Geography of Montevideo
Montevideo, Uruguay, the capital city of Uruguay and of Montevideo department. It borders the Río de la Plata (an estuary on the Atlantic Coast) 130 miles (210 km) east of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Montevideo is one of South America's main cities, ports, and resorts. It is the center of Uruguay's commerce, industry, and cultural life. Temperatures in January average 72° F. (22° C.); July, 50° F (10° C.).
Oil is refined here, and in the area are vineyards, dairy farms, and cold-storage plants (for meats). Factories produce textiles, shoes, tile, and other products. Montevideo handles nearly all of Uruguay's foreign trade and has one of South America's best airports, at the suburb of Carrasco.
Montevideo has fine beaches. In the Prado, a large park, are vast rose gardens. The city's cathedral was built during 1790–1804, in the harbor area. Set near the port is the ship's bell of Britain's Ajax; it commemorates the defeat of the German ship Admiral Graf Spee,scuttled off Montevideo in 1939. The Legislative Palace, opened in 1925, is built of 45 kinds of marble. Other buildings include national museums of history, fine arts, and natural history; a planetarium; the national stadium; Teatro Solís, a theater; and the national university.
The governor of Buenos Aires founded Montevideo in 1726, near El Cerro (The Hill)—site of a fort built by the Portuguese in 1717.
Population: 1,344,839