Las Piedras, Uruguay

City and municipality in Canelones, Uruguay

34°43′0″S 56°13′0″W / 34.71667°S 56.21667°W / -34.71667; -56.21667Country

UruguayDepartment

CanelonesFounded1744Elevation

81 m (266 ft)Population

(2011 Census)

• Total71,268 • Demonym

pedrenseTime zoneUTC -3postal code

90200

Dial plan+598 2 (+7 digits)

Las Piedras is a city in the Canelones Department of Uruguay. As of the census of 2011, it is the seventh most populated city of the country.

Las Piedras is also the name of the municipality to which the city belongs.

Geography

The city is located on the east side of Route 5, 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) north of the border with Montevideo Department. Bordering La Paz to the south and Montevideo to the southeast, it belongs to the wider metropolitan area of Montevideo. The streams Arroyo Colorado and Arroyo de las Piedras flows by the city.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Las Piedras has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.^[1]

History

Las Piedras was founded in 1744 under the name "San Isidro".^[2]

On May 18, 1811 the Uruguayan independence leader don José Gervasio Artigas led patriot forces to victory against Spain at the Battle of Las Piedras. While not the definitive event in the country's independence process, it marked a significant step towards the eventual establishment of an independent Uruguay.

It had acquired the status of "Pueblo" (village) before the Independence of Uruguay. Its status was elevated to "Ciudad" (city) on 15 May 1925 by the Act of Ley Nº 7.837.^[2]

Population

According to the 2011 census, Las Piedras had a population of 71,258.^[3] In 2010 the Intendencia de Canelones had estimated a population of 79,412 for the municipality during the elections.^[4]

Location map of the Municipality of Las Piedras

Year	Population
1908	8,109
1963	40,658
1975	53,331
1985	58,283
1996	66,584
2004	69,222
2011	71,258

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Uruguay^[2]

Places of worship

Isidore the Laborer Parish Church (Roman Catholic, Salesians of Don Bosco)^[5]
St. Adolph Parish Church in El Dorado (Roman Catholic)
Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Parish Church in San Isidro (Roman Catholic, Pilgrims of the Eucharist)
St. Anthony of Padua Church in Pueblo Nuevo (Roman Catholic)

Sport

There is one professional association football team called Juventud de Las Piedras.

References

^ Climate Summary for Las Piedras, Uruguay
^ ^a ^b ^c "Statistics of urban localities (1908–2004) (see also "San Isidro")". INE. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 March 2015. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
^ "Censos 2011 Cuadros Canelones". INE. 2012. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
^ "ELECCIONES - Canelones". El Observador. Archived from the original on 12 March 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
^ St. Isidore the Laborer (in Spanish)