Mercedes (Mercedes)
Mercedes is the capital and largest city of the department of Soriano in Uruguay. According to the census 2011, it is the tenth most populated city of the country.
Mercedes is an important centre of tourism, commerce and a commercial port. Its main industries are based on agriculture, dairy products, paper manufacturing and industrial activities. Its rambla (riverside promenade) is one of the widest in the country.
Mercedes was founded in 1788 by the priest Manuel Antonio de Castro y Careaga with the name of Capilla Nueva de las Mercedes. It had acquired the status of "Villa" (town) before the Independence of Uruguay. On 6 July 1857, its status was elevated to "Ciudad" (city) and it was designated as capital of Soriano, one of the nine original departments of the Republic at the time, by the Act of Law Nº 531. Previously, the capital of the department was Villa Soriano.
Mercedes is an important centre of tourism, commerce and a commercial port. Its main industries are based on agriculture, dairy products, paper manufacturing and industrial activities. Its rambla (riverside promenade) is one of the widest in the country.
Mercedes was founded in 1788 by the priest Manuel Antonio de Castro y Careaga with the name of Capilla Nueva de las Mercedes. It had acquired the status of "Villa" (town) before the Independence of Uruguay. On 6 July 1857, its status was elevated to "Ciudad" (city) and it was designated as capital of Soriano, one of the nine original departments of the Republic at the time, by the Act of Law Nº 531. Previously, the capital of the department was Villa Soriano.
Map - Mercedes (Mercedes)
Map
Country - Uruguay
Flag of Uruguay |
The area that became Uruguay was first inhabited by groups of hunter–gatherers 13,000 years ago. The predominant tribe at the moment of the arrival of Europeans was the Charrúa people, when the Portuguese first established Colónia do Sacramento in 1680; Uruguay was colonized by Europeans late relative to neighboring countries. The Spanish founded Montevideo as a military stronghold in the early 18th century because of the competing claims over the region. Uruguay won its independence between 1811 and 1828, following a four-way struggle between Portugal and Spain, and later Argentina and Brazil. It remained subject to foreign influence and intervention throughout the 19th century, with the military playing a recurring role in domestic politics. A series of economic crises and the political repression against left-wing guerrilla activity in the late 1960s and early 1970s put an end to a democratic period that had begun in the early 20th century, culminating in the 1973 coup d'état, which established a civic-military dictatorship. The military government persecuted leftists, socialists, and political opponents, resulting in deaths and numerous instances of torture by the military; the military relinquished power to a civilian government in 1985. Uruguay is today a democratic constitutional republic, with a president who serves as both head of state and head of government.
Currency / Language
ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
---|---|---|---|
UYU | Uruguayan peso | $ | 2 |
ISO | Language |
---|---|
ES | Spanish language |