Florida () 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
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 ...
. It is located in the south of the central part of the country with
Durazno Department
Durazno (; ) is a Departments of Uruguay, department of Uruguay. Its capital is Durazno. Its name means ''"peach"'' in Spanish language, Spanish, referring to the department's peaches and its status as an agricultural breadbasket. It is located i ...
to its north, 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 ...
and
Lavalleja
Lavalleja (; ) is a Departments of Uruguay, department of Uruguay. Its capital is Minas, Uruguay, Minas. It is located in the southeast of the country, bordered to the north by the department of Treinta y Tres Department, Treinta y Tres to the ea ...
to its east,
Canelones Department
The Departamento de Canelones (; ) is one of the 19 Uruguayan departments. With an area of and 608,956 inhabitants at the 2023 Census, it is located in the south of Uruguay. Its capital is Canelones. Ciudad de la Costa is the largest city by ...
to its south and 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
San José to its west.
History
Florida Department was formed on 10 July 1856 from part of
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 ...
.
In 1760 the first populated place in its territory started by creating a fortress, the Fortín del Pintado, and in 1809 the "Villa de San Fernando de la Florida" was created. During the events of the Independence of Uruguay, a temporary government was set up in this town, and on 25 August 1825, the ''Congreso de la Florida'' proclaimed the three fundamental laws of the new independent country.
Geography
Most of the border of the department with
Durazno Department
Durazno (; ) is a Departments of Uruguay, department of Uruguay. Its capital is Durazno. Its name means ''"peach"'' in Spanish language, Spanish, referring to the department's peaches and its status as an agricultural breadbasket. It is located i ...
in the north is formed by the
Yí River, with many of its tributaries flowing in the north part of the department. From east to west, these are the streams: Arroyo del Pescado, Arroyo Molles del Pescado, Arroyo Illescas, Arroyo Sauce, Arroyo Mansavillagra, Arroyo Timote, Arroyo Molles del Timote, Arroyo de Castro, Arroyo Sarandí and Arroyo Sauce de Villaneuva, which also forms the border near the city of
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 ...
. The border then follows Arroyo Batoví a tributary of Arroyo Maciel, the later forming big part of the border of the department with
Flores Department
Flores () is a Departments of Uruguay, department of Uruguay, positioned in the southwest of the central part of the country. Its capital is Trinidad, Uruguay, Trinidad. It borders Durazno Department to the north and east, Florida Department to th ...
to the west and is itself a tributary of Yí River.
Further south, separating the department from
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 west, is the stream Arroyo de la Virgen, a tributary of
Santa Lucia River. The later forms the south border of the department, separating it from
Canelones Department
The Departamento de Canelones (; ) is one of the 19 Uruguayan departments. With an area of and 608,956 inhabitants at the 2023 Census, it is located in the south of Uruguay. Its capital is Canelones. Ciudad de la Costa is the largest city by ...
, with its tributaries flowing through the south part of the department. From east to west, these are: Arroyo Chamaré and Arroyo Casurá, both of which are part of the east border of the department, Arroyo Chamizo, Arroyo de Arias and the Santa Lucia Chico River, with Arroyo de Pintadito as its tributary. A dam in the course of the Santa Lucia Chico River near
25 de Mayo and
Cardal forms the Paso de Severino Reservoir.
Crossing the middle of the department from west to east and separating the streams of the north with those of the south, is the Cuchilla Grande Inferior hillrange, which joins the
Cuchilla Grande hillrange in the east of the department.
Demographics

As of the census of 2011, Florida Department had a population of 67,048 (32,953 male and 34,095 female) and 29,437 households.
Demographic data for Florida Department in 2010:
*Population growth rate: 0.431%
*Birth Rate: 13.92 births/1,000 people
*Death Rate: 9.56 deaths/1,000 people
*Average age: 33.5 (32.4 male, 34.6 female)
*Life Expectancy at Birth:
**Total population: 77.43 years
**Male: 74.28 years
**Female: 80.91 years
*Average per household income: 21,978 pesos/month
*Urban per capita income: 9,039 pesos/month
''2010 Data Source:''
:Rural population
According to the 2011 census, Florida department has a rural population of 9,101.
[
]
See also
* List of populated places in Uruguay#Florida Department
*
Detailed map of Florida Department
showing all populated places
and secondary roads.
See full size version in Commons.
References
External links
photo impressions of Florida Department
INE map of Florida Department
Nuestra Terra, Colección Los Departamentos, Vol.6 "Florida"
{{Authority control
Departments of Uruguay
States and territories established in 1856