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Montevideo

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:''This article is about the capital of Uruguay. There is also Montevideo, Minnesota, in the United States of America.''

Image:Montevideouruguaynasa.jpg thumb|200px|Montevideo Image:Montevideo centro y puerto.jpg thumb|200px|Downtown and port, Montevideo Image:MontevideoIndependencePlaza1900.jpg thumb|200px|Independence Plaza, c. 1900 Image:Karte_Montevideo_MKL1888_kl.png thumb|200px|1888 German map of Montevideo

'''Montevideo''' is Uruguay's capital, chief port, and by far its largest city. It is therefore considered a primate city.

Population
1.4 million, approximately 1/3 of which is of Italian descent, a large percentage of the remainder is other white European in origin, especially Spain and Portugal - totalling some 88% of the demographic. Montevideo's population makes up roughly 44% of the entire country of Uruguay, and the surrounding province of Canelones, essentially Montevideo's suburbs and direct rural area, makes up another 12%. Uruguay's indigenous population was wiped out during the colonization period and there are virtually no descendants remaining. There is a small (8%) mestizo (mixed indigenous and European) and (4%) African population, who are, for the most part, marginalized by the rest of the community. While the dominant portion of the population is Catholic, there is also a well assimilated, but active Jewish population numbering in the 40,000s.

Location/climate
Montevideo is situated in the south of the country, at the northern mouth of the very wide River Plate ''(RÃo de la Plata)'' estuary. The geographic coordinates are 34.5Â° S, 56Â°W. The climate is mild, with average temperatures of approximately 13Â°C, achieving 40Â°C or more in summer. ''18 de Julio'', the city's main avenue and one of the finest of South America, extends from the Plaza Independencia, which is the junction between the ''Ciudad Vieja'' (the historical quarter) and the rest of the city, to the neighbourhood of ''CordÃ³n''

History
The Portugal Portuguese founded Colonia del Sacramento in the 17th century despite Spanish claims to the area due to the Treaty of Tordesillas. The Spain Spanish chased the Portuguese out of a fort in the area in 1724. Then, Bruno Mauricio de Zabala – governor of Buenos Aires – founded the city on December 24, 1726 to prevent further incursions. In 1828, the town became the capital of Uruguay. There are at least two explanations for the name ''Montevideo'': The first states that it comes from the Portuguese language Portuguese "Monte vide eu" which means "I see a mountain". The second is that the Spaniards recorded the location of a fountain in a map as "Monte VI De Este a Oeste" meaning "The sixth mountain from east to west". The city's full original name is '''San Felipe y Santiago de Montevideo'''. The city fell under heavy United Kingdom British influence from the early 19th century until the early 20th century as a way to circumvent Argentine and Brazilian commercial control. It was repeatedly besieged by Argentinean dictator Juan Manuel de Rosas between 1838 and 1851. Between 1860 and 1911, the British built an extensive railroad network linking the city to the surrounding countryside. During World War II, a famous incident involving the Germany German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee took place in Montevideo, which was a neutral port during the war. After the Battle of the River Plate with the Royal Navy British navy on December 13, 1939, the Graf Spee retreated to the port. To avoid risking the crew in what he thought would be a losing battle, Captain Hans Langsdorff scuttled the ship on December 17. Langsdorff committed suicide two days later.

Growth/economy
Montevideo began as a minor settlement. In 1860, Montevideo had a population of 37,787. By 1884, the population had grown to 104,472, including many immigrants. By this time, trade had become the main source of revenue for the city and it became a rival to Buenos Aires. During the early 20th century, many Europeans, mostly from Spain and Italy, immigrated to the city, and by 1908, 30% of the population was foreign born. During the mid-20th century, military dictatorship and economic stagnation caused a decline whose residual effects are still seen today. Many rural poor flooded the city, with a large concentration in Ciudad Vieja. Recently, economic recovery and stronger trade ties with Uruguay's neighbours have led to renewed agricultural development and hopes for greater future prosperity. As of 2004, the city has a population of 1.35 million out of a total of 3.43 million in the country as a whole.[http://aol.countrywatch.com/aol_country.asp?vcountry=183] The greater metropolitan area has 1.8 million people. Montevideo is served by Carrasco International Airport.

Sites of interest
*Palacio Salvo *Torre de las Telecomunicaciones *Teatro SolÃs *Palacio Legislativo *Catedral Metropolitana *Cabildo de Montevideo

External links

- Montevideo official website
- Panoramic pictures of Montevideo
- Montevideo Hotels {{Departments of Uruguay}} Category:Montevideo Category:Capitals in South America Category:Coastal cities Category:Twin town with Quebec City ar:Ù…ÙˆÙ†ØªÙŠÙ?ÙŠØ¯ÙŠÙˆ bg:ÐœÐ¾Ð½Ñ‚ÐµÐ²Ð¸Ð´ÐµÐ¾ ca:Montevideo cs:Montevideo da:Montevideo de:Montevideo es:Montevideo eo:Montevideo fr:Montevideo gl:Montevideo ko:ëª¬í…Œë¹„ë?°ì˜¤ io:Montevideo id:Montevideo it:Montevideo he:×ž×•× ×˜×•×•×™×“×™×?×• lt:MontevidÄ—jas hu:Montevideo nl:Montevideo (Uruguay) ja:ãƒ¢ãƒ³ãƒ†ãƒ“ãƒ‡ã‚ª no:Montevideo nn:Montevideo pl:Montevideo pt:MontevidÃ©u ro:Montevideo ru:ÐœÐ¾Ð½Ñ‚ÐµÐ²Ð¸Ð´ÐµÐ¾ scn:MuntividÃ¨u sk:Montevideo fi:Montevideo sv:Montevideo tr:Montevideo zh:è’™ç‰¹ç¶å¤š Category:Cities in Uruguay

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