Artigas Department

The Artigas Department ( _es. Departamento de Artigas), with an area of 11,928 km² (4,606 square miles) and 78,019 inhabitants, it is the northernmost department of Uruguay. Its capital is Artigas.

It is named after José Artigas (1764-1850), leader of the "orientales" (inhabitants of the "Banda Oriental", the Eastern Bank of the Uruguay River) during the wars of Independence. He championed for freedom against colonial powers in the region. His liberal ways, promoting democracy with no limitations, federalism and a series of land reforms would inevitable clash with the centralised and aristocratic views of the Buenos Aires ruling class. He led the "Liga Federal" (Federal Coalition, group of Argentinian provinces including what is now Uruguay opposed to Buenos Aires strong and heavy handed government) but the war in the region involving Spain, Portugal (eventually Brazil) and Argentina and the invasion of the Portuguese saw him taking refuge in Paraguay where he died in 1850. His forward and revolutionary thinking was never implemented in Uruguay although he is revered as a national hero. It took several decades to achieve universal voting and free access to education for every child. However, his land reforms were never implemented.

Geography and climate

Neighbouring departments are Salto to the South and Rivera to the Southeast. It limits to the East and North with Brazil, and to the West with Argentina. Portions of the department's border with Brazil are disputed, but, unlike many border disputes among Latin-American countries, this has not in recent years adversely affected Uruguay's relations with its giant neighbour.

Two main geostructural regions can be found inside its limits:
*The central and eastern area, which includes a basaltic cuesta, and some sedimentary plains near the Cuareim River. Also found in the region are some hill ranges, such as the Belén Hill Range.
*The western area, which consists of a narrow alluvial plain.

Its average temperature is the highest in the whole country (over 19°C, going as high as 47°C during the Summer months), and so are its precipitation levels (up to an annual average of 1400 mm).

History

The department was created by law on 1 October 1884, with part of the territory which formerly belonged to Salto.

The Battle of Masoller, a noteworthy event in Uruguayan history, was fought on September 1 1904; Masoller is situated on the boundary between the departments of Artigas and Salto, close to the Brazilian border.

Economy

The unique climatic conditions of Artigas has made possible the development of an important agro-industrial centre, centered in the city of Bella Unión. This specializes in several crops, namely fruits and vegetables, sugar cane and rice.The main economic activity in the rest of the department is livestock raising.

Semi-precious stones, such as agates and amethysts are also found in the department, and an entire industry has risen up around their extraction and manufacturing, especially near the city of Artigas.

The proximity of the department to Brazil has made it possible for an important flow of trade to be established here, but unfortunately this is generally unfavourable to Uruguayan economic interests. Nevertheless this partially compensates for the fact that the per capita income is the lowest of the country, and the percentage of households in a critical situation is the highest in the country (13.19% of the inhabitants).

Population and Demographics

As of the census of 2004, there were 78,019 people and 21,907 households in the department. The average household size was 3.2. For every 100 females, there were 100.4 males.
*Population growth rate: 0.113% (2004)
*Birth Rate: 19.36 births/1,000 people (2004)
*Death Rate: 7.46 deaths/1,000 people
*Average age: 27.3 (25.6 Males, 28.8 Females)
*Life Expectancy at Birth (2004):
*Average Family Size: 2.77 children/woman
*Urban per capita income (cities of 5,000 inhabitants or more): 2,928.1 pesos/month

Main Urban Centres

(Towns or cities with 1,000 or more inhabitants listed - data from the 2004 census, unless noted otherwise)

Other towns and villages

Allende, Artigas, Baltasar Brum, Bella Unión, Bernabe Rivera, Brigadier General Diego Lamas, Camano, Campamento, Cuaro, Fagundez, Javier de Viana, La Bolsa, Las Piedras, Paguero,Palma, Palma Sola, Paso del Leon, Piedra Pintada, Pintado Grande, San Gregorio, Sarandi de Cuaro, Tamandua, Taruman, Tomas Gomensoro, Topador, Tres Cerros, Yacot.

ee also

* Masoller#Uruguayan-Brazilian_border_dispute