Punta Ballena
Encyclopedia
Punta Ballena is a small peninsula (punta) and a resort (balneario), as well as an important tourist attraction on the coast of Río de la Plata
in the Maldonado Department
of southeastern Uruguay
. It comprises an approximately 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) long stripe of beaches and landforms and extends on both sides of Route 10
. It borders the resort Chihuahua
to the west, it includes the Casapueblo
area, the promontory of Punta Ballena and the beach Playa Las Grutas, east of it, and to the east it borders the resort Pinares - Las Delicias with the oblong lake Laguna del Diario as the natural limit between them. To the northeast it borders the Park and Arboretum Lussich
.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Uruguay
.
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...
in the Maldonado Department
Maldonado Department
The Maldonado Department , with an area of and 140,192 inhabitants, is located to the southeast of Uruguay. Its capital is Maldonado.-Geography and climate:...
of southeastern Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
. It comprises an approximately 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) long stripe of beaches and landforms and extends on both sides of Route 10
Route 10 (Uruguay)
Route 10 is a national route of Uruguay. In 1983, it was assigned the name Juan Díaz de Solís, after a national hero of Uruguay.The distance notation along Route 10 uses the same Kilometre Zero reference as Routes 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and IB, which is the Pillar of Peace of Plaza de Cagancha in the...
. It borders the resort Chihuahua
Chihuahua, Uruguay
Chihuahua is a resort in the Maldonado Department of Uruguay. It is located on the coast of Río de la Plata, about east of the resort Punta Negra. To the east the resort Punta Ballena and to the west it borders the resort Ocean Park with the stream Arroyo del Portero separating it with the later...
to the west, it includes the Casapueblo
Casapueblo
Casapueblo is the house of noted Uruguayan artist Carlos Páez Vilaró located in Punta Ballena near Punta del Este, Uruguay. It is a homage to the artist's son Carlitos Paez, one of the sixteen survivors of the crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571...
area, the promontory of Punta Ballena and the beach Playa Las Grutas, east of it, and to the east it borders the resort Pinares - Las Delicias with the oblong lake Laguna del Diario as the natural limit between them. To the northeast it borders the Park and Arboretum Lussich
Arboretum Lussich
The Arboretum Lussich is an arboretum of 192ha located in the Maldonado Department of Uruguay near Punta del Este and Punta Ballena.- History :...
.
Population
In 2004, Punta Ballena had a population of 376 permanent inhabitants and 1,268 dwellings.| Year | Population | Dwellings |
|---|---|---|
| 1963 | 107 | 88 |
| 1975 | 169 | 241 |
| 1985 | 499 | 687 |
| 1996 | 799 | 921 |
| 2004 | 376 | 1,268 |
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Uruguay
Other names
The resort northwest of the peninsula of Punta Ballena and east of Chihuahua, as well as the beach are also known as Portezuelo and Solanas, a name derived from the Hotel Solana del Mar. The name "Playa Portezuelo", is sometimes given to describe all the long streach of the beach up to Punta NegraPunta Negra, Uruguay
Punta Negra is a small peninsula and a resort in the Maldonado Department of Uruguay. The resort is located just east of the peninsula, about east of Piriápolis, east of the resort Punta Colorada and west of the resort Sauce de Portezuelo...
.