Uruguay
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| National motto: Libertad o Muerte (Liberty or Death) | |||||
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| Principal language | Spanish | ||||
| Capital | Montevideo | ||||
| President | Tabaré Vázquez | ||||
| Area: - Total: - % water: |
Ranked 90th 176,220 km² 1.5% | ||||
| Population: - Total (2002) - Density |
Ranked 130th 3,399,237 19/km² | ||||
| Independence | 1825 | ||||
| Currency | Uruguayan peso | ||||
| Time zone | Universal Time -3 | ||||
| National anthem | Orientales, la Patria o la tumba (Easterners, the Fatherland or the Grave) | ||||
| Internet TLD | .uy | ||||
| Country calling code]] | 598 | ||||
The The Republic East of the Uruguay River, or Uruguay, is a country located in the southern cone of South America. It is bordered by Brazil to the north, the Uruguay River to the west, the estuary of the Río de la Plata (literally "River of the Silver", but commonly known in English as "River Plate") to the southwest, with Argentina on the other bank of both, and finally the South Atlantic Oceanand to the southeast. About half of its people live in the capital and largest city, Montevideo. The nation is the second-smallest country in South America and is one of the most politically and economically stable.
Geography
Uruguay is the second-smallest country in South America, after Suriname. The landscape features mostly rolling plains and low hill ranges (cuchillas) with a fertile coastal lowland, most of it grassland, ideal for cattle and sheep raising. The highest point in the country is the Cerro Catedral at 514 m. To the southwest is the Río de la Plata (River of Silver), the estuary of the Uruguay River, which forms the western border, and the Paraná River, which does not run through Uruguay itself. The only other major river is the Río Negro. Several lagoons are found along the Atlantic coast.
The climate in Uruguay is temperate, but fairly warm, as freezing temperatures are almost unknown. The predominantly flat landscape is also somewhat vulnerable to rapid changes from weather fronts, as well as to the pampero, a chilly and occasionally violent wind blowing from the north from the pampas plains in Argentina and west down from the Andes separating Argentina and Chile.
History
The name "Uruguay" comes from Guaraní, the language of the native people of the region. It means "river of the painted birds."
The first Europeans arrived in the area in the early 16th century. Both Spain and Portugal pursued the colonization of Uruguay, with the Spanish eventually gaining control. The future capital, Montevideo, was founded in the early 18th century and became a rival to Buenos Aires across the Río de la Plata. Montevideo, however, was thought of as a military center for the Spanish empire, while Buenos Aires was a commercial center. The meaning of Montevideo is " The mountain that can be seen", referring to the highest point or hill, El Cerro, located to the west of the main metropolitan area and working harbor.
In the early 19th century, independence movements sprung up across South America, including Uruguay (then known as the Banda Oriental, or "Eastern Area", referring to the area east of the Ríver Uruguay). Uruguayan territory was contested between the nascent states of Brazil and Argentina. Brazil annexed the area in 1821 under the name of Provincia Cisplatina, but a revolt began in 1825, after which Uruguay became an independent country with the Treaty of Montevideo in 1828.
The original population of Charrúa Indians was gradually decimated over three centuries, culminating in 1831 in a mass killing at Salsipuedes, which was led by General Fructuoso Rivera, Uruguay's first president. After that date the few remaining Charrúas were dispersed and a viable Charrúa culture was a thing of the past, although Charrúa blood still runs in the veins of many Uruguayans today as a result of extensive Charrúa-Spanish intermixing during colonial times. Four Charrúas — Senaqué, the leader Vaimaca Pirú, the warrior Tacuabé and his wife Guyunusa — were taken to Paris in 1833 to be displayed as circus attractions.
In the latter part of the 19th century, Uruguay participated in the War of the Triple Alliance against Paraguay.
Uruguay then experienced a series of elected and appointed presidents and saw conflicts with neighboring states, political and economic fluctuations and modernization, and large inflows of immigrants, mostly from Europe. The work of President José Batlle y Ordóñez made Uruguay an advanced nation with a complex welfare system; for most of the 20th century, Uruguay was on par with European nations. Due to its advanced social system and its stable democracy, Uruguay came to be known as "the Switzerland of South America."
The Uruguayan economy if today relies largely on agricultural exports. The world wars brought prosperity as Uruguayan beef and grain went to feed a war-ravaged Europe. World food prices dropped precipitously following the end of WWII, which triggered years of decline for the Uruguayan economy. By the 1960s, the stable social system began to break down as the economy spiralled. The government started losing popular support as students, workers and lower-class families felt the pain of an economy unable to adapt to a post-agricultural world economy. The Tupamaros, a radical leftist group, responded to the crisis with violence, which triggered government repression that ended with the suspension of individual rights by the president, Jorge Pacheco Areco, and his successor, Juan María Bordaberry. Finally, in 1973, the army seized power, ushering in 11 years of military dictatorship in what was once one of the most stable democracies in the region. In 1984, democracy was finally restored with the election of Julio María Sanguinetti.
Politics
Uruguay's Constitution of 1967 created a strong presidency, subject to legislative and judicial controls. The president, who is both head of state and head of government, is elected by popular vote for a five-year term, with the vice president elected on the same ticket. Thirteen cabinet ministers, appointed by the president, head executive departments.
The parliament is the bicameral General Assembly or Asamblea General, which consists of a 30-member senate presided over by the vice president of the republic, and a 99-member Chamber of Representatives. Members for both houses are elected by popular vote for a five-year term.
The highest court is the Supreme Court; below it are appellate and lower courts, and justices of the peace. In addition, there are electoral and administrative ("contentious") courts, an accounts court, and a military justice system.
For most of Uruguay's history, the Colorado, Blanco and National parties (centrist to conservative)alternated in power. The elections of 2004, however, brought the Encuentro Progresista-Frente Amplio-Nueva Mayoría, a coalition of various leftist parties, to power with majorities in both houses of parliament and the election of President Tabaré Vázquez Rosas by an absolute majority on the first ballot.
Uruguay is a country of many diverse people and cultures.
Enclaves and exclaves
There is one Argentine enclave within Uruguayan territory: the island of Martín García. It is situated near the confluence of the Paraná and Uruguay rivers, a mere kilometer inside Uruguayan waters, about 3.5 km from the Uruguayan coastline, near the small city of Martín Chico (itself about halfway between Nueva Palmira and Colonia).
An agreement reached by Argentina and Uruguay in 1973 reaffirmed Argentine jurisdiction over the island, ending a century-old dispute between the two countries. According to the terms of the agreement, Martín García is to be devoted exclusively to a natural preserve. Its area is about 2 km², and the population about 200 persons. In addition, Gloria Recoda has exclusive land rights on a quarter of the island.
Economy
Uruguay's economy is characterised by an export-oriented agricultural sector, a well-educated workforce, and high levels of social spending, as well as a developed industrial sector. After averaging growth of 5% annually in 1996-98, in 1999-2001 the economy suffered from lower demand in Argentina and Brazil, which together account for nearly half of Uruguay's exports. Despite the severity of the trade shocks, Uruguay's financial indicators remained more stable than those of its neighbours, a reflection of its national fiscal policies earning solid reputation among investors and its investment-grade sovereign bond rating — one of only two in South America. In recent years Uruguay has shifted most of its energy into developing the commercial use of IT technologies and has become the leading exporter of software in Latin America. Leading natural product exports include, beef, cut logs for the European paper pulp industry, seafood, and rice.
While some parts of the economy appeared to be resilient, the major exports of beef took a severe blow when Mad Cow disease was discovered in the Uruguayan herds, disqualifying it from almost every international market during 2001. This downturn began a severe series of events on Uruguayan citizens, as unemployment levels rose to more than twenty percent, real wages fell, the peso was devalued, and the percentage of Uruguayans in poverty reached almost 40%. These worsening economic conditions played a part in turning public opinion against the free-market economic policies adopted by the previous administrations in the 1990s, leading to popular rejection of proposals for privatization of the state petroleum company in 2003 and of the state water company in 2004. The newly elected Frente Amplio government, while pledging to continue payments on Uruguay's external debt, has also promised to undertake crash job programs to attack the widespread problems of poverty and unemployment that has befallen the nation since 2001.
Demographics
As a Spanish-speaking country of Latin America, most Uruguayans share a Spanish cultural background, though over half of the population is of Italian origin with another large segment with ancestry from the Canary Islands. Some 88% of the population is of European descent, with mestizos (8%) and blacks (4%) forming the only significant ethnic minorities. FIrst time visitors to Uruguay often remark on how strong the European and Mediterranean influence is on the nation's culture. Church and state are officially separated, with most adhering to the Roman Catholic faith (66%), with smaller Protestant (2%) and Jewish (1%) communities, as well as a large nonprofessing group (31%). However the influence of the Catholic Church is much less apparent on the social and political fabric of Uruguay than the nations of Brazil, Argentina or especially Chile.
Uruguay is distinguished by its high literacy rate, large urban middle class, and relatively even income distribution. During the past two decades, an estimated 500,000 Uruguayans have emigrated, principally to Argentina and Brazil and a smaller group to the United States and Europe. As a result of the low birth rate, high life expectancy, and relatively high rate of emigration of younger people, Uruguay's population is quite mature. There is a sense within the youth of the nation that they must leave to use their technical and business skills in the more dynamic economies located to the North.
Culture
- Eduardo Galeano, writer and social commentator renowned throughout Latin America
- Jorge Majfud, Uruguayan writer
- List of Uruguayans
- Music of Uruguay
- Mario Benedetti, Uruguay's best-known novelist
Sports
The most popular sport in Uruguay is football (called fútbol in Spanish), and the country has earned many honours in that sport, including gold medals at the 1924 and 1928 Olympics and two World Cups. The first football world championship was celebrated in Montevideo in 1930.
Rugby, basketball and diving are also popular.
External links
Government resources
- INE - National Statistics Institute (in Spanish)
- Poder Judicial - Official site of the Uruguayan Judiciary (in Spanish)
- Poder Legislativo - Official site of the Uruguayan Parliament (in Spanish)
- Portal del Estado Uruguayo - Uruguayan State portal (in Spanish)
- Presidencia de la República Oriental del Uruguay - Official presidential site (in Spanish)
General information
- Uruguay Total - Uruguayan portal (in Spanish)
- Uruguay.com - Uruguayan portal (in Spanish, with English links)
- Open Directory Project - Uruguay directory category (multiple languages)
- From Uruguay - Uruguayan blog (in English)
- Wine Uruguay - Uruguayan Wine Guide (in English, Spanish, German)
Media
- El País - Montevideo daily newspaper
- La República - Montevideo daily newspaper
- El Observador - Montevideo daily newspaper
- El Espectador - Montevideo radio station
- Radio Sarandí - Montevideo radio station
- Montevideo.com - Montevideo news web site.
Travel and commerce
- Ministerio de Turismo del Uruguay - Government tourism information site (in Spanish, Portuguese and English)
- Travel guide to Uruguay from Wikitravel
- Uruguay XXI - Investment and Export Promotion (in Spanish and English)
- Traveltouruguay.com - Touristic information and promotion
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