Artigas, Uruguay facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Artigas
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Capital city
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Church of the Sacred Heart
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 Artigas, Uruguay
Location in Uruguay
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| Country |  Uruguay |
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| Department |  Artigas |
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| Founded | September 12, 1852 | |
| Founded by | Don Carlos Catalá | |
| Elevation | 121 m (397 ft) | |
| Population
(2011 Census)
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| • Total | 40,658 | |
| Demonym(s) | artiguense | |
| Time zone | UTC−3 (UYT) | |
| postal code |
55000
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| Dial plan | +598 477 (+5 digits) | |
| Climate | Cfa | |
Artigas (Spanish pronunciation: [aɾˈtiɣas]) is the capital of the Artigas Department of Uruguay. Its name comes from that of the national hero, José Gervasio Artigas, who fought for the emancipation of the River Plate, and sought to create a federative nation from these colonies. As of the census of 2011, it is the eleventh most populous city in the country.
Contents
History
It was founded on 12 September 1852 by Don Carlos Catalá as the town of San Eugenio del Cuareim. On 5 September 1884 it became capital of the department. It was renamed Artigas and its status was elevated from villa (town) to ciudad (city) on 31 August 1915.
Economy
Artigas is a centre for trading grain crops (primarily maize) with Argentina and Brazil. The railroad station and, since 1973, airport are focused on this commerce.
The hills in the area contain significant numbers of precious stones, especially agate and amethyst, which were first found in 1860, since when mining has taken place. Souvenirs and handicrafts made using these gem stones are produced in Artigas and exported widely.
IUGS geological heritage site
In respect of it being 'the site of world-class amethyst deposits, where the largest amethyst-filled giant geodes were ever found', the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) included the 'Deposits of Amethyst of Los Catalanes Gemological District' in its assemblage of 100 'geological heritage sites' around the world in a listing published in October 2022. The organisation defines an IUGS Geological Heritage Site as 'a key place with geological elements and/or processes of international scientific relevance, used as a reference, and/or with a substantial contribution to the development of geological sciences through history.'
Population
In 2011 Artigas had a population of 40,658.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1852 | 335 |
| 1908 | 8,857 |
| 1963 | 23,429 |
| 1975 | 29,256 |
| 1985 | 35,117 |
| 1996 | 40,244 |
| 2004 | 41,687 |
| 2011 | 40,658 |
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Uruguay
Geography
The city is located on the border with Brazil, separated only by a bridge from the town Quaraí of the state Rio Grande do Sul of Brazil. It is the farthest city from Uruguay's capital Montevideo, being 600 kilometres (370 mi) away.
Climate
Artigas has a humid subtropical climate, described by the Köppen climate classification as Cfa. Summers are warm to hot and winters are cool, with the occurrence of frosts and fog. The precipitation is evenly distributed throughout the year, with an average of 1,293 mm (50.9 in), and the annual average temperature is around 19 °C (66 °F).
| Climate data for Artigas, Uruguay (1991–2020, extremes 1944–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 40.9 (105.6) |
41.2 (106.2) |
40.8 (105.4) |
36.0 (96.8) |
33.0 (91.4) |
30.2 (86.4) |
30.5 (86.9) |
34.4 (93.9) |
37.0 (98.6) |
37.4 (99.3) |
40.8 (105.4) |
41.4 (106.5) |
41.4 (106.5) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 32.2 (90.0) |
31.1 (88.0) |
29.4 (84.9) |
25.7 (78.3) |
21.5 (70.7) |
19.2 (66.6) |
18.7 (65.7) |
21.1 (70.0) |
22.4 (72.3) |
25.0 (77.0) |
28.0 (82.4) |
30.8 (87.4) |
25.4 (77.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 25.8 (78.4) |
25.0 (77.0) |
23.3 (73.9) |
19.9 (67.8) |
16.2 (61.2) |
14.0 (57.2) |
13.3 (55.9) |
15.2 (59.4) |
16.7 (62.1) |
19.4 (66.9) |
21.7 (71.1) |
24.3 (75.7) |
19.6 (67.3) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 19.4 (66.9) |
18.9 (66.0) |
17.3 (63.1) |
14.2 (57.6) |
10.9 (51.6) |
8.9 (48.0) |
7.9 (46.2) |
9.3 (48.7) |
11.0 (51.8) |
13.8 (56.8) |
15.5 (59.9) |
17.9 (64.2) |
13.7 (56.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 8.2 (46.8) |
7.9 (46.2) |
5.0 (41.0) |
1.8 (35.2) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
−4.6 (23.7) |
−5.2 (22.6) |
−4.3 (24.3) |
−2.8 (27.0) |
1.2 (34.2) |
3.0 (37.4) |
6.0 (42.8) |
−5.2 (22.6) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 143 (5.6) |
137 (5.4) |
118 (4.6) |
180 (7.1) |
136 (5.4) |
92 (3.6) |
80 (3.1) |
65 (2.6) |
110 (4.3) |
158 (6.2) |
150 (5.9) |
155 (6.1) |
1,525.4 (60.06) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 7 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 81 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 61 | 68 | 70 | 72 | 77 | 79 | 75 | 70 | 69 | 69 | 65 | 61 | 70 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 279.0 | 228.8 | 235.6 | 183.0 | 179.8 | 144.0 | 170.5 | 195.3 | 195.0 | 226.3 | 255.0 | 279.0 | 2,571.3 |
| Mean daily sunshine hours | 9.0 | 8.1 | 7.6 | 6.1 | 5.8 | 4.8 | 5.5 | 6.3 | 6.5 | 7.3 | 8.5 | 9.0 | 7.0 |
| Source: Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria (humidity and sun 1980–2009) | |||||||||||||
Transportation
The city is served by Artigas International Airport.
Places of worship
- San Eugenio del Cuareim, Artigas|St. Eugene of the Cuareim Parish Church (Roman Catholic)
Notable people
- Adelia Silva (1925-2004), educator and writer who had a significant role in elevating the civil rights of Afro-Uruguayans.
- Darwin Núñez (born 1999), footballer
- Pablo Aurrecochea (born 1981), footballer
See also
In Spanish: Artigas (ciudad) para niños
