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Rivera
Capital city
View of Rivera from Cerro Marconi
RiveraLocation in Uruguay
Coordinates: 30°54′9″S 55°33′2″W / 30.90250°S 55.55056°W / -30.90250; -55.55056
Country	Uruguay
Department	Rivera
Elevation	219 m (719 ft)
Population
• Total	64,465
• Demonym	Riverense
Time zone	UTC -3
Postal code	40000
Dial plan	462 (+5 digits)

Rivera (Spanish pronunciation: [riˈβeɾa]) 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 block away from it, at the north end of Route 5. 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.

History

On 21 March 1860 a pueblo (village) named Pereira was created by the Act of Ley Nº 614.

On 7 May 1862, it was substituted by the villa (town) 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 (city) on 10 June 1912 by the Act of Ley Nº 4.006.

In 1943, the Plaza Internacional Rivera-Livramento (see photo) 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. Today, duty-free shops are one of the main economic resources of Rivera.

The first inhabitants of the city were Spaniards, Italians, Portuguese and some Brazilians immigrants who lived in Santana do Livramento, on the Brazilian side of the border.

Border control

The two cities of Rivera (Uruguay) and Santana do Livramento (Brazil) maintain an open border without any physical border barriers or checkpoints. Inhabitants of the twin cities are free to move anywhere within the two communities without having to undergo checks.

Travellers crossing the border here and proceeding further into the other country are required to complete border formalities at an integrated border control post located at Siñeriz Shopping in Rivera. The integrated border control post housing the immigration and customs offices of both countries was inaugurated on 28 December 2016. Previously, travellers had to visit various offices located in different parts of the twin cities.

Economy

One of the main economic activities of the city of Rivera is the duty free stores. These are aimed at Brazilian neighbors, mainly coming from the cities of Rio Grande do Sul, near the border with Uruguay. The close proximity of Rivera makes it a popular destination for buying imported dollar products. With the fall in the price of the US currency, many devices can be bought for prices up to 40% less than similar ones sold in Brazil. The Rivera shopping limit is $300 per person. Purchases above this amount must be declared at the Federal Revenue Office for the payment of the corresponding import tax so that the product can legally enter Brazil.

There is also a casino, located on one of the avenues where the border between the two countries runs. Within the department, livestock farming, agriculture and afforestation predominate.

Population

In 2011, Rivera had a population of 64,465

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Uruguay

Geography

Climate

The climate in Rivera, as well as in Santana do Livramento, is humid subtropical (Cfa, according to the Köppen climate classification), temperate in the winter and relatively hot in the summer.

Places 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)

Consular representation

Brazil has a Consulate-Geral in Rivera, located at 1159 Calle Ceballos.

Notable people

• Ronald Araújo, professional footballer for FC Barcelona, was born in Rivera.
• Luiz Eduardo Garagorri, professional mixed martial artist, currently signed for UFC.
• Aparicio Méndez, from Rivera, was President of Uruguay from 1976 to 1981. He was never elected democratically and was chosen by the military dictatorship.
• Rodrigo Mora, professional footballer for Club Atlético River Plate, was born in Rivera.
• Sebastián Puchetta, professional footballer, born in Rivera.

Transportation

There are regular bus services to Montevideo. A rail service to Tacuarembó has been run intermittently.

Rivera is served by Pres. Gral. Óscar D. Gestido International Airport. On August 14, 2023 Uruguay and Brazil signed an agreement to internationalize the airport. According to this agreement, as a binational facility, flights originated in Brazil are treated as domestic, even though the facility is in Uruguayan territory.

Sports

The Estadio Atilio Paiva Olivera holds 27,115 people and was used in the 1995 Copa América.

The Skatepark of Rivera is on Presidente Viera Street.

Twin towns – sister cities

Rivera is twinned with:

• Santana do Livramento, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
• Uruguaiana, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

See also

• Rivera Department
• List of diplomatic missions in Uruguay#Consulate-General in Rivera
• Rivera HVDC Back-to-back station

References

1. ^ "Statistics of urban localities (1867–2004) (see also "Ceballos" & "Pereira")" (PDF). INE. 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
2. "Parque Internacional". Intendencia Departamental de Rivera. 2011. Archived from the original on 26 May 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
3. "La frontera dorada". El Observador. 26 June 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
4. "Se inauguró nuevo local del Área de Control Integrado de Turismo Uruguay-Brasil en Rivera" (in Spanish). Dirección Nacional de Aduanas. 4 January 2017. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
5. "Uruguay y Brasil inauguraron en Rivera el primer paso de frontera integrado" (in Spanish). Hosteltur.com. 29 December 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
6. "Censos 2011 Cuadros Rivera". INE. 2012. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
7. "Estadísticas climatológicas" (in Spanish). Dirección Nacional de Meteorología. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
8. "RECORDS METEOROLOGICOS EN EL URUGUAY" (in Spanish). Dirección Nacional de Meteorología. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
9. "Rivera Climate Normals 1991–2020". World Meteorological Organization Climatological Standard Normals (1991–2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 7 August 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
10. Castaño, José; Giménez, Agustín; Ceroni, Mauricio; Furest, José; Aunchayna, Rossina. "Caracterización Agroclimática del Uruguay 1980–2009" (PDF) (in Spanish). Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 December 2018. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
11. "Consulado-Geral do Brasil em Rivera". Ministério das Relações Exteriores (in Portuguese). Retrieved 13 June 2022.
12. "Uruguay y Brasil declararon binacional al aeropuerto de Rivera". Uruguay Presidencia (in Spanish). 14 August 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
13. "Brasil e Uruguai acordam uso compartilhado do aeroporto de Rivera". Agência Brasil (in Portuguese). 14 August 2023. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
14. "ANAC e Uruguai assinam acordo para binacionalização de terminal uruguaio". ANAC (in Portuguese). 14 August 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.

External links

• INE map of Rivera, Santa Teresa, Mandubí and Lagunón

v t e Rivera Department of Uruguay
Capital: Rivera
Municipalities	Minas de Corrales Tranqueras Vichadero
Towns and villages	La Pedrera Lagunón Lapuente Mandubí Masoller Minas de Corrales Paso Hospital Rivera Santa Teresa Tranqueras Vichadero
Sights	Rincón de Tres Cerros

• Rivera
• Rivera Department
• Populated places in the Rivera Department
• Populated places established in 1867
• Divided cities
• Brazil–Uruguay border crossings