Maldonado, Uruguay

Maldonado
—  Capital city  —
Maldonado Location in Uruguay
Coordinates: 34°54′0″S 54°57′0″W / 34.9°S 54.95°W / -34.9; -54.95Coordinates: 34°54′0″S 54°57′0″W / 34.9°S 54.95°W / -34.9; -54.95
Country	Uruguay
Department	Maldonado Department
Founded	1754
Founder	Joaquín de Viana
Government
- Mayor(Alcalde)	Juan Carlos Bayeto (Broad Front)
Population (2004)
- Total	54,603
- Demonym	Fernandino
Time zone	UTC -3
Postal code	20000
Area code(s)	+598 42

Maldonado is the capital of Maldonado Department of Uruguay. It is located on Route 39 and shares borders with Punta del Este to the south, Pinares - Las Delicias to the south and to the east and suburb La Sonrisa to the north. Together they all for a unified metropolitan area. East of the city flows the stream Arroyo Maldonado. The next city to the north is San Carlos, only 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) away on Route 39.

History

Maldonado was founded in 1755 at the initiative of the Governor of Montevideo Joaquin de Viana. It was firmly established by the arrival of 104 permanent settlers in 1757. Its original name was Maldonado, but, years later, its name was changed to San Fernando de Maldonado, in honor of King Ferdinand VI of Spain.

Population

In 2004, it had a population of 54,603.^[1]

Year	Population
1963	15,372
1975	22,762
1985	33,535
1996	48,936
2004	54,603

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Uruguay^[2]

Main sights

Remarkable sights in Maldonado include:

• San Fernando de Maldonado Cathedral, a neoclassic cathedral begun in 1801 and completed in 1895;
• Cuartel de Dragones (The Dragoons' Barracks), a Spanish garrison begun in 1771 and completed in 1797;
• Torre del Vigia (meaning "tower of vigilance" or, more simply, "watchtower"), built in 1800 under the direction of Rafael Pérez del Puerto, its function was to inform the authorities of the entrance in Buenos Aires of the approach of any ship to the Río de la Plata;
• El Puente de la Barra^[3], a stressed ribbon bridge, where the roadbed swoops up, down, and back up and down once more, demonstrating an exceptional economy of material;
• Casapueblo hotel

Notes

1. ^ "2004 Census of Maldonado department" (XLS). INE. 2004. http://www.ine.gub.uy/fase1new/Maldonado/Cuadro7_10.XLS. Retrieved 4 July 2011. 
2. ^ "1963–1996 Statistics / M" (DOC). Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Uruguay. 2004. http://www.ine.gub.uy/biblioteca/toponimico/TOPOletraM.doc. Retrieved 4 July 2011. 
3. ^ Puente de la Barra de Maldonado at Structurae. Retrieved on 2009-12-07. 34°54′39″S 54°52′22″W / 34.9109038°S 54.8727447°W / -34.9109038; -54.8727447

See also

• Maldonado Department Main Urban Centres

External links

• Many pictures of Maldonado, Punta del Este, Punta Ballena, Casapueblo, José Ignacio, Piriápolis, La Barra, Sierra De Las Animas
• The Maldonado Portal
• INE map of Maldonado