Uruguayana

Uruguayana, a city and river port of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, on the left bank of the Uruguay river, 34 8 ft. above sea-level (at the R. R. station) and about 360 m. in a direct line W. of Porto Alegre. Pop. (1900) 13,638. A railway connects with Quarahim (47 m.) on the Uruguayan frontier, and thence by a Uruguayan line with Montevideo by way of Paysandu. The same line extends N. 62 m. to the naval station of Itaquy. A cross-country line was under construction in 1909 to Cacequy, which is in direct communication with Porto Alegre and the city of Rio Grande. The upper Uruguay is navigable from the Quarahim to the town of Sao Tome, and small river steamers ply regularly between Ceibo, on the Argentine side, and the latter. Opposite Uruguayana is the Argentine town of Restauracion, or Paso los Libres. The river is 2 m. wide at this point, and 154 ft. above sea-level. Uruguayana is prettily situated on a low hill rising gently from the riverside and its low houses are surrounded by orange groves. There are large military barracks near the shore, a theatre and a custom-house. The surrounding country is chiefly pastoral, but there is a small area under vineyards, and in addition to grapes some other fruits are produced. Uruguayana was captured by a Paraguayan force under General Estigarribia on the 5th of August 1865, and was recaptured without a fight by the allied forces under General Bartolome Mitre on the 18th of September. The Paraguayan occupation left the town partially in ruins, and it remained in a decadent condition until near the end of the century, when reviving industries in the state and a renewal of railway construction promoted its commercial activity and growth.