Mercedes, Uruguay facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mercedes
La Hermosa del Sur
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Capital city
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Plaza Independencia
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 Mercedes, Uruguay
Location in Uruguay
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| Country |  Uruguay |
| Department |  Soriano |
| Founded | 1788 |
| Population
(2011 Census)
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| • Total | 41,974 |
| • Demonym | mercedario-a |
| Time zone | UTC -3 |
| Postal code |
75000
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| Dial plan | +598 453 (+5 digits) |
| Climate | Cfa |
Mercedes (pronounced mer-SEH-des) is a really important city in Uruguay. It's the capital and biggest city of the Soriano area. In 2011, it was the tenth most populated city in the whole country.
Mercedes is a busy place for tourists and businesses. It also has a port where goods are shipped. The main jobs here are in farming, making dairy products, and producing paper. The city is famous for its rambla, which is a wide riverside path. It's one of the widest in Uruguay!
Contents
History of Mercedes
Mercedes was started in 1788 by a priest named Manuel Antonio de Castro y Careaga. He first called it Capilla Nueva de las Mercedes. Even before Uruguay became independent, Mercedes was already a recognized town.
On July 6, 1857, Mercedes officially became a "city." It was also chosen as the capital of Soriano. At that time, Soriano was one of the first nine departments in Uruguay. Before Mercedes, the capital of the department was a place called Villa Soriano.
Population Growth
In 2011, about 41,974 people lived in Mercedes. The table below shows how the number of people living in Mercedes has changed over many years.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1908 | 15,667 |
| 1963 | 31,325 |
| 1975 | 34,518 |
| 1985 | 36,701 |
| 1996 | 39,320 |
| 2004 | 42,032 |
| 2011 | 41,174 |
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Uruguay (National Institute of Statistics of Uruguay)
Geography and Location
Mercedes is located in a key spot where two main roads meet: Route 2 and Route 14. The city is built on the south side of the Río Negro river. Another important road, Route 21, also ends in Mercedes. This road comes from Colonia del Sacramento in the Colonia Department.
Climate in Mercedes
The climate describes the usual weather conditions in a place over a long time. Mercedes has a humid subtropical climate, which means it generally has hot, humid summers and mild winters.
| Climate data for Mercedes, Uruguay (1991–2020, extremes 1941–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 42.8 (109.0) |
41.6 (106.9) |
40.0 (104.0) |
36.0 (96.8) |
32.2 (90.0) |
30.2 (86.4) |
30.5 (86.9) |
33.3 (91.9) |
36.1 (97.0) |
36.6 (97.9) |
39.7 (103.5) |
42.0 (107.6) |
42.8 (109.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 31.5 (88.7) |
29.8 (85.6) |
28.0 (82.4) |
24.2 (75.6) |
20.3 (68.5) |
17.3 (63.1) |
16.6 (61.9) |
19.1 (66.4) |
20.8 (69.4) |
23.8 (74.8) |
27.4 (81.3) |
30.0 (86.0) |
24.1 (75.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 24.7 (76.5) |
23.5 (74.3) |
21.7 (71.1) |
18.0 (64.4) |
14.5 (58.1) |
11.8 (53.2) |
10.9 (51.6) |
12.8 (55.0) |
14.5 (58.1) |
17.5 (63.5) |
20.6 (69.1) |
23.1 (73.6) |
17.8 (64.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 17.9 (64.2) |
17.2 (63.0) |
15.3 (59.5) |
11.7 (53.1) |
8.7 (47.7) |
6.1 (43.0) |
5.3 (41.5) |
6.5 (43.7) |
8.2 (46.8) |
11.2 (52.2) |
13.7 (56.7) |
16.2 (61.2) |
11.5 (52.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 5.0 (41.0) |
5.3 (41.5) |
2.2 (36.0) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
−4.5 (23.9) |
−8.2 (17.2) |
−7.6 (18.3) |
−5.0 (23.0) |
−5.6 (21.9) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
0.4 (32.7) |
3.0 (37.4) |
−8.2 (17.2) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 133.1 (5.24) |
123.8 (4.87) |
134.2 (5.28) |
116.9 (4.60) |
78.9 (3.11) |
68.0 (2.68) |
61.1 (2.41) |
70.7 (2.78) |
78.5 (3.09) |
120.9 (4.76) |
96.8 (3.81) |
131.5 (5.18) |
1,214.4 (47.81) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 72 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 64 | 69 | 72 | 76 | 78 | 80 | 77 | 74 | 72 | 72 | 68 | 63 | 72 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 293.0 | 243.6 | 244.4 | 180.2 | 168.3 | 139.3 | 160.1 | 188.7 | 200.6 | 224.8 | 262.0 | 272.6 | 2,577.6 |
| Source 1: Instituto Uruguayo de Metereología | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: NOAA (precipitation and sun 1991–2020), Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria (humidity 1980–2009) | |||||||||||||
Sports in Mercedes
Mercedes was one of the cities that hosted the official 1967 Basketball World Cup. This was a big international basketball event.
Famous People from Mercedes
- Ricardo Paseyro (1925–2009) was a diplomat and a poet. He was born in Mercedes.
See also
In Spanish: Mercedes (Uruguay) para niños
