San Carlos, Uruguay


San Carlos is a city in the Maldonado Department of southern Uruguay. "San Carlos" is also the name of the municipality to which the city belongs. The municipality includes the following zones: San Carlos, El Tesoro, La Barra, Edén Rock, El Chorro, Manantiales, Balneario Buenos Aires, Punta Piedras, Santa Mónica,, El Edén, Paso de la Cantera, Las Cañas, Carapé, Mataojo, Guardia Vieja, Pago de la Paja, Partido Norte, Partido Oeste, Cañada Bellaca, Corte de la Leña, Punta del Campanera, Puntas de Mataojo, and Laguna José Ignacio.

Location and geography

The city is located on Route 39, south of its intersection with Route 9 and about north of the center of the department capital city of Maldonado. The stream Arroyo San Carlos flows along the east limits of the city and the park and neighbourhood of Parque Medina is situated across it.

History

It was founded on October 1763 by the Spanish Governor Pedro Antonio de Cevallos, to discourage the foundation of Portuguese settlements in the region. Its name is originated from that of the King of Spain at the time, Charles III.
It had acquired the status of "Villa" before the Independence of Uruguay, which was elevated to "Ciudad" on 18 December 1929 by the Act of Ley Nº 8.559.

Population

In 2011, San Carlos had a population of 27,471. This makes it the second largest city in Maldonado Department after the capital city of Maldonado. According to the Intendencia Departamnetal de Maldonado, the municipality of San Carlos has a population of 27,000.
YearPopulation
19085,014
196313,695
197516,925
198519,877
199624,030
200424,771
201127,471

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Uruguay

Economy

It is considered to be the agropecuarian centre of the region.

Places of worship