| Geographical Information |
| Map Location |
South America |
| Geographical Location |
33° 00' South Latitude
56° 00' West Longitude |
| Surface Area |
176,220 sq km |
| Climate |
Warm temperate; freezing temperatures almost unknown |
| Natural Resources |
Arable land, hydropower, minor minerals, fisheries |
|
| Political Information |
 |
|
| Country Name |
Oriental Republic of Uruguay |
| Capital City |
Montevideo |
| Government Type |
Constitutional republic |
| Administrative Divisions |
19 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Artigas, Canelones, Cerro Largo, Colonia, Durazno, Flores, Florida, Lavalleja, Maldonado, Montevideo,
Paysandu, Rio Negro, Rivera, Rocha, Salto, San Jose, Soriano, Tacuarembo, Treinta y Tres |
| Independence Day |
25 August 1825 (from Brazil) |
|
| Demographical Information |
|
|
| Population |
3,415,920 (July 2005 est.) |
| Nationality |
Uruguayan |
| Ethnic Groups |
White 88%, mestizo 8%, black 4%, Amerindian (practically nonexistent) |
| Religion |
Roman Catholic 66% (less than half of the adult population attends church regularly), Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, nonprofessing or other 31% |
| Languages |
Spanish, Portunol, or Brazilero (Portuguese-Spanish mix on the Brazilian frontier) |
| Population Growth Rate |
0.47% (2005 est.) |
|
| Economical Information |
|
|
| Currency |
Uruguayan peso (UYU) |
| Industries |
Food processing, electrical machinery, transportation equipment, petroleum products, textiles, chemicals, beverages |
| Labor Force |
1.56 million (2004 est.) |
| Labor Force by Sectors |
Agriculture 14%, industry 16%, services 70% |
| Agriculture Products |
Rice, wheat, corn, barley; livestock; fish |
| Export Commodities |
Meat, rice, leather products, wool, fish, dairy products |
| Export Partners |
Brazil 19.4%, US 18%, Germany 6.6%, Argentina 6.4% (2004) |
| Import Commodities |
Machinery, chemicals, road vehicles, crude petroleum |
| Import Partners |
Argentina 21.3%, Brazil 17.1%, US 12.3%, China 6.9%, Russia 5.1% (2004) |
|
| Transportation |
|
|
| Railways |
2,073 km |
| Highways |
8,983 km |
| Pipelines |
Gas 192 km (2004) |
| Airports |
64 (2004 est.) |
| Ports and Harbors |
Colonia, Fray Bentos, Juan La Caze, La Paloma, Montevideo, Nueva Palmira, Paysandu, Punta del Este, Piriapolis |
|
| Communication |
|
|
| Phone Code |
+598 |
| Internet Abbreviation |
.uy |
|
| Other |
|
|
| Short History |
A violent Marxist urban guerrilla movement, the Tupamaros, launched in the late 1960s, led Uruguay's president to agree to military control of his administration in 1973.
By yearend, the rebels had been crushed, but the military continued to expand its hold throughout the government. Civilian rule was not restored until 1985. Uruguay's political
and labor conditions are among the freest on the continent. |
|
