Uruguayan departments, found on the map
Find all 19 departments, connecting their capitals, river boundaries and coasts. Zoom in for Montevideo.
19 to find, 8 a run.
3 rounds, 6 of 8 to pass each. Pass one and its places are yours.
Every one on the map
Every place listed below can be asked in this game. Places you find in a passed round drop out of your remaining pool.
- Artigas
- Canelones
- Cerro Largo
- Colonia
- Durazno
- Flores
- Florida
- Lavalleja
- Maldonado
- Montevideo
- Paysandú
- Río Negro
- Rivera
- Rocha
- Salto
- San José
- Soriano
- Tacuarembó
- Treinta y Tres
What the map tells you about each one
The paragraph the game shows when you find each one. Reading them first is not cheating.
- Artigas
- Artigas borders Brazil and Argentina. Its capital faces Brazil across the Cuareim River, while Bella Unión lies by the Uruguay River.
- Canelones
- The department surrounds much of the capital’s landward side. Canelones city is its capital; Atlántida lies on its southern coast.
- Cerro Largo
- Melo is the capital of Cerro Largo. The department reaches Brazil and the northern end of the Laguna Merín basin.
- Colonia
- Colonia del Sacramento is the capital. Its historic quarter reflects Portuguese and Spanish rivalry beside the estuary.
- Durazno
- Durazno city is the capital. The department’s northern edge follows the Negro River and its reservoirs.
- Flores
- Trinidad is the capital of Flores. Grasslands, ranching and the sandstone formations of Grutas del Palacio shape its landscape.
- Florida
- Florida’s capital lies on the Santa Lucía Chico River. The 1825 independence declaration was made in this city.
- Lavalleja
- Minas is the departmental capital. The surrounding sierras are rolling uplands rather than a high mountain chain.
- Maldonado
- Maldonado city is the capital, separate from neighbouring Punta del Este. Beaches and nearby hills shape the department.
- Montevideo
- Montevideo is both a department and Uruguay’s capital city. The wider metropolitan area extends into Canelones and San José.
- Paysandú
- Paysandú city is the capital and a river port. A bridge connects it with Colón in Argentina across the Uruguay River.
- Río Negro
- The department takes its name from the Negro River along its southern side. Fray Bentos is its capital on the Uruguay River.
- Rivera
- Rivera city meets Santana do Livramento in Brazil. Border communities have long histories of Spanish and Portuguese contact.
- Rocha
- Rocha city is the capital. The department includes coastal lagoons, Cabo Polonio and Chuy on the Brazilian border.
- Salto
- Salto is the capital. The Salto Grande hydroelectric complex lies upstream and is shared with Argentina.
- San José
- San José de Mayo is the capital. The southern part reaches the Río de la Plata and includes metropolitan settlements.
- Soriano
- Mercedes is the capital on the Negro River. The department’s western edge reaches the Uruguay River.
- Tacuarembó
- Tacuarembó lies south of Rivera. The Negro River and Rincón del Bonete reservoir mark much of its southern side.
- Treinta y Tres
- Its capital stands on the Olimar River. Quebrada de los Cuervos lies in the department’s uplands, with Laguna Merín to the east.
How this one works
How many departments are on the map?
19. Every one of them is on the map, and a run asks 8 of them. Pass a round and the places you found in it drop out of the pool, so the next run is what you have left.
What is a round?
A run of 8 questions, and 6 right passes it. 3 rounds cover the whole map, and the counter at the top of the Uruguay page counts the ones behind you. Passing is what banks a round's finds: miss the mark and nothing is taken off the map, so every place that round asked about is still there to be asked again. A round is always the places you have not found yet, and when fewer than five are left it is topped up with a few you have found as review, so the last round is never one or two questions. Three quarters of it passes it.
Can I start the map over?
Yes. "Reset this map" under the counter puts all 19 back in the pool and sets the rounds to zero the moment you press it, so the whole map is there to be found again from nothing. It clears this map only; the other maps of Uruguay keep their progress.
Do I need an account?
No. The game plays in the page, and a guest's progress is kept in their own browser. Signing in carries it between devices and earns XP for a run.
What happens when I get one wrong?
The map names what you actually hit, then lights up the right answer in green and tells you something about the place. Missing one is how most of this map gets learned.
The other maps of Uruguay
Bolivia has the same map in Bolivian departments. El Salvador has the same map in Salvadoran departments. Guatemala has the same map in Guatemalan departments. Honduras has the same map in Honduran departments. Paraguay has the same map in Paraguayan departments and Asunción. All three together on the Uruguay atlas page, the country itself on the Uruguay guide, and the other two hundred on the world map.