🇺🇾 Fray Bentos is the capital city of the Río Negro Department, in south-western Uruguay, at the Argentina-Uruguay border, near the Argentine city of Gualeguaychú. Its port on the Uruguay River is one of the nation's most important harbours. The city hosts the first campus of the Technological University, beside the historically relevant industrial complex Anglo, a World Heritage site.
One of the biggest pulp mills in the world is situated close to Fray Bentos and the Libertador General San Martín Bridge; it was the centre of the largest political dispute between Uruguay and Argentina during the 21st century.
Economy In 1899 a company called "Frigorífico Anglo del Uruguay" (often referred to as "Anglo") which originated from Lemco, began making corned beef there, which was sold as "Fray Bentos Corned Beef" in the UK. Fifty years later, the company diversified into soups, meatballs and tinned fruit. During the 1990s the focus shifted to pies and puddings, and the company was taken over by the Campbell Soup Company. In 2006, 'Campbells UK' was acquired by Premier Foods. The "Fray Bentos" brand is now owned in the UK by Baxters, which manufactures the product range in Scotland. The Campbell Soup Company manufactures and sells Fray Bentos-branded steak and kidney pies in Australia.
In 2008, the Brazilian-owned Marfrig Group announced the reopening of one of the factories related to the Liebig factory and the resumption of export of meat products, though at a lower volume than at the original factory.
Pulp mill dispute Botnia S.A., a subsidiary of Finnish corporation Metsä-Botnia, built a large cellulose factory (pulp mill) in Fray Bentos to produce bleached eucalyptus pulp; production started in November 2007, and the first shipments were made in December 2007 from the port of Nueva Palmira. Investment in the project was about 1 billion USD. Several groups raised concerns regarding the effects of this and other pulp mills on the Uruguay River, which runs between Uruguay and Argentina, as well as whether Argentina had been provided with adequate notice regarding construction. On 30 April 2005 about 40,000 Argentines from Entre Ríos, along with environmental groups from both countries, demonstrated at the bridge linking both countries; afterwards ten to fifteen Argentines set up a roadblock at the international bridge to put pressure on the Uruguayan government to stop production at the factory, claiming it would gravely pollute the Uruguay River. On 20 December 2005 a World Bank study concluded that the factory would not have a negative impact on the environment or tourism in either country. The paper mill started operating in November 2007.
Fray Bentos has a population of over 24,406 people. Fray Bentos also forms the centre of the wider Río Negro Department which has a population of over 54,765 people.
Twin Towns, Sister Cities Fray Bentos has links with:
🇵🇾 General Artigas, Paraguay🇦🇺 Lake Macquarie -33.073
🇨🇱 Valparaíso -33.046
🇨🇱 Villa Alemana -33.044
🇦🇷 Luján de Cuyo -33.034
🇨🇱 Viña del Mar -33.017
🇦🇷 Gualeguaychú -33.017
🇿🇦 East London -32.991
🇿🇦 Buffalo City -32.983
🇦🇺 Charlestown -32.965
🇦🇷 Río Cuarto -33.133
🇦🇷 San Nicolás de los Arroyos -33.333
🇨🇱 Lo Barnechea -33.35
🇦🇷 Florencio Varela -58.283
🇦🇷 Berazategui -58.25
🇬🇾 Georgetown -58.155
🇺🇾 Colonia del Sacramento -57.833
Locations Near: Fray Bentos -58.3,-33.1333
🇦🇷 Gualeguaychú -58.517,-33.017 d: 24
🇦🇷 Colón -58.133,-32.217 d: 103.1
🇦🇷 Zárate -59.033,-34.083 d: 125.6
🇦🇷 Campana -58.918,-34.18 d: 129.7
🇦🇷 Tigre -58.583,-34.417 d: 145.1
🇦🇷 San Fernando de la Buena Vista -58.55,-34.433 d: 146.4
🇦🇷 San Fernando -58.548,-34.44 d: 147.1
🇦🇷 San Isidro -58.517,-34.467 d: 149.6
🇦🇷 El Talar -58.65,-34.467 d: 151.7
🇦🇷 Boulogne Sur Mer -58.567,-34.5 d: 154
Antipodal to: Fray Bentos 121.7,33.133
🇨🇳 Tongzhou 121.075,32.064 d: 19882.6
🇨🇳 Qidong 121.703,31.87 d: 19874.6
🇨🇳 Rugao 120.556,32.393 d: 19880.1
🇨🇳 Haimen 121.182,31.869 d: 19866.3
🇨🇳 Nantong 120.847,32.012 d: 19867
🇨🇳 Chongming 121.5,31.667 d: 19850.9
🇨🇳 Tinghu 120.231,33.39 d: 19875.6
🇨🇳 Yancheng 120.163,33.348 d: 19870.2