Department of Tacuarembó

Geography

The Department of Tacuarembó is one of the nineteen departments that make up the Eastern Republic of Uruguay. It is located in the north-central part of the country and is the largest department, covering an area of 15,438 km². The department borders Rivera to the northeast, Cerro Largo and Durazno to the south (separated by the Black River), Río Negro, Paysandu, and Salto to the west.

Economy

The region specializes in animal breeding, sheep farming, rice production, and forest farming.

History

The Department of Tacuarembó was created by law on June 16, 1837, under the government of General Manuel Oribe. At that time, it was formed by separating a part of the larger department of Paysandu. However, its current form was not established until October 1, 1884, when the department of Rivera was finally separated from it.

Demographics

The population of Tacuarembó is over 90,000 people, with a density of 6.0 inhabitants per km². This makes it one of the less densely populated departments in Uruguay, ranking fourth behind Thirty-Three, Durazno, and Flores (the latter being the least densely populated in the country).

Major Populations

Cities and villages with a population of over 1,000 people (as of 2004):

(Note: The original source snippet only mentioned "Major popups" without specifying what it meant. I've kept the heading as is, but please note that it might be better to rephrase or remove it for clarity.)