MONTEVIDEO, capital and chief port of Uruguay, and capital of the department of Montevideo, on the northern shore of the Rio de la Plata estuary, 120 m. E.S.E. of Buenos Aires, in lat. 54' 33" S., long. 56° 12' 18" W. Pop. (1932) 489,685. The old section of the city occupies a low, rocky headland that projects westward between the estuary and an almost circular bay which forms the harbour; it was once enclosed with walls and defended by small forts, all of which have been removed. The new sections of the city extend eastward over a beautiful tract of rolling country, and northward around the eastern shore of the bay. The site of the old city resembles a whale's back in shape; it slopes gently to the western extremity of the city and its union with the newer section, on the line of the old ramparts, known as Calle de la Ciudadela. The streets are well paved and have sufficient slope at all points to give easy surface and underground drainage : Montevideo has the reputation of being one of the cleanest cities of the world. The rainfall is ample (about 44 in. a year), and the prevailing winds help to clean the streets. The mean annual temperature is about 62° F. An abundant water supply is brought from the Santa Lucia river, 32 m. distant, with a receiving reservoir at Piedras, i oo ft. above the level of the Plaza de la Independencia. The older parts of the city are largely devoted to commercial, shipping and financial interests. The Government edifices, large retail shops and most of the fine urban residences are in the ciudad nueva (New City). Numerous bus and electric tramway lines extend to suburbs and to the bath ing resorts of Ramirez, Maldonado and Pocitos and the Buceo cemeteries on the eastern coast. Pop. of entire city (1932) 662,17o.
Plaza de la Independencia stands at the junction of the old and new towns and is the centre of the city's political and social life. This square is distinguished for a uniform and nearly completed line of colonnades in front of the buildings surrounding it. The Paseo del Prado, which ranks high among the public gardens of South America, is beautifully situated beyond the suburb of Paso Molino, 3 m. from the city. The Paseo was originally the quinta (villa) of a German of cultivated tastes named Joseph Buschenthal, who spent a fortune in its adornment. The Parque Urbano, at the Playa Ramirez bathing resort, is a modern creation. The buildings of Montevideo are chiefly of brick and broken stone, covered outside with plaster and stucco, of one to three storeys, with flat roofs, usually surmounted by a square tower, or mirador. The roofs, or azoteas, are largely used for domestic purposes, or roof gardens. The city contains a large number of handsome edifices, both public and private, among which are the Bolsa, Government House, municipal hall, cathedral, Cabildo, Hospital de Caridad, insane asylum, Italian hospital, Athenaeum, the Club Uruguayo and theatres. The Bolsa (exchange), custom house, cathedral and Cabildo are in the old town ; the Bolsa is a copy of the Bordeaux exchange. The cathedral faces on the Plaza pavement, and these, with a large dome behind, rise far above de la Constitution. Its two square towers stand 133 ft. above the the surrounding buildings and make a conspicuous landmark. The church was consecrated in 1804, and in 1869 was raised to the dignity of a cathedral. Montevideo is now the seat of a small archiepiscopal see with only two suffragan dioceses. Directly across the plaza is the old Cabildo, a plain, heavy-looking two storeyed edifice of the colonial period, the seat of municipal ad ministration during Spanish rule, but now occupied by the two chambers of the Uruguayan Congress and by the higher police authorities of the city.