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Background: Montevideo, founded by the Spanish in 1726 as a military stronghold, soon took advantage of its natural harbor to become an important commercial center. Annexed by Brazil as a separate province in 1821, Uruguay declared its independence four years later and secured its freedom in 1828 after a three-year struggle. The administrations of President Jose BATLLE in the early 20th century established widespread political, social, and economic reforms. A violent Marxist urban guerrilla movement named 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. In 2004, the left-of-center EP-FA Coalition won national elections that effectively ended 170 years of political control previously held by the Colorado and Blanco parties. Uruguay's political and labor conditions are among the freest on the continent.
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Common Name: Uruguay
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Local Official Name: Uruguay
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Abbreviated Name: Oriental Republic of Uruguay
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Official Name: Republica Oriental del Uruguay
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Official Script Name: Uruguay
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Local Common Name: Uruguay
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Former Name: Banda Oriental, Cisplatine Province
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Territory of: NA
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Head of State: President Tabare VAZQUEZ Rosas
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Government Type: constitutional republic
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Independence: 1825 August 25 (from Brazil)
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Constitution: 1966 November 27, effective 1967 February, suspended 19
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National Holiday: Independence Day, 25 August
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International Organization Participation: CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMOGIP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNTAET, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
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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
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Dependent Areas: NA
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Legal System: based on Spanish civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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Suffrage: 18 years of age years
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Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branches: Executive Branch:
chief of state: President Tabare VAZQUEZ Rosas (since 1 March 2005) and Vice President Rodolfo NIN NOVOA (since 1 March 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Tabare VAZQUEZ Rosas (since 1 March 2005) and Vice President Rodolfo NIN NOVOA (since 1 March 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president with parliamentary approval
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for five-year terms (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 31 October 2004 (next to be held October 2009)
election results: Tabare VAZQUEZ elected president; percent of vote - Tabare VAZQUEZ 50.5%, Jorge LARRANAGA 35.1%, Guillermo STIRLING 10.3%; other 4.1%
Legislative Branch:
bicameral General Assembly or Asamblea General consists of Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (30 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms; vice president has one vote in the Senate) and Chamber of Representatives or Camara de Representantes (99 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: Chamber of Senators - last held 31 October 2004 (next to be held October 2009); Chamber of Representatives - last held 31 October 2004 (next to be held October 2009)
election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - EP-FA 16, Blanco 11, Colorado Party 3; Chamber of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - EP-FA 52, Blanco 36, Colorado Party 10, Independent Party 1
Jidicial Branch:
Supreme Court (judges are nominated by the president and elected for 10-year terms by the General Assembly)
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Party Leaders: Colorado Party [Julio Maria SANGUINETTI]; Independent Party (Partido Independiente) [Pablo MIERES]; Movement of Popular Participation or MPP [Jose MUJICA]; National Party or Blanco [Jorge LARRANAGA]; New Sector/Space Coalition (Nuevo Espacio) [Rafael MICHELINI]; Progressive Encounter/Broad Front Coalition (Encuentro Progresista/Frente Amplio) or EP-FA [Tabare VAZQUEZ]; Socialist Party of Uruguay or Socialists [Reinaldo GARGANO]; Uruguayan Assembly or Asamblea Uruguay [Danilo ASTORI]
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International Disputes: uncontested dispute with Brazil over certain islands in the Quarai/Cuareim and Invernada streams and the resulting tripoint with Argentina
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Illicit Drugs: NA
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Location of Uruguay: Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Argentina and Brazil
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Continent: South America
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Land Area Total: 176,220 sq km
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Region: Southern American |
Land Area Land: 173,620 sq km
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Capitol City: Montevideo
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Land Area Water: 2,600 sq km
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Current: -3
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Latitude: 033 00 S
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Border Boundary Land: 1,564 km
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Longitude: 056 00 W
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Border Boundary Coastline: 660 km
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Arable Land: 7.77 %
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Pastures: 0.00 %
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Crops: 0.24 %
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Woodlands and Forests: 0.00
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Highest Elevation: 514 m
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Location: Cerro Catedral
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Lowest Elevation: 0 m
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Location: Atlantic Ocean
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Largest City in Uruguay: Montevideo
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Montevideo Largest City Population: 1,237,000
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Threatened Species: 30
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Environmental Issues: water pollution from meat packing/tannery industry; inadequate solid/hazardous waste disposal
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Environmental Agreements: party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban
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Irrigated Land: 2,100
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Bordering Countries: Argentina 579 km, Brazil 985 km
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Natural Resources: arable land, hydropower, minor minerals, fisheries
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Geographical Terrain: mostly rolling plains and low hills; fertile coastal lowland
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Comparative Area of Uruguay: slightly smaller than the state of Washington
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Uruguay's Geography: second-smallest South American country (after Suriname); most of the low-lying landscape (three-quarters of the country) is grassland, ideal for cattle and sheep raising
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Click Here for detailed information about the weather conditions in Uruguay.
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General Climate: warm temperate; freezing temperatures almost unknown
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Natural Hazards: seasonally high winds (the pampero is a chilly and occasional violent wind which blows north from the Argentine pampas), droughts, floods; because of the absence of mountains, which act as weather barriers, all locations are particularly vulnerable to rapid changes from weather fronts
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Economic Overview: Uruguay's well-to-do economy is characterized by an export-oriented agricultural sector, a well-educated work force, and high levels of social spending. After averaging growth of 5% annually during 1996-98, in 1999-2002 the economy suffered a major downturn, stemming largely from the spillover effects of the economic problems of its large neighbors, Argentina and Brazil. For instance, in 2001-02 Argentina made massive withdrawals of dollars deposited in Uruguayan banks, which led to a plunge in the Uruguayan peso and a massive rise in unemployment. Total GDP in these four years dropped by nearly 20%, with 2002 the worst year due to the banking crisis. The unemployment rate rose to nearly 20% in 2002, inflation surged, and the burden of external debt doubled. Cooperation with the IMF helped stem the damage. A debt swap with private-sector creditors in 2003 extended the maturity dates on nearly half of Uruguay's then $11.3 billion of public debt and helped restore public confidence. The economy grew about 10% in 2004 as a result of high commodity prices for Uruguayan exports, a competitive peso, growth in the region, and low international interest rates, but slowed to 6.1% in 2005.
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GDP: $33,980,000,000 USD
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Currency: Uruguayan peso
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GDP per Capita: $9,900 USD
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Currency Code: UYU
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GDP Growth Rate: 6.80 %
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One $USD Equals: %fincurrencyequals% UYU
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Currency Exchange Rate History: Uruguayan pesos per US dollar - 24.479 (2005), 28.704 (2004), 28.209 (2003), 21.257 (2002), 13.319 (2001)
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GDP of Agriculture: 9.30 %
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GDP of Industry: 31.10 %
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GDP of Services: 59.60 % |
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Inflation Rate: 4.70 % |
Population in Poverty: 22.00 %
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Unemployment Rate: 12.20 %
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Tourism: 2,073,000.00 visitors each year
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Consumption by lowest 10%: 3.70 %
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Budget Revenue in USD: $4,468,000,000 USD
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Consumption by upper 10%: 25.80 %
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Budget Expenditures in USD: $4,845,000,000 USD
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Electricity Production: 8,611,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Exports: 900,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Consumption: 7,762,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Imports: 654,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Production by Source:
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Fossil Fuel Electricity Production: 6.64%
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Nuclear Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Hydro Electricity Production: 92.83%
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Other Electricity Production: 0.53%
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Oil Production: 435 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Production: 0 cu m
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Oil Consumption: 38,000 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Consumption: 60,000,000 cu m
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Oil Exports: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Exports: 0 cu m
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Oil Imports: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Imports: 65,000,000 cu m
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Proven Oil Reserves: 0 barrels
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Proven Natural Gas Reserves: 0 cu m
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External Debt: $13,240,000,000 USD |
Received in economic aid: $0 USD
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Donated in economic aid: $0 USD
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Agricultural Products: rice, wheat, corn, barley; livestock; fish
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Primary Industries: food processing, electrical machinery, transportation equipment, petroleum products, textiles, chemicals, beverages
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Industrial Growth Rate: 8.50 %
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Import Amount in USD: $3,540,000,000 USD - machinery, chemicals, road vehicles, crude petroleum
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Import Partners: Argentina 18.9%, Brazil 18.5%, Paraguay 14%, US 8.6%, China 6.2%
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Export Amount in USD: $3,550,000,000 USD - meat, rice, leather products, wool, vehicles, dairy products
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Export Partners: US 18.6%, Brazil 15.6%, Mexico 6.9%, Argentina 6.1%, Spain 4.1%, Germany 4%
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GINI Index: 44.60%
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Labor Force Number of People: 1,520,000
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Labor Force by Occupations: agriculture 14%, industry 16%, services 70%
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Radio Broadcast Stations: 291 |
Number of People with Radios: 1,970,000 |
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Television Broadcast Stations: 62 |
Number of People with Televisions: 782,000 |
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Number of People with Mainline Telephones: 1,000,000 |
Number of People with Mobile Phones: 600,000 |
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Internet Service Providers: 145,774 |
Internet Users: 680,000 |
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Internet Country Code: .uy |
Newspapers: 293 |
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Two Letter Country Code: UY |
Weights and Measures: |
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Phone Country Code: 598 |
Electricity Voltage: 220 Volts |
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Telephone Systems: general assessment: fully digitalized
domestic: most modern facilities concentrated in Montevideo; new nationwide microwave radio relay network
international: country code - 598; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
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Highways: 7,743 km |
Railways: 2,073 km
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Gas And Oil Pipelines: 417 km |
Waterways: 1,600 km
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Airports: 8 |
Heliports: 0
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Motor Vehicles: 217 per 1,000 people |
CO2 Emissions: 5,383,000 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Per capita CO2 emissions: 1.70 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Merchant Marines: total: 13 ships (1000 GRT or over) 34,259 GRT/19,725 DWT
by type: cargo 2, chemical tanker 1, passenger/cargo 7, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 1
foreign-owned: 4 (Argentina 3, Greece 1)
registered in other countries: 8 (Argentina 1, Bahamas 2, Liberia 3, Spain 2)
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Ports and Harbors: Montevideo, Nueva Palmira, Fray Bentos, Colonia, Juan Lacaze
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Population: 3,431,932 people type - nationality |
Birth Rate: 13.91 births per 1,000 people |
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Population Density: 19.00 people per sq km |
Death Rate: 9.05 deaths per 1,000 people |
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Population Growth: 1.46% per year |
Fertility Rate per Women: 1.89 babies born per woman |
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Population Male 0-14: 399,409 |
Population Female 0-14: 386,136 |
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Population Male 15-64: 1,087,180 |
Population Female 15-64: 1,104,465 |
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Population Male 65+: 185,251 |
Population Female 65+: 269,491 |
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Population 0-14: 22.90% |
Literacy Rate: 98.00% |
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Population 15-64: 63.90% |
Literacy rate of Males: 97.60% |
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Population 65+: 13.30% |
Literacy rate of Females: 98.40% |
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Population that is Male: 47.50
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Population that is Female: 52.50% |
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Life expectancy at birth in years: 76.33 years |
Infant mortality rate - baby deaths per 1000 births: 11.61 Babies die per 1,000 births |
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Life expectancy at birth for Males: 73.12 years |
Life expectancy at birth for Females: 79.65 years |
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Rate of AIDS/HIV infection: 0.30%
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Number of people living with AIDS or HIV: 6,000
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Number of people who died of AIDS: 0 |
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Disease Risk:
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Diseases:
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Net Migration Rate per 1,000 people: -0.25
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Nationality: URUGUAYAN
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Ethnic Groups: white 88%, mestizo 8%, black 4%, Amerindian (practically nonexistent)
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Primary Language: Spanish
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Other Languages: Spanish, Portunol, or Brazilero (Portuguese-Spanish mix on the Brazilian frontier)
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Primary Religion: Roman Catholic
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Other Religions: Roman Catholic 66% (less than half of the adult population attends church regularly), Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, nonprofessing or other 31%
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Branches: Army, Navy (includes naval air arm, Marines, Maritime Prefecture in wartime), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Uruguaya, FAU)
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Manpower Fit to Serve: 18 years
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Manpower Available: 1,524,749 People
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Manpower Fit to Serve: 1,268,491 People
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Amount of Manpower Available each Year: 0 People per year
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Expenditures: $0 USD per year
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Expenditures as a Percentage of GDP: 2.10
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Note: Phrasebase uses a variety of sources when compiling the facts and information presented above. This information is continually updated throughout the year.
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