CAPITAL: Montevideo.

FLAG: The flag, approved in 1830, has four azure blue horizontal stripes on a white background; on a white canton is a golden sun, alternately straight and wavy. This "Sun of May" symbolizes Uruguay's independence.

ANTHEM: Himno Nacional, which begins "Orientales, la patria o la tumba" ("Easterners [Uruguayans], our country or death").

MONETARY UNIT: The Uruguayan peso (up), of 100 centésimos replaced the new peso in 1993 at the rate of up1=1,000 new pesos. There are coins of 10, 20, and 50 centésimos and 1, 2, 5, and 10 new pesos, and notes of 1, 5, 10, 20, and 50 Uruguayan pesos. up1 = $0.11806 ($1 = up8.47).

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES: The metric system is the legal standard, but some traditional measures are also used.

HOLIDAYS: New Year's Day, 1 January; Epiphany, 6 January; Landing of the 33, 19 April; Labor Day, 1 May; Battle of Las Piedras, 18 May; Birthday of Artigas, 19 June; Constitution Day, 18 July; Independence Day, 25 August; Columbus Day, 12 October; All Souls' Day, 2 November; Blessing of the Waters, 8 December; Christmas Day, 25 December.

TIME: 9 am = noon GMT.

Source Database: Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations
Table of Contents
AGRICULTURE | ARMED FORCES | CLIMATE | DOMESTICATED ANIMALS | ECONOMY | EDUCATION | ENERGY AND POWER | ENVIRONMENT | ETHNIC GROUPS | FAMOUS URUGUAYANS | FISHING | FORESTRY | FURTHER READINGS | GOVERNMENT | HEALTH | HISTORY | HOUSING | INCOME | INDUSTRY | JUDICIAL SYSTEM | LABOR | LANGUAGES | LOCATION AND SIZE | MEDIA | MIGRATION | MINING | PLANTS AND ANIMALS | POLITICAL PARTIES | POPULATION | RELIGIONS | SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT | SOURCE CITATION | TOPOGRAPHY | TOURISM AND RECREATION | TRANSPORTATION | VIEW MULTIMEDIA FILE(S)

LOCATION AND SIZE

The second-smallest South American country, Uruguay is situated in the southeastern part of the continent. It has an area of 176,220 square kilometers (68,039 square miles), slightly smaller than the state of Washington. Uruguay has a total boundary length of 2,063 kilometers (1,282 miles). Uruguay's capital city, Montevideo, is located in the southern part of the country on the Atlantic coast.

TOPOGRAPHY

Southern Uruguay consists mostly of rolling plains and is an eastward extension of the pampas (grass-covered plain) of Argentina. The Atlantic coastline is fringed with tidal lakes and sand dunes. Low, unbroken stretches of level land line the banks of the two border rivers, the Uruguay and the Rio de la Plata. The northern section is broken by occasional highlands (cuchillas), alternating with broad valleys. The highest point in the country, Mount Catedral, is 513 meters (1,683 feet) above sea level. The most noteworthy features of the northwest landscape are the highlands known as Cuchilla de Haedo. The Cuchilla Grande runs northeastward from the southern region to the Brazilian border.

GEOGRAPHIC PROFILE

Arable land: Land used for temporary crops, like meadows for mowing or pasture, gardens, and greenhouses. Permanent crops: Land cultivated with crops that occupy its use for long periods, such as cocoa, coffee, rubber, fruit and nut orchards, and vineyards. Permanent pastures: Land used permanently for forage crops. Forests: Land containing stands of trees. Other: Any land not specified, including built-on areas, roads, and barren land.

Precipitation and average temperature can vary significantly within a country, due to factors such as latitude, altitude, coastal proximity, and wind patterns.

CLIMATE

The climate is temperate; the average temperatures are 15°c (59°f) in June and 25°c (77°f) in January. Rainfall is evenly distributed throughout the year; it averages about 109 centimeters (43 inches), varying from 97 centimeters (38 inches) in Montevideo to nearly 127 centimeters (50 inches) farther north. Frost is virtually unknown.

PLANTS AND ANIMALS

Uruguay is primarily a grass-growing land, and the vegetation is essentially a continuation of the Argentine pampas (grass-covered plain). Forest areas are relatively small. The most useful hardwoods are algarobo, guayabo, quebracho, and urunday; other hardwoods include arazá, coronilla, espinillo, lapacho, lignum vitae, and nandubay. The acacia, alder, aloe, eucalyptus (imported from Australia), ombú, poplar, and willow are common softwoods. Palms are native to the valleys. Rosemary, myrtle, scarlet-flowered ceibo, and mimosa are common. Most of the valleys are covered with aromatic shrubs, and the rolling hills with white and scarlet verbena.

Large animals have practically disappeared from the eastern regions. The carpincho (water hog), fox, deer, nutria, otter, and small armadillo roam the northern foothills. On the pampas are the hornero (ovenbird), quail, partridge, and crow. The avestruz (a small ostrich similar to the Argentine rhea), swan, and royal duck are found at lagoons.

Fish include pompano, salmon, and corvina. The principal reptiles are cross vipers and tortoises. Seals are found on Lobos Island, near Maldonado.

ENVIRONMENT

Air pollution is a problem, particularly in the larger population centers. Its primary sources are industry and an energy plant in Brazil. Pollution from mining and industrial sources threatens the nation's water supply; 95% of the nation's rural dwellers do not have pure water.

The nation's cities produce 0.5million tons of solid waste per year; 40% of the urban population does not have adequate waste disposal facilities. As of 1994, 5 of Uruguay's mammal species and 11 of its bird species were endangered, and 14 types of plants were threatened with extinction.

HISTORY

In the sixteenth century, the native Charrúa Indians drove off the few Spanish expeditions that landed on the east bank of the Uruguay river. By 1680, when Portuguese from Brazil founded Colonia do Sacramento as a rival to Buenos Aires, Uruguay became a focal point for Spanish-Portuguese rivalry.

Montevideo was founded in 1726, and Uruguay became part of the viceroyalty of La Plata, which the Spaniards established in Buenos Aires in 1776. During the Napoleonic Wars (1803-15), the British invaded the region of La Plata and captured Buenos Aires and Montevideo (1806-07), but they were forced out in 1807. After Buenos Aires refused to give Uruguay autonomy, the Uruguayan national hero, José Gervasio Artigas, declared Uruguay independent in 1815. A year later, Brazilians attacked Montevideo from the north, and, after four years of fighting, Uruguay was annexed to Brazil in 1821.

On 25 August 1825, Juan Antonio Lavalleja issued a declaration of independence. After a three-year fight, a peace treaty signed on 28 August 1828 guaranteed Uruguay's independence. During the following period of political turmoil and civil war, the two political parties around which Uruguayan history has traditionally revolved, the Colorados (reds) and the Blancos (whites), were founded.

The nineteenth century was largely a struggle between the two factions. Some measure of national unity was achieved in the 1860s. In 1865, Uruguay allied with Brazil and Argentina to defeat Paraguay in the Paraguayan War (1865-70), also known as the War of the Triple Alliance. The administrations of José Batlle y Ordóñez (1903-7, 1911-15) marked the nation's period of greatest progress. Batlle initiated Uruguay's famed social welfare system, funded primarily by earnings of beef and wool in foreign markets.

After World War II (1939-45), the Colorados ruled, except for an eight-year period from 1958-66. During the administration of President Jorge Pacheco Areco (1967-72) Uruguay entered a period of crisis. Economic and political instability stemming from the decline of wool revenues resulted in the emergence of Uruguay's National Liberation Movement, popularly known as the Tupamaros. A well-organized Marxist (communist) guerrilla movement, the Tupamaros mounted a campaign of kidnapping, assassination, and bank robbery.

Their activities, coupled with the worsening economic situation, aggravated Uruguay's political uncertainty. Gradually, the military assumed a greater role in government and by 1973 was in control of the system, crushing the Tupamaros by the end of that year. The military retained control of the country until 1981, suspending the constitution and, in 1976, naming a new president, Aparicio Méndez Manfredini. In 1979, Amnesty International estimated the number of political prisoners at 6,000.

In September 1981, a "transitional" president, Georgio Álvarez Armellino, was installed, and the moderate government of Colorado candidate Julio María Sanguinetti Cairolo took office in March 1985.

The new government released all political prisoners, declared amnesty for former military and police leaders, and initiated talks between employers and union leaders to reduce social tension. However, slow progress on the economic front led to the 1989 election of the Blanco candidate, Luis Alberto Lacalle. Lacalle has emphasized deficit reduction, reforms in education, labor, and the civil service, and the return of state enterprises to private ownership. However, these plans were dealt a serious blow in a 1993 election, when the public failed to ratify a set of proposals for liberalization. In 1994, Sanguinetti returned to office in the closest election ever recorded in Uruguay's history. His administration began a program of economic reforms, including a long-range plan for cutting back on generous social security payments.

MIGRATION

There were 103,002 foreign-born people in 1985. Immigration came to 1,471 in 1990. Substantial emigration by Uruguayans for political or economic reasons occurred during the mid-1970s and early 1980s. Official figures suggest that about 180,000 Uruguayans left between 1963 and 1975 and 150,000 between 1975 and 1985. Most of them were young and, on average, better educated than the total population. Argentina was the main destination.

ARMED FORCES

The armed forces numbered 25,600 in 1995. The active army consists of volunteers between the ages of 18 and 45 who contract for one or two years of service.

The army numbered 17,600, organized in 4 regional divisions of 10 brigades; the navy (including naval air force and infantry) numbered 5,000 with 3 frigates and 10 patrol and coastal combatants. The air force had 3,000 men and 36 combat aircraft. Defense spending was $320 million in 1995.

GOVERNMENT

According to the constitutional revision of 1966, the Congress (or General Assembly) consisted of the 30-member Senate and the 99-member Chamber of Deputies. From June 1973 until March 1985, Uruguay was ruled by executive decree, subject to veto by the military, with legislative functions carried out by the 25-member Council of State, appointed by the executive.

In March 1985, democracy was restored under President Sanguinetti; in July, the government set up a National Constituent Assembly to devise constitutional reforms that would be submitted to the electorate for ratification. Uruguay is divided into 19 departments (provinces).

JUDICIAL SYSTEM

Below the Supreme Court are appeals courts and lower civil and criminal courts, justices of the peace, electoral and administrative courts, and an accounts court. A parallel military court system operates under its own procedure. When the Supreme Court hears cases involving the military, two military justices join the Court. Civilians are tried in the military court only in time of war or insurrection.

POLITICAL PARTIES

Uruguay has Latin America's oldest two-party system. The Colorados (reds) and Blancos (whites), formed during the conflicts of the 1830s and 1840s, persisted into the 1990s. The Colorados are traditional Latin American liberals, representing urban business interest, and favoring limitation on the power of the Catholic Church. The Blancos (officially called the National Party) are conservatives, defenders of large landowners and the Church.

In 1989, Blanco candidate Lacalle took 37% of the vote. The Blancos also carried a plurality in each house of the legislature, followed respectively by the Colorados, the Broad Front and the "New Space" Coalition.

TOURISM AND RECREATION

Tourism, one of Uruguay's major enterprises, enjoys government support. The state owns many hotels along the coast, including some of the more sophisticated resorts in South America. Montevideo has been promoted as the "city of roses" because of its many parks and gardens. In 1994, 1.9 million tourists visited Uruguay, and tourism receipts totaled $632 million.

The most popular sport in Uruguay is soccer; there is an intense rivalry between supporters of the two major teams, the Peñarol and the Nacional. Other popular sports include basketball, cycling, tennis, pelota (handball), golf, and water sports.

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Uruguay has frequently been referred to as South America's first welfare state. The social reform movement began under the leadership of José Batlle y Ordóñez in the early 1900s. Social legislation now provides for a day of rest in every week (plus Saturday afternoon), holidays with pay, minimum wages, annual cash and vacation bonuses, family allowances, compensation for unemployment or dismissal, workers' accident compensation, retirement pensions for rural and domestic workers, old age and disability pensions, and special consideration for working women and minors. The state also provides care for children and mothers, as well as for the blind, deaf, and mute. Free medical attention is available to the poor, as are low-cost living quarters for workers.

The government's social security system is divided into six main funds: civil service and teachers, industrial and commercial, rural workers and domestic servants, family allowances, banking, and the professions.

In 1995, women made up about one half of the work force but tended to be concentrated in lower paying jobs. Nevertheless, many attend the national university and pursue professional careers.

ETHNIC GROUPS

The inhabitants of Uruguay are primarily (about 88%) white and of European origin, mostly Spanish and Italian; a small percentage is descended from Portuguese, English, and other Europeans. Mestizos (mixed white and Amerindian lineage) represent 8% of the population, and blacks and mulattoes (mixed black and white) about 4%.

LANGUAGES

Spanish is the official language. Uruguayan Spanish, like Argentine Spanish, has been somewhat modified by the Italians who migrated in large numbers to both countries.

RELIGIONS

Uruguay is the only Latin American nation that approaches religious diversity. Contrasting with the 90% formal Roman Catholic affiliation in other Latin American countries, only 78% of Uruguayans identified themselves as Roman Catholics in 1993. Many claimed no church membership. Only 3% of the population was Protestant, and there were some 24,000 Jews in 1990.

TRANSPORTATION

Four main lines connect the western and northern areas with Montevideo. In 1996 there were 2,070 kilometers (1,286 miles) of standard-gauge, government-owned track. Highways have surpassed railroads as the principal means of transport for passengers and freight. In 1995 there were 49,600 kilometers (30,800 miles) of roads. In 1995, there were 491,000 motor vehicles, of which 444,800 were passenger cars.

Montevideo is the major Uruguayan port. There are some 1,600 kilometers (994 miles) of inland waterways, of which the most important are the Río de la Plata and the Uruguay. There were three vessels in the merchant fleet in 1995, with gross registered tons of 71,405. Carrasco, an airport outside Montevideo, is used by most international carriers. In 1995, 477,000 passengers were carried on scheduled airline flights.

FAMOUS URUGUAYANS

The national hero of Uruguay is José Gervasio Artigas (1764-1850), who led the fight for independence against Brazil and Portugal. Juan Antonio Lavalleja (1786?-1853) directed the uprising that established Uruguay's independence in 1828. One of Uruguay's greatest citizens was José Batlle y Ordóñez (1856-1929), who served twice as president of the country.

Eduardo Acevedo Díaz (1851-1924) won fame as the writer of a gaucho (South American cowboy) novel, Soledad (1894). Horacio Quiroga (1878-1937) is regarded as one of Latin America's foremost short-story writers. The poets Julio Herrera y Reissig (1875-1910) and Juana de Ibarbourou (1895-1979) have attained a devoted audience beyond the borders of Uruguay. The painter Juan Manuel Blanes (1830-1901) is best known for his Episode of the Yellow Fever. Eduardo Fabini (1883-1951) is Uruguay's best-known composer.

EDUCATION

Adult illiteracy in 1995 was approximately 3% (males, 3.1%; females, 2.3%), among the lowest in Latin America. Elementary education, which lasts six years, is compulsory. Secondary education is in two stages of three years each. In 1994 there were 2,423 primary schools, with 15,793 teachers and 337,889 students. There were 263,180 students in secondary and technical schools. Enrollment at all institutions of higher learning was 68,227 in 1992.

HEALTH

The US Institute of Inter-American Affairs and the Uruguayan Ministry of Public Health created the Inter-American Cooperative Public Health Service, which built four health centers and clinics. The ratios of doctors and beds to the population are exceptionally good. In 1992 there were 2.9 doctors per 1,000 people. In 1990 there were 4.6 hospital beds per 1,000 people (about 15,000 beds).

For the region, life expectancy is high (74 years); infant mortality is low (19.9 per 1,000 live births in 1990-95). The major causes of death are heart diseases, cancer, and digestive disorders. Degenerative diseases rank higher as a cause of death in Uruguay than in most other Latin American countries. In 1992, 82% had access to health care services.

HOUSING

The housing situation is more favorable in Uruguay than in most Latin American countries. The National Institute of Low-Cost Housing builds low-cost dwellings for low-income workers and pensioners. Nearly all housing units are made of durable materials including stone masonry, wood, zinc, or concrete. Of all housing units, 92% had private toilet facilities and 74% had water piped indoors.

POPULATION

According to the 1996 census, the population of Uruguay was 3.1 million. A population of 3.3 million was estimated for 1998 and the projection for the year 2005 was 3.5 million. In 1996, 44.5% of the population lived in Montevideo. The estimated population density is 18 persons per square kilometer (47 per square mile).

MEDIA

The state owns the telegraph and telephone services. In 1995 there were 530,000 telephones, most of them in the metropolitan Montevideo area. Uruguay that year had 108 radio stations and 26 television stations. The number of radio receivers was about 1.9 million; the number of television sets was 725,000. In 1996, there were 874 Internet hosts.

In 1995, Uruguay had 32 daily newspapers, with a combined circulation of more than 750,000. Major Montevideo dailies, with their 1991 circulations included El Diario (170,000); El País (65,000); La Mañana (40,000); and La Republica (25,000).

AGRICULTURE

About 77% of Uruguay's land area is devoted to stock raising and 7.4% to the cultivation of crops. In pasturage, large farms predominate, with farms of more than 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres) accounting for two-thirds of all farmland. Crops are grown mainly on small farms of less than 100 hectares (250 acres).

In 1996 production of Uruguay's principal crops (in tons) was as follows: rice, 950,000; wheat, 370,700; barley, 312,500; corn, 115,000; sorghum, 100,000; sunflower seeds, 100,000; and oats, 30,700.

DOMESTICATED ANIMALS

Livestock is the basis of the economy. As of 1995, Uruguay had nearly 22.7 million sheep, the lowest number since 1980 but still more than any other South American country. The production costs of stock raising are low, and the quality of the product is generally high.

Uruguay is especially suited to the raising of sheep and cattle. In 1995 there were 10.9 million head of cattle, 480,000 horses, 300,000 pigs, and 10 million chickens. Milk production was 1.3 billion liters in 1995. The Mercosur free trade agreement has given Uruguay a great advantage in selling its dairy products to Brazil. Meat production in 1996 included 1.7 million tons of beef and 48,000 tons of mutton. Beef consumption in Uruguay was 66 kilograms (145 pounds) per person in 1995, one of the highest rates in the world.

ENERGY AND POWER

Uruguay's power is provided by hydroelectric and diesel-generating plants. Uruguay's total electrical power output was 7.7 billion kilowatt hours in 1994, of which 96% came from hydroelectric sources.

By a bilateral agreement signed with the United States, Uruguay is entitled to receive atomic equipment and to lease nuclear fuels. In 1995, the state-owned refinery at Montevideo processed 3.6 million barrels of distillate fuel oil, 3 million barrels of residual fuel oil, and 2.1 million barrels of gasoline. Consumption included 35,000 barrels per day of crude petroleum in 1994.

FISHING

Fishing underwent rapid growth in the 1970s. The government-promoted fishing industry made an average annual catch of 120,737 tons in 1994. The main commercial species are Argentine hake, whitemouth croaker, and striped weakfish. Other important sea fish are corvina negra (a kind of bass), mullet, sole, anchovy, mackerel, whiting, and shark. The finest freshwater fish is the dorado, a type of salmon. The southern coastal zone near Maldonado is considered one of the finest fishing areas in the world.

FORESTRY

Uruguay has some 930,000 hectares (2.3 million acres) of forestland. About 8,200 hectares (20,300 acres) were reforested annually from 1981 to 1986. The principal species cultivated are eucalyptus and pine; domestic woods are used for windbreaks, fence posts, and firewood. Lumber suitable for building and construction is imported. Roundwood removals totaled 4.1 million cubic meters (5.4 million cubic yards) in 1995, with 75% burned as fuel.

MINING

Mineral resources are limited and undeveloped. There are deposits of manganese, iron, lead, and copper, and in the Rivera Department, gold is mined in small quantities. More important are stones, such as the marble quarried for local use, limestone, granite, quartz, gypsum, and dolomite. Sand, common stone, and talcum are exported. Agates, opals, and onyx are found in Salto and Artigas.

ECONOMY

Historically, Uruguay's economy has been based on the production and processing of agricultural commodities. Currently, the services sector, especially tourism and financial services, accounts for over 60% of the gross domestic product (GDP). Agriculture, especially livestock, is still important in making products for export as well as inputs for other sectors of the economy.

Since 1990, the government has emphasized a free-market economy. The government has lowered tariffs, reduced deficit spending, controlled inflation, reduced the size of government, and entered into the Mercosur free-trade zone with some other South American nations.

INCOME

In 1995, the gross national product (GNP) was $16.55 billion, or about $5,760 per person. For the period 1985-95, the average inflation rate was 70.5%, resulting in a real growth rate in per person GNP of 3.3%.

INDUSTRY

Although foreign trade depends mainly on agricultural production, the production of industrial goods for domestic consumption is increasing, primarily in the fields of textiles, rubber, glass, paper, electronics, chemicals, cement, light metallurgical manufactures, ceramics, and beverages. World War II (1939-45) spurred the industrial growth of Uruguay, and now local industry supplies most of the manufactured products used. Most industry is concentrated in and around Montevideo. Manufacturing output fell by an average of 1.6% per year during 1990-95.

LABOR

About 1.3 million Uruguayans, or an estimated 47% of the population, were in the civilian labor force in 1995. In that same year, manufacturing and construction accounted for 25% of the labor force; agriculture, 4.8%; and services, 70.2%. The unemployment rate rose from 8.94% in 1991 to 10.2% in 1995.

The 8-hour day and 48-hour week were instituted in 1915. Civil servants and employees of state-run businesses and other public services have a 30-hour week. Unemployment and dismissal compensation, old age and liability pensions, workers' accident compensation, and family allowances are provided by law.

FOREIGN TRADE

Uruguay traditionally relies on foreign sales of wool, hides, meat, and meat products for its export revenues, which have been increasing over the past several years. Recent reforms favoring a free-market economy have stimulated a growth in exports and imports. Exports increased by an average of 4.4% per year during 1990-95. In 1995, exports amounted to $2.1 billion. Imports totaled $2.9 billion that year. Uruguay's main trading partners in 1995 were Brazil, Argentina, the United States, and Germany.