What is the capital of Uruguay?
Montevideo sits on the north shore of the Río de la Plata estuary, across the water from Buenos Aires.
Montevideo is the capital and seat of government of Uruguay, a role it has held since 1828. Uruguay itself has an estimated population of 3,384,688 (2025).
Montevideo is also the largest city in Uruguay, which is the usual arrangement, though it is far from universal: see the countries where capital and largest city differ.
Montevideo at a glance
| City population | 1,287,452 (2023) |
|---|---|
| Metropolitan area | 1,947,604 (2023) |
| Country | 🇺🇾 Uruguay |
| Founded | 1724 |
| Capital since | 1828 |
| Largest city in Uruguay | Montevideo |
| Time zone | UTC−03:00 (UYT) |
| Currency | Uruguayan peso (UYU) |
About Montevideo
Montevideo was founded by the Spanish between 1724 and 1730.
Montevideo has been the capital of Uruguay since 1828, Montevideo became Uruguay's capital when the country gained independence in 1828.
About a third of Uruguay's entire population lives in Montevideo, making it a dominant primate city.
It faces Buenos Aires across the wide Río de la Plata estuary.
City facts sourced from Wikipedia: Montevideo.
Frequently asked questions
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Capitals of neighbouring countries
See the full profile of Uruguay on its country page, or browse every capital city.
Capital and country data from open datasets; city and metropolitan populations are hand-curated per city and cited where they are shown. Populations of countries come from the World Bank (SP.POP.TOTL). Full sources and vintage on the data page. Last updated . Report a correction.