...

served as a deputy for the department in the early years of the 20th century and later served as

President of Uruguay The president of Uruguay (), officially known as the president of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay (), is the head of state and head of government of Uruguay. The president presides over the Cabinet of Uruguay, Council of Ministers, directing ...

from 1943 to 1947. * Santiago Bordaberry, himself from a prominent political family, is a noted rural affairs activist in Durazno. * Francisco Davant was a prominent local arboriculturist, active in local government. (see:

Villa del Carmen Villa del Carmen or Carmen is a town in Durazno Department of central Uruguay, the third largest populated place in the department, after Durazno and Sarandí del Yí. Geography The town is located on the intersection of Routes 14 and 42, about ...

)

References

External links

INE map of Durazno DepartmentNuestra Terra, Colección Los Departamentos, Vol.12 "Durazno"
{{Authority control Departments of Uruguay States and territories established in 1822 1822 establishments in Brazil