Fray Bentos

Fray Bentos
Fray Bentos
Coordinates: 33°08′S 58°18′W / 33.133°S 58.3°W / -33.133; -58.3
Country	Uruguay
Department	Río Negro Department
Founded	1858
Population (2004)
- Total	23,122
- Demonym	fraybentino
postal code	65000

Coordinates: 33°08′S 58°18′W / 33.133°S 58.3°W / -33.133; -58.3

Map of Uruguay, showing Fray Bentos as well as Montevideo

Fray Bentos is a town in Uruguay.

Location and population

It is located in western Uruguay, close to the border with Argentina, and about 160 km (100 mi) due north of Buenos Aires.

It has a population of 23,122 (2004).

Economic life and history

It is a port on the Uruguay River and is the capital of the Río Negro Department. Historically, its main industry has been meat processing. The Liebig Extract of Meat Company closed there in 1979 after 117 years in operation. A local history museum opened on the site in March 2005. The town was originally founded in 1859 as 'Independencia'. Its current name, meaning "Friar Benedict", is derived from a reclusive priest.^[1]

Fray Bentos was the place of the tragic accident of Austral Flight 2553, were 74 people were killed (69 passengers and 5 crew) on October 10 1997.

Botnia S.A., a subsidiary of Finnish corporation Metsä-Botnia, has built a large cellulose factory in Fray Bentos to produce bleached eucalyptus pulp; production started in November 2007, first shipments in December 2007 from oversea port of Nueva Palmira. The investment in the project was about 1 billion USD and the factory directly or indirectly employs about 8,000 people. The project, however, is not without opponents. On 30 April 2005 about 40,000 Argentines from Entre Ríos, along with environmental groups from both countries, demonstrated in the bridge linking both countries; and since then, around ten to fifteen argentinians are blocking the international bridge to put pressure on the Uruguayan government to stop the factory claiming it will gravely pollute the Uruguay River.^[2] On 20 December 2005 a World Bank study concluded that the factory would not have a negative impact on the environment or tourism in either country. The paper mill started operating in November 2007 (see Pulp mill conflict between Argentina and Uruguay).^[3]

In 1899 a company called "Anglo" began making corned beef there, which was sold as "Fray Bentos Corned Beef" in the UK. Fifty years later the Fray Bentos company diversified into soups, meatballs and tinned fruit.^[4] During the 1990s the focus shifted to pies and puddings and Fray Bentos were taken over by the Campbell Soup Company, however, in 2006, 'Campbells UK' was acquired by Premier Foods.^[5] In 2008, Brazilian-owned Marfrig Group announced the reopening of the Liebig factory and the export of meat products, though at a lower capacity than the original factory.^[6]

Museums

Fray Bentos has a museum its former meat processing factory. This was a factory of the Liebig Extract of Meat Company. It also has a museum for the artist Luis Alberto Solari who was born in the city.

Place in literature: Bordaberry on Ireneo Funes by J.L.Borges

The imaginary character Ireneo Funes, created by Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges was from Fray Bentos.

Recent literary criticism by Pedro Bordaberry has explored the character's significance; Bordaberry has particularly discussed the fraybentino character in relation to the theme of the complexity of memory ^[7].

See also

• Uruguay River
• Funes the Memorious
• List of diplomatic missions in Uruguay#Consulate in Fray Bentos

References

External links

• The night in Fray Bentos
• Botnia: Uruguay project
• Fray Bentos brand on Premier Foods website
• Fray Bentos pies
• Weather Forecast Fray Bentos
• Fray Bentos web site (in Spanish) including map and main contact information
• Short film showing facts and highlights of Fray Bentos "Bienvenidos a Fray Bentos"