Map of Uruguay | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide19891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023 | More stats

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Background: A violent Marxist urban guerrilla movement the Tupamaros launched in the late 1960s led Uruguay's president to agree to military control of his administration in 1973. By the end of the year the rebels had been crushed but the military continued to expand its hold throughout the government. Civilian rule was not restored until 1985. Uruguay has long had one of South America's highest standards of living; its political and labor conditions are among the freest on the continent.


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Location: Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean between Argentina and Brazil

Geographic coordinates

Map reference: South America, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area
Total area total: 176,220 km²
Land: 173,620 km²

Land boundaries: total 1,564 km, Argentina 579 km, Brazil 985 km

Coastline: 660 km

Maritime claims
Continental shelf: 200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
Territorial sea: 200 nm; overflight and navigation permitted beyond 12 nm

Climate: warm temperate; freezing temperatures almost unknown

Terrain: mostly rolling plains and low hills; fertile coastal lowland

Elevation

Natural resources: soil, hydropower potential, minor minerals

Land use
Arable land: 8%
Permanent crops: 0%
Meadows and pastures: 78%
Forest and woodland: 4%
Other: 10%

Irrigated land: 1,100 km² (1989 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: subject to seasonally high winds, droughts, floods

Geography


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Population: 3,198,910 (July 1994 est.)
Growth rate: 0.75% (1994 est.)

Nationality: noun:Uruguayan(s)

Ethnic groups: white 88%, mestizo 8%, black 4%

Languages: Spanish, Brazilero (Portuguese-Spanish mix on the Brazilian frontier)

Religions: Roman Catholic 66% (less than half adult population attends church regularly), Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, nonprofessing or other 30%

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.75% (1994 est.)

Birth rate: 17.7 births/1000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate: 9.39 deaths/1000 population (1994 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.84 migrant(s)/1000 population (1994 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: NA

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 17.1 deaths/1000 live births (1994 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 74.09 years
Male: 70.88 years
Female: 77.47 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.44 children born/woman (1994 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Total population: 96%
Male: 97%
Female: 96%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Oriental Republic of Uruguay
Conventional short form:

Government type: republic

Capital: Montevideo

Administrative divisions: 19 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento; Artigas, Canelones, Cerro Largo, Colonia, Durazno, Flores, Florida, Lavalleja, Maldonado, Montevideo, Paysandu, Rio Negro, Rivera, Rocha, Salto, San Jose, Soriano, Tacuarembo, Treinta y Tres

Dependent areas

Independence: 25 August 1828 (from Brazil)

National holiday: Independence Day, 25 August (1828)

Constitution: 27 November 1966, effective February 1967, suspended 27 June 1973, new constitution rejected by referendum 30 November 1980

Legal system: based on Spanish civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch: chief of state and head of government:President Luis Alberto LACALLE (since 1 March 1990; Vice President Gonzalo AGUIRRE Ramirez (since 1 March 1990; election last held 26 November 1989 (next to be held NA November 1994; results - Luis Alberto LACALLE Herrera (Blanco) 37%, Jorge BATLLE Ibanez (Colorado) 29%, Liber SEREGNI Mosquera (Broad Front) 20%

Legislative branch: Army, Navy (including Naval Air Arm, Coast Guard, Marines), Air Force, Grenadier Guards, Police
Chamber of Senators Camara de Senadores: elections last held 26 November 1989 (next to be held NA November 1994); results - Blanco 40%, Colorado 30%, Broad Front 23% New Space 7%; seats - (30 total) Blanco 12, Colorado 9, Broad Front 7, New Space 2
Chamber of Representatives Camera de Representantes: elections last held NA November 1989 (next to be held NA November 1994); results - Blanco 39%, Colorado 30%, Broad Front 22%, New Space 8%, other 1%; seats - (99 total) number of seats by party NA

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: AG (observer), CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, MERCOSUR, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMOGIP, UNOMOZ, UNTAC, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas DODD
From the us chancery: 1918 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20,006
From the us telephone: [598] (2) 23-60-61 or 48-77-77
From the us consulates general: Los Angeles, Miami, and New York
From the us consulates: New Orleans
From the us embassy: Lauro Muller 1776, Montevideo
From the us mailing address: APO AA 34,035
From the us FAX: [598] (2) 48-86-11

Flag description: nine equal horizontal stripes of white (top and bottom) alternating with blue; there is a white square in the upper hoist-side corner with a yellow sun bearing a human face known as the Sun of May and 16 rays alternately triangular and wavy

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Uruguay is a small economy with favorable climate, good soils, and solid hydropower potential. Economic development has been held back by excessive government regulation of economic detail and 50% to 130% inflation. After several years of sluggish growth, real GDP jumped by about 7.5% in 1992. The rise is attributable mainly to an increase in Argentine demand for Uruguayan exports, particularly agricultural products and electricity. In a major step toward greater regional economic cooperation, Uruguay in 1991 had joined Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay in forming the Southern Cone Common Market (Mercosur). A referendum in December 1992 overturned key portions of landmark privatization legislation, dealing a serious blow to President LACALLE's broad economic reform plan. Hampered by a slowdown in the agricultural sector, the economy grew at only 2% in 1993 compared with 7.5% in 1992. Although inflation declined for the second consecutive year, a surge in the money supply, rising food prices, a record trade deficit, and an increase in the government deficit toward the end of the year foreshadowed troubles ahead in 1994.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 2% (1993 est.)

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: accounts for 12% of GDP; large areas devoted to livestock grazing; wheat, rice, corn, sorghum; self-sufficient in most basic foodstuffs

Industries: meat processing, wool and hides, sugar, textiles, footwear, leather apparel, tires, cement, fishing, petroleum refining, wine

Industrial production growth rate: 4.2% (1992 est.), accounts for almost 25% of GDP

Labor force: 1.355 million (1991 est.)
By occupation government: 25%
By occupation manufacturing: 19%
By occupation agriculture: 11%
By occupation commerce: 12%
By occupation utilities construction transport and communications: 12%
By occupation other services: 21% (1988 est.)

Unemployment rate: 8.8% (1993 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues:$2.9 billion

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $1.6 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
Commodities: wool and textile manufactures, beef and other animal products, leather, rice
Partners: Brazil, Argentina, US, China, Italy

Imports: $2 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
Commodities: machinery and equipment, vehicles, chemicals, minerals, plastics
Partners: Brazil, Argentina, US, Nigeria

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $4.2 billion (1993)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Uruguayan pesos ($Ur) per US$1 - 4.4710 (January 1994), 3.9484 (1993); new Uruguayan pesos (N$Ur) per US$1 - 3,457.5 (December 1992), 3,026.9 (1992), 2,489 (1991), 1,594 (1990), 805 (1989)
Note: on 1 March 1993 the former New Peso (N$Ur) was replaced as Uruguay's unit of currency by the Peso which is equal to 1,000 of the New Pesos; consequently there is a major change in the peso/dollar exchange rate


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Electricity access

Electricity production: 5.96 billion kWh

Electricity consumption
Per capita: 1,900 kWh (1992)

Electricity exports

Electricity imports

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: exchange rate conversion - $216 million, 2.3% of GDP (1991 est.)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 87
Usable: 80
With permanentsurface runways: 16
With runways over 3659 m: 0
With runways 2440-3659 m: 2
With runways 1220-2439 m: 14

Airports with paved runways

Airports with unpaved runways

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: 1,600 km; used by coastal and shallow-draft river craft

Merchant marine: 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 84,797 GRT/132,296 DWT, cargo 1, container 2, oil tanker 1

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: short section of boundary with Argentina is in dispute; two short sections of the boundary with Brazil are in dispute - Arroyo de la Invernada (Arroio Invernada) area of the Rio Quarai and the islands at the confluence of the Rio Cuareim (Rio Quarai) and the Uruguay River

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs