Rivera | |
|---|---|
Capital city | |
 View of Rivera from Cerro Marconi | |
  Rivera Location in Uruguay | |
| Coordinates:30°54′9″S55°33′2″W / 30.90250°S 55.55056°W /-30.90250; -55.55056 | |
| Country |  Uruguay |
| Department |  Rivera |
| Area | |
• Total | 39.9 km2 (15.4 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 219 m (719 ft) |
| Population (2023 Census) | |
• Total | 84,775 |
| • Density | 2,120/km2 (5,500/sq mi) |
| • Demonym | Riverense |
| Time zone | UTC−03:00 (UYT) |
| Postal code | 40000 |
| Dial plan | 462 (+5 digits) |
| Website | www |
Rivera (Spanish pronunciation:[riˈβeɾa]) is the capital ofRivera Department ofUruguay. The border with Brazil joins it with the Brazilian city ofSantana do Livramento, which is only a block away from it, at the north end ofRoute 5. Together, they form an urban area of around 200,000 inhabitants. As of the census of 2011, it is the sixth most populated city of Uruguay.
On 21 March 1860 apueblo (village) namedPereira was created by the Act of Ley Nº 614.
On 7 May 1862, it was substituted by thevilla (town) namedCeballos and founded by the Act of Ley Nº 704,[1] in honour of the Spanish viceroy Pedro de Cevallos. In July 1867 it took on the official nameRivera and was recognized as avilla. The Brazilian town Santana do Livramento already existed just across the border. On 1 October 1884, it became capital of the Department of Rivera by the Act of Ley Nº 1.757. Its status was elevated tociudad (city) on 10 June 1912 by the Act of Ley Nº 4.006.[1]
In 1943, the Plaza Internacional Rivera-Livramento (see photo) was built to celebrate the Fifth Conference of the Commission Mixta for Mixed Limits and as a hope for the future integration of the two towns, claimed to be the only international square in the world. From 1851 to this day, inhabitants of both communities are free to move in both sides.[2] Today, duty-free shops are one of the main economic resources of Rivera.[3]
The first inhabitants of the city wereSpaniards,Italians,Portuguese and someBrazilians immigrants who lived inSantana do Livramento, on the Brazilian side of the border.
The two cities of Rivera (Uruguay) andSantana do Livramento (Brazil) maintain an open border without any physical border barriers or checkpoints. Inhabitants of the twin cities are free to move anywhere within the two communities without having to undergo checks.
Travellers crossing the border here and proceeding further into the other country are required to complete border formalities at an integrated border control post located at Siñeriz Shopping in Rivera. The integrated border control post housing the immigration and customs offices of both countries was inaugurated on 28 December 2016.[4] Previously, travellers had to visit various offices located in different parts of the twin cities.[5]
One of the main economic activities of the city of Rivera is the duty free stores. These are aimed atBrazilian neighbors, mainly coming from the cities ofRio Grande do Sul, near the border with Uruguay. The close proximity of Rivera makes it a popular destination for buying imported dollar products. With the fall in the price of the US currency, many devices can be bought for prices up to 40% less than similar ones sold in Brazil. The Rivera shopping limit is $300 per person. Purchases above this amount must be declared at the Federal Revenue Office for the payment of the corresponding import tax so that the product can legally enterBrazil.[citation needed]
There is also acasino, located on one of the avenues where the border between the two countries runs. Within the department, livestock farming, agriculture and afforestation predominate.[citation needed]
In 2023, Rivera had a population of 84,775[6]
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1867 | 341 |
| 1889 | 1,000 |
| 1908 | 8,986 |
| 1963 | 41,266 |
| 1975 | 48,780 |
| 1985 | 57,314 |
| 1996 | 62,859 |
| 2004 | 64,426 |
| 2011 | 64,465 |
| 2023 | 84,775 |
Source:National Statistics Institute[1]
Many residents of Rivera speakUruguayan Portuguese, a variety ofPortuguese heavily influenced byRioplatense Spanish.[7]
The climate in Rivera, as well as inSantana do Livramento, ishumid subtropical (Cfa, according to theKöppen climate classification), temperate in the winter and relatively hot in the summer.
| Climate data for Rivera, Uruguay (1991–2020, extremes 1944–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 41.4 (106.5) | 44.0 (111.2) | 40.0 (104.0) | 36.6 (97.9) | 31.2 (88.2) | 30.2 (86.4) | 30.8 (87.4) | 33.6 (92.5) | 36.1 (97.0) | 36.4 (97.5) | 41.5 (106.7) | 43.0 (109.4) | 44.0 (111.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 30.7 (87.3) | 29.5 (85.1) | 27.9 (82.2) | 24.2 (75.6) | 20.0 (68.0) | 17.7 (63.9) | 17.2 (63.0) | 19.9 (67.8) | 21.0 (69.8) | 23.8 (74.8) | 27.1 (80.8) | 29.7 (85.5) | 24.1 (75.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 24.7 (76.5) | 23.9 (75.0) | 22.3 (72.1) | 19.0 (66.2) | 15.3 (59.5) | 13.2 (55.8) | 12.5 (54.5) | 14.6 (58.3) | 15.7 (60.3) | 18.5 (65.3) | 21.1 (70.0) | 23.6 (74.5) | 18.7 (65.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 18.8 (65.8) | 18.3 (64.9) | 16.7 (62.1) | 13.7 (56.7) | 10.7 (51.3) | 8.7 (47.7) | 7.8 (46.0) | 9.2 (48.6) | 10.5 (50.9) | 13.2 (55.8) | 15.1 (59.2) | 17.4 (63.3) | 13.3 (55.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 6.0 (42.8) | 7.0 (44.6) | 5.0 (41.0) | −3.6 (25.5) | −1.0 (30.2) | −5.0 (23.0) | −4.8 (23.4) | −3.0 (26.6) | −2.4 (27.7) | 0.4 (32.7) | 4.0 (39.2) | 6.4 (43.5) | −5.0 (23.0) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 134.9 (5.31) | 148.3 (5.84) | 112.2 (4.42) | 180.3 (7.10) | 147.0 (5.79) | 103.0 (4.06) | 100.7 (3.96) | 94.3 (3.71) | 128.0 (5.04) | 165.9 (6.53) | 123.8 (4.87) | 144.5 (5.69) | 1,582.9 (62.32) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 8 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 86 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 65 | 69 | 72 | 76 | 78 | 79 | 77 | 72 | 72 | 71 | 68 | 64 | 72 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 265.1 | 222.3 | 225.4 | 181.6 | 161.1 | 135.6 | 161.5 | 184.2 | 180.1 | 209.3 | 245.4 | 261.7 | 2,433.3 |
| Source 1:Instituto Uruguayo de Metereología[8][9] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2:NOAA (precipitation and sun 1991–2020),[10]Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria (humidity 1980–2009)[11] | |||||||||||||
Brazil has a Consulate-Geral in Rivera, located at 1159 Calle Ceballos.[12]
There are regular bus services toMontevideo. A rail service toTacuarembó has been run intermittently.[citation needed]
Rivera is served byPres. Gral. Óscar D. Gestido International Airport. On August 14, 2023 Uruguay and Brazil signed an agreement to internationalize the airport. According to this agreement, as a binational facility, flights originated in Brazil are treated as domestic, even though the facility is in Uruguayan territory.[13][14][15]
TheEstadio Atilio Paiva Olivera holds 27,115 people and was used in the1995 Copa América.
The Skatepark of Rivera is onPresidente Viera Street.
Rivera istwinned with:
Capital:Rivera | ||
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