Uruguay(/ˈjʊərəɡw/[11]YOOR-ə-gwy,Spanish:[uɾuˈɣwaj]), officially theOriental Republic of Uruguay(Spanish:República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country inSouth America.It shares borders withArgentinato its west and southwest andBrazilto its north and northeast, while bordering theRío de la Platato the south and theAtlantic Oceanto the southeast. It is part of theSouthern Coneregion ofSouth America.Uruguay covers an area of approximately 176,215 square kilometres (68,037 sq mi).[7]It has a population of around 3.4 million, of whom nearly 2 million live in themetropolitan areaof its capital andlargest city,Montevideo.

Oriental Republic of Uruguay
República Oriental del Uruguay(Spanish)
Motto:Libertad o Muerte
"Freedom or Death"
Anthem:Himno Nacional de Uruguay
"National Anthem of Uruguay"
Sol de Mayo[1][2]
(Sun of May)

Sol de Mayo
Location of Uruguay (dark green) in South America
Location of Uruguay (dark green)

inSouth America

Capital
and largest city
Montevideo
34°53′S56°10′W/ 34.883°S 56.167°W/-34.883; -56.167
Official language
Ethnic groups
(2021)
Religion
(2021)[5]
  • 38.0%no religion
  • 1.2% other / unspecified
Demonym(s)Uruguayan
GovernmentUnitary presidential republic
Luis Lacalle Pou
Beatriz Argimón
LegislatureGeneral Assembly
Senate
Chamber of Representatives
Independence
fromBrazil
25 August 1825
27 August 1828
15 February 1967
Area
• Total
176,215 km2(68,037 sq mi)[6][7](89th)
• Water (%)
1.5
Population
• 2023 census
3,444,263[7](132nd)
• Density
19.5/km2(50.5/sq mi) (206th)
GDP(PPP)2024 estimate
• Total
Increase$107.946 billion[8](98th)
• Per capita
Increase$30,170[8](62th)
GDP(nominal)2024 estimate
• Total
Increase$82.605 billion[8](77th)
• Per capita
Increase$23,088[8](49th)
Gini(2022)Negative increase40.6[9]
medium
HDI(2022)Increase0.830[10]
very high(52nd)
CurrencyUruguayan peso(UYU)
Time zoneUTC−3(UYT)
Date formatdd/mm/yyyy
Driving sideright
Calling code+598
ISO 3166 codeUY
Internet TLD.uy

The area that became Uruguay was first inhabited by groups ofhunter-gatherers13,000 years ago.[12]The predominant tribe at the moment of thearrival of Europeanswas theCharrúapeople. At the same time, there were also other tribes, such as theGuaraníand theChaná,when thePortuguesefirst establishedColonia do Sacramentoin 1680; Uruguay was colonized by Europeans later than its neighboring countries.

TheSpanishfounded Montevideo as a military stronghold in the early 18th century due to competing claims over the region, while Uruguay won itsindependencebetween 1811 and 1828, following a four-way struggle between Portugal and Spain, and later Argentina and Brazil. It remained subject to foreign influence and intervention throughout the first half of the 19th century.[13]From the late 19th century to the early 20th century, numerous pioneering economic, labor, and social reforms were implemented, which led to the creation of a highly developed welfare state, which is why the country began to be known as "Switzerland of the Americas".[14]However, a series ofeconomic crisesand the fight againstfar-lefturban guerrilla warfarein the late 1960s and early 1970s culminated in the1973coup d'état,which established acivic-military dictatorshipuntil 1985.[15]Uruguay is today ademocraticconstitutional republic,with a president who serves as bothhead of stateandhead of government.

Uruguay is described as a "full democracy" and is very highly ranked in international measurements of government transparency, economic freedom, social progress,income equality,per capita income,innovation, and infrastructure.[16][17][18]The country hasfully legalized cannabis(the first country in the world to do so), as well assame-sex marriage,prostitution,andabortion.It is aUnited Nations,OAS,andMercosurfounding member.

Etymology

edit

The country name ofUruguayderives from the namesakeRío Uruguay,from theIndigenousGuaranílanguage. There are several interpretations, including "bird-river" ( "the river of theuru,viaCharruan,urúbeing acommon nounof any wild fowl).[19][20]The name could also refer to a river snail calleduruguá(Pomellamegastoma) that was plentiful across its shores.[21]

One of the most popular interpretations of the name was proposed by the renowned Uruguayan poetJuan Zorrilla de San Martín,"the river of painted birds";[22]this interpretation, although dubious, still holds an important cultural significance in the country.[23]

In Spanish colonial times, and for some time thereafter, Uruguay and some neighboring territories were calledBanda Oriental[del Uruguay]( "Eastern Bank [of the Uruguay River]" ), then for a few years the "Eastern Province".Since its independence, the country has been known as"República Oriental del Uruguay",which literally translates to"Republic East of the Uruguay[River] ". However, it is officially translated either as the"Oriental Republic of Uruguay"[24][25]or the "Eastern Republic of Uruguay".[26]

History

edit
Monument to the last fourCharrúa,the indigenous people of Uruguay

Pre-colonial

edit

Uruguay was first inhabited around 13,000 years ago byhunter-gatherers.[12]It is estimated that at the time of the first contact with Europeans in the 16th century, there were about 9,000Charrúaand 6,000Chanáand someGuaraníisland settlements.[27]

There is an extensive archeological collection of man-madetumuliknown as "Cerritos de Indios"in the eastern part of the country, some of them dating back to 5,000 years ago. Very little is known about the people who built them as they left no written record, but evidence has been found in place of pre-Columbian agriculture and of extinctpre-Columbian dogs.[28]

Early colonization

edit
ThePortugueseestablishedColonia do Sacramentoin 1680.

ThePortuguese werethe first Europeans to enter the region of present-day Uruguay in 1512.[29][30]TheSpanisharrived in present-day Uruguay in 1515 but were the first to set foot in the area, claiming it for the crown.[31]The indigenous peoples' fierce resistance toconquest,combined with the absence of valuable resources, limited European settlement in the region during the 16th and 17th centuries.[31]Uruguay then became a zone of contention between the Spanish and Portuguese empires. In 1603, the Spanish began introducing cattle, which became a source of regional wealth. The first permanent Spanish settlement was founded in 1624 atSorianoon theRío Negro.In 1669–71, the Portuguese built a fort atColonia del Sacramento(Colônia do Sacramento).

Montevideo,the current capital of Uruguay, was founded by the Spanish in the early 18th century as a military stronghold. Its natural harbor soon developed into a commercial area competing withRío de la Plata's capital,Buenos Aires.[31]Uruguay's early 19th-century history was shaped by ongoing fights for dominance in thePlatine region[31]between British, Spanish, Portuguese, and other colonial forces. In 1806 and 1807, theBritish army attempted to seize Buenos Aires and Montevideoas part of theNapoleonic Wars.Montevideo was occupied by British forces from February to September 1807.

Independence struggle

edit
The oath of theThirty-Three Orientalsin 1825 prior to the beginning of theCisplatine War,in which Uruguay gained independence from theEmpire of Brazil

In 1811,José Gervasio Artigas,who became Uruguay's national hero, launched a successful revolt against theSpanish authorities,defeating them on 18 May at theBattle of Las Piedras.[31]

In 1813, the new government in Buenos Aires convened a constituent assembly where Artigas emerged as a champion of federalism, demanding political and economic autonomy for each area and theBanda Orientalin particular.[32]The assembly refused to seat the delegates from the Banda Oriental; however, Buenos Aires pursued a system based on unitary centralism.[32]

As a result, Artigas broke with Buenos Aires and besieged Montevideo, taking the city in early 1815.[32]Once the troops from Buenos Aires had withdrawn, the Banda Oriental appointed its first autonomous government.[32]Artigas organized theFederal Leagueunder his protection, consisting of six provinces, five of which later became part of Argentina.[32]

In 1816, 10,000 Portuguese troops invaded the Banda Oriental from Brazil; they took Montevideo in January 1817.[32]After nearly four more years of struggle, thePortuguese Kingdom of Brazilannexed theBanda Orientalas a province under the name of "Cisplatina".[32]TheBrazilian Empirebecame independent of Portugal in 1822. In response to the annexation, theThirty-Three Orientals,led byJuan Antonio Lavalleja,declared independence on 25 August 1825 supported by theUnited Provinces of the Río de la Plata(present-day Argentina).[31]This led to the 500-day-longCisplatine War.Neither side gained the upper hand, and in 1828, theTreaty of Montevideo,fostered by the United Kingdom through the diplomatic efforts ofViscount John Ponsonby,gave birth to Uruguay as an independent state. 25 August is celebrated as Independence Day, anational holiday.[33]The nation'sfirst constitutionwas adopted on 18 July 1830.[31]

19th century

edit
Manuel Oribeserved asPresident of Uruguayand led theBlancosin theCivil War.

At the time of independence, Uruguay had an estimated population of just under 75,000.[34]The political scene in Uruguay became split between two parties: the conservativeBlancos(Whites), headed by the second PresidentManuel Oribe,representing the agricultural interests of the countryside, and the liberalColorados(Reds), led by the first PresidentFructuoso Rivera,representing the business interests of Montevideo. The Uruguayan parties received support from warring political factions in neighboringArgentina,which became involved in Uruguayan affairs.

The Colorados favored the exiled Argentine liberalUnitarios,many of whom had taken refuge in Montevideo, while the Blanco president Manuel Oribe was a close friend of the Argentine rulerManuel de Rosas.On 15 June 1838, an army led by the Colorado leader Rivera overthrew President Oribe, who fled to Argentina.[34]Rivera declared war on Rosas in 1839. The conflict would last 13 years and become known as theGuerra Grande(the Great War).[34]

In 1843, an Argentine army overran Uruguay on Oribe's behalf but failed to take the capital. Thesiege of Montevideo,began in February 1843 and lasted nine years.[35]The besieged Uruguayans called on resident foreigners for help, which led to a French and an Italian legion being formed, the latter led by the exiledGiuseppe Garibaldi.[35]

The victory of theEjército Grandeat theBattle of Caserosresulted in the overthrow ofJuan Manuel de Rosas.

In 1845, Britain and France intervened against Rosas to restore commerce to normal levels in the region. Their efforts proved ineffective, and by 1849, tired of the war, both withdrew after signing a treaty favorable to Rosas.[35]It appeared that Montevideo would finally fall when an uprising against Rosas, led byJusto José de Urquiza,governor of Argentina'sEntre Ríos Province,began. The Brazilian intervention in May 1851 on behalf of the Colorados, combined with the uprising, changed the situation, and Oribe was defeated. The siege of Montevideo was lifted, and the Guerra Grande finally came to an end.[35]Montevideo rewarded Brazil's support by signing treaties that confirmed Brazil's right to intervene in Uruguay's internal affairs.[35]

In accordance with the 1851 treaties, Brazil intervened militarily in Uruguay as often as it deemed necessary.[36]In 1865, theTriple Alliancewas formed by theemperor of Brazil,thepresident of Argentina,and the Colorado generalVenancio Flores,the Uruguayan head of government whom they both had helped to gain power. The Triple Alliance declared war on the Paraguayan leaderFrancisco Solano López.[36]The resultingParaguayan Warended with the invasion of Paraguay and its defeat by the armies of the three countries. Montevideo was used as a supply station by the Brazilian navy, and it experienced a period of prosperity and relative calm during the war.[36]

The first railway line was assembled in Uruguay in 1867, and a branch consisting of a horse-drawn train was opened. The present-dayState Railways Administration of Uruguaymaintains 2,900 km of extendable railway network.[37]

The constitutional government of GeneralLorenzo Batlle y Grau(1868–72) suppressed theRevolution of the Lancesby theBlancos.[38]After two years of struggle, a peace agreement was signed in 1872 that gave the Blancos a share in the emoluments and functions of government through control of four of thedepartments of Uruguay.[38]

Uruguayan troops in trenches at theBattle of Tuyutíin 1866, during theWar of the Triple Alliance

This establishment of the policy of co-participation represented the search for a new formula of compromise based on the coexistence of the party in power and the opposition party.[38]

Despite this agreement, the Colorado rule was threatened by the failed Tricolor Revolution in 1875 and the Revolution of theQuebrachoin 1886.

The Colorado effort to reduce Blancos to only three departments caused a Blanco uprising of 1897, which ended with creating 16 departments, of which the Blancos now had control over six. Blancos were given ⅓ seats in Congress.[39]This division of power lasted until PresidentJose Batlle y Ordonezinstituted his political reforms, which caused the last uprising by Blancos in 1904 that ended with theBattle of Masollerand the death of Blanco leaderAparicio Saravia.

Between 1875 and 1890, the military became the center of power.[40]During this authoritarian period, the government took steps toward the organization of the country as a modern state, encouraging its economic and social transformation. Pressure groups (consisting mainly of businessmen,hacendados,and industrialists) were organized and had a strong influence on the government.[40]A transition period (1886–90) followed, during which politicians began recovering lost ground, and some civilian participation in government occurred.[40]

After theGuerra Grande,there was a sharp rise in the number of immigrants, primarily from Italy and Spain. By 1879, the total population of the country was over 438,500.[41]The economy reflected a steep upswing (if demonstrated graphically, above all other related economic determinants) in livestock raising and exports.[41]Montevideo became a major financial center of the region and anentrepôtfor goods from Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.[41]

20th century

edit
Palacio Salvo,built inMontevideofrom 1925 to 1928, was once thetallest building in Latin America.

The Colorado leaderJosé Batlle y Ordóñezwas elected president in 1903.[42]The following year, the Blancos led a rural revolt, and eight bloody months of fighting ensued before their leader,Aparicio Saravia,was killed in battle. Government forces emerged victorious, leading to the end of the co-participation politics that had begun in 1872.[42]Batllehad two terms (1903–07 and 1911–15) during which, taking advantage of the nation's stability and growing economic prosperity, he instituted major reforms, such as a welfare program, government participation in many facets of the economy, and a plural executive.[31]

Gabriel Terrabecame president in March 1931. His inauguration coincided with the effects of theGreat Depression,[43]and the social climate became tense as a result of the lack of jobs. There were confrontations in which police and leftists died.[43]In 1933, Terra organized a coup d'état, dissolving the General Assembly and governing by decree.[43]A new constitution was promulgated in 1934, transferring powers to the president.[43]In general, the Terra government weakened or neutralized economic nationalism and social reform.[43]

In 1938, general elections were held, and Terra's brother-in-law, GeneralAlfredo Baldomir,was elected president. Under pressure from organized labor and the National Party, Baldomir advocated free elections, freedom of the press, and a new constitution.[44]Although Baldomir declared Uruguay neutral in 1939, British warships and the German shipAdmiral Graf Speefoughta battlenot far off Uruguay's coast.[44]TheAdmiral Graf Speetook refuge inMontevideo,claiming sanctuary in a neutral port, but was later ordered out.[44]

The sinking of the German cruiserAdmiral Graf Speeis the most known event occurring inUruguay during World War II.

In 1945, Uruguay formally signed theDeclaration by the United Nationsand enteredWorld War II,leading the country to declare war onGermanyandJapan.Following the end of the war, it became a founding member of theUnited Nations.

In the late 1950s, partly because of a worldwide decrease in demand for Uruguayan agricultural products, Uruguayans suffered a steep drop in their standard of living, leading to student militancy and labor unrest. An armed group of Marxist–Leninist urban guerrillas, known as theTupamaros,emerged in the 1960s, engaging in activities such as bank robbery, kidnapping, and assassination, in addition to attempting an overthrow of the government.

Civic-military and dictatorship regime

edit
Garments worn by prisoners during the dictatorship, exhibited at theMuseum of Memory.

PresidentJorge Pachecodeclared a state of emergency in 1968, followed by a further suspension of civil liberties in 1972. In 1973, amid increasing economic and political turmoil, the armed forces, asked by PresidentJuan María Bordaberry,disbanded Parliament and established acivilian-military regime.[31]TheCIA-backed campaign of political repression and state terror involving intelligence operations and assassination of opponents was calledOperation Condor.[45][46]The media was censored or banned, the trade union movement was destroyed, and tons of books were burned after the banning of some writers' works. People on file as opponents of the regime were excluded from the civil service and education.

According to one source, around 180 Uruguayans are known to have been killed and disappeared, with thousands more illegally detained and tortured during the 12-year civil-military rule from 1973 to 1985.[47]Most were killed in Argentina and other neighboring countries, with 36 of them having been killed in Uruguay.[48]According to Edy Kaufman (cited by David Altman[49]), Uruguay at the time had the highest per capita number of political prisoners in the world. "Kaufman, who spoke at the U.S. Congressional Hearings of 1976 on behalf ofAmnesty International,estimated that one in every five Uruguayans went into exile, one in fifty were detained, and one in five hundred went to prison (most of them tortured). "Social spending was reduced, and many state-owned companies were privatized. However, the economy did not improve and deteriorated after 1980; the GDP fell by 20%, and unemployment rose to 17%. The state intervened by trying to bail out failing companies and banks.[50]

Return to democracy (1984–present)

edit
Former Uruguayan presidentJorge Batllewith former U.S. presidentGeorge H. W. Bushin 2003

A new constitution, drafted by the military, was rejected in a November 1980 referendum.[31]Following the referendum, the armed forces announced a plan for the return to civilian rule, and national elections were held in 1984.[31]Colorado PartyleaderJulio María Sanguinettiwon the presidency and served from 1985 to 1990. The first Sanguinetti administration implemented economic reforms and consolidated democracy following the country's years under military rule.[31]

The National Party'sLuis Alberto Lacallewon the 1989 presidential election, and a referendum endorsed amnesty for human rights abusers. Sanguinetti was then re-elected in 1994.[51]Both presidents continued the economic structural reforms initiated after the reinstatement of democracy, and other important reforms were aimed at improving the electoral system, social security, education, and public safety.

The 1999 national elections were held under a new electoral system established by a 1996 constitutional amendment. Colorado Party candidateJorge Batlle,aided by the support of the National Party, defeatedBroad FrontcandidateTabaré Vázquez.The formal coalition ended in November 2002, when the Blancos withdrew their ministers from the cabinet,[31]although the Blancos continued to support the Colorados on most issues. Low commodity prices and economic difficulties in Uruguay's main export markets (starting in Brazil with the devaluation of thereal,then inArgentina in 2002) caused a severe recession; the economy contracted by 11%, unemployment climbed to 21%, and the percentage of Uruguayans in poverty rose to over 30%.[52]

In 2004, Uruguayans electedTabaré Vázquezas president while giving the Broad Front a majority in both houses of Parliament.[53]Vázquez stuck to economic orthodoxy. As commodity prices soared and the economy recovered from the recession, he tripled foreign investment, cut poverty and unemployment, cut public debt from 79% of GDP to 60%, and kept inflation steady.[54]

2011 bicentennial celebrations at thePalacio Legislativoin Montevideo

In 2009,José Mujica,a former left-wing guerrilla leader (Tupamaros) who spent almost 15 years in prison during the country's military rule, emerged as the new president as the Broad Front won the election for a second time.[55][56]Abortionwas legalized in 2012,[57]followed bysame-sex marriage[58]andcannabisin the following year.[59]

In 2013, recreational cannabis was decriminalized, making Uruguay the first country in the modern era to legalizecannabis.

In 2014,Tabaré Vázquezwas elected to a non-consecutive second presidential term, which began on 1 March 2015.[60]In 2020, after 15 years of left-wing rule, he was succeeded byLuis Alberto Lacalle Pou,a member of the conservativeNational Party,as the 42nd President of Uruguay.[61]

Geography

edit
Topographical map of Uruguay

With 176,214 km2(68,037 sq mi) of continental land and 142,199 km2(54,903 sq mi) of jurisdictional water and small river islands,[62]Uruguay is the second smallest sovereign nation in South America (afterSuriname) and the third smallest territory (French Guianais the smallest).[24]The landscape features mostly rolling plains and low hill ranges (cuchillas) with a fertile coastal lowland.[24]Uruguay has 660 km (410 mi) ofcoastline.[24]

A dense fluvial network covers the country, consisting of four river basins, or deltas: theRío de la Plata Basin,theUruguay River,theLaguna Merínand the Río Negro. The major internal river is theRío Negro('Black River'). Several lagoons are found along the Atlantic coast.

The highest point in the country is theCerro Catedral,whose peak reaches 514 metres (1,686 ft)AMSLin theSierra Carapéhill range. To the southwest is theRío de la Plata,the estuary of the Uruguay River (the river which forms the country's western border).

Montevideo is the southernmost national capital in the Americas and the third most southerly in the world (afterCanberraandWellington). Uruguay is the only country in South America situated entirely south of theTropic of Capricorn,and is the southernmost sovereign state in the worldwhen ordered by northernmost point of latitude.

There are tennational parks in Uruguay:Five in the wetland areas of the east, three in the central hill country, and one in the west along the Rio Uruguay.

Uruguay is home to theUruguayan savannaterrestrial ecoregion.[63]The country had a 2019Forest Landscape Integrity Indexmean score of 3.61/10, ranking it 147th globally out of 172 countries.[64]

Climate

edit
Köppen–Geiger climate classification map for Uruguay

Located entirely within the southern temperate zone, Uruguay has a climate that is relatively mild and fairly uniform nationwide.[65]According to the Köppen Climate Classification, most of the country has ahumid subtropical climate(Cfa). Only in some spots of the Atlantic Coast and at the summit of the highest hills of theCuchilla Grandethe climate isoceanic(Cfb).

The country experiences four seasons, with summer from December to March and winter from June to September. Seasonal variations are pronounced, but extremes in temperature are rare.[65]Summers are tempered by winds off the Atlantic, and severe cold in winter is unknown.[65][66]Although it never gets too cold, frosts occur every year during the winter months, and precipitation such as sleet and hail occur almost every winter, but snow is very rare; it does occur every couple of years at higher elevations, but almost always without accumulation. As would be expected with its abundance of water, high humidity and fog are common.[65]

The absence of mountains, which act as weather barriers, makes all locations vulnerable to high winds and rapid changes in weather as fronts or storms sweep across the country.[65]These storms can be strong; they can bringsqualls,hail,and sometimes eventornadoes.[67]The country experiencesextratropical cyclonesbut no tropical cyclones, due to the fact that the South Atlantic Ocean is rarely warm enough for their development. Both summer and winter weather may vary from day to day with the passing of storm fronts, where a hot northerly wind may occasionally be followed by a cold wind (pampero) from the ArgentinePampas.[25]

Even though both temperature and precipitation are quite uniform nationwide, there are considerable differences across the territory. The average annual temperature of the country is 17.5 °C (63.5 °F), ranging from 16 °C (61 °F) in the southeast to 19 °C (66 °F) in the northwest.[68]Winter temperatures range from a daily average of 11 °C (52 °F) in the south to 14 °C (57 °F) in the north, while summer average daily temperatures range from 21 °C (70 °F) in the southeast to 25 °C (77 °F) in the northwest.[69]The southeast is considerably cooler than the rest of the country, especially during spring, when the ocean with cold water after the winter cools down the temperature of the air and brings more humidity to that region. However, the south of the country receives less precipitation than the north. For example, Montevideo receives approximately 1,100 millimetres (43 in) of precipitation per year, while the city of Rivera in the northeast receives 1,600 millimetres (63 in).[68]The heaviest precipitation occurs during the autumn months, although more frequent rainy spells occur in winter.[25]But still the difference is not big enough to consider a dry or wet season, periods of drought or excessive rain can occur anytime during the year.

National extreme temperatures at sea level are, 44 °C (111 °F) inPaysandúcity (20 January 1943) andFloridacity (January 14, 2022),[70]and −11.0 °C (12.2 °F) inMelocity (14 June 1967).[71]

Government and politics

edit
Palacio Legislativo,Montevideo

Uruguay is arepresentative democraticrepublic with apresidential system.[72]The members of government are elected for a five-year term by auniversal suffragesystem.[72]Uruguay is aunitary state:justice, education, health, security, foreign policy and defense are all administered nationwide.[72]The Executive Power is exercised by thepresidentand acabinetof 14 ministers.[72]

Palacio Piria,seat of the Supreme Court

The legislative power is constituted by theGeneral Assembly,composed oftwo chambers:theChamber of Representatives,consisting of 99 members representing the 19 departments, elected for a five-year term based onproportional representation;and theChamber of Senators,consisting of 31 members, 30 of whom are elected for a five-year term by proportional representation and the vice-president, who presides over the chamber and has the right to vote.[72]

The judicial arm is exercised by theSupreme Court,the Bench and Judges nationwide. The members of the Supreme Court are elected by the General Assembly; the members of the Bench are selected by the Supreme Court with the consent of the Senate, and the Judges are directly assigned by the Supreme Court.[72]

Uruguay adopted itscurrent constitutionin 1967.[73][74]Many of its provisions were suspended in 1973, but re-established in 1985. Drawing on Switzerland and its use of the initiative, theUruguayan Constitutionalso allows citizens to repeal laws or to change the constitution by popular initiative, which culminates in a nationwidereferendum.This method has been used several times over the past 15 years: to confirm a law renouncing prosecution of members of the military who violated human rights during the military regime (1973–1985); to stop privatization of public utility companies; to defend pensioners' incomes; and to protect water resources.[75]

For most of Uruguay's history, thePartido Coloradohas been in government.[76][77]However, in the2004 Uruguayan general election,theBroad Frontwon anabsolute majorityin Parliamentary elections, and in 2009,José Mujicaof the Broad Front defeatedLuis Alberto Lacalleof theBlancosto win thepresidency.In March 2020, Uruguay got a conservative government, meaning the end of 15 years of left-wing leadership under theBroad Frontcoalition. At the same time centre-rightNational Party’sLuis Lacalle Pouwas sworn in as the newPresident of Uruguay.[78]

A 2010Latinobarómetropoll found that, within Latin America, Uruguayans are among the most supportive of democracy and by far the most satisfied with the way democracy works in their country.[79]Uruguay ranked 27th in theFreedom House"Freedom in the World"index. According to theV-Dem Democracy indicesin 2023, Uruguay ranked 31st in the world on electoral democracy and 2nd behind Switzerland on citizen-initiated direct democracy.[80]Uruguay shared 14th place along with Canada, Estonia and Iceland as least corrupt in the WorldCorruption Perceptions Indexcomposed byTransparency Internationalin 2022 beating out countries such as the UK, Belgium and Japan.

Administrative divisions

edit
A map of the departments of Uruguay

Uruguay is divided into 19departmentswhose local administrations replicate the division of the executive and legislative powers.[72]Each department elects its own authorities through a universal suffrage system.[72]The departmental executive authority resides in a superintendent and the legislative authority in a departmental board.[72]

Department Capital Area Population (2011 census)[81]
km2 sq mi
Artigas Artigas 11,928 4,605 73,378
Canelones Canelones 4,536 1,751 520,187
Cerro Largo Melo 13,648 5,270 84,698
Colonia Colonia del Sacramento 6,106 2,358 123,203
Durazno Durazno 11,643 4,495 57,088
Flores Trinidad 5,144 1,986 25,050
Florida Florida 10,417 4,022 67,048
Lavalleja Minas 10,016 3,867 58,815
Maldonado Maldonado 4,793 1,851 164,300
Montevideo Montevideo 530 200 1,319,108
Paysandú Paysandú 13,922 5,375 113,124
Río Negro Fray Bentos 9,282 3,584 54,765
Rivera Rivera 9,370 3,620 103,493
Rocha Rocha 10,551 4,074 68,088
Salto Salto 14,163 5,468 124,878
San José San José de Mayo 4,992 1,927 108,309
Soriano Mercedes 9,008 3,478 82,595
Tacuarembó Tacuarembó 15,438 5,961 90,053
Treinta y Tres Treinta y Tres 9,529 3,679 48,134
Total[note 1] 175,016 67,574 3,286,314

Foreign relations

edit
Headquarters of theSouthern Common Market,Montevideo

The country's foreign policy is directed by theMinistry of Foreign Relations.[82]Uruguay has traditionally had strong political and cultural ties with its neighboring countries and with Europe, and its international relations have been guided by the principles of non-intervention and multilateralism.[83]The country is a founding member of international organizations such as theUnited Nations,theOrganization of American States,theSouthern Common Marketand theLatin American Integration Association.[84]The headquarters of the latter two are located in its capitalMontevideo,for which the role of the city has been compared to that ofBrusselsin Europe.[85]

Uruguayan PresidentLuis Lacalle Pou(second from right) at the summit of Mercosur Heads of State in 2023

Uruguay has two uncontested boundary disputes with Brazil, overIsla Brasileraand the 235 km2(91 sq mi) Invernada River region nearMasoller.The two countries disagree on which tributary represents the legitimate source of theQuaraí/Cuareim River,which would define the border in the latter disputed section, according to the1851 border treatybetween the two countries.[24]However, these border disputes have not prevented both countries from having friendly diplomatic relations and strong economic ties. So far, the disputed areas remainde factounder Brazilian control, with little to no actual effort by Uruguay to assert its claims.

Uruguay is also a founding member ofThe Forum of Small States (FOSS),a voluntary and informal grouping at the UN.[86]The country has enjoyed friendly relations with the United States since its transition back to democracy.[52]Commercial ties between both countries have expanded with the signing of a bilateral investment treaty in 2004 and aTrade and Investment Framework Agreementin January 2007.[52]The United States and Uruguay have also cooperated on military matters, with both countries playing significant roles in the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti.[52]

In 2017, Uruguay signed the UNtreaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.[87]It also rejoined theInter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance(TIAR or "Rio Pact" ) in 2020.[88]

Military

edit
Uruguayan ArmyM41 Walker Bulldoglight tank monument
TwoCessna A-37 Dragonflyof theAir Forceduring a flypast

TheUruguayan Armed Forcesare constitutionally subordinate to the president of the Republic, through the minister of defense.[31]Armed forces personnel number about 18,000 for the Army,[89]6,000 for theNavy,and 3,000 for theAir Force.[31]Enlistment is voluntary in peacetime, but the government has the authority to conscript in emergencies.[24]

Uruguay ranks first in the world on a per capita basis for its contributions to theUnited Nations peacekeepingforces, with 2,513 soldiers and officers in 10 UNpeacekeepingmissions.[31]As of February 2010, Uruguay had 1,136 military personnel deployed to Haiti in support ofMINUSTAHand 1,360 deployed in support ofMONUCin the Congo.[31]In December 2010, Uruguayan Major General Gloodtdofsky, was appointed Chief Military Observer and head of theUnited Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan.[90]

Since May 2009, homosexuals have been allowed to serve in the military after the defense minister signed a decree stating that military recruitment policy would no longer discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation.[91]In the fiscal year 2010, the United States provided Uruguay with $1.7 million in military assistance, including $1 million inForeign Military Financingand $480,000 inInternational Military Education and Training.[52]

Law enforcement

edit
TheNational Police of Uruguayis a national and institutionalpolice forceof the Republic of Uruguay, founded on December 18, 1829.[92]It depends on theExecutive Powerthrough theMinistry of the Interior.Its main mission is to protect the free exercise of rights and freedoms, guarantee order, internal security, ensure compliance with the laws, assist and protect people, prevent the commission of crimes, ensure security in public places and events, repress behaviors that constitute crimes and misdemeanors.[93]

Economy

edit
GDP per capita development since 1900
World Trade Center Montevideo

In 1991, the country experienced an increase in strikes to obtain wage compensation to offset inflation and to oppose the privatizations desired by the government of Luis Alberto Lacalle. A general strike was called in 1992, and the privatization policy was widely rejected by referendum (71.6% against the privatization of telecommunications). In 1994 and 1995, Uruguay faced economic difficulties caused by the liberalization of foreign trade, which increased the trade deficit. The Montevideo Gas Company and the Pluna airline were turned over to the private sector, but the pace of privatization slowed down in 1996. Uruguay experienced a major economic and financial crisis between 1999 and 2002, principally aspillover effectfrom theeconomic problems of Argentina.[52]The economy contracted by 11%, and unemployment climbed to 21%.[52]Despite the severity of the trade shocks, Uruguay's financial indicators remained more stable than those of its neighbours, a reflection of its solid reputation among investors and itsinvestment-gradesovereign bondrating, one of only two in South America.[94][needs update]

In 2004, the Batlle government signed a three-year $1.1 billion stand-by arrangement with theInternational Monetary Fund(IMF), committing the country to a substantialprimary fiscal surplus,low inflation, considerable reductions in external debt, and severalstructural reformsdesigned to improve competitiveness and attractforeign investment.[52]Uruguay terminated the agreement in 2006 following the early repayment of its debt but maintained a number of the policy commitments.[52]

Vázquez, who assumed the government in March 2005, created theMinistry of Social Developmentand sought to reduce the country's poverty rate with a $240 million National Plan to Address the Social Emergency (PANES), which provided a monthlyconditional cash transferof approximately $75 to over 100,000 households in extreme poverty. In exchange, those receiving the benefits were required to participate in community work, ensure that their children attended school daily, and had regular health check-ups.[52]

Following the 2001 Argentine credit default, prices in the Uruguayan economy made a variety of services, including information technology and architectural expertise, once too expensive in many foreign markets, exportable.[95]TheFrente Ampliogovernment, while continuing payments on Uruguay's external debt,[96]also undertook an emergency plan to attack the widespread problems of poverty and unemployment.[97]The economy grew at an annual rate of 6.7% during the 2004–2008 period.[98]Uruguay's exports markets have been diversified to reduce dependency on Argentina and Brazil.[98]Poverty was reduced from 33% in 2002 to 21.7% in July 2008, while extreme poverty dropped from 3.3% to 1.7%.[98]

Between the years 2007 and 2009, Uruguay was the only country in the Americas that did not technically experience a recession (two consecutive downward quarters).[99]Unemployment reached a record low of 5.4% in December 2010 before rising to 6.1% in January 2011.[100]While unemployment is still at a low level, the IMF observed a rise in inflationary pressures,[101]and Uruguay's GDP expanded by 10.4% for the first half of 2010.[102]

According to IMF estimates, Uruguay was probably to achieve growth in real GDP of between 8% and 8.5% in 2010, followed by 5% growth in 2011 and 4% in subsequent years.[101]Grosspublic sector debtcontracted in the second quarter of 2010, after five consecutive periods of sustained increase, reaching $21.885 billion US dollars, equivalent to 59.5% of the GDP.[103]Uruguay was ranked 63rd in theGlobal Innovation Indexin 2023.[104][105]

The growth, use, and sale ofcannabiswas legalized on 11 December 2013,[106]making Uruguay the first country in the world to fully legalize marijuana. The law was voted on at the Uruguayan Senate on the same date with 16 votes to approve it and 13 against.

The number of union members has quadrupled since 2003, rising from 110,000 to more than 400,000 in 2015 for a working population of 1.5 million. According to the International Trade Union Confederation, Uruguay has become the most advanced country in the Americas in terms of respect for "fundamental labour rights, in particular the freedom of association, the right to collective bargaining and the right to strike. One of the effects of this high level of unionization was to reduce socio-economic inequalities.[107]

Agriculture

edit
Vineyard in Uruguay

In 2010, Uruguay's export-oriented agricultural sector contributed to 9.3% of the GDP and employed 13% of the workforce.[24]Official statistics from Uruguay's Agriculture and Livestock Ministry indicate that meat and sheep farming in Uruguay occupies 59.6% of the land. The percentage further increases to 82.4% when cattle breeding is linked to other farm activities such as dairy, forage, and rotation with crops such as rice.[108]

According toFAOSTAT,Uruguay is one of the world's largest producers ofsoybeans(9th),wool(12th),horse meat(14th),beeswax(14th), andquinces(17th). Most farms (25,500 out of 39,120) are family-managed; beef and wool represent the main activities and main source of income for 65% of them, followed by vegetable farming at 12%, dairy farming at 11%,hogsat 2%, and poultry also at 2%.[108]Beef is the main export commodity of the country, totaling over US$1 billion in 2006.[108]

In 2007, Uruguay had cattle herds totalling 12 million head, making it the country with the highest number of cattle per capita at 3.8.[108]However, 54% is in the hands of 11% of farmers, who have a minimum of 500 head. At the other extreme, 38% of farmers exploit small lots and have herds averaging below one hundred head.[108]

Tourism

edit
Punta del Esteis one of the main tourist destinations in theSouthern Cone.

The tourism industry in Uruguay is an important part of its economy. In 2012 the sector was estimated to account for 97,000 jobs and (directly and indirectly) 9% of GDP.[109]

The historic colonial city ofColonia del Sacramento

In 2023, 3.8 million tourists entered Uruguay, of which the majority were Argentines and Brazilians, followed by Chileans, Paraguayans, Americans and Europeans of various nationalities.[110]

Cultural experiences in Uruguay include exploring the country's colonial heritage, as found inColonia del Sacramento.Montevideo, the country's capital, houses the most diverse selection of cultural activities. Historical monuments such asTorres García Museumas well asEstadio Centenario,which housed the first world cup in history, are examples. However, simply walking the streets allows tourists to experience the city's colorful culture.

One of the main natural attractions in Uruguay isPunta del Este.Punta del Este is situated on a small peninsula off the southeast coast of Uruguay. Its beaches are divided into Mansa, or tame (river) side and Brava, or rugged (ocean) side. The Mansa is more suited for sunbathing, snorkeling, & other low-key recreational opportunities, while the Brava is more suited for adventurous sports, such as surfing. Punta del Este adjoins the city of Maldonado, while to its northeast along the coast are found the smaller resorts of La Barra and José Ignacio.[111]

Uruguay is the Latin American country that receives the most tourists in relation to its population. For Uruguay, Argentine tourism is key, since it represents 56% of the external tourism they receive each year and 70% during the summer months. Although Argentine holidaymakers are an important target market for tourism in Uruguay, in recent years the country has managed to position itself as an important tourist destination to other markets, receiving a high flow of visitors from countries such as Brazil, Paraguay and the United States, among others.[112]

Transportation

edit
Port of Montevideo
Carrasco International Airport,Montevideo

ThePort of Montevideo,handling over 1.1 million containers annually, is the most advanced container terminal in South America.[113]Its quay can handle 14-metredraught(46 ft) vessels. Ninestraddle cranesallow for 80 to 100 movements per hour.[113]The port ofNueva Palmirais a major regional merchandise transfer point and houses both private and government-run terminals.[114]

Carrasco International Airportwas initially inaugurated in 1947 and in 2009, Puerta del Sur, the airport owner and operator, with an investment of $165 million, commissionedRafael ViñolyArchitects to expand and modernize the existing facilities with a spacious new passenger terminal to increase capacity and spur commercial growth and tourism in the region.[115][116]The London-based magazineFrontierchose the Carrasco International Airport, serving Montevideo, as one of the best four airports in the world in its 27th edition. The airport can handle up to 4.5 million users per year.[115]PLUNAwas theflag carrierof Uruguay, and was headquartered inCarrasco.[117][118]

ThePunta del Este International Airport,located 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) fromPunta del Estein theMaldonado Department,is the second busiest air terminal in Uruguay, built by the Uruguayan architectCarlos Ott.It was inaugurated in 1997.[114]

TheAdministración de Ferrocarriles del Estadois the autonomous agency in charge of rail transport and the maintenance of therailroad network.Uruguay has about 1,200 km (750 mi) of operational railroad track.[24]Until 1947, about 90% of the railroad system was British-owned.[119]In 1949, the government nationalized the railways, along with the electric trams and theMontevideo Waterworks Company.[119]However, in 1985 the "National Transport Plan" suggested passenger trains were too costly to repair and maintain.[119]Cargo trains would continue for loads more than 120 tons, but bus transportation became the "economic" alternative for travellers.[119]Passenger service was then discontinued in 1988.[119]However, rail passenger commuter service into Montevideo was restarted in 1993, and now comprises three suburban lines.

Punta del Este International Airport

Surfacedroads connect Montevideo to the other urban centers in the country, the main highways leading to the border and neighboring cities. Numerous unpaved roads connect farms and small towns. Overland trade has increased markedly sinceMercosur(Southern Common Market) was formed in the 1990s and again in the later 2000s.[120]Most of the country's domestic freight and passenger service is by road rather than rail.

The country has several international bus services[121]connecting the capital and frontier localities to neighboring countries.[122]Namely, 17 destinations in Argentina,[note 2]12 destinations in Brazil[note 4]and the capital cities of Chile andParaguay.[123]

Telecommunications

edit

The Telecommunications industry is more developed than in most other Latin American countries, being the first country in the Americas to achieve complete digital telephone coverage in 1997. The telephone system is completely digitized and has very good coverage over all the country. The system is government-owned, and there have been controversial proposals to partially privatize it since the 1990s.[124]

The mobile phone market is shared by the state-ownedANTELand two private companies,MovistarandClaro.

Energy

edit

More than 97%[125]of Uruguay's electricity comes fromrenewable energy.The dramatic shift, taking less than ten years and without government funding, lowered electricity costs and slashed the country'scarbon footprint.[126][127]Most of the electricity comes from hydroelectric facilities and wind parks. Uruguay no longer imports electricity.[128]

In 2021, Uruguay had, in terms of installed renewable electricity, 1,538 MW in hydropower, 1,514 MW in wind power (35th largest in the world), 258 MW in solar power (66nd largest in the world), and 423 MW in biomass.[129]

Demographics

edit
Racial and ethnic composition in Uruguay (2011 census)[130]
Race/Color
White
87.7%
Black
4.6%
Indigenous
2.4%
East Asian[note 5]
0.2%
Other/none
5.1%

Uruguayans are of predominantly European origin, with over 87.7% of the population claimingEuropean descentin the 2011 census.[130] Most Uruguayans of European ancestry are descendants of 19th and 20th century immigrants from Spain and Italy,[31]and to a lesser degree Germany, France and Britain.[25]Earlier settlers had migrated from Argentina.[25]People ofAfrican descentmake up around five percent of the total.[25]There are also important communities ofJapanese.[131]Overall, the ethnic composition is similar to neighboring Argentine provinces as well as Southern Brazil.[132]

From 1963 to 1985, an estimated 320,000 Uruguayans emigrated.[133]The most popular destinations for Uruguayan emigrants are Argentina, followed by the United States, Australia, Canada, Spain, Italy and France.[133]In 2009, for the first time in 44 years, the country saw an overall positive influx when comparing immigration to emigration. 3,825 residence permits were awarded in 2009, compared with 1,216 in 2005.[134]50% of new legal residents come from Argentina and Brazil. A migration law passed in 2008 gives immigrants the same rights and opportunities that nationals have, with the requisite of proving a monthly income of $650.[134]

Uruguay's rate of population growth is much lower than in other Latin American countries.[25]Its median age is 35.3 years, higher than the global average[31]due to its low birth rate, high life expectancy, and relatively high rate of emigration among younger people. A quarter of the population is less than 15 years old and about a sixth are aged 60 and older.[25]In 2017 the averagetotal fertility rate(TFR) across Uruguay was 1.70 children born per woman, below the replacement rate of 2.1. It remains considerably below the high of 5.76 children born per woman in 1882.[135]

Metropolitan Montevideois the only large city, with around 1.9 million inhabitants, or more than half the country's total population. The rest of the urban population lives in about 30 towns.[31]

A 2017IADBreport on labor conditions for Latin American nations, ranked Uruguay as the region's leader overall and in all but one subindexes, including gender, age, income, formality and labor participation.[136]

Largest cities

edit
Largest cities or towns in Uruguay
"Uruguay".citypopulation.de.Retrieved17 August2021.
Rank Name Department Pop. Rank Name Department Pop.

Montevideo

Salto
1 Montevideo Montevideo 1,304,687 11 Artigas Artigas 40,657
Ciudad de la Costa

Paysandú
2 Salto Salto 104,011 12 Minas Lavalleja 38,446
3 Ciudad de la Costa Canelones 95,176 13 San José de Mayo San José 36,743
4 Paysandú Paysandú 76,412 14 Durazno Durazno 34,368
5 Las Piedras Canelones 71,258 15 Florida Florida 33,639
6 Rivera Rivera 64,465 16 Barros Blancos Canelones 31,650
7 Maldonado Maldonado 62,590 17 Ciudad del Plata San José 31,145
8 Tacuarembó Tacuarembó 54,755 18 San Carlos Maldonado 27,471
9 Melo Cerro Largo 51,830 19 Colonia del Sacramento Colonia 26,231
10 Mercedes Soriano 41,974 20 Pando Canelones 25,947

Religion

edit
TheChurch of Saint Charles BorromeoinSan Carlosis one of the oldest churches in Uruguay.

Christianityis the largest religion in Uruguay. The country has no official religion; church and state are officially separated,[31]andreligious freedomis guaranteed. A 2008 survey by the INE of Uruguay showed Catholic Christianity as the main religion, with 45.7% – 81.4%[137]of the population; 9.0% are non-Catholic Christians, 0.6% areAnimistsorUmbandists(anAfro-Brazilianreligion), and 0.4% Jewish. 30.1% reported believing in a god, but not belonging to any religion, while 14% wereatheistor agnostic.[138]Among the sizeableArmeniancommunity in Montevideo, the dominant religion is Christianity, specificallyArmenian Apostolic.[139]

Political observers consider Uruguay the most secular country in the Americas.[140]Uruguay's secularization began with the relatively minor role of the church in the colonial era, compared with other parts of theSpanish Empire.The small numbers of Uruguay's indigenous peoples and their fierce resistance to proselytism reduced the influence of the ecclesiastical authorities.[141]

After independence,anti-clericalideas spread to Uruguay, particularly from France, further eroding the influence of the church.[142]In 1837 civil marriage was recognized, and in 1861 the state took over the running of public cemeteries. In 1907 divorce was legalized, and in 1909 all religious instruction was banned from state schools.[141]Under the influence of theColoradopoliticianJosé Batlle y Ordóñez(1903–1911), completeseparation of church and statewas introduced with the newconstitution of 1917.[141]

Uruguay's capital has12 synagogues,and a community of 20,000 Jews as of 2011. With a peak of 50,000 during the mid-1960s, Uruguay has the world's highest rate ofaliyahas a percentage of the Jewish population.[143]

Language

edit

Spanishis the de factonational language.[144]Uruguayan Spanish,as a variant ofRioplatense,employs bothvoseoandyeísmo(with[ʃ]or[ʒ]) and has a great influence of theItalian languageand its different dialects, since it incorporateslunfardo.[145]

In the border areas with Brazil in the northeast of the country,Uruguayan Portuguese,is spoken, which consists of a mixture of Spanish withBrazilian Portuguese.[146]It is a dialect without formally defined orthography and without any official recognition.[147]Englishis the most widespread foreign language among the Uruguayan people, being part of the educational curriculum.[148]

As fewindigenous peopleexist in the population, no indigenous languages are thought to remain in active use in the country.[149]Another spoken dialect was thePatois,which is anOccitandialect. The dialect was spoken mainly in theColonia Department,where the first pilgrims settled, in the city calledLa Paz.Today it is considered a dead tongue, although some elders at the aforementioned location still practice it. There are still written tracts of the language in the Waldensians Library (Biblioteca Valdense) in the town ofColonia Valdense,Colonia Department.Patoisspeakers arrived to Uruguay from thePiedmont.Originally they were Vaudois, who becomeWaldensians,giving their name to the city Colonia Valdense, which translated from the Spanish means "Waldensian Colony".[150]

In 2001,Uruguayan Sign Language (LSU)was recognized as an official language of Uruguay under Law 17.378.[4]

Education

edit
Faculty of Medicine of theUniversity of the Republic,founded in 1849

Education in Uruguayissecular,free,[151]and compulsory for 14 years, starting at the age of 4.[152]The system is divided into six levels of education: early childhood (3–5 years); primary (6–11 years); basic secondary (12–14 years); upper secondary (15–17 years); higher education (18 and up); and post-graduate education.[152]

Public education is the primary responsibility of three institutions: theMinistry of Education and Culture,which coordinates education policies, theNational Public Education Administration,which formulates and implements policies on early to secondary education, and theUniversity of the Republic,responsible for higher education.[152]In 2009, the government planned to invest 4.5% of GDP in education.[151]

Uruguay ranks high on standardised tests such asPISAat a regional level, but compares unfavourably to theOECDaverage, and is also below some countries with similar levels of income.[151]In the 2006 PISA test, Uruguay had one of the greateststandard deviationsamong schools, suggesting significant variability by socio-economic level.[151]

Uruguay is part of theOne Laptop per Childproject, and in 2009 became the first country in the world to provide a laptop for every primary school student,[153]as part of thePlan Ceibal.[154]Over the 2007–2009 period, 362,000 pupils and 18,000 teachers were involved in the scheme; around 70% of the laptops were given to children who did not have computers at home.[154]The OLPC programme represents less than 5% of the country's education budget.[154]

Culture

edit

Uruguayan culture is stronglyEuropeanand its influences from southern Europe are particularly important.[25]The tradition of thegauchohas been an important element in the art and folklore of both Uruguay and Argentina.[25]

Visual arts

edit
Italian Hospital of Montevideo,neoclassical-style building byLuis Andreoni
A "livable sculpture",Carlos Páez Vilaró'sCasapueblowas his home, hotel and museum.

Abstract painter and sculptorCarlos Páez Vilarówas a prominent Uruguayan artist. He drew from bothTimbuktuandMykonosto create his best-known work: his home, hotel andatelierCasapueblonearPunta del Este.Casapueblo is a "livable sculpture" and draws thousands of visitors from around the world. The 19th-century painterJuan Manuel Blanes,whose works depict historical events, was the first Uruguayan artist to gain widespread recognition.[25]ThePost-ImpressionistpainterPedro Figariachieved international renown for his pastel studies of subjects in Montevideo and the countryside. Blending elements of art and nature the work of the landscape architectLeandro Silva Delgado[es]has also earned international prominence.[25]

Uruguay has a small but growing film industry, and movies such asWhiskybyJuan Pablo RebellaandPablo Stoll(2004),Marcelo Bertalmío'sLos días con Ana(2000; "Days with Ana" ) andAna Díez'sPaisito(2008), about the 1973 military coup, have earned international honours.[25]

Music

edit
Tango dancers in Montevideo
Murgasingers at the Carnival

The folk and popular music of Uruguay shares not only itsgauchoroots withArgentina,but also those of thetango.[25]One of the most famous tangos, "La cumparsita"(1917), was written by the Uruguayan composerGerardo Matos Rodríguez.[25]Thecandombeis a folk dance performed atCarnival,especiallyUruguayan Carnival,mainly by Uruguayans of African ancestry.[25]The guitar is the preferred musical instrument, and in a popular traditional contest called thepayadatwo singers, each with a guitar, take turns improvising verses to the same tune.[25]

Folk music is calledcanto popularand includes some guitar players and singers such asAlfredo Zitarrosa,José Carbajal "El Sabalero",Daniel Viglietti,Los Olimareños,andNuma Moraes.

Numerous radio stations and musical events reflect the popularity of rock music and the Caribbean genres, known asmúsica tropical( "tropical music" ).[25]Early classical music in Uruguay showed heavy Spanish and Italian influence, but since the 20th century a number of composers of classical music, includingEduardo Fabini,Vicente Ascone[es],Héctor Tosar,andEduardo Gilardonihave made use of Latin American musical idioms.[25]There are two symphony orchestras inMontevideo,OSSODRE and Filarmonica de Montevideo. Some of the well known classical musicians are pianistsNibya Mariño,Dinorah Varsi,Alberto Reyes,Enrique Graf,Homero Francesch;guitaristsEduardo Fernandez,Alvaro Pierri,Marco Sartor,conductorsJose Serebrier,Carlos Kalmar,singersMaria Jose Siri,Carlo Ventre,Martin Nusspaumer,Maria Antunez,Erwin Schrott,Jose Lemos.

Tangohas also affected Uruguayan culture, especially during the 20th century, particularly the '30s and '40s with Uruguayan singers such asJulio SosafromLas Piedras.[155]When the famous tango singerCarlos Gardelwas 29 years old he changed his nationality to be Uruguayan, saying he was born inTacuarembó,but this subterfuge was probably done to keep French authorities from arresting him for failing to register in the French Army forWorld War I.Gardel was born in France and was raised in Buenos Aires. He never lived in Uruguay.[156]Nevertheless, a Carlos Gardel museum was established in 1999 in Valle Edén, near Tacuarembó.[157]

Rock and rollfirst broke into Uruguayan audiences with the arrival ofthe Beatlesand other British bands in the early 1960s. A wave of bands appeared in Montevideo, includingLos Shakers,Los Mockers,Los Iracundos,Los Moonlights,andLos Malditos,who became major figures in the so-calledUruguayan Invasionof Argentina.[158]Popular bands of the Uruguayan Invasion sang in English.

Popular Uruguayan rock bands includeLa Vela Puerca,No Te Va Gustar,El Cuarteto de Nos,Once Tiros,La Trampa,Chalamadre,Snake,Buitres,andCursi.In 2004, the Uruguayan musician and actorJorge Drexlerwon an Academy Award for composing the song "Al otro lado del río"from the movieThe Motorcycle Diaries,which narrated the life ofChe Guevara.Other Uruguayan famous songwriters areJaime Roos,Eduardo Mateo,Rubén Rada,Pablo Sciuto,Daniel Viglietti,among others.

By mid-2015, the Uruguayan bandsRombaiandMáramaof the emerging subgenres "cumbia cheta" and "cumbia pop[es]"enjoyed great success all over Latin America even before publishing their first albums; particularly in their home country and in Argentina, where in a given moment they had together nine songs at theSpotifyTop Ten ranking.[159]Other Uruguayan bands of success are:Toco Para Vos,Vi-Em[es],Toco Para Bailar and Golden Rocket.

Food

edit

Uruguayan food culture comes mostly from the European cuisine culture. Most of the Uruguayan dishes are from Spain, France, Italy and Brazil, the result of immigration caused by past wars in Europe. Daily meals vary between meats, pasta of all types, rice, sweet desserts and others, with meat being the principal dish, due to Uruguay being one of the world's largest producers of quality meat.

Typical dishes include: "Asadouruguayo "(big grill or barbecue of all types of meat), roasted lamb,Chivito(sandwich containing thin grilled beef, lettuce, tomatoes, fried egg, ham, olives and others, and served with French fries),Milanesa(a kind of fried breaded beef), tortellini, spaghetti, gnocchi, ravioli, rice and vegetables.

One of the most consumed spreads in Uruguay isDulce de leche(a caramel confection from Latin America prepared by slowly heating sugar and milk). The most typical sweet isAlfajor,which is a small cake, filled with Dulce de leche and covered with chocolate or meringue. It comes in various types, fillings, sizes and brands. Other typical desserts include thePastafrola(a type of cake filled with quince jelly),Chajá(meringue, sponge cake, whipped cream and fruits, typically peaches and strawberries are added).

Mate (drink)is the most typical beverage in Uruguay, being a portable beverage that Uruguayans take to all manner of places.

Literature

edit
José Enrique Rodó

José Enrique Rodó(1871–1917), a modernist, is considered Uruguay's most significant literary figure.[25]His bookAriel(1900) deals with the need to maintainspiritualvalues while pursuing material and technical progress.[25]Besides stressing the importance of upholding spiritual over materialistic values, it also stresses resisting cultural dominance by Europe and the United States.[25]The book continues to influence young writers.[25]Notable amongst Latin American playwrights isFlorencio Sánchez(1875–1910), who wrote plays about contemporary social problems that are still performed today.[25]

From about the same period came the romantic poetry ofJuan Zorrilla de San Martín(1855–1931), who wrote epic poems aboutUruguayan history.Also notable areJuana de Ibarbourou(1895–1979),Delmira Agustini(1866–1914),Idea Vilariño(1920–2009), and the short stories ofHoracio QuirogaandJuan José Morosoli(1899–1959).[25]The psychological stories ofJuan Carlos Onetti(such as "No Man's Land" and "The Shipyard" ) have earned widespread critical praise, as have the writings ofMario Benedetti.[25]

Uruguay's best-known contemporary writer isEduardo Galeano,author ofLas venas abiertas de América Latina(1971; "Open Veins of Latin America") and the trilogyMemoria del fuego(1982–87; "Memory of Fire" ).[25]Other modern Uruguayan writers include Mario Levrero,Sylvia Lago,Jorge Majfud,andJesús Moraes.[25]Uruguayans of many classes and backgrounds enjoy readinghistorietas,comic books that often blend humour and fantasy with thinly veiled social criticism.[25]

Media

edit

TheReporters Without Bordersworldwide press freedom index has ranked Uruguay as 19th of 180 reported countries in 2019.[160]Freedom of speech and media are guaranteed by the constitution, with qualifications for inciting violence or "insulting the nation".[97]Uruguayans have access to more than 100 private daily and weekly newspapers, more than 100 radio stations, and some 20 terrestrial television channels, and cable TV is widely available.[97]

Uruguay's long tradition of freedom of the press was severely curtailed during the years of military dictatorship. On his first day in office in March 1985, Sanguinetti re-established complete freedom of the press.[161]Consequently, Montevideo's newspapers, which account for all of Uruguay's principal daily newspapers, greatly expanded their circulations.[161]

State-runradioandTVare operated by the official broadcasting serviceSODRE.[97]Some newspapers are owned by, or linked to, the main political parties.[97]El Díawas the nation's most prestigious paper until its demise in the early 1990s, founded in 1886 by the Colorado party leader and (later) presidentJosé Batlle y Ordóñez.El País,the paper of the rival Blanco Party, has the largest circulation.[25]Búsquedais Uruguay's most important weekly news magazine and serves as an important forum for political and economic analysis.[161]Although it sells only about 16,000 copies a week, its estimated readership exceeds 50,000.[161]MercoPressis an independent news agency focusing on news related toMercosurand is based in Montevideo.[162]

Sport

edit
Centenario Stadium
Uruguay supporters at the2018 FIFA World Cupin Russia

Footballis the most popular sport in Uruguay. The first international match outside theBritish Isleswas played between Uruguay andArgentinain Montevideo in July 1902.[163]Uruguay won gold at the1924 Paris Olympic Games[164]and again in1928in Amsterdam.[165]

TheUruguay national football teamhas won theFIFA World Cupon two occasions. Uruguay won theinaugural tournamenton home soil in 1930 and again in 1950,famously defeatinghome favouritesBrazilin the final match.[166]Uruguay has won theCopa América(an international tournament for South American nations and guests) 15 times, such as Argentina, the last one in 2011. Uruguay has by far the smallest population of any country that has won a World Cup.[166]Despite their early success, they missed three World Cups in four attempts from 1994 to 2006.[166]Uruguay performed very creditably in the2010 FIFA World Cup,having reached the semi-final for the first time in 40 years.Diego Forlánwas presented with theGolden Ballaward as the best player of the 2010 tournament.[167]In the rankings for June 2012, Uruguay was ranked the second best team in the world, according to theFIFAworld rankings, their highest ever point in football history, falling short of the first spot to theSpain national football team.[168]

Uruguay exported 1,414 football players during the 2000s, almost as many players as Brazil and Argentina.[169]In 2010, the Uruguayan government enacted measures intended to retain players in the country.[169]

Football was taken to Uruguay by English sailors and labourers in the late 19th century. Less successfully, they introducedrugbyandcricket.There are two Montevideo-based football clubs,NacionalandPeñarol,who are successful in domestic and South American tournaments and have won three Intercontinental Cups each. When the two clubs play each other, it is known asUruguayan Clásicoand is the most important rivalry in Uruguay and one of the biggest in the American continent.[170]

Besides football, the most popular sport in Uruguay is basketball.[171]Itsnational teamqualified for theBasketball World Cup7 times, more often than other countries in South America, exceptBrazilandArgentina.Uruguay hosted the officialBasketball World Cupfor the1967 FIBA World Championshipand the officialAmericas Basketball Championshipin 1988, 1997 and is a host of the2017 FIBA AmeriCup.

See also

edit

Notes

edit
  1. ^Spanish has never been proclaimed the official language of Uruguay by either constitution or any decree. However, it isde factoofficial in all forms of government and society.
  2. ^It hasde jureofficial status as of 2001.[3][4]
  1. ^"Doesn't include the 1,199 km2(463 sq mi) artificial lakes on the Rio Negro "(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 13 November 2013.Retrieved13 September2013.
  2. ^Bell Ville,Buenos Aires,Concepción del Uruguay,Concordia, Entre Ríos,Córdoba,Gualeguaychú,Mendoza,Paraná,Rio Cuarto,Rosario,San Francisco,San Luis,Santa Fe,Tigre,Venado Tuerto,Villa María,andVilla Mercedes.
  3. ^Although Santana has open borders with Rivera, it's a different jurisdiction.
  4. ^namelyCamboriú,Curitiba,Florianópolis,Jaguarão,Joinville,Pelotas,Porto Alegre,Quaraí,São Gabriel,São Paulo,Santa Maria,andSantana do Livramento.[note 3]
  5. ^The official racial term on the Uruguayan census is "amarilla" or "yellow" in English, which refers to people of East Asian descent.

References

edit
  1. ^Crow, John A. (1992).The Epic of Latin America(4th ed.). Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 457.ISBN978-0-520-07723-2.In the meantime, while the crowd assembled in the plaza continued to shout its demands at the cabildo, the sun suddenly broke through the overhanging clouds and clothed the scene in brilliant light. The people looked upward with one accord and took it as a favorable omen for their cause. This was the origin of the ″sun of May″ which has appeared in the center of the Argentine flag and on the Argentine coat of arms ever since.
  2. ^Kopka, Deborah (2011).Central & South America.Dayton, OH: Lorenz Educational Press. p. 5.ISBN978-1-4291-2251-1.The sun's features are those ofInti,theIncansun god. The sun commemorates the appearance of the Sun through cloudy skies on May 25, 1810, during the first mass demonstration in favor of independence.
  3. ^Ley N° 17378[Law #17378] (Law) (in Spanish). 25 July 2001."Archived copy".Archived from the original on 20 May 2022.Retrieved30 May2022.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. ^abMeyers, Stephen; Lockwood, Elizabeth (6 December 2014)."The Tale of Two Civil Societies: Comparing disability rights movements in Nicaragua and Uruguay".Disability Studies Quarterly.34(4).doi:10.18061/dsq.v34i4.3845.ISSN2159-8371.Archivedfrom the original on 27 June 2022.Retrieved30 May2022.
  5. ^"Encuesta Continua de Hogares (ECH) – Instituto Nacional de Estadística".Archived fromthe originalon 8 December 2022.Retrieved15 August2022.
  6. ^"Uruguay".The World Factbook(2024 ed.).Central Intelligence Agency.Retrieved22 June2023.(Archived 2011 edition.)
  7. ^abc"Población en Uruguay aumentó 1%: se contabiliza en 3.444.263 habitantes".Uruguay Presidencia(in Spanish).Archivedfrom the original on 28 November 2023.Retrieved27 November2023.
  8. ^abcd"Report for Selected Countries and Subjects: April 2024".imf.org.International Monetary Fund.
  9. ^"GINI index".World Bank.Archivedfrom the original on 10 November 2016.Retrieved15 July2024.
  10. ^"Human Development Report 2023/2024"(PDF).United Nations Development Programme.13 March 2024.Archived(PDF)from the original on 13 March 2024.Retrieved17 April2024.
  11. ^Wells, John C. (1990).Longman pronunciation dictionary.Harlow, England: Longman. p. 755.ISBN0-582-05383-8.entry "Uruguay"
  12. ^ab"Hace 13.000 años cazadores-recolectores exploraron y colonizaron planicie del río Cuareim".archivo.presidencia.gub.uy(in Spanish).Archivedfrom the original on 18 March 2014.Retrieved17 May2021.
  13. ^Rex A. Hudson; Sandra W. Meditz, eds. (1990)."Modern Uruguay, 1875–1903 (Chapter 10)".Uruguay: A Country Study.Washington DC: Library of Congress Country Studies.Archivedfrom the original on 30 April 2011.Retrieved23 February2011.
  14. ^TIMES, Special to THE NEW YORK (3 January 1951)."URUGUAY A HAVEN FOR REFUGEE SUMS; Gold Flows to 'Switzerland of Americas' Since Korean War --Foreign Trade Booms".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Archivedfrom the original on 11 August 2017.Retrieved5 May2024.
  15. ^"Back to Democracy in Uruguay".Washington Post.27 December 2023.ISSN0190-8286.Retrieved5 May2024.
  16. ^"Uruguay Rankings"(PDF).Archived(PDF)from the original on 1 February 2017.Retrieved21 April2017.
  17. ^The Social Progress Imperative.socialprogressimperative.org
  18. ^"Spartacus Gay Travel Index"(PDF).spartacus.gayguide.travel.Archived(PDF)from the original on 14 September 2017.Retrieved3 September2020.
  19. ^Revista Del Río de La Plata.1971. p. 285.Archivedfrom the original on 3 February 2016.Retrieved23 October2015.The word itself, "Uruguay," is clearly derived from the Guaraní, probably by way of the tribal dialect of theCharrúas[…] fromuru(a generic designation of wild fowl)
  20. ^Nordenskiöld, Erland(1979).Deductions suggested by the geographical distribution of some post-Columbian words used by the Indians of S. America.AMS Press. p. 27.ISBN978-0-404-15145-4.Archivedfrom the original on 3 February 2016.Retrieved23 October2015.In Paraguay the Guaraní Indians call a fowluruguaçú.TheCainguáin Misiones only sayurú.[…] A few Guaraní-speakiug Indians who call a henuruguasuand a cocktacareo.Uruguaçumeans "the biguru".
  21. ^"Presentan tesis del nombre Uruguay".El País(in Spanish). Archived fromthe originalon 14 March 2012.Retrieved21 November2014.
  22. ^"Presentan tesis del nombre Uruguay – Diario EL PAIS – Montevideo – Uruguay".14 March 2012. Archived fromthe originalon 14 March 2012.Retrieved17 May2021.
  23. ^"Uruguay, el país de los pájaros pintados despierta la pasión por mirar".Ministerio de Turismo(in Spanish).Archivedfrom the original on 17 May 2021.Retrieved17 May2021.
  24. ^abcdefghCentral Intelligence Agency (2016)."Uruguay".The World Factbook.Langley, Virginia: Central Intelligence Agency.Archivedfrom the original on 16 December 2021.Retrieved1 January2017.
  25. ^abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzaaabacad"Uruguay".Encyclopædia Britannica.2008.Archivedfrom the original on 12 June 2008.Retrieved2 September2008.
  26. ^"Eastern Republic of Uruguay" is the official name used in many United Nations publications in English, e.g.Treaty Series.UN Publications. 1991.ISBN978-92-1-900187-9.Archivedfrom the original on 3 February 2016.Retrieved23 October2015.& in some formal UK documents, e.g.Agreement Between the European Community and the Eastern Republic of Uruguay.H.M. Stationery Office.1974.Archivedfrom the original on 13 May 2016.Retrieved23 October2015.
  27. ^Jermyn, Leslie (1 October 1998).Uruguay.Marshall Cavendish.ISBN9780761408734– via Internet Archive.uruguay by leslie jermyn.
  28. ^López Mazz, José M. (2001)."Las estructuras tumulares (cerritos) del litoral atlantico uruguayo"(PDF).Latin American Antiquity(in Spanish).12(3): 231–255.doi:10.2307/971631.ISSN1045-6635.JSTOR971631.S2CID163375789.Archived(PDF)from the original on 17 May 2021.Retrieved17 May2021– via JSTOR.
  29. ^Oskar Hermann Khristian Spate (1 November 2004).The Spanish Lake.Canberra: ANU E Press, 2004. p. 37.ISBN9781920942168.Archivedfrom the original on 11 December 2020.Retrieved30 September2020.
  30. ^Bethell, Leslie (1984).The Cambridge History of Latin America, Volume 1, Colonial Latin America.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 257.ISBN9780521232234.Archivedfrom the original on 11 December 2020.Retrieved7 October2020.
  31. ^abcdefghijklmnopqrstuBureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs."Background Note: Uruguay".US Department of State.Archivedfrom the original on 22 January 2017.Retrieved23 February2011.
  32. ^abcdefg"THE STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE, 1811–30 – Uruguay".Library of Congress Country Studies.Archivedfrom the original on 30 April 2011.Retrieved23 February2011.
  33. ^"Google homenajea a Uruguay".El Observador(in Spanish). 25 August 2012.Archivedfrom the original on 23 August 2018.Retrieved23 August2018.
  34. ^abc"BEGINNINGS OF INDEPENDENT LIFE, 1830–52 – Uruguay".Library of Congress Country Studies.Archivedfrom the original on 30 April 2011.Retrieved23 February2011.
  35. ^abcde"The Great War, 1843–52 – Uruguay".Library of Congress Country Studies.Archivedfrom the original on 30 April 2011.Retrieved23 February2011.
  36. ^abc"THE STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL, 1852–75 – Uruguay".Library of Congress Country Studies.Archivedfrom the original on 30 April 2011.Retrieved23 February2011.
  37. ^"Uruguay-Railway".www.trade.gov.27 February 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 23 December 2022.Retrieved23 December2022.
  38. ^abc"Caudillos and Political Stability – Uruguay".Library of Congress Country Studies.Archivedfrom the original on 30 April 2011.Retrieved23 February2011.
  39. ^Lewis, Paul H. (1 January 2006).Authoritarian Regimes in Latin America: Dictators, Despots, and Tyrants.Rowman & Littlefield.ISBN9780742537392– via Google Books.
  40. ^abc"MODERN URUGUAY, 1875–1903 – Uruguay".Library of Congress Country Studies.Archivedfrom the original on 30 April 2011.Retrieved23 February2011.
  41. ^abc"Evolution of the Economy and Society – Uruguay".Library of Congress Country Studies.Archivedfrom the original on 30 April 2011.Retrieved23 February2011.
  42. ^ab"THE NEW COUNTRY, 1903–33 – Uruguay".Library of Congress Country Studies.Archivedfrom the original on 30 April 2011.Retrieved23 February2011.
  43. ^abcde"THE CONSERVATIVE ADJUSTMENT, 1931–43 – Uruguay".Library of Congress Country Studies.Archivedfrom the original on 29 April 2011.Retrieved23 February2011.
  44. ^abc"Baldomir and the End of Dictatorship – Uruguay".Library of Congress Country Studies.Archivedfrom the original on 30 April 2011.Retrieved23 February2011.
  45. ^Dinges, John."Operation Condor".latinamericanstudies.org.Columbia University.Archivedfrom the original on 22 July 2018.Retrieved6 July2018.
  46. ^Marcetic, Branco (30 November 2020)."The CIA's Secret Global War Against the Left".Jacobin.Archivedfrom the original on 22 June 2023.Retrieved22 June2023.
  47. ^"New find in Uruguay 'missing' dig".BBC News.3 December 2005.Archivedfrom the original on 11 May 2011.Retrieved4 February2011.
  48. ^"Uruguay dig finds 'disappeared'".BBC News.30 November 2005.Archivedfrom the original on 4 May 2011.Retrieved4 February2011.
  49. ^Altman, David (2010).Direct Democracy Worldwide.Cambridge University Press.ISBN978-1107427099.
  50. ^Uruguay: A Country Study, 1990, Rex A. Hudson and Sandra W. Meditz
  51. ^"Uruguay timeline".BBC News.12 April 2011.Archivedfrom the original on 27 May 2011.Retrieved27 April2011.
  52. ^abcdefghijMeyer, Peter J. (4 January 2010)."Uruguay: Political and Economic Conditions and U.S. Relations"(PDF).Congressional Research Service.Archived(PDF)from the original on 8 February 2010.Retrieved24 February2011.
  53. ^Rohter, Larry (November 2004)."Uruguay's Left Makes History by Winning Presidential Vote".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on 23 March 2021.Retrieved2 April2021.
  54. ^"The mystery behind Mujica's mask".The Economist.22 October 2009.Archivedfrom the original on 3 February 2011.Retrieved24 February2011.
  55. ^Barrionuevo, Alexei (29 November 2009)."Leftist Wins Uruguay Presidential Vote".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on 14 April 2021.Retrieved2 April2021.
  56. ^Piette, Candace (30 November 2009)."Uruguay elects José Mujica as president, polls show".BBC News.Archivedfrom the original on 8 February 2011.Retrieved24 February2011.
  57. ^"Uruguay legalises abortion".BBC News.17 October 2012.Archivedfrom the original on 13 May 2017.Retrieved2 April2021.
  58. ^"Same-sex marriage bill comes into force in Uruguay".BBC News.5 August 2013.Archivedfrom the original on 8 April 2021.Retrieved2 April2021.
  59. ^"Uruguay: The world's marijuana pioneer".BBC News.3 April 2019.Archivedfrom the original on 1 April 2021.Retrieved2 April2021.
  60. ^"Tabare Vazquez wins Uruguay's run-off election".BBC News.December 2014.Archivedfrom the original on 14 April 2021.Retrieved2 April2021.
  61. ^"Uruguay's new center-right president sworn in".March 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 14 April 2021.Retrieved2 April2021.
  62. ^"Uruguay in Numbers"(PDF)(in Spanish). National Institute of Statistics. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 13 November 2013.
  63. ^Dinerstein, Eric; et al. (2017)."An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm".BioScience.67(6): 534–545.doi:10.1093/biosci/bix014.ISSN0006-3568.PMC5451287.PMID28608869.
  64. ^Grantham, H. S.; et al. (2020)."Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity – Supplementary Material".Nature Communications.11(1): 5978.Bibcode:2020NatCo..11.5978G.doi:10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3.ISSN2041-1723.PMC7723057.PMID33293507.
  65. ^abcde"Climate – Uruguay".Library of Congress Country Studies.Archivedfrom the original on 30 April 2011.Retrieved23 February2011.
  66. ^This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911). "Uruguay".Encyclopædia Britannica(11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
  67. ^"Tornado kills 4, injures hundreds in Uruguay".CNN.16 April 2016.Archivedfrom the original on 14 October 2023.Retrieved8 November2022.
  68. ^ab"Características climáticas | Inumet".www.inumet.gub.uy.Archivedfrom the original on 8 November 2022.Retrieved8 November2022.
  69. ^"Climatología estacional | Inumet".www.inumet.gub.uy.Archivedfrom the original on 8 November 2022.Retrieved8 November2022.
  70. ^diaria, la (14 January 2022)."Ola de calor: Florida registró un récord histórico de temperatura".la diaria(in Spanish).Archivedfrom the original on 14 January 2022.Retrieved8 November2022.
  71. ^RECORDS METEOROLOGICOS EN EL URUGUAY — Boletín Meteorológico Mensual – Dirección Nacional de MeteorologíaArchived9 June 2015 at theWayback Machine.None. Retrieved on 25 June 2012.
  72. ^abcdefghi"Business Guide"(PDF).Uruguay XXI. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 1 May 2011.Retrieved25 February2011.
  73. ^"Uruguay: The Uruguayan Constitution".www.wipo.int.Archivedfrom the original on 23 September 2017.Retrieved10 May2017.
  74. ^"Uruguay's Constitution of 1966, Reinstated in 1985, with Amendments through 2004"(PDF).constituteproject.org.28 March 2017.Archived(PDF)from the original on 24 September 2017.Retrieved10 May2017.
  75. ^This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.Hudson, Rex A. (December 1993). "Constitutional Background". In Hudson, Rex A.; Meditz, Sandra W. (eds.).Uruguay: A country study.Federal Research Division,Library of Congress.LCCN92006702.
  76. ^Alexander, Robert (2005).A History of Organized Labor in Uruguay and Paraguay.Praeger.ISBN978-0275977450.
  77. ^Verdesio, Gustavo (1 June 2010). "EL DÍA DE LA INDEPENDENCIA O DOSCIENTOS AÑOS DE INCERTIDUMBRE: LA INDECIDIBILIDAD DE UNA FECHA EN EL URUGUAY POST-INDEPENDENCIA".Revista de Critica Literaria Latinoamericana, 2010.36(71): 75–99.ISSN0252-8843.
  78. ^"Uruguay ushers in first conservative government in 15 years".Archivedfrom the original on 1 April 2021.Retrieved8 June2021.
  79. ^"The democratic routine".The Economist.2 December 2010.Archivedfrom the original on 27 January 2011.Retrieved23 February2011.
  80. ^Coppedge, Michael, John Gerring, Carl Henrik Knutsen, Staffan I. Lindberg, Jan Teorell, Nazifa Alizada, David Altman, Michael Bernhard, Agnes Cornell, M. Steven Fish, Lisa Gastaldi, Haakon Gjerløw, Adam Glynn, Allen Hicken, Garry Hindle, Nina Ilchenko, Joshua Krusell, Anna Lührmann, Seraphine F. Maerz, Kyle L. Marquardt, Kelly McMann, Valeriya Mechkova, Juraj Medzihorsky, Pamela Paxton, Daniel Pemstein, Josefine Pernes, Johannes von Römer, Brigitte Seim, Rachel Sigman, Svend-Erik Skaaning, Jeffrey Staton, Aksel Sundström, Eitan Tzelgov, Yi-ting Wang, Tore Wig, Steven Wilson and Daniel Ziblatt. 2021. "V-Dem [Country–Year/Country–Date] Dataset v11.1" Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Project.https://doi.org/10.23696/vdemds21Archived7 August 2023 at theWayback Machine.
  81. ^"Censos 2011 – Instituto Nacional de Estadistica".Instituto Nacional de Estadística. Archived fromthe originalon 12 January 2012.Retrieved13 January2012.
  82. ^"Cometidos".Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores(in Spanish).Archivedfrom the original on 6 April 2024.Retrieved5 May2024.
  83. ^Bizzozero Revelez, Lincoln (2010).Uruguay y los procesos de integración regional: Trayectoria, cambios y debates[Uruguay and regional integration processes: Trajectory, changes and debates] (in Spanish). Porto Alegre: Civitas - Revista de Ciências Sociais. p. 105.ISSN1519-6089.
  84. ^"Políticas e historia".Embajada de Estados Unidos en Uruguay(in European Spanish).Archivedfrom the original on 7 November 2023.Retrieved5 May2024.
  85. ^"Google Earth Montevideo Map".One World – Nations Online Project.Archivedfrom the original on 28 March 2015.Retrieved5 March2015.
  86. ^50 Years of Singapore and the United Nations.World Scientific. 2015.ISBN978-981-4713-03-0.access-date=7 March 2024
  87. ^"Chapter XXVI: Disarmament – No. 9 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons".United Nations Treaty Collection. 7 July 2017.Archivedfrom the original on 6 August 2019.Retrieved15 August2019.
  88. ^"Uruguay returns to the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance".19 March 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 14 April 2021.Retrieved6 April2021.
  89. ^"Para Jefe del Ejército, número de efectivos está en" nivel crítico "".EL PAIS.22 October 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 10 December 2023.Retrieved5 May2024.
  90. ^"Uruguayan Major General appointed head of UN mission in India and Pakistan".MercoPress. 23 December 2010.Archivedfrom the original on 28 December 2010.Retrieved23 February2011.
  91. ^Uruguay To Lift Ban On Gays In The MilitaryArchived4 March 2016 at theWayback Machine.Huffingtonpost.com (13 May 2009). Retrieved on 25 June 2012.
  92. ^Interior, Ministerio del."187º Aniversario de la Policía Nacional".Ministerio del Interior(in European Spanish).Retrieved29 July2022.
  93. ^"Ley N° 19315".www.impo.com.uy.Retrieved29 July2022.
  94. ^About.com: Go South AmericaArchived22 March 2008 at theWayback Machine,based on information from theCIA World Factbook.
  95. ^Stewart, Diego (May 2005)."Building out: Uruguay exports architectural services to India and Latin America".Latin Trade.Archived fromthe originalon 16 July 2012.Retrieved11 August2007.
  96. ^"Uruguay's Frente Amplio: From Revolution to Dilution".Archived fromthe originalon 24 February 2008.
  97. ^abcde"Uruguay Country Profile".BBC News.26 October 2010.Archivedfrom the original on 24 February 2011.Retrieved23 February2011.
  98. ^abc"Uruguay Brief".World Bank.Archivedfrom the original on 30 April 2011.Retrieved25 February2011.
  99. ^"Uruguay's record-setting economic growth streak".The Economist.28 March 2018.ISSN0013-0613.Archivedfrom the original on 2 October 2019.Retrieved27 October2019.
  100. ^"Uruguay Rate Rise 'Strong Signal,' Bergara, Lorenzo Say".Reuters. 31 March 2011.Archivedfrom the original on 23 June 2011.Retrieved29 April2011.
  101. ^ab"IMF anticipates 'soft-landing' of Uruguay's economy in next two years".MercoPress. 17 December 2010.Archivedfrom the original on 28 December 2010.Retrieved23 February2011.
  102. ^Faries, Bill (15 September 2010)."Uruguay's GDP Rose 10.4% in Second quarter From Year Before on Transport".Bloomberg. Archived fromthe originalon 29 April 2011.Retrieved2 December2010.
  103. ^"Uruguay's debt/GDP ratio down after five quarters running increases".MercoPress.Archivedfrom the original on 24 December 2010.Retrieved23 February2011.
  104. ^WIPO."Global Innovation Index 2023, 15th Edition".www.wipo.int.doi:10.34667/tind.46596.Archivedfrom the original on 22 October 2023.Retrieved28 October2023.
  105. ^"Global Innovation Index".INSEAD Knowledge.28 October 2013. Archived fromthe originalon 2 September 2021.Retrieved2 September2021.
  106. ^"Uruguay becomes first nation to legalise marijuana trade"Archived28 April 2018 at theWayback Machine,BBC, 11 December 2013
  107. ^En el país de las conquistas sindicales, Christophe Ventura, octubre de 2015
  108. ^abcde"Uruguay has 3.8 cattle per capita, highest in the world".MercoPress. 30 July 2007.Archivedfrom the original on 24 December 2010.Retrieved24 February2011.
  109. ^"Uruguay XXI"(PDF).Uruguay XXI.Archived(PDF)from the original on 7 September 2017.Retrieved18 July2018.
  110. ^"Uruguay recibió más de tres millones ochocientos mil turistas en el 2023".Ministerio de Turismo(in Spanish). Archived fromthe originalon 17 January 2024.Retrieved9 May2024.
  111. ^Singer, Paola (6 November 2008)."José Ignacio, an Uruguayan Resort Town That's Chic, but So Far Not Famous".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on 19 July 2018.Retrieved17 September2017– via NYTimes.com.
  112. ^"Overview: Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay Trade Relations".Biz Latin Hub.10 April 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 5 December 2021.Retrieved5 December2021.
  113. ^ab"Montevideo port becomes most advanced container terminal in South America".MercoPress. 14 October 2009.Archivedfrom the original on 3 January 2011.Retrieved25 February2011.
  114. ^ab"Logistics, infrastructure and communications".Uruguay XXI. Archived fromthe originalon 1 May 2011.Retrieved25 February2011.
  115. ^ab"General Information".Aeropuerto de Carrasco. Archived fromthe originalon 19 March 2011.Retrieved25 February2011.
  116. ^"New Carrasco terminal among the" most beautiful airports in the world "".MercoPress. 8 February 2010.Archivedfrom the original on 26 December 2010.Retrieved25 February2011.
  117. ^"Pluna: reunión de conciliación entre el Estado y Leadgate".Espectador.com.8 September 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 21 August 2013.Retrieved9 July2010."La reunión estaba fijada en la sede de Pluna en Carrasco,"
  118. ^"Offices and call centre".PLUNA.Archived fromthe originalon 22 July 2012.Retrieved13 May2010.
  119. ^abcde"Uruguay's Railroad Makes a Comeback".Ola Uruguay Real Estate and Investments.Archivedfrom the original on 29 March 2010.Retrieved25 February2011.
  120. ^"Geoportal MTOP".geoportal.mtop.gub.uy.Archivedfrom the original on 14 August 2018.Retrieved14 August2018.
  121. ^"Viajeros!".viajeros.com.uy.Archivedfrom the original on 14 August 2018.Retrieved14 August2018.
  122. ^"Omnibus Interior – Catálogo de Datos Abiertos".catalogodatos.gub.uy.Archivedfrom the original on 14 August 2018.Retrieved14 August2018.
  123. ^"Horarios y Destinos".www.trescruces.com.uy.November 2016.Archivedfrom the original on 14 August 2018.Retrieved14 August2018.
  124. ^"Uruguay privatization scheme jolted by opposition".UPI.Archivedfrom the original on 14 January 2019.Retrieved13 January2019.
  125. ^"Uruguay, Latin America's Renewable Champion".energytransition.org.27 January 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 15 July 2020.Retrieved14 July2020.
  126. ^Watts, Jonathan (3 December 2015)."Uruguay makes dramatic shift to nearly 95% electricity from clean energy".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077.Archivedfrom the original on 6 March 2017.Retrieved18 February2016.
  127. ^Todd, Sarah (6 December 2015)."Uruguay is now generating 95% of its electricity from renewable energy".Quartz.Archivedfrom the original on 8 February 2016.Retrieved18 February2016.
  128. ^MacDonald, Fiona (4 December 2015)."Uruguay has shifted to getting 95% of its electricity from renewables in less than 10 years".ScienceAlert.Archivedfrom the original on 16 February 2016.Retrieved18 February2016.
  129. ^IRENA."RENEWABLE CAPACITY STATISTICS 2022"(PDF).Archived(PDF)from the original on 9 October 2022.Retrieved5 August2022.
  130. ^ab"Atlas Sociodemografico y de la Desigualdad en Uruguay, 2011: Ancestry"(PDF)(in Spanish). National Institute of Statistics. p. 15. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 9 February 2014.
  131. ^Genta Dorado, Gustavo (March 1993).La Colectividad Japonesa en Uruguay(in Spanish).Montevideo:Ediciones de la Crítica. pp. 43–46.OCLC30613716.
  132. ^Lins, T. C.; Vieira, R. G.; Abreu, B. S.; Grattapaglia, D.; Pereira, R. W. (March–April 2009)."Genetic composition of Brazilian population samples based on a set of twenty-eight ancestry informative SNPs".American Journal of Human Biology.22(2): 187–192.doi:10.1002/ajhb.20976.PMID19639555.S2CID205301927.Archivedfrom the original on 20 October 2020.Retrieved7 October2020.
  133. ^ab"Population – Uruguay".Library of Congress Country Studies.Archivedfrom the original on 30 April 2011.Retrieved23 February2011.
  134. ^ab"Uruguay: South America's best-kept secret?".BBC News.3 October 2010.Archivedfrom the original on 9 April 2011.Retrieved24 February2011.
  135. ^Max Roser (2014),"Total Fertility Rate around the world over the last centuries",Our World in Data,Gapminder Foundation,archivedfrom the original on 14 October 2023,retrieved6 May2019
  136. ^"Better Jobs".IADB.Archivedfrom the original on 10 November 2017.Retrieved9 November2017.
  137. ^"Religious Affiliation (2006)".Encyclopædia Britannica.Archivedfrom the original on 7 November 2023.Retrieved21 July2022.
  138. ^"Encuesta Continua de Hogares 2008 – Religion".Instituto Nacional de Estadística. Archived fromthe originalon 14 November 2010.Retrieved2 December2010.
  139. ^1/0 Technology Corp. – Paul R. Williams, John BUDDAY Running."Armenian General Benevolent Union – Publications".Agbu.org. Archived fromthe originalon 16 November 2010.Retrieved2 December2010.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  140. ^"UMM | Latin American Area Studies – Countries".Morris.umn.edu. 27 August 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 14 July 2010.Retrieved26 June2010.
  141. ^abc"Religion – Uruguay".Library of Congress Country Studies.Archivedfrom the original on 30 April 2011.Retrieved23 February2011.
  142. ^"Explore Uruguay – About Uruguay Government".Explore Uruguay.Archivedfrom the original on 14 March 2011.Retrieved23 March2011.
  143. ^"Touring Montevideo's Jewish Quarters".Forward.com. 8 March 2011.Archivedfrom the original on 26 November 2017.Retrieved13 November2017.
  144. ^"Proponen establecer por ley que el idioma oficial de Uruguay es el español".Radio Sarandí 690 AM(in Spanish). 29 July 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 15 November 2023.Retrieved15 November2023.
  145. ^"Particularities of the Spanish language in Uruguay"(PDF).Archived(PDF)from the original on 15 November 2023.Retrieved15 November2023.
  146. ^"Hacia el portuñol «patrimonio inmaterial de la humanidad» | Comisión Coordinadora del Interior".www.cci.edu.uy.Archivedfrom the original on 15 November 2023.Retrieved15 November2023.
  147. ^"Diario EL PAIS - Uruguayos".1 September 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 1 September 2006.Retrieved15 November2023.
  148. ^diaria, la (22 July 2020)."56% de los uruguayos tienen conocimientos de inglés, aunque solo 13,6% tiene certificación oficial".la diaria(in Spanish).Archivedfrom the original on 22 May 2022.Retrieved15 November2023.
  149. ^"Ethnologue report for Uruguay".Ethnologue.org.Archivedfrom the original on 7 July 2010.Retrieved2 December2010.
  150. ^Graciela Barrios (2008).Etnicidad y Lenguaje – La aculturación socio lingüística de los inmigrantes italianos en Montevideo(PDF).Departamento de Publicaciones de la Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación Universidad de la República.Archived(PDF)from the original on 12 January 2021.Retrieved21 April2017.
  151. ^abcd"Invest in Uruguay — Unidad de Apoyo al Sector Privado"(PDF).p. 24. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 3 March 2016.Retrieved25 June2012.
  152. ^abcUruguay, Secondary and technical education and teacher training support programArchived18 January 2021 at theWayback MachineInter-American Development Bank(pp. 7–8)
  153. ^"Uruguay becomes first nation to provide a laptop for every primary school student".Engadget. 18 October 2009.Archivedfrom the original on 24 December 2010.Retrieved2 December2010.
  154. ^abcPsetizki, Verónica (16 October 2009)."Laptop for every pupil in Uruguay".BBC News.Archivedfrom the original on 16 February 2011.Retrieved23 February2011.
  155. ^Termine, Laura (30 September 2009)."Argentina, Uruguay bury hatchet to snatch tango honor".Buenos Aires. Archived fromthe originalon 11 October 2009.Retrieved2 April2010.
  156. ^Carlos Gardelwas born in France:
    Collier, Simon (1986).The Life, Music, and Times of Carlos Gardel.University of Pittsburgh Press. p.5.ISBN0-8229-8498-9.
    Barsky, Julián; Barsky, Osvaldo (2004).Gardel: La biografía(in Spanish). Taurus.ISBN9870400132.
    Ruffinelli, Jorge(2004).La sonrisa de Gardel: Biografía, mito y ficción(in Spanish). Ediciones Trilce. p. 31.ISBN9974323568.Archivedfrom the original on 17 June 2016.Retrieved23 October2015.
    • Bocaz, Luis (March 1986)."Tango Time"Archived24 August 2018 at theWayback Machine,UNESCOCourier,p. 11.
  157. ^"Carlos Gardel Museum".Uruguay.com. Archived fromthe originalon 13 December 2013.Retrieved31 August2012.
  158. ^"Are You Ready For the Uruguayan Invasion?".Salon.5 October 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 11 October 2009.Retrieved27 April2011.
  159. ^"Los 9 temas de Marama y Rombai en el top 10 de Spotify Argentina".Archivedfrom the original on 25 October 2016.Retrieved8 June2022.
  160. ^"2019 World Press Freedom Index".RSF.Archivedfrom the original on 24 April 2016.Retrieved21 May2019.
  161. ^abcd"The Media – Uruguay".Library of Congress Country Studies.Archivedfrom the original on 30 April 2011.Retrieved23 February2011.
  162. ^"About MercoPress".MercoPress.Archivedfrom the original on 27 December 2010.Retrieved23 February2011.
  163. ^Pelayes, Héctor Darío (24 September 2010)."ARGENTINA-URUGUAY Matches 1902–2009".RSSSF.Archivedfrom the original on 5 January 2019.Retrieved27 April2011.
  164. ^"Paris, 1924".FIFA. Archived fromthe originalon 15 June 2010.Retrieved27 April2011.
  165. ^"Amsterdam, 1928".FIFA. Archived fromthe originalon 15 June 2010.Retrieved27 April2011.
  166. ^abcThe smallest country to win the World Cup have big ambitions again,Give Me Football
  167. ^"World Cup 2010: Diego Forlan collects Golden Ball award".BBC Sport.11 July 2010.Archivedfrom the original on 4 April 2013.Retrieved23 February2011.
  168. ^The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking – Ranking TableArchived27 October 2014 at theWayback Machine.FIFA.com. Retrieved on 25 June 2012.
  169. ^ab"Uruguay" exported "1.414 football players in the last decade".MercoPress. 6 January 2011.Archivedfrom the original on 10 January 2011.Retrieved23 February2011.
  170. ^El País(27 November 2005)."Uruguay se parte en dos"[Uruguay divides into two] (in Spanish). Uruguay.Archivedfrom the original on 28 October 2014.Retrieved11 October2022.
  171. ^Explore Uruguay (28 August 2017)."Top Uruguay Sports"(in Spanish).Archivedfrom the original on 28 August 2017.Retrieved28 August2017.

Further reading

edit
  • Andrew, G. R. (2010).Blackness in the White Nation: A History of Afro-Uruguay,The University of North Carolina Press
  • Behnke, A. (2009).Uruguay in Pictures,Twenty First Century Books
  • Box, B. (2011).Footprint Focus: Uruguay,Footprint Travel Guides
  • Burford, T. (2010).Bradt Travel Guide: Uruguay,Bradt Travel Guides
  • Canel, E. (2010).Barrio Democracy in Latin America: Participatory Decentralization and Community Activism in Montevideo,The Pennsylvania State University Press
  • Clark, G. (2008).Custom Guide: Uruguay,Lonely Planet
  • Jawad, H. (2009).Four Weeks in Montevideo: The Story of World Cup 1930,Seventeen Media
  • Lessa, F. and Druliolle, V. (eds.) (2011).The Memory of State Terrorism in the Southern Cone: Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay,Palgrave Macmillan
  • Mool, M (2009).Budget Guide: Buenos Aires and Montevideo,Cybertours-X Verlag
edit

33°S57°W/ 33°S 57°W/-33; -57