File:RiveraCerroMarconi.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
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Sign in to saveRivera () is the capital of Rivera Department of Uruguay. The border with Brazil joins it with the Brazilian city of Santana do Livramento, which is only a block away from it, at the north end of Route 5. Together, they form an urban area of around 200,000 inhabitants. As of the census of 2011, it is the sixth most populated city of Uruguay.
OverviewAI-generated
Rivera is a city and the capital of the Rivera Department in Uruguay. Established in 1867, it functions as a border city sharing a boundary with Santana do Livramento. The municipality has a population of 84,775 people across 32,757 households. Its area measures 39.895763 square units, and it sits at an elevation of 223 meters above sea level.
The local demonyms are riverense and riverensi. Spanish and Uruguayan Portuguese are the languages used in the area. Rivera is twinned with Santana do Livramento and Guiyang. The city’s postal code is 40000, and it operates in the America/Montevideo timezone.
Synthesized by Vinony from 50 facts across 7 sources: Wikidata, Open Meteo, Openweathermap, OpenStreetMap, GeoNames, Vinony graph, Geo. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.
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via Open-Meteo
Place details
- Locality
- Rivera
- Region
- Rivera
- Country
- Uruguay
- Population
- 64,631
- Timezone
- America/Montevideo
via OpenStreetMap · GeoNames
Key facts
- Settlement.official_name
- Rivera
- Settlement.settlement_type
- Capital city
- Settlement.image_skyline
- RiveraCerroMarconi.jpg
- Settlement.image_caption
- View of Rivera from Cerro Marconi
- Settlement.pushpin_map
- Uruguay
- Settlement.pushpin_label_position
- right
- Settlement.pushpin_map_caption
- Location in Uruguay
- Settlement.subdivision_type
- Country
- Settlement.subdivision_type1
- Department
- Settlement.population_as_of
- 2023 Census
- Settlement.population_total
- 84775
- Settlement.population_blank1_title
- Demonym
- Settlement.population_blank1
- Riverense
- Settlement.population_density_km2
- auto
- Settlement.area_total_km2
- 39.9
- Settlement.timezone
- UYT
- Settlement.utc_offset
- −03:00
- Settlement.postal_code_type
- Postal code
via Wikipedia infobox
Travel guide
Get around
Rivera is small enough to get around by walking. The main street is called Sarandí.
There are also local bus lines and taxis.
Buy
Lots of shopping, including duty-free shops chiefly catering to Brazilians, on Sarandí, the main street, especially near the border. Uruguayans aren't allowed to shop at the duty-free shops—you have to show a foreign ID such as a passport to make purchases at them. Santana also has lots of stores on its side of the border, where Uruguayans go to buy cheap goods.
Prices tend to be listed in pesos in Rivera and in reais in Santana, but stores on both sides are happy to accept either currency. Currency exchange places, as well as lots of stands selling contraband, can be found on the border near the Plaza Internacional. The unlicensed currency exchange stands right on the border offer very good rates, better than the official exchange places nearby. They accept US dollars as well as pesos and reais.
Beyond the wide selection of duty-free shops, small stands, and cheap stores near the border, there are a couple of larger malls:
Eat
A Riverense specialty is xis, a sort of cheeseburger-like sandwich. You can also find standard Uruguayan fare like milanesas, chivitos, and pizza, as well as Brazilian-style restaurants like pay-by-the-kilo buffets. Naturally, Brazilian restaurants are more plentiful on their side of the border.
Rivera is one of the few places in the world that once had a McDonald's but no longer does—the large McDonald's that was built near the border couldn't attract enough business and finally had to close.
Sleep
Cheaper options can be found in the adjacent Brazilian city of Santana do Livramento.
Stay safe
Avoid the border area (including the Plaza Internacional) at night. If you're led across the border, Uruguayan police won't be able to help you.
Go next
The city of Santana do Livramento in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, is right across the border. Tacuarembó
Travel guide from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Gallery (10)
On the map
3 mapped locations