Masoller facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Masoller
Village
Masoller Location in Uruguay
Country	Uruguay
Department	Rivera Department
Population  (2011)
• Total	240
Time zone	UTC -3
Postal code	40001
Dial plan	+598 4656 (+4 digits)

Masoller is a small village in northern Uruguay. It's located in the Rivera Department, very close to the border with Brazil. This area is special because the exact border here has been a topic of discussion between the two countries for a long time.

Geography of Masoller

This village is found along Route 30. It's in a unique spot where three different departments meet: Salto, Artigas, and Rivera. This meeting point is often called a "tripoint." Masoller is part of the municipality of Tranqueras.

History of Masoller

Masoller is famous for a big battle that happened there in 1904. This battle was fought between two main political groups in Uruguay: the Colorados and the Blancos. The Colorados were led by José Batlle y Ordóñez, and the Blancos by Aparicio Saravia. The Colorados won this important fight.

The Battle of Masoller is seen as the end of a long period of civil wars in Uruguay. These wars had happened off and on throughout much of the 1800s.

Uruguayan-Brazilian Border Dispute

There's an old disagreement about the border between Uruguay and Brazil near Masoller. This area is called Rincón de Artigas (which means "Artigas' Corner" in Spanish and Portuguese). Even though there's this disagreement, it hasn't caused any problems between the two countries. Uruguay and Brazil have very good diplomatic and economic relationships. They haven't sent soldiers to the area to try and claim it.

The problem started because a treaty in 1851 was supposed to define the border. It said the border would follow a stream called Arroyo de la Invernada. However, Uruguay and Brazil don't agree on which stream is actually Arroyo de la Invernada.

For now, Brazil controls the Rincón de Artigas area. But the village of Masoller itself is clearly in Uruguayan territory. It's only a short distance from the border, which usually doesn't have many signs or barriers.

Population of Masoller

In 2011, Masoller had a population of 240 people. Here's how its population has changed over the years:

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Uruguay (Uruguay's National Institute of Statistics)

See also

• In Spanish: Masoller para niños