Paysandú

Paysandú
Capital city
Avenida España del Oeste
Paysandú Location in Uruguay
Coordinates: 32°19′17″S 58°4′32″W / 32.32139°S 58.07556°W / -32.32139; -58.07556Coordinates: 32°19′17″S 58°4′32″W / 32.32139°S 58.07556°W / -32.32139; -58.07556
Country	Uruguay
Department	Paysandú Department
Founded	1756
Elevation	34 m (112 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	76,412
Time zone	UTC -3
Postal code	60000
Dial plan	+598 472 (+5 digits)
Climate	Cfa

Paysandú is the capital of Paysandú Department in western Uruguay.

The city is located on the banks of Uruguay River, which forms the border with Argentina. It lies 378 kilometres (235 mi) northwest of Montevideo via Route 1 and Route 3, on the junction of the latter with Route 90. As of the census of 2011, it is the fourth most populated city of the country.

A small distance north of the city is the General Artigas Bridge that links Uruguay with the Entre Ríos Province of Argentina, south of the city Colón.

It was founded on October 1756 and had acquired the status of "Villa" (town) before the Independence of Uruguay. On 8 June 1863, its status was elevated to "Ciudad" (city) by the Act of Ley Nº 780.

General Leandro Gomez led Uruguayan forces to save the town from an invasion by Brazilian forces in 1864-5. A battle took place on 2 December 1864.

In 2011 Paysandú had a population of 76,412. It is the fourth largest city in Uruguay, after Montevideo, Salto and Ciudad de la Costa.

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Uruguay

Paysandú is more cosmopolitan than most Uruguayan cities, with many settlers from Italy, Switzerland, Poland, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, Belgium and various African nations.

Paysandú has a humid subtropical climate, described by the Köppen climate classification as Cfa. Summers are warm to hot and winters are cool, with the occurrence of frosts and fog. The precipitation is evenly distributed throughout the year, with an average of 1,181 mm (46.5 in), and the annual average temperature is around 19 °C (66 °F).