Rocha Department

Department of Uruguay

Place in Uruguay

Rocha Department

Flag

Coat of arms

Location of Rocha Department and its capital

Coordinates (Rocha): 34°29′0″S 54°21′0″W﻿ / ﻿34.48333°S 54.35000°W﻿ / -34.48333; -54.35000
Country|  Uruguay
Inception| 1880
Capital of Department| Rocha
Government

• Intendant| Alejo Umpiérrez
• Ruling party| Partido Nacional
Area

• Total

| 10,551 km2 (4,074 sq mi)
Elevation

| 123 m (404 ft)
Population

(2023 census)

• Total

| 80,707
• Density| 7.6/km2 (20/sq mi)
Demonym| Rochense
Time zone| UTC-3 (UYT)
ISO 3166 code| UY-RO
Website| www.rocha.gub.uy

Rocha (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈrotʃa]) is a department in the east of Uruguay. Its capital is the city of Rocha. It borders Maldonado Department to its west, Lavalleja Department to its northwest, Treinta y Tres Department to its north, while to its northeast Laguna Merín forms part of its border with Brazil and at the south end of the lake it also borders the southernmost end of Brazil, with the city of Chuy "shared" between both countries, the border passing through its main commercial avenue.

Rocha has natural beauties like Cabo Polonio, Valizas, Santa Teresa National Park. It is well known for its beach resorts, like Punta del Diablo or La Esmeralda, which swell with visitors during the summer holidays. Inland, the primary economy of Rocha is based on large cattle ranches.

## History

[edit]

On 7 July 1880, the department of Rocha was formed from territory that had belonged to the department of Maldonado since the first division of the Republic in departments in 1819.[citation needed]

## Population and Demographics

[edit]

Ethnic groups in Rocha (2011 est.)[1]

Ethnic groups |  | Percent
White |

| 91.5%
Black |

| 7.0%
Indigenous |

| 4.6%
Asian |

| 0.3%
None/Other/Unspecified |

| 2.8%

Topographic map of Rocha Department showing main populated places and roads

As of the census of 2011, Rocha Department had a population of 68,088 (33,269 male and 34,819 female) and 46,071 households.[2]

Demographic data for Rocha Department in 2010:

* Population growth rate: -0.082%
* Birth Rate: 14.04 births/1,000 people
* Death Rate: 10.44 deaths/1,000 people
* Average age: 35.0 (34.0 male, 36.0 female)
* Life Expectancy at Birth:
* Total population: 75.82 years
* Male: 72.17 years
* Female: 79.43 years
* Average per household income: 19,978 pesos/month
* Urban per capita income: 8,635 pesos/month

2010 Data Source:[3]

### Main Urban Centres

[edit]

Population stated as per 2011 census. [4]

City / Town | Population

|

Rocha | 25,422
Chuy | 9,675
Castillos | 7,541
Lascano | 7,645
La Paloma | 3,495
Cebollatí | 1,609
La Aguada y Costa Azul | 1,090
Velázquez | 1,022

### Other towns and villages

[edit]

Population stated as per 2011 census.[2]

Town / Village | Population

|

18 de Julio | 977
Punta del Diablo | 823
San Luis al Medio | 598
La Coronilla | 510
Puimayen | 505

### Rural population

[edit]

According to the 2011 census, Rocha department has an additional rural population of 4,146.

La Paloma, Rocha

## In literature

[edit]

Rocha department features in Carlos Maria Dominguez's 2004 novel Casa de Papel (trs English, 2005, The House of Paper). The narrator visits the ruins of a house of books ergo, 'house of paper', which had been built and then destroyed by an obsessive book collector on the sand spit separating Rocha lagoon from the ocean.[citation needed]

## See also

[edit]

* List of populated places in Uruguay#Rocha Department

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Población por sexo y ascendencia étnico racial, según departamento" (in Spanish). National Institute of Statistics. Archived from the original on 30 November 2020.
2. ^ a b "Censos 2011 Rocha (needs flash plugin)". INE. 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
3. ^ "Uruguay en cifras" (PDF) (in Spanish). INE. 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
4. ^ "Censos 2011 Cuadros Rocha". INE. 2012. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 25 August 2012.

## External links

[edit]

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Atlantic Coast (Uruguay).

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rocha Department.

* Official site of the Department of Rocha - About the Department
* INE map of Rocha Department
* Tourism in Uruguay, Rocha
* Nuestra Terra, Colección Los Departamentos, Vol.10 "Rocha"

33°56′0″S 54°0′0″W﻿ / ﻿33.93333°S 54.00000°W﻿ / -33.93333; -54.00000

* v
* t
* e

Rocha Department of Uruguay

Capital: Rocha

Towns and
villages|

* Arachania
* Castillos
* Cebollatí
* Chuy
* Dieciocho de Julio
* La Aguada y Costa Azul
* La Coronilla
* La Paloma
* La Pedrera
* La Riviera
* Lascano
* Puimayen
* Punta del Diablo
* Rocha
* Velázquez

Sights|

* Fortaleza Santa Teresa
* Fuerte San Miguel
* Lagoons
* Castillos
* Merín
* Negra
* Rocha
* Seaside

* v
* t
* e

Coast of Rocha

Resorts
and
Landforms|

* Laguna Garzón
* Playa San Sebastian
* El Caracol
* Costa Bonita
* Santa Rita
* Las Garzas
*     * Laguna de Rocha
* Rincon de la Laguna
* La Paloma
* Los Botes
* Anaconda
* Radar
* Parroquia
* Apostadero Naval
* La Aguada y Costa Azul
* & Pinares de Costa Azul
* La Cuchilla
* Arachania
* & Diamante de la Pedrera
* La Pedrera
* Pta.Rubia y Sta.Isabel de la Pedrera
*     * San Antonio
* Mar del Plata
* Santa Maria del Pinar
* El Palenque
* San Francisco
* Brisas del Este
*     * San Bernardo
* Valizas
* Puerta del Sol
* Atlantica
* La Florida
* San Remo
* Oceania
*     * Pinares
* Costa Rica
* Los Palmares
* Brisas del Polonio
* Perla de Rocha
* Costa de Oro
* Cabo Polonio
* Roca del Polonio
* Calavera
*     * Pta Castillos Grande
* Pta Aguada
* Cabo Castillos
* Pta del Marco
* Barra de Valizas
* Fondos de Valizas
* Aguas Dulces
* La Esmeralda
*     * Las Sirenas
* Pta Palmar
* Punta del Diablo
* Santa Teresa National Park
* Cerro Derivero
* Playa Grande
* Pta del Barco
* Playa del Barco
* Campamentos
* Pta Cerro Chato
* Pta de la Moza
* Playa de la Moza
*     * Pta de los Loberos
* Pta de la Coronilla
* La Coronilla
* & Country Club
* Palmares de la Coronilla
* & Atalaya
* Playa del Este
* Yodosal
* Puimayen
* & Samuel
* Barra del Chuy

Glossary
Barra = Mouth (of river)
Cabo = Cape
Cerro = Hill
Costa = Coast
Laguna = Lagoon
Playa = Beach
Puerto = Port
Punta (or Pta) = Point, Small Peninsula
Rincón = Nook, Retreat
Roca = Rock

* v
* t
* e

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

Authority control databases

National|

* Germany
* Israel

Geographic|

* MusicBrainz area

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template