Uruguay

total:

3.15 cu km/yr (2%/1%/96%)

per capita:

910 cu m/yr (2000)

• 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

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, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation

• 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

at birth:

1.04 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 (2008 est.)

noun:

Uruguayan(s)

adjective:

Uruguayan

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

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 second Sunday in October; ends second Sunday in March

• 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 15 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 Tabare VAZQUEZ Rosas (since 1 March 2005);
• Vice President Rodolfo NIN NOVOA (since 1 March 2005);
• note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

head of government:

President Tabare VAZQUEZ Rosas (since 1 March 2005); Vice President Rodolfo NIN NOVOA (since 1 March 2005)

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 (may not serve consecutive terms);
• election last held 31 October 2004 (next to be held in October 2009)

election results:

• Tabare VAZQUEZ elected president;
• percent of vote - Tabare VAZQUEZ 50.5%, Jorge LARRANAGA 35.1%, Guillermo STIRLING 10.3%;
• other 4.1%

• 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 [Jose MUJICA], New Space Party (Nuevo Espacio) [Rafael MICHELINI], Progressive Alliance (Alianza Progresista) [Rodolfo NIN NOVOA], Socialist Party [Eduardo FERNANDEZ], the Communist Party [Marina ARISMENDI], Uruguayan Assembly (Asamblea Uruguay) [Danilo ASTORI], and Vertiente Artiguista [Mariano ARANA]);
• Colorado Party (Foro Batllista) [Julio Maria SANGUINETTI];
• National Party or Blanco [Luis Alberto LACALLE and Jorge LARRANAGA]

• 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

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, Washington, DC

consulate(s):

San Juan (Puerto Rico)

chief of mission:

Ambassador Frank E. BAXTER

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;
• 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

agriculture:

9%

industry:

15%

services:

76% (2007 est.)

lowest 10%:

1.9%

highest 10%:

34% (2003)

• rice, wheat, soybeans, barley;
• livestock, beef;
• fish;
• forestry

general assessment:

fully digitalized

domestic:

• most modern facilities concentrated in Montevideo;
• new nationwide microwave radio relay network;
• overall fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity is 115 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) (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 (2006)

total:

77,732 km

paved:

7,743 km

unpaved:

69,989 km (2004)

total:

17

by type:

cargo 3, chemical tanker 2, passenger/cargo 9, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 1

foreign-owned:

10 (Argentina 3, Greece 1, Spain 6)

registered in other countries:

3 (Liberia 3) (2008)

• 18 years of age for voluntary and compulsory military service;
• enlistment is voluntary in peacetime, but the government has the authority to conscript in emergencies (2007)

males age 16-49:

837,252

females age 16-49:

824,096 (2008 est.)

males age 16-49:

703,955

females age 16-49:

690,296 (2008 est.)

male:

27,082

female:

26,075 (2008 est.)

• in Jan 2007, ICJ provisionally ruled Uruguay may begin construction of two paper mills on the Uruguay River, which forms the border with Argentina, while the court examines further whether Argentina has the legal right to stop such construction with potential environmental implications to both countries;
• uncontested dispute with Brazil over certain islands in the Quarai/Cuareim and Invernada streams and the resulting tripoint with Argentina

• 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