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| Geography |
| 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 |
| Location: | Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Argentina and Brazil |
| Geographic coordinates: | 33 00 S, 56 00 W |
| Area: | total: 176,215 sq km land: 175,015 sq km water: 1,200 sq km
Size comparison: slightly smaller than the state of Washington |
| Land Boundaries: | total: 1,648 km border countries: Argentina 580 km, Brazil 1,068 km |
| Coastline: | 660 km |
| Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or edge of continental margin |
| Climate: | warm temperate; freezing temperatures almost unknown |
| Terrain: | mostly rolling plains and low hills; fertile coastal lowland |
| Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Cerro Catedral 514 m |
| Natural resources: | arable land, hydropower, minor minerals, fish |
| Land use: | arable land: 7.77% permanent crops: 0.24% other: 91.99% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: | 2,180 sq km (2008) |
| 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 |
| Current Environment Issues: | water pollution from meat packing/tannery industry; inadequate solid/hazardous waste disposal |
| International Environment Agreements: | party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation |
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| People |
| Population: | 3,308,535 (July 2011 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 22.2% (male 373,613/female 361,160) 15-64 years: 64.1% (male 1,042,163/female 1,078,357) 65 years and over: 13.7% (male 180,729/female 272,513) (2011 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 33.6 years male: 32 years female: 35.2 years (2011 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 0.231% (2011 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 13.52 births/1,000 population (2011 est.) |
| Death rate: | 9.58 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | -1.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.037 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2011 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 9.69 deaths/1,000 live births male: 10.73 deaths/1,000 live births female: 8.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2011 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 76.21 years male: 73.07 years female: 79.46 years (2011 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 1.89 children born/woman (2011 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.5% (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 9,900 (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | NA |
| Nationality: | noun: Uruguayan(s) adjective: Uruguayan |
| Ethnic groups: | white 88%, mestizo 8%, black 4%, Amerindian (practically nonexistent) |
| 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) |
| Languages: | Spanish (official), Portunol, Brazilero (Portuguese-Spanish mix on the Brazilian frontier) |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: 97.6% female: 98.4% (2003 est.) |
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| Government |
| Country name: | conventional long form: Oriental Republic of Uruguay conventional short form: Uruguay local long form: Republica Oriental del Uruguay local short form: Uruguay former: Banda Oriental, Cisplatine Province |
| Government type: | constitutional republic |
| Capital: | name: Montevideo geographic coordinates: 34 53 S, 56 11 W time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in October; ends second Sunday in March |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal and compulsory |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: President Jose "Pepe" MUJICA Cordano (since 1 March 2010); Vice President Danilo ASTORI Saragoza (since 1 March 2010); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Jose "Pepe" MUJICA Cordano (since 1 March 2010); Vice President Danilo ASTORI Saragoza (since 1 March 2010) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president with parliamentary approval (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for five-year terms (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held on 29 November 2009 (next to be held in October 2014) election results: Jose "Pepe" MUJICA elected president; percent of vote - Jose "Pepe" MUJICA 54.8%, Luis Alberto LACALLE 45.2% |
| 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) elections: Chamber of Senators - last held on 25 October 2009 (next to be held in October 2014); Chamber of Representatives - last held on 25 October 2009 (next to be held in October 2014) election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Frente Amplio 16, Blanco 9, Colorado Party 5; Chamber of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Frente Amplio 50, Blanco 30, Colorado Party 17, Independent Party 2 |
| 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 of the 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] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | Architect's Society of Uruguay (professional organization); Chamber of Uruguayan Industries (manufacturer's association); Chemist and Pharmaceutical Association (professional organization); PIT/CNT (powerful federation of Uruguayan Unions - umbrella labor organization); Rural Association of Uruguay (rancher's association); Uruguayan Construction League; Uruguayan Network of Political Women other: Catholic Church; students |
| International organization participation: | CAN (associate), FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, 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, RG, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMOGIP, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Carlos Alberto GIANELLI Derois chancery: 1913 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20006 telephone: [1] (202) 331-1313 through 1316 FAX: [1] (202) 331-8142 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York consulate(s): San Juan (Puerto Rico) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador David NELSON embassy: Lauro Muller 1776, Montevideo 11200 mailing address: APO AA 34035 telephone: [598] (2) 418-7777 FAX: [598] (2) 418-8611 |
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| Economy |
| Uruguay's economy is 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 2.9% 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 exceeded 8% in 2010. |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | GDP (purchasing power parity): $47.99 billion (2010 est.) $44.24 billion (2009 est.) $43.13 billion (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | GDP (official exchange rate): $40.27 billion (2010 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | 8.5% (2010 est.) 2.6% (2009 est.) 8.6% (2008 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | GDP - per capita (PPP): $13,700 (2010 est.) $12,700 (2009 est.) $12,400 (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars |
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 9.2% industry: 22.3% services: 68.5% (2010 est.) |
| Labor force: | 1.637 million (2010 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 13% industry: 14% services: 73% (2010 est.) |
| Unemployment rate: | 6.7% (2010 est.) 7.3% (2009 est.) |
| Population below poverty line: | 20.9% of households (2009) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 2.3% highest 10%: 32.9% (2009) |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 42.4 (2009) 44.8 (1999) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.7% (2010 est.) 7.1% (2009 est.) |
| Investment (gross fixed): | Investment (gross fixed): 20% of GDP (2010 est.) |
| Budget: | revenues: $11.8 billion expenditures: $12.29 billion (2010 est.) |
| Public debt: | 56.3% of GDP (2010 est.) 60.4% of GDP (2009 est.) |
| Agriculture - products: | beef, soybeans, cellulose, rice, wheat, lumber, dairy products; fish |
| Industries: | food processing, electrical machinery, transportation equipment, petroleum products, textiles, chemicals, beverages |
| Industrial production growth rate: | 15.3% (2010 est.) |
| Electricity - production: | 9.89 billion kWh (2010 est.) |
| Electricity - consumption: | 7.57 billion kWh (2010 est.) |
| Electricity - exports: | 711.4 million kWh (2010 est.) |
| Electricity - imports: | 386.8 million kWh (2010 est.) |
| Oil - production: | 903 bbl/day (2010 est.) |
| Oil - consumption: | 52,000 bbl/day (2010 est.) |
| Oil - exports: | 4,353 bbl/day (November 2010 est.) |
| Oil - imports: | 53,110 bbl/day (November 2010 est.) |
| Oil - proved reserves: | 0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.) |
| Natural gas - production: | 0 cu m (2009 est.) |
| Natural gas - consumption: | 40 million cu m (2009 est.) |
| Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2009 est.) |
| Natural gas - imports: | 76.6 million cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - proved reserves: | 0 cu m (1 January 2011 est.) |
| Current account balance: | -$160.4 million (2010 est.) $207 million (2009 est.) |
| Exports: | $6.7 billion (2010 est.) $5.5 billion (2009 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | beef, soybeans, cellulose, rice, wheat, wood, dairy products; wool |
| Exports - partners: | Brazil 21%, Nueva Palmira Free Zone 10.2%, Argentina 7.5%, Chile 5.5%, Russia 5.3% (2010 est.) |
| Imports: | $8.317 billion (2010 est.) $6.66 billion (2009 est.) |
| Imports - commodities: | crude oil (13.4%), refined oil (4.9%), passenger vehicles (3.5%), transportation vehicles (2.7%), vehicles parts (2.2%), cellular phones (2.1%), insecticides (1.7%) |
| Imports - partners: | Brazil 18.6%, Argentina 16.7%, China 13.5%, Venezuela 9.1%, US 8.3%, Russia 4.2% (2010 est.) |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $7.657 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $8.038 billion (31 December 2009 est.) |
| Debt - external: | $11.5 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $11.44 billion (31 December 2009 est.) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: | $9.1 billion (30 September 2010) $7.7 billion (31 December 2009) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: | $300 million (2009 est.) $156 million (2007 est.) |
| Market value of publicly traded shares: | $238 million (31 December 2010) $219 million (31 December 2009) $NA (31 December 2008) |
| Exchange rates: | Uruguayan pesos (UYU) per US dollar - 20.051 (2010) 22.568 (2009) 20.936 (2008) 23.947 (2007) 24.048 (2006) |
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| Communications |
| Telephones in use: | 953,400 (2009) country comparison to the world: 82 |
| Cellular Phones in use: | 4.112 million (2009) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: fully digitalized domestic: most modern facilities concentrated in Montevideo; new nationwide microwave radio relay network; overall fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity approaching 150 telephones per 100 persons international: country code - 598; the UNISOR submarine cable system provides direct connectivity to Brazil and Argentina; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2009) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | |
| Television broadcast stations: | |
| Internet country code: | .uy |
| Internet hosts: | 765,525 (2010) |
| Internet users: | 1.405 million (2009) |
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| Transportation |
| Airports: | 58 (2010) country comparison to the world: 81 |
| Airports (paved runways): | total: 9 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2010) |
| Airports (unpaved runways): | total: 49 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 20 under 914 m: 26 (2010) |
| Pipelines: | gas 226 km; oil 155 km (2010) |
| Railways: | total: 1,641 km standard gauge: 1,641 km 1.435-m gauge (1,200 km operational) (2010) |
| Roadways: | total: 77,732 km paved: 7,743 km unpaved: 69,989 km (2010) |
| Waterways: | 1,600 km (2010) |
| Merchant marine: | total: 18 by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 2, chemical tanker 4, passenger/cargo 7, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 9 (Argentina 2, Denmark 1, Greece 1, Spain 5) registered in other countries: 1 (Liberia 1) (2010) |
| Ports and terminals: | Montevideo |
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| Military |
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| Military branches: | Uruguayan Armed Forces: Uruguayan National Army (Ejercito Nacional Uruguaya, ENU), Uruguayan National Navy (Armada Nacional del Uruguay; includes naval air arm, Naval Rifle Corps (Cuerpo de Fusileros Navales, Fusna), Maritime Prefecture in wartime), Uruguayan Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Uruguaya, FAU) (2010) |
| 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) |
| Manpower available for military service: | males age 16-49: 771,159 females age 16-49: 780,932 (2010 est.) |
| Manpower fit for military service: | males age 16-49: 649,025 females age 16-49: 654,903 (2010 est.) |
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