Montevideo is a
department (
departamento) of
Uruguay. It is by far the smallest one in area but the most populated as well. It contains the city of
Montevideo, capital of
Uruguay. While most of the department is covered by the capital city, there are still smaller towns within its limits (e.g., Santiago Vázquez near the border with
San José), which serve mostly as satellite towns and have still not merged with the rest of the city.