La Paloma is the main seaside resort of the atlantic coast of the República Oriental del Uruguay, situated at 240 km to the east of the capital city of Montevideo and at 28 km from Rocha
It is situated over the Atlantic Ocean in Cabo Santa María, nowadays its beaches are the main tourist attraction
One possible reason for its name is that watching the bays  from the light house, they seem to be a  dove or maybe due  to the effect that the waves produce when reaching one of the two islands. But this visual effect disappeared when the harbour of the city was built
The light house, built in 1874, was the first step which has made this city increase its population. Nowadays, it has 5300 inhabitants and a lot of tourists (30000) come in summer