Founded 1783 Time zone UTC -3 Area 8.2 km² Local time Sunday 6:54 PM | Elevation 140 m (460 ft) Postal code 30000 Population 38,446 (2011) | |
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Weather 17°C, Wind SW at 26 km/h, 59% Humidity | ||
Minas is the capital of the Lavalleja Department in Uruguay. As of the census of 2011, it is the twelfth-most populated city in the country.
Contents
- Map of Minas Lavalleja Department Uruguay
- Location
- Geography
- History
- Population
- Features
- Cerro Artigas
- Places of worship
- Famous people
- Twin towns
- References
Map of Minas, Lavalleja Department, Uruguay
Location
The city is located in the south of the department, on the intersection of Route 8 with Route 12.
Geography
It is situated between hill ranges and the basins of the streams Arroyo San Francisco and Arroyo Campanero.
History
A town was founded here in 1783 as "Villa de la Concepcion de las Minas", when a number of families from the Asturias and Galicia regions of Spain settled in the area following a frustrated attempt to populate Patagonia. The idea of a city in the area was first raised in 1753 by Jose Joaquin de Viana, the governor of Montevideo, who wanted to create a population centre in "the zones of the mines". He commissioned Rafael Perez Del Puerto to design the layout of the city, the basis of which remains in place today.
By a decree of 8 October 1830, its status was of "Villa" (town) and on 16 June 1837, by decree Ley Nº 158, it became the capital of the "Department of Minas". On 16 May 1888, its status was elevated to "Ciudad" (city) by decree Ley Nº 1.980. On 26 December 1927, after the renaming of the department, it became the capital of the "Department of Lavalleja" by decree Ley Nº 8.187.
Population
According to the 2011 census, the censual area of Minas had a population of 38,446.
The following areas are considered by some as part of the Minas urban area:
As a result, the total population of the Minas area can be said to be 38,909.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Uruguay
Features
In the northeast part of the city there is the big Parque Rodó which contains a zoological garden, a public open air swimming pool, an area for picnics and a small football field.
Cerro Artigas
At the east end of the city is the hill and park Cerro Artigas containing a mounted statue of the 19th-century Uruguayan hero General José Artigas.
The Parque Salto del Penitente lies 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) east of the city, 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) to the west-southwest is Parque Salus and 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) to the southeast is the Parque de Vacaciones UTE-ANTEL, a park for the vacations of the employees of the Uruguayan Electricity Company and the Uruguayan Telecommunications Company. Villa Serrana is a scenic village located in the hills, about 25 kilometres (16 mi) northeast of Minas.
Places of worship
Famous people
It is the birthplace of: