List of Uruguay Departaments and Capitals

Written and Fact-checked by Whereig Editors | Last Updated On: May 22, 2026

Uruguay is divided into 19 departments (departamentos). Here is a list of the departments in Uruguay:

Uruguay is a country in southeastern South America located between Brazil and Argentina, with coastlines along the Atlantic Ocean and the Río de la Plata estuary. The country is divided into 19 departments for administration and regional governance. Montevideo is the capital of Uruguay and also the country’s largest city, serving as the political, economic, and cultural center.

Uruguay features rolling plains, fertile grasslands, river systems, coastal beaches, and low hill ranges spread across a relatively compact territory. Different departments are known for cattle ranching, agriculture, tourism, forestry, wine production, trade, and port activities, while the country’s strong European cultural influence shapes its architecture, traditions, and urban lifestyle.

Key Facts

List of Departments and Capitals of Uruguay

Total administrative divisions shown: 19 | Combined population: 3,423,108 | Combined area: 176,215 km²

#	Department Name	Department Capital	Geographic Region	Area (km²)	Population (2023 Estimate)
1	Artigas	Artigas	Northern Border Region	11,928	74,000
2	Canelones	Canelones	Southern Metropolitan Belt	4,536	610,000
3	Cerro Largo	Melo	Eastern Border Region	13,648	86,000
4	Colonia	Colonia del Sacramento	Southwestern Uruguay	6,106	132,000
5	Durazno	Durazno	Central Uruguay	11,643	58,000
6	Flores	Trinidad	South-Central Plains	5,144	26,000
7	Florida	Florida	Central-Southern Uruguay	10,417	70,000
8	Lavalleja	Minas	Eastern Hills Region	10,016	62,000
9	Maldonado	Maldonado	Atlantic Coast	4,793	215,000
10	Montevideo	Montevideo	Capital Coast Region	530	1,320,000
11	Paysandú	Paysandú	Western River Region	13,922	118,000
12	Río Negro	Fray Bentos	Western Uruguay	9,282	58,000
13	Rivera	Rivera	Northern Border Region	9,370	106,000
14	Rocha	Rocha	Atlantic Coast	10,551	74,000
15	Salto	Salto	Northwestern Uruguay	14,163	129,000
16	San José	San José de Mayo	Southern Agricultural Belt	4,992	115,000
17	Soriano	Mercedes	Western Agricultural Region	9,008	83,000
18	Tacuarembó	Tacuarembó	North-Central Uruguay	15,438	91,000
19	Treinta y Tres	Treinta y Tres	Eastern Plains	9,529	56,108

Largest Departments by Area

Tacuarembó - 5,960 sq mi (15,438 km²)
Salto - 5,468 sq mi (14,163 km²)
Paysandú - 5,375 sq mi (13,922 km²)
Cerro Largo - 5,270 sq mi (13,648 km²)
Durazno - 4,495 sq mi (11,643 km²)
Artigas - 4,605 sq mi (11,928 km²)
Rocha - 4,073 sq mi (10,551 km²)
Florida - 4,022 sq mi (10,417 km²)

Most Populous Departments

Montevideo - Population: 1,320,000 (2023 Estimate)
Canelones - Population: 610,000 (2023 Estimate)
Maldonado - Population: 215,000 (2023 Estimate)
Colonia - Population: 132,000 (2023 Estimate)
Salto - Population: 129,000 (2023 Estimate)
Paysandú - Population: 118,000 (2023 Estimate)
San José - Population: 115,000 (2023 Estimate)
Rivera - Population: 106,000 (2023 Estimate)

Smallest Departments by Area

Montevideo - 205 sq mi (530 km²)
Canelones - 1,751 sq mi (4,536 km²)
Maldonado - 1,850 sq mi (4,793 km²)
San José - 1,927 sq mi (4,992 km²)
Flores - 1,986 sq mi (5,144 km²)
Colonia - 2,358 sq mi (6,106 km²)

Departments by Geographic Grouping

Atlantic Coast: Maldonado, Rocha
Capital Coast Region: Montevideo
Central Uruguay: Durazno
Central-Southern Uruguay: Florida
Eastern Border Region: Cerro Largo
Eastern Hills Region: Lavalleja
Eastern Plains: Treinta y Tres
North-Central Uruguay: Tacuarembó
Northern Border Region: Artigas, Rivera
Northwestern Uruguay: Salto
South-Central Plains: Flores
Southern Agricultural Belt: San José
Southern Metropolitan Belt: Canelones
Southwestern Uruguay: Colonia
Western Agricultural Region: Soriano
Western River Region: Paysandú
Western Uruguay: Río Negro

Departments with Coastline

Canelones
Colonia
Maldonado
Montevideo
Rocha
San José

Landlocked Departments

Artigas
Cerro Largo
Durazno
Flores
Florida
Lavalleja
Paysandú
Río Negro
Rivera
Salto
Soriano
Tacuarembó
Treinta y Tres

Departments Sharing an International Border

Artigas - borders Brazil and Argentina
Cerro Largo - borders Brazil
Colonia - borders Argentina across the Río de la Plata
Paysandú - borders Argentina
Rivera - borders Brazil
Rocha - borders Brazil
Salto - borders Argentina
Tacuarembó - borders Brazil
Treinta y Tres - borders Brazil

Major Economic Activities by Department

Department	Main Economic Activity	Known For
Montevideo	Finance and trade	Capital city and major port
Canelones	Agriculture and wine production	Vineyards and suburban growth
Maldonado	Tourism and real estate	Punta del Este beach resorts
Salto	Agriculture and citrus farming	Thermal springs and fruit production
Paysandú	Forestry and manufacturing	Pulp industry and river trade
Tacuarembó	Livestock and forestry	Cattle ranching and timber production

Important Natural and Cultural Areas

Historic Quarter of Colonia del Sacramento: Colonia Department
Punta del Este: Maldonado Department
Santa Teresa National Park: Rocha Department
Montevideo Old City: Montevideo Department
Salto Hot Springs: Salto Department
Cerro Arequita: Lavalleja Department

Sources

World Countries and Capitals

Location Map of Asian Countries

List of Uruguay Departaments and Capitals - Departaments in Uruguay