Bella Unión


Bella Unión is a city in the north part of Artigas Department of Uruguay.

Location

It is located at the north end of Route 3, on the banks of the Uruguay River, near the mouth of Río Cuareim. Being situated on a piece of land protruding between Argentina and Brazil, it lies across Monte Caseros, Corrientes of Argentina to the west and across Barra do Quaraí of Brazil, which is only to the northeast, joined by a bridge over Río Cuareim.

History

The original settlement was founded on 13 May 1829 under the name "Santa Rosa". It was started by Fructuoso Rivera, who played a prominent role in the early history of Uruguay. On 20 April 1928, it was renamed to "Bella Unión" by the Act of Ley No. 8.207. On 15 October 1963, its status was raised to "Ciudad" by the Act of Ley No. 13.180.

Population

In 2011, Bella Unión had a population of 12,200. Together with its peripheral populated and rural areas they form a population centre of around 18,000.
YearPopulation
19085,414
19634,955
19757,778
198512,238
199613,537
200413,187
201112,200

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Uruguay

Places of worship

The writer Jesús Moraes,, who specializes in short stories in Spanish, is from Bella Unión, and is one of the relatively few contemporary Uruguayan writers strongly identified with the Uruguayan north.

Climate data