Sailors know that when the wind blows strong and steady, it is best to search for a safe port, especially when sailing on a monster like the Río de la Plata. Long before its foundation, recorded in 1831, the shores of Nueva Palmiraa, and especially the mouth of the Higueritas Creek, were used as shelter from the harsh weather.
The small cities on the Paraná or Uruguay River were aware that they should pass through Nueva Palmira in order to get to the wide Río de la Plata. Therefore, these shores were contested by pirates and privateers as well as by the authorities loyal to the then King of Spain (during the days of the Viceroyalty of Peru and then by the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata).
Today, centuries after those days, Nueva Palmira and its port remain the link between the inland territories and the world. Even products from landlocked American countries –such as Bolivia and Paraguay- depart from this port. Its geographical location institutes this place as “the entrance and exit of South America”, a fact immediately appreciated due to the technological advances verified in the port area.
Not in vain do most people assure that, in addition to having the best inland port in the country, Nueva Palmira is the “capital of the river way”, a river basin that includes the three large rivers (Paraná, Uruguay and Río de la Plata) and several South American countries (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia and obviously Uruguay).
