Cabo Polonio

Cabo Polonio
Hamlet
"Ranchos del Cabo" in Cabo Polonio
Country	Uruguay
Department	Rocha Department
Population  (2011)
• Total	95
Time zone	UTC -3
Postal code	27202
Area code	+598 4475

Sand dunes near Cabo Polonio

Cabo Polonio is a hamlet located in the eastern coast of Uruguay in the Rocha Department.

Cabo Polonio has no roads leading to it and is located about 7 km from the main highway. It is accessible by walking through the dunes or by 4x4 vehicles. The region has no electricity or running water for the few hundred houses of this town, and wind power and a few generators are used to power some of the posadas and grocery store. There is a lighthouse that gets power from the national grid. Residents obtain water from nearby water wells or collecting rain water.

Population

According to the 2011 census, it had a population of 95 inhabitants.

Features

Cabo Polonio sits on the tip of a peninsula that extends into the Atlantic Ocean. The ocean side of the peninsula experiences strong waves, while the bay interior to the peninsula is sheltered. At the top end, a lighthouse stands over boulders tumbling into the sea. Two small, rocky islands dot the coast nearby.

Near to the village is a colony of sea lions. The shore also has mobile sand dunes, in which the sand is blown by the wind and the dunes change their position over time. The village land is shared by the Uruguayan government and private owners. The government has included the area into the SNAP (Sistema Nacional de Áreas Protegidas) National System of Protected Areas.

External links

• Cabo Polonio Website
• Portal de Cabo Polonio english version
• Systema Nacional de Áreas Protegidas de Uruguay, Cabo Polonio
• Uruguay, between river and ocean
• the perfect, sleepy beach town
• INE map of Cabo Polonio