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, 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:

1.037 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 (2010 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 first 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;
• revised 26 November 1989 and 7 January 1997

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 theWorld 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%

• 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]

• 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

consulate(s):

San Juan (Puerto Rico)

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

• 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)

note: the banner was inspired by the national colors of Argentina and by the design of the US flag

name:

"Himno Nacional" (National Anthem of Uruguay)

lyrics/music:

Francisco Esteban ACUNA de Figueroa/Francisco Jose DEBALI

note: adopted 1848; the anthem is also known as "Orientales, la Patria o la tumba!" ("Uruguayans, the Fatherland or Death!"); it is the world's longest national anthem in terms of music (105 bars; almost five minutes); generally only the first verse and chorus are sung

agriculture:

9%

industry:

15%

services:

76% (2007 est.)

lowest 10%:

1.7%

highest 10%:

34.8% (2006)

• 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 135 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)

• mixture of privately-owned and state-run broadcast media;
• more than 100 commercial radio stations and about 20 television channels broadcasting;
• cable TV is available;
• large number of community radio and TV stations (2007)

total:

1,641 km (1,200 km operational)

country comparison to the world: 79

standard gauge:

1,641 km 1.435-m gauge (2010)

total:

77,732 km

country comparison to the world: 63

paved:

7,743 km

unpaved:

69,989 km (2010)

• 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)

males age 16-49:

849,358

females age 16-49:

832,774 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

713,223

females age 16-49:

697,197 (2010 est.)

male:

27,631

female:

26,703 (2010 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;
• two uncontested boundary disputes with Brazil over Isla Brasilera at the tripoint with Argentina at the confluence of the Quarai/Cuareim and Uruguay rivers, and, in the 235 square kilometer Invernada River region, over which tributary represents the legitimate source of the Quarai/Cuareim River

• 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