Artigas Department
The
Artigas Department (
Spanish:
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.
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).
The department was created by law on the 1st of October, 1884, with part of the territory which formerly belonged to Salto.
Its unique climatic conditions have made possible the development of an important agroindustrial centre, centered in the city of
Bella Unión, specialized in several crops, such as assorted fruits and vegerables,
sugar cane and
rice.The main economical activity in the rest of the department is livestock raising.
Semi-precious stones, such as
agates and
amethysts are also obtained in the department, and an entire industry has been forged around their extraction and manufacturing, especially near the city of
Artigas.
Its proximity to Brasil have made it possible for an important trade flow to be established here (which is normally unfavourable to Uruguay's interests), which partially compensates the fact that its 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).
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):
| total population: | 75.07 years |
| male: | 70.62 years |
| female: | 79.70 years
*Average Family Size: 2.77 children/woman
*Urban per capita income (cities of 5,000 inhabitants or more): 2,928.1 pesos/monthMain Urban Centres(Towns or cities with 1,000 or more inhabitants listed - data from the 2004 census, unless noted otherwise)
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