Salto

During the Guarani War the governor of Rio de la Plata, José de Andonaegui, and the Marquis of Valdelirios pleaded with Governor José Joaquín de Viana to move north with an army of 400 men and enforce the terms of the Treaty of Madrid. In October 1756 Viana built several barracks for his army located in the area who had to survive on hunting and fishing. The sheds he built were called San Antonio del Salto Chico. Thus, the short-lived first settlement in the present city of Salto dates from 8 November 1756, which remains as its date of foundation. Some people say it was "by chance", such as the writer Francisco Bauza in his book Dominación española en Uruguay. In 1757, Viana and the superior Governor of Buenos Aires, Pedro de Cevallos, built a strong fort called San Antonio. The fort had a chapel, which was under the patronage of San Antonio de Padua. …

The city is located on Route 3 about 496 kilometres (308 mi) northwest of Montevideo, and on the east bank of the Río Uruguay across from the city of Concordia in Argentina. About 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) north of the city the Salto Grande Bridge, built on top of the Salto Grande Dam, joins the two sides. Built on hills and bluffs, the city is situated near the Rio Uruguay's 'big jump' falls, which is also the location of the Salto Grande Dam. The land is low lying alongside the river bank, with an elevation of 48 metres (157 ft) above sea level. Salto has a humid subtropical climate typical of the region, with sunny and hot summers with occasional heavy rainfall combined with mild winters.

At the entrance of the city there is a memorial to the engineer Eladio Dieste. The memorial is formally called "La Puerta de la Sabiduría" ("The Door of Wisdom") and commonly known as "La Gaviota" ("The Seagull"). It was constructed by moving a structure built for station facilities and service by Leggiero Barbieri, a now-defunct trading firm. It is located at the intersection of Route 3 and Route 31 with Avenida Pascual Harriague, named after Pascual Harriague, who introduced grape cultivation in Uruguay. Salto is the site of a large number of works by Eladio Dieste, including an industrial warehouse/factory (Refrescos del Norte, 1978), an inn (north coast), a Municipal Bus Terminal, and a private bus company terminal (Turlit, 1980). Other prominent architects include J.P. Sanguinetti with his masterpiece "El Campo y yo". …

Salto lies at the junction of the north–south National Route 3 and east–west National Route 31 on the eastern bank at the beginning of the Lower Uruguay River, opposite the Argentine city of Concordia. The city is located 145 kilometres (90 mi) by road south of Bella Union and 120 kilometres (75 mi) by road north of Paysandu. It is located 225 kilometres (140 mi) by road west of Tacuarembo. Salto is connected to Montevideo by regular bus services and by the railroad track Montevideo – Salto – Artigas. The main railway station is the Salto railway station (Estacion Salto). Nueva Hesperides International Airport had scheduled connections with Montevideo until 2015, enabling easy access to the local thermal baths. There are plans to improve it and local business people are keen to see it expand, allowing freight (particularly fruit) to be shipped directly from the region. …

In 2023, Salto had a population of 114,084. Source: National Statistics Institute