Uruguay

total:

3.66 cu km/yr (11%/2%/87%)

per capita:

1,101 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

noun:

Uruguayan(s)

adjective:

Uruguayan

at birth:

1.04 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.03 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.97 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.93 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.66 male(s)/female

total population:

0.93 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

total number:

51,879

percentage:

7 % (2006 est.)

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 51 S, 56 10 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

• several previous;
• latest approved by plebiscite 27 November 1966, effective 15 February 1967;
• amended several times, last in 2004 (2013)

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 Cordano elected president; percent of vote - Jose "Pepe" MUJICA Cordano 54.8%, Luis Alberto LACALLE 45.2%

highest court(s):

Supreme Court of Justice (consists of 5 judges)

judge selection and term of office:

• judges nominated by the president and appointed in joint conference of the General Assembly;
• judges appointed for 10-year terms, with re-election after a lapse of 5 years following the previous term

subordinate courts:

• Courts of Appeal;
• District Courts (Juzagados Letrados);
• Peace Courts (Juzagados de Paz);
• Rural Courts (Juzgados Rurales)

chief of mission:

Ambassador Carlos Alberto GIANELLI Derois (since 11 September 2012)

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

chief of mission:

Ambassador Julissa REYNOSO (since 30 March 2012)

embassy:

Lauro Muller 1776, Montevideo 11200

mailing address:

APO AA 34035

telephone:

[598] (2) 1770-2000

FAX:

[598] (2) 1770-2128

• 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

• soybeans, rice, wheat;
• beef, dairy products;
• fish;
• lumber, cellulose

agriculture:

13%

industry:

14%

services:

73% (2010 est.)

lowest 10%:

1.9%

highest 10%:

34.4% (2010 est.)

general assessment:

fully digitalized

domestic:

• most modern facilities concentrated in Montevideo;
• nationwide microwave radio relay network;
• overall fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity has reached 170 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) (2011)

• 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)

total:

1,641 km

country comparison to the world: 77

standard gauge:

1,641 km 1.435-m gauge (1,200 km operational) (2010)

total:

77,732 km

country comparison to the world: 62

paved:

7,743 km

unpaved:

69,989 km (2010)

• 18-30 years of age (18-22 years of age for navy) for male or female 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 (2013)

males age 16-49:

771,159

females age 16-49:

780,932 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

649,025

females age 16-49:

654,903 (2010 est.)

male:

27,564

female:

26,811 (2010 est.)

• 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

current situation:

• Uruguay is a source country for women and children subjected to sex trafficking and, to a lesser extent, a destination country for men, women, and children exploited in forced labor;
• most victims are women and girls exploited in sex trafficking;
• some Uruguayan women lured by fraudulent employment offers in Spain, Italy, and Argentina are forced into prostitution;
• foreign workers in domestic service and agriculture are vulnerable to forced labor in Uruguay;
• some human trafficking cases are reportedly linked to crime rings

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch List - Uruguay does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking;
• however, it is making significant efforts to do so;
• the government investigated and prosecuted several trafficking cases during 2012 but reported no convictions;
• authorities have increased funding and staffing for the national women's institute unit that is focused on sex trafficking and domestic violence, but specialized services remain inadequate and victim care services outside the capital are uneven;
• officials lack formal procedures for identifying trafficking victims (2013)

• 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