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Montevideo

Capital of UruguayMontevideo is on the southern coast of Uruguay, on the north shore of the Río de la Plata, the wide arm of the Atlantic that separates Uruguay from Argentina.

Why it's the capital

The Portuguese set up a garrison here in 1723, but in 1724 the Spanish soldier Bruno Mauricio de Zabala drove them out, as Spain and Portugal competed for the region. When Uruguay became an independent state in 1828, Montevideo was made its capital.

Fun facts

  1. The 'Monte' in Montevideo refers to the Cerro, a hill across the Bay of Montevideo; a popular idea is that the name comes from 'Monte vide eu', meaning 'I saw a mount'.
  2. Montevideo hosted every match of the first FIFA World Cup in 1930, and the Estadio Centenario was completed that same year.
  3. It is the southernmost national capital in the Americas and the third most southerly in the world.

Finding it on the globe

Uruguay is the small country between Argentina and Brazil. Tap the middle of its south coast, where it faces the Río de la Plata.

Easy to mix up

Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, lies on the other side of the same river, about 230 km to the west. Montevideo is the one on the Uruguayan side.

Sources: Wikipedia: Montevideo, Wikipedia: Uruguay