Rocha, Uruguay


Rocha is the capital city of the Rocha Department in Uruguay.

Location and geography

The city is located on the intersection of Route 9 with Route 15, about northeast of San Carlos of Maldonado Department. The stream Arroyo Rocha flows along the west limits of the city.

History

It was founded in 1793 and had acquired the status of "Villa" before the Independence of Uruguay. On 7 July 1880 it was made capital of the Department of Rocha by the Act of Ley Nº 1.474, while its status was elevated to "Ciudad" on 10 January 1894 by the Act of Ley Nº 2.252.

In literature

Rocha department features in Carlos Maria Dominguez's 2004 novel Casa de Papel. The narrator visits the ruins of a house of books ergo, 'house of paper' which had been built and then destroyed by an obsessive book collector on the sand spit separating Rocha lagoon from the ocean.

Population

In 2011 Rocha had a population of 25,422.
YearPopulation
190812,200
196319,484
197521,502
198524,013
199626,017
200425,538
201125,422

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Uruguay

Transportation

Rocha is on the main road from Montevideo to the border with Brazil. Buses connect it to Montevideo. The rail station was closed in the 1980s. There is a small local airfield. There are plans to improve the local infrastructure substantially. The major project planned is to build a deep water port in or near La Paloma. There are also plans to build an airport to bring in tourism, for example, Rocha's lagoon has a circular bridge especially for it.

Places of worship

Rocha has a mild humid subtropical climate, with pleasant summers and cool winters. It was oceanic before the current climatic table. The precipitation is evenly distributed throughout the year, with an average of 1,123 mm. The hottest month, January, has an average temperature of 22.5 °C, and the coldest month, July, has an average of 11.2 °C. The average yearly temperature is 16.8 °C.