MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY (Port No. 7, 1/25/12)

MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY

PORT OF MONTEVIDEO

• GEOGRAPHY 101
          • Land Mass/ Continent: The middle of South America on the Eastern coast, between Argentina and Brazil (a "transition point for the world")
          • About Montevideo: Montevideo (monte-i-vi-day-oh) is the largest city, capital and chief port of Uruguay; it's the busiest port that we've seen in South America (with heavy traffic at sea)
          • Estimated Population: 1.5 million (half of Uruguay’s total population); app. 88% of Uruguay's population are of European descent (a "modern European city in South America")
          • Distance from Home (San Diego, CA): 6,111 miles
          • The Water That'll Get Us There: South Atlantic Ocean and Rio de la Plata

• ITS PLACE IN HISTORY/ INTERESTING FACTS
          • Currency:  Uruguayan peso (UYU), but the US dollar is used as prevalently
          • Official Language:  Spanish; like Argentina, their version was influenced by the Italians (they unofficially also speak Portuguese, French and English)
          • Local time: 
          • Take-home pay for government employees averages just over $1,000/month, which is more than double the pay in the private sector (the mean is only about $480/month), per http://en.mercopress.com/2010/08/31/uruguay-government-employees-take-home-pay-doubles-that-of-the-private-sector
          • Montevideo is reputed to provide the highest quality of life in Latin America, due in no small part to its rich cultural life
          • 88% of the population own their own homes; the middle class are taxed where the rich and the poor are not
          • A smaller, more laid back version of Buenos Aires
          • Montevideo honors colonial customs: long lunches, siestas and high tea
          • There is granite everywhere, lots of water, and they export meat and leather
          • They have their own "Carnival", lasting 40 days (this year, it begins on January 27th - 2012)
          • They have numerous cemeteries near the beach, so if you want to die with beachfront property, this is the place to go!
          • Here, you will find a safe environment, with a nice climate and nice people
          • Lots of Americans and others live here six months out of the year
          • Building permits are only granted up to 25 floors on the beach (except the WTC, which is 30 floors)
          • Travel video:  http://www.youtube.com/user/bestdestination#p/search/0/TSNffBWEpMA

• CLIMATE
          • Montevideo has a mild humid subtropical climate; it has cool winters, warm summers and volatile springs; its seasons are opposite to those in the northern hemisphere
          • Average low for January: 63
          • Average high for January: 82

• HIGHLIGHTS/THINGS TO SEE
          • Nearby Colonia del Sacramento (the oldest city in Uruguay, recently declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site)
          • Punta de Este (the ritziest and most important seaside beach resort in Latin America, famous for its rich and famous visitors from November on)
          • The Rio de Plata (the widest river in the world)
          • Wine region
          • Steam train
          • The emphasis is on architecture and the arts
          • Attractions also include Catedral Madriz (burial place for some of the country's most important figures), Teatro Solis (music theatre) and Rambla de Montevideo (wharf/pier/boardwalk)

PORT OF PUNTA DEL ESTE