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Punta del Este | |
|---|---|
City | |
Aerial view Enjoy Hotel and Casino Central Square Residential area of the peninsula Playa Mansa | |
| Coordinates: 34°58′0″S 54°57′0″W / 34.96667°S 54.95000°W | |
| Country | |
| Departament | Maldonado |
| Founded | 1860 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (Alcalde) | Javier Carballal (NP) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 20.35 km2 (7.86 sq mi) |
| Population (2011 Census) | |
| • Total | 12,423 |
| Demonym(s) | puntaesteño (m) puntaesteña (f) |
| Time zone | UTC−3 |
| Postal code | 20100 |
| Dial code | +598 42 (+6 digits) |
| Climate | Cfb |
Punta del Este is a seaside city and peninsula on the Atlantic Coast in the Maldonado Department of southeastern Uruguay. Starting as a small town, Punta del Este grew to become a resort for the Latin and North American jet set and tourists.
The city has been called "The Monaco of the South", "The Pearl of the Atlantic", "The Hamptons of South America", "The Miami Beach of South America", or "The St. Tropez of South America".
In addition to international film festivals, top-notch gastronomy and hospitality, the region has protected nature reserves such as Isla de Lobos, La Isla Gorriti, La Barra, or the Lussich Arboretum.
The most popular attractions in the area are the giant sculpture La Mano (The Hand), the Santorini-style complex: Casapueblo, the Garzón Bridge designed by Rafael Viñoly, and the Museum of the Sea. Punta del Este has a permanent population of 12,400 inhabitants, but reaches up to 450,000 residents and visitors in the high season. It is one of the centers of the Maldonado suburb, with a population of 135,400 people.
The city is located on the intersection of Route 10 with Route 39, southeast of the department capital Maldonado and about 140 kilometres (87 mi) east of Montevideo.
Punta del Este has an oceanic climate (Cfb, according to the Köppen climate classification), with pleasant summers and cool winters. Because of the average temperature of the hottest month near 22 °C (71.6 °F), the climate is close to a humid subtropical climate (Cfa). It is similar to southeastern Australia. The precipitation is evenly distributed throughout the year, with an average of 1,010 mm (40 in). The hottest month, February, has an average temperature of 21.7 °C (71.1 °F), and the coldest month, July, has an average of 11.5 °C (52.7 °F). The average yearly temperature is 16.4 °C (61.5 °F).
| Climate data for Punta del Este (Península), elevation: 16 m, 1961–1990 normals | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 37.0 (98.6) |
34.4 (93.9) |
34.4 (93.9) |
30.6 (87.1) |
29.8 (85.6) |
26.6 (79.9) |
28.3 (82.9) |
27.4 (81.3) |
31.0 (87.8) |
31.8 (89.2) |
32.2 (90.0) |
37.6 (99.7) |
37.6 (99.7) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 25.2 (77.4) |
25.1 (77.2) |
24.0 (75.2) |
21.2 (70.2) |
18.2 (64.8) |
14.8 (58.6) |
14.4 (57.9) |
14.7 (58.5) |
16.0 (60.8) |
18.4 (65.1) |
21.0 (69.8) |
23.8 (74.8) |
19.7 (67.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 21.6 (70.9) |
21.7 (71.1) |
20.6 (69.1) |
17.9 (64.2) |
15.0 (59.0) |
12.2 (54.0) |
11.5 (52.7) |
11.6 (52.9) |
12.8 (55.0) |
15.0 (59.0) |
17.4 (63.3) |
20.0 (68.0) |
16.4 (61.5) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 18.1 (64.6) |
18.4 (65.1) |
17.6 (63.7) |
14.9 (58.8) |
12.1 (53.8) |
9.5 (49.1) |
8.7 (47.7) |
8.8 (47.8) |
9.9 (49.8) |
11.4 (52.5) |
14.1 (57.4) |
16.4 (61.5) |
13.3 (55.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 10.2 (50.4) |
11.6 (52.9) |
10.4 (50.7) |
6.8 (44.2) |
3.4 (38.1) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
1.4 (34.5) |
1.4 (34.5) |
1.6 (34.9) |
4.0 (39.2) |
7.4 (45.3) |
7.0 (44.6) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 75.4 (2.97) |
84.8 (3.34) |
79.3 (3.12) |
84.0 (3.31) |
91.4 (3.60) |
80.3 (3.16) |
90.3 (3.56) |
93.9 (3.70) |
93.1 (3.67) |
85.0 (3.35) |
86.8 (3.42) |
66.6 (2.62) |
1,010.9 (39.82) |
| Average precipitation days | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 107 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 263.8 | 212.5 | 243.0 | 181.3 | 147.0 | 103.8 | 118.8 | 157.5 | 169.3 | 234.5 | 217.5 | 289.3 | 2,338.3 |
| Source 1: WMO | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: NOAA (extremes, sun and mean temperature) | |||||||||||||