Colonia del Sacramento is a city in southwestern Uruguay, by the Río de la Plata, facing Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is the oldest town in the country and capital of the departamento of Colonia. A city is an urban area, differentiated from a town, village, or hamlet by size, population density, importance, or legal status. ... A satellite view of the estuary Another satellite view of the estuary The River Plate ( Spanish: Río de la Plata) is the estuary formed from the combination of the Uruguay River and the Parana River. ... Buenos Aires (Good Winds in Spanish, but more akin to Fair Winds, as in navigation) is the capital of Argentina and its largest city and port, as well as one of the largest cities in South America. ... Uruguay consists of 19 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) (capitals in parentheses): Artigas (Artigas). ... Colonia is a departamento in southwestern Uruguay. ...

History

Founded in 1680 by the Portuguese, Colonia was later disputed by the Spanish settled on the opposite bank of the river at Buenos Aires. The colony kept changing hands from crown to crown due to treaties like the Treaty of Madrid in 1750 and the Treaty of Santo Ildefonso in 1777, until it remained with the Spanish. It then transferred to Portuguese control again, and later to the Brazilians after 1816, when the entire eastern bank (Banda Oriental) of Uruguay was seized by the Rio de Janeiro government. Events First Portuguese governor was appointed to Macau The Swedish city Karlskrona was founded as the Royal Swedish Navy relocated there. ... The Treaty of Madrid was a document signed by Spain and Portugal concerning their empires and status of their slave plantations in what is now Brazil. ... Events March 2 - Small earthquake in London April 4 - Small earthquake in Warrington, England August 23 - Small earthquake in Spalding, England September 30 - Small earthquake in Northampton, England November 16 – Westminster Bridge officially opened Jonas Hanway is the first Englishman to use an umbrella James Gray reveals her sex to... 1777 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1816 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Ipanema beach A NASA satellite image of Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro (meaning River of January in Portuguese) is the name of both a state and a city in southeastern Brazil. ...

Today, the city has expanded to the east, but its original part still keeps the "disarranged", terrain-fitting street plan in the oldest part, built by the Portuguese, contrasting nicely with the wider orthogonal calles in the Spanish area.

The historical parts of Colonia are named by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. UNESCO logo The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, commonly known as UNESCO, is a specialized agency of the United Nations system established in 1946. ... Elabana Falls is in Lamington National Park, part of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves World Heritage site in Queensland, Australia. ...