Uruguay

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 yearend, the rebels had been crushed, but the military continued to expand its hold throughout the government. Civilian rule was not restored until 1985. Uruguay's political and labor conditions are among the freest on the continent.

• seasonally high winds (the pampero is a chilly and occasional violent wind which 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

• 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

0-14 years:

24.3% (male 425,642; female 404,987)

15-64 years:

62.6% (male 1,057,187; female 1,079,549)

65 years and over:

13.1% (male 182,696; female 263,268) (2003 est.)

at birth:

1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.69 male(s)/female

total population:

0.95 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

noun:

Uruguayan(s)

adjective:

Uruguayan

conventional long form:

Oriental Republic of Uruguay

conventional short form:

Uruguay

local short form:

Uruguay

former:

Banda Oriental, Cisplatine Province

local long form:

Republica Oriental del Uruguay

• 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

• 27 November 1966, effective February 1967, suspended 27 June 1973, new constitution rejected by referendum 30 November 1980;
• two constitutional reforms approved by plebiscite 26 November 1989 and 7 January 1997

chief of state:

• President Jorge BATLLE Ibanez (since 1 March 2000) and Vice President Luis HIERRO (since 1 March 2000);
• note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

head of government:

• President Jorge BATLLE Ibanez (since 1 March 2000) and Vice President Luis HIERRO (since 1 March 2000);
• note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the president with parliamentary approval

elections:

• president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for five-year terms;
• election last held 31 October 1999, with runoff election on 28 November 1999 (next to be held NA 2004)

election results:

Jorge BATLLE Ibanez elected president; percent of vote - Jorge BATLLE Ibanez 52% in a runoff against Tabare VAZQUEZ 44%

• Colorado Party [Jorge BATLLE Ibanez];
• National Party or Blanco [Luis Alberto LACALLE Herrera];
• New Sector/Space Coalition or Nuevo Espacio [Rafael MICHELINI];
• Progressive Encounter/Broad Front Coalition or Encuentro Progresista/Frente Amplio [Tabare VAZQUEZ]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Hugo FERNANDEZ-FAINGOLD

consulate(s) general:

Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York

FAX:

[1] (202) 331-8142

telephone:

[1] (202) 331-1313 through 1316

chancery:

1913 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20006

chief of mission:

Ambassador Martin J. SILVERSTEIN

embassy:

Lauro Muller 1776, Montevideo 11200

mailing address:

APO AA 34035

telephone:

[598] (2) 418-7777

FAX:

[598] (2) 418-8611

• 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

lowest 10%:

3.7%

highest 10%:

25.8% (1997)

• rice, wheat, corn, barley;
• livestock;
• fish

general assessment:

fully digitalized

domestic:

most modern facilities concentrated in Montevideo; new nationwide microwave radio relay network

international:

satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2002)

total:

2,073 km

standard gauge:

2,073 km 1.435-m gauge

note: 461 km have been taken out of service and 460 km are in partial use (2002)

total:

8,983 km

paved:

8,081 km

unpaved:

902 km (1999 est.)

total:

4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 10,918 GRT/9,775 DWT

note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Argentina 4, Greece 1 (2002 est.)

ships by type:

chemical tanker 1, container 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1