Paysandú Department

The Paysandú department () is a department of Uruguay. The capital is the city of Paysandú.
Its code is UY-PA.
Geography.
The Paysandú department is in the western part of Uruguay, along the Uruguay river. It has an area of , the third largest department in the country, after the Tacuarembó and Salto departments. The population is 113,124 inhabitants (2011 census) for a population density of inhabitants/km.
There are two chains of low hills in the department. These chains of low and rounded hills are named "cuchillas" in the country. The two "cuchillas" in the department are "cuchilla de Queguay" to the northwest, and "cuchilla de Haedo" to the southeast.
There is one protected area in the department: "Montes del Queguay" (); it is around the confluence of the Queguay Grande and Queguay Chico rivers.
Rivers.
The main rivers in the department are:
Climate.
The Köppen climate classification type for the climate in Paysandú is a "Humid subtropical climate" and of the subtype Cfa.
The average amount of precipitation for the year in Paysandú is . The month with the most precipitation on average is March with of precipitation. The month with the least precipitation on average is May with an average of .
The average temperature for the year in Paysandú is . The warmest month, on average, is January with an average temperature of . The coolest month on average is June, with an average temperature of .
Demographics.
The inhabitants of the Paysandú department (and of the city of Paysandú) are known, in Spanish, as "Sanduceros".
Evolution of the population in Paysandú
According to the 2011 census, the Paysandú department has a rural population of 4,364.