Rivera (Uruguay)

Rivera is the capital of Rivera Department of Uruguay. The border with Brazil joins it with the Brazilian city of Santana do Livramento, which is only a street away from it. Together, they form an urban area of around 200,000 inhabitants. As of the census of 2011, it is the sixth most populated city of Uruguay.LocationThe city is located on the border with Brazil at the north end of Route 5.HistoryOn 21 March 1860 a pueblo named Pereira was created by the Act of Ley Nº 614.On 7 May 1862, it was substituted by the villa named Ceballos and founded by the Act of Ley Nº 704, in honour of the Spanish viceroy Pedro de Cevallos. In July 1867 it took on the official name Rivera and was recognized as a villa. The Brazilian town Santana do Livramento already existed just across the border. On 1 October 1884, it became capital of the Department of Rivera by the Act of Ley Nº 1.757. Its status was elevated to ciudad on 10 June 1912 by the Act of Ley Nº 4.006.In 1943, the Plaza Internacional Rivera-Livramento was built to celebrate the Fifth Conference of the Commission Mixta for Mixed Limits and as a hope for the future integration of the two towns, claimed to be the only international square in the world. From 1851 to this day, inhabitants of both communities are free to move in both sides. Customs and checkpoints are located outside the cities. Today, duty-free shops are one of the main economic resources of Rivera.PopulationIn 2011, Rivera had a population of 64,465 Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística de UruguayPlaces of worship Church of the Immaculate Conception (Roman Catholic) Parish Church of St. Dominic (Roman Catholic) Parish Church of the Sacred Heart (Roman Catholic) St. Peter Parish Church (Roman Catholic)