Rivera

Rivera
—  Capital city  —
Obelisk of the Plaza Internacional, at the "Frontera de la Paz", cities of Rivera (Uruguay) and Santana do Livramento (Brasil).
Rivera Location in Uruguay
Coordinates: 30°54′9″S 55°33′2″W / 30.9025°S 55.55056°W / -30.9025; -55.55056Coordinates: 30°54′9″S 55°33′2″W / 30.9025°S 55.55056°W / -30.9025; -55.55056
Country	Uruguay
Department	Rivera Department
Population (2004)
• Total	64,426
• Demonym	riverense
Time zone	UTC -3
Postal code	40000
Area code(s)	+598 462

Rivera is the capital of Rivera Department of Uruguay. It is located at the north end of Route 5, on the border with Brazil. The Brazilian city of Santana do Livramento is right across the border, only a street away of it. Together they form an international city of around 200,000 inhabitants.

History

On 7 May 1862 the town Pueblo de Ceballos was created in honour of the Spanish viceroy Pedro de Cevallos,. In July 1867 it took on the official name Rivera and was recognized as a city. The Brazilian town Santana do Livramento already existed just across the border.

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. Customs and checkpoints are located outside the cities.^[1] Today, duty free shops are one of the main economic resources of Rivera.^[2]

Population

In 2004, Rivera had a population of 64,426^[3]

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Uruguay^[4] La población riverense se compondría de españoles, italianos, portugueses y principalmente de uruguayos y brasileños que provenían de otros sectores del país.

Consular representation

Brazil keeps an official resident of someone who looks after their events in a different country in Rivera.^{[citation needed]}

Notable local person

• Aparicio Méndez, from Rivera, was President of Uruguay from 1976 to 1981. He was never elected democratically and was chosen by the Military dictatorship.

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.

Rivera is served by Pres. Gral. Óscar D. Gestido International Airport.

Sports

Inside the city of Rivera, we can find the multi used stadium Estadio Atilio Paiva Olivera which holds 28,000 people. It was used in the 1995 Copa America.

See also

• Rivera Department
• List of diplomatic missions in Uruguay#Consulate in Rivera

References

External links

• INE map of Rivera

v t e Rivera Department of Uruguay Capital: Rivera Towns and villages La Pedrera Lagunón Lapuente Mandubí Masoller Minas de Corrales Paso Hospital Rivera Santa Teresa Tranqueras Vichadero Sights