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Uruguay Country Guide
Explore Uruguay in South America
Uruguay with the capital city Montevideo is located in South America (Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean). It covers some 176,220 square kilometres (slightly smaller than the state of Washington) with 3,477,000 citizens.
The topography includes mostly rolling plains and low hills with fertile coastal lowland. The average density of population is approximately 20 per km². The notable climate conditions in Uruguay can be described as warm temperate with freezing temperatures almost unknown. Possible natural disasters include seasonally high winds (the pampero is a chilly and occasional violent wind that blows north from the Argentine pampas), droughts, floods or because of the absence of mountains, which act as weather barriers, all locations are particularly vulnerable to rapid changes from weather fronts.
To reach someone in Uruguay dial +598 prior to a number. There are 953,400 installed telephones. And there are 4,112,000 registered mobile phones. The cellular networks commonly support frequencies of 1800/1900 MHz. Websites registered in this country end with the top level domain ".uy". If you want to bring electric equipment on your trip (e.g. laptop power supply), note the local power outlet of 220V - 50Hz.
About the flag and history of Uruguay
Nine equal horizontal stripes of white (top and bottom) alternating with blue; a white square in the upper hoist-side corner with a yellow sun bearing a human face known as the Sun of May with 16 rays that alternate between triangular and wavy; the stripes represent the nine original departments of Uruguay; the sun symbol evokes the legend of the sun breaking through the clouds on 25 May 1810 as independence was first declared from Spain (Uruguay subsequently won its independence from Brazil) note: the banner was inspired by the national colors of Argentina and by the design of the US flag.
Montevideo, founded by the Spanish in 1726 as a military stronghold, soon took advantage of its natural harbor to become an important commercial center. Claimed by Argentina but annexed by Brazil 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 that established a statist tradition. A violent Marxist urban guerrilla movement named the Tupamaros, launched in the late 1960s, led Uruguay's president to cede control of the government to the military in 1973. By yearend, the rebels had been crushed, but the military continued to expand its hold over the government. Civilian rule was not restored until 1985. In 2004, the left-of-center Frente Amplio 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.
Geography Quick-Facts
| Summary | Continent: South America Neighbours: Brazil, Argentina Capital: Montevideo |
| Size | 176,220 square kilometers (km² or sqkm) or 68,038 square miles (mi² or sqmi) slightly smaller than the state of Washington |
| Population | 3,477,000 |
| Currency | Name Peso, Currency Code:UYU |
| Country Top Level Domain (cTLD) | .uy |
| Telephone Country Prefix | +598 |
| Mobile Phone Connections | 4,112,000 |
| Landline Phone Connections | 953,400 |
Country Position in World Rankings
Information about single country attributes and how these compare against the rest of the world. The information below is compiled with data from 2013. As such, it may differ a bit to the Information above in the text (which is from 2010).
Geography
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 176,215 (sq km) | 91 |
People and Society
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 3,324,460 | 134 |
| Population growth rate | 0.25 (%) | 172 |
| Birth rate | 13.28 (births/1,000 population) | 150 |
| Death rate | 9.52 (deaths/1,000 population) | 57 |
| Net migration rate | -1.26 (migrant(s)/1,000 population) | 153 |
| Maternal mortality rate | 29.00 (deaths/100,000 live births) | 124 |
| Infant mortality rate | 9.20 (deaths/1,000 live births) | 149 |
| Life expectancy at birth | 76.61 (years) | 73 |
| Total fertility rate | 1.86 (children born/woman) | 145 |
| Health expenditures | 8.40 (% of GDP) | 54 |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | 0.50 (%) | 65 |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | 9,900 | 96 |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 24.80 (%) | 64 |
| Children under the age of 5 years underweight | 6.00 (%) | 82 |
| Education expenditures | 2.90 (% of GDP) | 144 |
| Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 | 17.40 (%) | 75 |
Economy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (purchasing power parity) | 54,670,000,000 | 94 |
| GDP - real growth rate | 3.80 (%) | 89 |
| GDP - per capita (PPP) | 16,200 | 83 |
| Labor force | 1,691,000 | 128 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.10 (%) | 60 |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 45.30 | 40 |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 20.00 (% of GDP) | 94 |
| Taxes and other revenues | 28.90 (% of GDP) | 101 |
| Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) | -1.60 (% of GDP) | 75 |
| Public debt | 57.20 (% of GDP) | 49 |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 8.10 (%) | 181 |
| Central bank discount rate | 8.75 (%) | 29 |
| Commercial bank prime lending rate | 9.80 (%) | 92 |
| Stock of narrow money | 5,143,000,000 | 100 |
| Stock of broad money | 16,970,000,000 | 93 |
| Stock of domestic credit | 15,690,000,000 | 88 |
| Market value of publicly traded shares | 238,000,000 | 112 |
| Industrial production growth rate | -1.00 (%) | 153 |
| Current account balance | -1,189,000,000 | 119 |
| Exports | 9,812,000,000 | 96 |
| Imports | 10,970,000,000 | 91 |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 12,230,000,000 | 70 |
| Debt - external | 21,070,000,000 | 80 |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home | 15,200,000,000 | 77 |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad | 345,000,000 | 80 |
Energy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity - production | 9,500,000,000 (kWh) | 95 |
| Electricity - consumption | 7,960,000,000 (kWh) | 95 |
| Electricity - exports | 18,900,000 (kWh) | 82 |
| Electricity - imports | 470,000,000 (kWh) | 80 |
| Electricity - installed generating capacity | 2,516,000 (kW) | 94 |
| Electricity - from fossil fuels | 38.50 (% of total installed capacity) | 171 |
| Electricity - from hydroelectric plants | 61.10 (% of total installed capacity) | 30 |
| Electricity - from other renewable sources | 0.40 (% of total installed capacity) | 78 |
| Crude oil - imports | 38,720 (bbl/day) | 62 |
| Refined petroleum products - production | 43,370 (bbl/day) | 86 |
| Refined petroleum products - consumption | 51,100 (bbl/day) | 99 |
| Refined petroleum products - exports | 6,093 (bbl/day) | 94 |
| Refined petroleum products - imports | 22,060 (bbl/day) | 103 |
| Natural gas - consumption | 80,000,000 (cu m) | 106 |
| Natural gas - imports | 86,400,000 (cu m) | 74 |
| Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy | 7,265,000 (Mt) | 112 |
Communications
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Telephones - main lines in use | 964,900 | 80 |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 4,757,000 | 109 |
| Internet hosts | 1,036,000 | 45 |
| Internet users | 1,405,000 | 86 |
Transportation
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Airports | 94 | 63 |
| Railways | 1,641 (km) | 77 |
| Roadways | 77,732 (km) | 61 |
| Waterways | 1,600 (km) | 49 |
| Merchant marine | 16 | 100 |
Military
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Military expenditures | 0.90 (% of GDP) | 132 |
Data based on CIA facts book 2010 & 2013, wikipedia, national statistical offices and their census releases
List of current world heritage sites
| Name | Since |
|---|---|
| Historic Quarter of the City of Colonia del Sacramento Founded by the Portuguese in 1680 on the Río de la Plata, the city was of strategic importance in resisting the Spanish. After being disputed for a century, it was finally lost by its founders. The well-preserved urban landscape illustrates the succe ... | 1995 |