Montevideo Former colonial name: City of San Felipe y Santiago de Montevideo |
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Capital city | ||
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Motto: Con libertad ni ofendo ni temo With liberty I offend not, I fear not. |
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Coordinates: 34°53′1″S 56°10′55″W / 34.88361°S 56.18194°WCoordinates: 34°53′1″S 56°10′55″W / 34.88361°S 56.18194°W | ||
Country | Uruguay | |
Department | Montevideo | |
Founded | 1724 | |
Founded by | Bruno Mauricio de Zabala | |
Government | ||
• Type | Strong mayor | |
• Intendant | Daniel Martínez | |
Area | ||
• Capital city | 201 km2 (77.5 sq mi) | |
• Metro | 1,640 km2 (633 sq mi) | |
The department area is 530 square kilometres (200 sq mi) and the conurbated built-up area 1,110 square kilometres (430 sq mi). | ||
Elevation | 43 m (141 ft) | |
Population (2011) | ||
• Capital city | 1,305,082 | |
• Density | 6,726/km2 (17,421/sq mi) | |
• Urban | 1,719,453 | |
• Metro | 1,947,604 | |
• Department | 1,319,108 | |
Demonym(s) |
montevideano (m) montevideana (f) Montevidean (English) |
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Time zone | UYT (UTC−3) | |
Postal code | 11#00 & 12#00 | |
Dial plan | (+598) 2XXX XXXX | |
HDI (2015) |
very high 1st city in Latin America |
Montevideo (Spanish pronunciation: [monteβiˈðe.o]) is the capital and largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of 201 square kilometres (78 sq mi). The southernmost capital city in the Americas, Montevideo is situated in the southern coast of the country, on the northeastern bank of the Río de la Plata.
The city was established in 1724 by a Spanish soldier, Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst the Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region. It was also under brief British rule in 1807. Montevideo hosted all the matches during the first FIFA World Cup. Montevideo is the seat of the administrative headquarters of Mercosur and ALADI, Latin America’s leading trade blocs, position that entailed comparisons to the role of Brussels in Europe.
Montevideo has consistently been rated as having the highest quality of life of any city in Latin America: by 2015 has held this rank every year during the last decade. As of 2010[update], Montevideo was the 19th largest city economy in the continent and 9th highest income earner among major cities. In 2015, it has a GDP of $ 40.5 billion, and a per capita of $24,400.