Map of Uruguay | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Montevideo founded by the Spanish in 1726 as a military stronghold soon took advantage of its natural harbor to become an important commercial center. Claimed by Argentina but annexed by Brazil in 1821 Uruguay declared its independence four years later and secured its freedom in 1828 after a three-year struggle. The administrations of President Jose BATLLE in the early 20th century established widespread political social and economic reforms that established a statist tradition. A violent Marxist urban guerrilla movement named the Tupamaros launched in the late 1960s led Uruguay's president to cede control of the government to the military in 1973. By yearend the rebels had been crushed but the military continued to expand its hold over the government. Civilian rule was not restored until 1985. In 2004 the left-of-center Frente Amplio Coalition won national elections that effectively ended 170 years of political control previously held by the Colorado and Blanco parties. Uruguay's political and labor conditions are among the freest on the continent.


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

Geographic coordinates: 33 00 S 56 00 W

Map reference

Area
Rank: 91
Comparative: slightly smaller than the state of Washington

Land boundaries

Coastline: 660 km

Maritime claims

Climate: warm temperate; freezing temperatures almost unknown

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

Elevation

Natural resources: arable land: hydropower minor minerals fish

Land use

Irrigated land: 2,180 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 139 km³ (2000)

Natural hazards: seasonally high winds (the pampero is a chilly and occasional violent wind that blows north from the Argentine pampas) droughts floods; because of the absence of mountains which act as weather barriers all locations are particularly vulnerable to rapid changes from weather fronts

Geography
Note: second-smallest South American country (after Suriname); most of the low-lying landscape (three-quarters of the country) is grassland ideal for cattle and sheep raising


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Population: 3,316,328 (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 134
Growth rate: 0.24% (2012 est.)
Growth rate rank: 171
Below poverty line: 18.6% (2010 est.) (2010 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic groups: white 88% mestizo 8% black 4% Amerindian (practically nonexistent)

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

Religions: Roman Catholic 47.1% non-Catholic Christians 11.1% nondenominational 23.2% Jewish 0.3% atheist or agnostic 17.2% other 1.1% (2006)

Demographic profile:

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.24% (2012 est.)
Rank: 171

Birth rate: 13.4 births/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 149

Death rate: 9.55 deaths/1000 population (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 57

Net migration rate: -1.45 migrant(s)/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 158

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: water pollution from meat packing/tannery industry; inadequate solid/hazardous waste disposal

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 148

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 74

Total fertility rate: 1.87 children born/woman (2012 est.)
Rank: 147

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 3.736 physicians/1000 population (2008)

Hospital bed density: 2.9 beds/1000 population (2007)

Sanitation facility access:
Unimproved:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.5% (2009 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 67
People living with hivaids: 9,900 (2009 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 96
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 6% (2004)
Rank: 79

Education expenditures: 2.9% of GDP (2006)
Rank: 134

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name

Government type: constitutional republic

Capital

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 1825 (from Brazil)

National holiday: Independence Day 25 August (1825)

Constitution: 27 November 1966; effective 15 February 1967; suspended 27 June 1973; revised 26 November 1989 and 7 January 1997

Legal system: civil law system based on the Spanish civil code

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch

Legislative branch: bicameral General Assembly or Asamblea General consists of Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (30 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms; vice president has one vote in the Senate) and Chamber of Representatives or Camara de Representantes (99 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are nominated by the president and elected for 10-year terms by the General Assembly)

Political parties and leaders: Broad Front (Frente Amplio) - formerly known as the Progressive Encounter/Broad Front Coalition or EP-FA [Jorge BROVETTO] (a broad governing coalition that includes Movement for Popular Participation or MPP New Space Party (Nuevo Espacio) [Rafael MICHELINI] Progressive Alliance (Alianza Progresista) [Rodolfo NIN NOVOA] Socialist Party [Eduardo FERNANDEZ and Reinaldo GARGANO] Communist Party [Eduardo LORIER] Uruguayan Assembly (Asamblea Uruguay) [Danilo ASTORI] and Vertiente Artiguista [Mariano ARANA]); Colorado Party (Foro Batllista) [Pedro BORDABERRY and Julio Maria SANGUINETTI]; National Party or Blanco [Luis Alberto LACALLE and Jorge LARRANAGA]

International organization participation: CAN (associate) CD CELAC FAO G-77 IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (national committees) ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU LAES LAIA Mercosur MIGA MINURSO MINUSTAH MONUSCO NAM (observer) OAS OPANAL OPCW PCA UN UNASUR UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO Union Latina UNISFA UNMOGIP UNOCI UNWTO UPU WCO WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation

Flag description: nine equal horizontal stripes of white (top and bottom) alternating with blue; a white square in the upper hoist-side corner with a yellow sun bearing a human face known as the Sun of May with 16 rays that alternate between triangular and wavy; the stripes represent the nine original departments of Uruguay; the sun symbol evokes the legend of the sun breaking through the clouds on 25 May 1810 as independence was first declared from Spain (Uruguay subsequently won its independence from Brazil)

National symbols: Sun of May (a sun-with-face symbol)

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Uruguay has a free market economy characterized by an export-oriented agricultural sector a well-educated work force and high levels of social spending. Following financial difficulties in the late 1990s and early 2000s economic growth for Uruguay averaged 8% annually during the period 2004-08. The 2008-09 global financial crisis put a brake on Uruguay's vigorous growth which decelerated to 2.6% in 2009. Nevertheless the country managed to avoid a recession and keep positive growth rates mainly through higher public expenditure and investment and GDP growth reached 8.9% in 2010 but fell about 3.5% in 2012 the result of a renewed slowdown in the global economy and in Uruguay's main trade partners and Common Market of the South (Mercosur) counterparts Argentina and Brazil. Uruguay has sought to expand trade within Mercosur and with non-Mercosur members. Uruguay's total merchandise trade with Mercosur since 2006 has increased by nearly 70% to more than $5 billion while its total trade with the world has almost doubled to roughly $20 billion.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 94

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 100

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 79

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: soybeans rice wheat; beef dairy products; fish; lumber cellulose

Industries

Industrial production growth rate: -1% (2011 est.)
Rank: 152

Labor force: 1.691 million (2012 est.)
Rank: 126

Unemployment rate: 6% (2011 est.)
Rank: 59

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 18.6% (2010 est.) (2010 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index: 44.8 (1999)
Rank: 39

Budget
Surplus or deficit: -1.6% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 66

Taxes and other revenues: 28.7% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 109

Public debt: 58.3% of GDP (2011 est.)
Rank: 51

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 8.1% (2011 est.)
Rank: 178

Central bank discount rate: 8.75% (31 December 2011)
Rank: 31

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 9.8% (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 92

Stock of narrow money: $4.749 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 99

Stock of broad money: $14.22 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 92

Stock of domestic credit: $14.79 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 88

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 112

Current account balance: -$875.9 million (2011 est.)
Rank: 120

Exports: $9.341 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 96
Commodities: beef soybeans cellulose rice wheat wood dairy products; wool
Partners: Brazil 19.3% China 14.2% Argentina 6.8% Germany 6% Venezuela 4.3% (2011)

Imports: $10.41 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 90
Commodities: refined oil crude oil passenger and other transportation vehicles vehicles parts cellular phones
Partners: Brazil 16.3% China 15% Argentina 13.4% US 9.4% Paraguay 7.1% Venezuela 6.7% (2011)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $10.3 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 69

Debt external: $11.7 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 89

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $7.3 billion (2009)
Rank: 83

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $156 million (2007 est.)
Rank: 80

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 9.5 billion kWh (2011 est.)
Production rank: 95
Consumption: 7.96 billion kWh (2011 est.)
Consumption rank: 96
Exports: 18.9 million kWh (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 84
Imports: 470 million kWh (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 76
Installed generating capacity: 2.516 million kW (2009 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 94
Generation sources fossil fuels: 38.5% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 171
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 195
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 61.1% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 30
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0.4% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 77

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 200
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 199
Crude oil imports: 38,720 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 63
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 199

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 43,370 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products production rank: 84
Products consumption: 51,100 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 99
Products exports: 6,093 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products exports rank: 94
Products imports: 22,060 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products imports rank: 102

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Production rank: 203
Consumption: 80 million m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 107
Exports: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 72
Imports: 86.4 million m³ (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 75
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2012 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 201

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 7.265 million Mt (2010 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 112

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 964,900 (2011)
Main lines in use rank: 80
Mobile cellular: 4.757 million (2011)
Mobile cellular rank: 109

Telephone system

Broadcast media: mixture of privately-owned and state-run broadcast media; more than 100 commercial radio stations and about 20 TV channels; cable TV is available; many community radio and TV stations; adopted the hybrid Japanese/Brazilian HDTV standard (ISDB-T) in December 2010 (2010)

Internet
Country code: .uy
Hosts: 1.036 million (2012)
Hosts rank: 45
Users: 1.405 million (2009)
Users rank: 86

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 1.6% of GDP (2006)
Rank: 92

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18-30 years of age for voluntary military service; up to 40 years of age for specialists; enlistment is voluntary in peacetime but the government has the authority to conscript in emergencies; minimum 6-year education (2009)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 94 (2012)
Rank: 63

Heliports

Pipelines: gas 226 km; oil 155 km (2010)

Railways
Rank: 77

Roadways
Rank: 61

Waterways: 1600 km (2011)
Rank: 50

Merchant marine
Rank: 100

Ports and terminals: Montevideo


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Disputes international: in 2010 the ICJ ruled in favor of Uruguay's operation of two paper mills on the Uruguay River which forms the border with Argentina; the two countries formed a joint pollution monitoring regime; uncontested boundary dispute between Brazil and Uruguay over Braziliera/Brasiliera Island in the Quarai/Cuareim River leaves the tripoint with Argentina in question; smuggling of firearms and narcotics continues to be an issue along the Uruguay-Brazil border

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: small-scale transit country for drugs mainly bound for Europe often through sea-borne containers; law enforcement corruption; money laundering because of strict banking secrecy laws; weak border control along Brazilian frontier; increasing consumption of cocaine base and synthetic drugs