Soriano Department

Soriano Department
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Soriano Department and its capital
Coordinates (Mercedes): 33°15′S 58°2′W
Country	Uruguay
Established	1816
Capital of Department	Mercedes
Government
• Intendant	Guillermo Besozzi
• Ruling party	Partido Nacional
Area
• Total	9,008 km2 (3,478 sq mi)
Population  (2011 census)
• Total	82,594
• Density	9.2/km2 (24/sq mi)
Demonym	Sorianense
Time zone	UTC-3 (UYT)
ISO 3166 code	UY-SO
Website	soriano.gub.uy

Soriano (Spanish pronunciation: [soˈɾjano]) is a department of Uruguay. Its capital is Mercedes. It is located on the west of the country, south of Río Negro Department, north of Colonia Department and west of Flores Department. Its western border is the Río Uruguay, separating it from Argentina.

History

In 1624, a Franciscan Mission established a reduction for the indigenous tribes of the area named Santo Domingo Soriano. In spite of interruptions in its existence, it is considered the earliest populated centre of the actual Uruguay. Eventually, in its place Villa Soriano was founded.

The first division of Uruguay in departments happened on 27 January 1816. At the time, eight departments were formed, with Soriano being one of them. When the first constitution was signed in 1830, Soriano Department was one of the nine original departments of the Republic.

Demographics

Ethnic groups in Soriano (2011 est.)
Ethnic groups			Percent
White			94.1%
Black			3.2%
Indigenous			4.0%
Asian			0.3%
None/Other/Unspecified			2.1%

As of the census of 2011, Soriano Department had a population of 82,592 (40.853 male and 41.742 female) and 32,075 households.

Demographic data for Soriano Department in 2010:

• Population growth rate: 0.558%
• Birth rate: 16.60 births/1,000 people
• Death rate: 9.41 deaths/1,000 people
• Average age: 31.7 (30.8 male, 32.6 female)
• Life expectancy at birth:
  • Total population: 76.32 years
  • Male: 73.47 years
  • Female: 79.26 years
• Average per household income: 25,198 pesos/month
• Urban per capita income: 9,648 pesos/month

2010 Data Source:

Main Urban Centres	Other towns and villages
Population stated as per 2011 census.
City / Town Population Mercedes 41,974 Dolores 17,174 Cardona 4,600 Palmitas 2,123 José Enrique Rodó 2,120 Chacras de Dolores 1,961 Villa Soriano 1,124	Town / Village Population Santa Catalina 998 Egaña 783 Risso 557 Villa Darwin (Sacachispas) 456 Cañada Nieto 430 Agraciada 394 Palmar 381
Rural population
According to the 2011 census, Soriano department has a rural population of 6,612.

Map of the department

Topographic map of Soriano Department showing main populated places and roads

Noted locality

• Agraciada Beach, a historically important location in Uruguay's past, associated with the Thirty-Three Orientals.

Notable people

• Juan Idiarte Borda, from Soriano, was President of Uruguay from 1894 to 1897
• Tomás Gomensoro Albín, from Soriano, was President of Uruguay (interim) from 1872 to 1873
• Jesús Posse, rower
• Santiago Ostolaza, from Dolores, football player

See also

• List of populated places in Uruguay#Soriano Department

External links

• Official site of Soriano
• Soriano Turismo (Ministry of Tourism and Sports)
• www.todosoriano.com.uy
• INE map of Soriano Department
• Nuestra Terra, Colección Los Departamentos, Vol.7 "Soriano"