Italian Uruguayan - Data of The Italian Community

Data of The Italian Community

An overall evaluation of Italian immigrants to Uruguay from its independence until the 1960s of the 20th century has set at least 350,000 but, given the balance of migration, we must reduce it by half. This is a great value, however, that through generations of families has led to a considerable contribution to the Uruguayan population, estimated by the fact that over one third of the entire population has an Italian surname.

Breaking the flow, to examine the numerical quantity, we can divide periods with different characteristics: 1) the first two decades in 1830-50, in which at least 20,000 immigrants arrived, almost all of Piedmont and Liguria. 2) the second in the following decade, during which landed in Montevideo an equally high number of Italians (about 25,000 emigrants Lombardi and Sardinians). 3) the third in the 1960s and 1970s the 19th century, where the normal current of the North-West up to Livorno, approached the southern and Garibaldina for a total of about 90,000 Italians. 4) the fourth in the last decades of the 19th and early 20th century, characterized by mass migration, stimulated by the propaganda and prepaid journey, but generally poorly trained and illiterate (110,000 Italians) will swell the urban proletariat Montevideo. 5) The fifth in the 20th century after the First World War, marked by emigration and often enough qualified policy (about 15,000 Italians).

49% of Italians currently residing in Uruguay come from the northern parts of the Peninsula, 17% from central regions and 34% from the south. The Italian regions of origin: Campania, with 5231 residents (16% of total), Lombardy (5029), Piedmont (4250), Lazio (3353) and Liguria (3018) .

In 2007 Italian citizens (including Uruguayan dual citizenship) resident in Uruguay are 71,115 . The entire Italian community is held in high esteem by the Uruguayan population, also by a marked process italianisation in society especially in the local cuisine (like caruso sauce) and the local dialect (such as Lunfardo, which probably derives from the dialect word "Lumbarda" of immigrants from Lombardy).

In Uruguay, although the Italian influence was more isolated (only 27% of the Italo-Uruguay reside outside the metropolitan area of the capital), there were different Italian communities and founded several cultural entities (as in Rivera, the border with Brazil ).

Alfredo Baldomir Ferrari, President of Uruguay from 1938 to 1943. In 1942 decreed the obligation to study the 'Italian in secondary schools in Uruguay. Paysandú A - the third of the city, near the border with Argentina - saw the greatest Italian influence, it is currently estimated that over 60% of its population of about 80,000 inhabitants is of Italian origin. Furthermore, there is still widespread, the Italian language, thanks to the fact that Italian language is taught in many schools. Among the companies-Italian Uruguay most famous of the city must mention the EU and benevolence, the Scuola Italiana and the Italian Federation of Paysandú.

The Group of Paysandú Lombardi keeps cultural ties with the Italian emigration, especially with Lombardy .