Rivera

Obelisk of the Plaza Internacional, at the "Frontera de la Paz", cities of Rivera (Uruguay) and Santana do Livramento (Brasil).

Rivera is a city in Uruguay.

Population and location

It is the capital of the department of Rivera in Uruguay with a population of 64,426 (2004 census). Rivera is located exactly on the border with Brazil, and with the Brazilian city of Santana do Livramento, right across the border line, just a street away, it forms an international city of 200.000 inhabitants.

Links with Brazil

In 1943, the Plaza International (on the photo) was built, celebrating this peaceful relationship, and perhaps being the only international square in the whole world.

The border community is unusual as inhabitants from both Livramento (Brazil) and Rivera (Uruguay) are free to move anywhere throughout the twin city community. It is easy for one to get lost in the suburbs and not know if he is in Brazil or Uruguay. Customs and checkpoints are located outside the cities.

Brazil maintains a consulate in Rivera.

Notable local person

• Aparicio Méndez, from Rivera, was President of Uruguay from 1976 to 1981.

Transportation

There are regular bus services to Montevideo. A rail service to Tacuarembó has been run intermittently. There is an airport which receives light aircraft and an irregular service by a Brazilian airline to Porto Alegre.

See also

• Rivera Department

• List of diplomatic missions in Uruguay#Consulate in Rivera

Coordinates: 30°54′9″S 55°33′02″W / 30.9025°S 55.55056°W / -30.9025; -55.55056

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