Salto Department (Spanish pronunciation:[ˈsalto]) is a department of the northwestern region of Uruguay. It has an area of about 14,163 km2 (5,468 sq mi) and a population of about 136,197. Its capital is the city of Salto. It borders Artigas Department to its north, Paysandú Department to its south, the departments of Rivera and Tacuarembó to its east and has the Río Uruguay flowing at its west, separating it from Argentina.
History
The first division of the Republic in six departments happened on 27 January 1816. Two more departments were formed later in that year. At the time, Paysandú Department included all the territory north of the Río Negro, which included the actual departments of Artigas, Rivera, Tacuarembó, Salto, Paysandú and Río Negro. On 17 June 1837 a new division of Uruguay was made and the department of Salto was created including the actual Artigas Department. Its final borders were defined on 1 October 1884, when the Artigas Department was separated from Salto by the Act of Ley Nº 1854.
According to the preliminary results of the 2011 census, Salto department has a rural population of 7,849.[2]
Map
Topographic map of Salto Department showing main populated places and roads
Government
The executive power is exercised by the Intendencia Municipal de Salto. The Intendant is elected every five years with the possibility of reelection.
The following Municipalities have been formed in Salto Department:
Constitución
Belén
Rincón de Valentín
Colonia Lavalleja
San Antonio
Mataojo
Tourism
There are Mineral spas at Termas del Daymán and Termas del Arapey. The displays in Museo del Hombre y la Tecnología demonstrate man's interaction with technology.
Notable people
Horacio Quiroga (1878-1937) storyteller, playwright and poet. Famous for his work Tales of Love, Madness, and Death. He commit suicide by drinking a glass of cyanide in a Buenos Aires' Hospital by the age of 58 years old.
Irineo Leguisamo, one of the foremost South American jockeys of the 20th century
Uruguay
