thumb|The Historic site of the Old Posta del Chuy, near Melo.

Cerro Largo Department () is a department of Uruguay. Its capital is Melo. It is located in the east of the country, bordering Brazil to its northeast with Yaguaron River as the natural border, Treinta y Tres Department to its south, Durazno Department to its west and the departments of Tacuarembó and Rivera to its northwest with Negro River as its natural border with them.

History

At the end of the 18th century, apart from the indigenous people, the area was populated by the Spanish and the Portuguese alike. In 1795, the Captain of the Spanish Infantry Agustín de la Rosa founded the town of Melo, a fortress to repel attacks of the Portuguese and the Indios. The territory was invaded by the Portuguese in 1801, 1811, and 1816. The history of this place is marked by battles before, during and after the Independence of the Republic.

The old Posta del Chuy, from the town, was the historic Inn where travellers from Melo to Villa Artigas (the actual Río Branco) could rest and pay the fares for using the first public work of the Republic, the stone bridge over the stream Chuy del Tacuarí, today a Heritage Monument, built in 1855 by the French Basque brothers Etcheverry.

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As of the census of 2011, Cerro Largo Department had a population of 84,698 (41,050 male and 43,648 female) and 35,841 households.

Demographic data for Florida Department in 2010:

  • Population growth rate: 0.571%
  • Birth Rate: 15.95 births/1,000 people
  • Death Rate: 8.64 deaths/1,000 people
  • Average age: 32.1 (31.0 male, 33.0 female)
  • Life Expectancy at Birth:
  • Total population: 75.86 years
  • Male: 72.58 years
  • Female: 79.04 years
  • Average per household income: 18,880 pesos/month
  • Urban per capita income: 7,801 pesos/month

2010 Data Source:

{| style="margin-top:16px;"

|-

! align="left" style="padding-left:20px;" | Main Urban Centres

! align="left" style="padding-left:20px;" | Other towns and villages

|-

| colspan=2 | Population stated according to the 2011 census.

|- valign="top"

|

{| class="wikitable"

! City / Town || Population

|-

| Melo || 51,830

|-

| Río Branco || 14,604

|-

| Fraile Muerto || 3,168

|-

| Isidoro Noblía || 2,331

|-

| Aceguá || 1,511

|-

| Tupambaé || 1,122

|}

|

{| class="wikitable"

! Town / Village || Population

|-

| Barrio López Benítez || 522

|-

| Hipódromo || 505

|-

| Lago Merín || 439

|-

| Plácido Rosas || 415

|-

| Barrio La Vinchuca || 388

|}

|}

:Rural population

According to the 2011 census, Cerro Largo department has a rural population of 5,936.