Flores Department
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| Flag | Coat of Arms |
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| Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Capital: | Trinidad |
| Area: | 5.144 km² |
| Inhabitants: | 25.104 (2004) |
| Pop. Density: | 4.88 inh./km² |
| Demonym: | florense |
| Website: | imflores.gub.uy (in Spanish) |
| ISO 3166-2: | UY-FS |
| Politics | |
| Intendant: | Armando Castaingdebat (Partido Nacional) |
| Ruling party: | Partido Nacional |
| Map | |
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Flores is a department of south-central Uruguay. It is the most sparsely populated of all the Uruguayan departments with a population density of under 5/ km². Of the total population of 25,000, some 20,000 live in the capital Trinidad. The department is named after the nineteenth century's Colorado Party leader, Venancio Flores, who was born in Trinidad.
Outside Trinidad, Flores is agricultural, primarily raising cattle for export and sheep for wool. Gauchos, the South American cowboys, still ride the plains. Flores has kept its traditions while taking the best of technology. In Trinidad horsecarts can still be seen, but the communications system is all digital, and wireless internet is available throughout the department.
The department has many sites of prehistoric rock art, especially at Chamanga.
Fauna: Over 100 species of birds can be found in Flores. For example, rufous horneros, with their oven-like nests, sit atop fence posts. Huge colonies of green parrots' nests hang high in the tall eucalyptus. Southern lapwings, locally known as teros, burrowing owls, and elegant-crested tinamou nest in open fields while long wing harriers, gray eagles, and hawks soar high above. Some of the largest great kiskadees are extremely common as are the guira cuckoos. If you travel along the country roads, you'll frequently spot the giant wood rail, pink spoonbills, and kingfishers near a stream. And, flocks of ibis and white egrets enjoy the pastures. Red headed cardinals, both orange throated and red necked woodpeckers, and scissor-tailed nightjars can be seen in the small stands of trees that dot the countryside. Long, split tailed flycatchers zip above the rich grass around twilight. Glittering-bellied emerald hummingbirds drink from the tall purple flowers that carpet the fields from Spring until Fall.
Tegu lizards, armadillos, fox, skunks, hares, opossums and snakes enjoy the undeveloped pastures which dominate the department.
[edit] Population and Demographics
As of the census of 2004, there were 25,104 people and 8,137 households in the department. The average household size was 3.0. For every 100 females, there were 97.5 males.
- Population growth rate: -0.313% (2004)
- Birth Rate: 14.20 births/1,000 people (2004)
- Death Rate: 9.97 deaths/1,000 people
- Average age: 34.2 (32.8 Males, 35.7 Females)
- Life Expectancy at Birth (2004):
| total population: | 76.96 years |
| male: | 72.98 years |
| female: | 81.10 years |
- Average Family Size: 2.13 children/woman
- Urban per capita income (cities of 5,000 inhabitants or more): 4,754.1 pesos/month
[edit] Main Urban Centres
(Towns or cities with 1,000 or more inhabitants listed - data from the 2004 census, unless noted otherwise)
| City/Town | Population |
|---|---|
| Ismael Cortinas | 1,069 |
| Trinidad | 20,982 |
| Departments of Uruguay |  |
|---|---|
| Artigas | Canelones | Cerro Largo | Colonia | Durazno | Flores | Florida | Lavalleja | Maldonado | Montevideo | Paysandú | Río Negro | Rivera | Rocha | Salto | San José | Soriano | Tacuarembó | Treinta y Tres |
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