Flores Department

Flores is a department of south-central Uruguay.

History and cultural heritage

The department is named after the former Colorado Party leader, Venancio Flores, who was born in Trinidad in the nineteenth century.

The department has many sites of prehistoric rock art. Such examples of rock art are particularly concentrated at Chamangá.

Economy

Outside Trinidad, Flores is agricultural, primarily raising cattle for export and sheep for wool and Gauchos, the South American cowboys, can still be seen riding the plains. However, Flores keeps its traditions whilst utilising the best of modern technology. For example, in Trinidad horsecarts can still be widely observed, but communications are all digital, and wireless internet is available throughout the department.

Fauna

Over 100 species of birds can be found in Flores. For example, rufous horneros, with their oven-like nests, can be seen sitting atop fence posts. Huge colonies of green parrots' nests hang high in the tall eucalyptus. Southern lapwings, locally known as teros, burrowing owls, and elegant-crested tinamou nest in open fields while long wing harriers, gray eagles, and hawks soar high above. Some of the largest great kiskadees are extremely common as are the guira, a type of cuckoo. Along quiet country lanes giant wood rails, pink spoonbills and kingfishers can be seen, alongside flocks of ibis and white egrets in the pastures. Red headed cardinals, both orange throated and red necked woodpeckers, and scissor-tailed nightjars can be seen in the small stands of trees that dot the countryside. Long, split tailed flycatchers zip above the rich grass around twilight. Glittering-bellied emerald hummingbirds drink from the tall purple flowers that carpet the fields from Spring until Fall.

Tegu lizards, armadillos, fox, skunks, hares, opossums and snakes enjoy the undeveloped pastures which dominate the department.

Population and Demographics

It is the most sparsely populated of all the Uruguayan departments with a population density of under 5 people per km²and 350,000 head of cattle. Of the total population of 25,000, some 20,000 live in the capital Trinidad.

As of the census of 2004, there were 25,104 people and 8,137 households in the department. The average household size was 3.0. For every 100 females, there were 97.5 males.

*Population growth rate: -0.313% (2004)
*Birth Rate: 14.20 births/1,000 people (2004)
*Death Rate: 9.97 deaths/1,000 people
*Average age: 34.2 (32.8 Males, 35.7 Females)
*Life Expectancy at Birth (2004):