Río Negro Department

The Río Negro department () is a department of Uruguay. The capital is the city of Fray Bentos.
Its code is UY-RN.
History.
The Río Negro department was created on 20 March 1880. Before that time, its territory was part of the Paysandú department.
Geography.
The Río Negro department is in the western part of Uruguay, along the Uruguay river. It has an area of . The population is 54,765 inhabitants (2011 census), one of the departments with fewest inhabitants, 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 Navarro" to the south and forming the border with the Durazno department, and "cuchilla de Haedo" that goes from the northeast to the southwest.
There are two protected areas in the department: "National Park Esteros de Farrapos e islas del río Uruguay" () and the "Esteros y algarrobales del río Uruguay".
Rivers.
The main rivers in the department are:
Demographics.
The inhabitants of the Río Negro department (and of the city of Paysandú) are known, in Spanish, as "Rionegrenses".
Evolution of the population in Río Negro
According to the 2011 census, the Río Negro department has a rural population of 5,212, that represents of the total population of the department.