Municipal Governor: Marcos Carámbula

Surface: 4,536 Km2 (source: Enciclopedia gráfica del Uruguay; Montevideo Comm)

Population: 485,240 habitants (source: 2004 census)

Capital City: Canelones (19,335 habitants)

The name Canelones comes from the autochthonous “Canelón” tree of the Espinillo family. The abundance of the tree in the area gave the name to the department, the country’s most populous outside Montevideo. After the founding of Montevideo in 1724 by then governor of Buenos Aires, Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, some residents began to populate the areas near the current city of Canelones, about 45 kilometers north of Montevideo. To stop the advance of Portuguese troops, in 1764, the town of San Juan Bautista (now called Santa Lucía) was founded. Near the end of the 18th century, the towns of Capilla de Guadalupe (Canelones) and Capilla Las Piedras (Las Piedras) were founded in 1776 and 1795, respectively. On 27 February 1816, the first departmental division in the country was established, creating the department of Canelones. The initial boundaries were from the Santa Lucía River to the department of Montevideo. A few years earlier, on 18 May 1811, the Battle of Las Piedras took place, where troops under the command of José Artigas defeated the Spanish army. It was the first great victory for the revolutionary forces. The first European inhabitants of the region came from the Spanish Canary Islands and were called “Canarios” due to their origin. The population of Canelones, although consisting mainly of Canarios, also included Austrians, Basques, and Italians. The Italians focused mainly on wine production. Today, the department of Canelones has more than 160 of the 300 wineries in the country, with more than 1,175 of the country’s 1,721 grape producing farms.

GrGrains, vegetables, aromatic herbs and tobacco are also grown in the department. Canelones has 100 meters of coastline along the Río de la Plata and has some of the country’s most frequented beaches. At the beginning of the 1990s, the towns along the coast grew very rapidly, especially in Ciudad de la Costa. Today, Ciudad de la Costa has a population density much greater than many neighborhoods in the capital. El Pinar, one of the towns in Ciudad de la Costa, saw a 200% population growth in a decade. Due to its population size, the department has special significance in national elections. Many believe that the “party that wins Canelones, wins the elections.” Currently, the department is governed by Frente Amplio. Departmental Intendant Marcos Carámbula is currently one of the three pre-candidates for the party and, as such, is not carrying out his duties as intendant. Data Canelones has a population of 498,344 (2005) and is the second largest in terms of inhabitants. The department has a surface area of 4,526 km2 and a population density of 106.98 inhabitants per km2. Major cities include Canelones (the capital), Las Piedras, Santa Lucía, Atlántida, Pando, Ciudad de la Costa and La Paz.