Uruguay

mean elevation:

109 m

elevation extremes:

0 m lowest point: Atlantic Ocean; 514 highest point: Cerro Catedral

• most of the country's population resides in the southern half of the country;
• approximately 80% of the populace is urban, living in towns or cities;
• nearly half of the population lives in and around the capital of Montevideo

• 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

• water pollution from meat packing/tannery industry;
• heavy metal pollution;
• inadequate solid/hazardous waste disposal;
• deforestation

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

0-14 years:

19.91% (male 341,402 /female 329,474)

15-24 years:

15.56% (male 265,486 /female 258,611)

25-54 years:

39.48% (male 658,871 /female 671,172)

55-64 years:

10.68% (male 169,385 /female 190,392)

65 years and over:

14.38% (male 194,269 /female 290,237) (2018 est.)

total dependency ratio:

55.9 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio:

33.4 (2015 est.)

elderly dependency ratio:

22.5 (2015 est.)

potential support ratio:

4.4 (2015 est.)

• most of the country's population resides in the southern half of the country;
• approximately 80% of the populace is urban, living in towns or cities;
• nearly half of the population lives in and around the capital of Montevideo

at birth:

1.04 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

0-14 years:

1.04 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

15-24 years:

1.03 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

25-54 years:

0.98 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

55-64 years:

0.89 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

65 years and over:

0.66 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

total population:

0.94 male(s)/female (2017 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

etymology:

name derives from the Spanish pronunciation of the Guarani Indian designation of the Uruguay River, which makes up the western border of the country and whose name later came to be applied to the entire country

name:

Montevideo

geographic coordinates:

34 51 S, 56 10 W

time difference:

UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

• 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

history:

several previous; latest approved by plebiscite 27 November 1966, effective 15 February 1967 (2018)

amendments:

• initiated by public petition of at least 10% of qualified voters, proposed by agreement of at least two-fifths of the General Assembly membership, or by existing "constitutional laws" sanctioned by at least two-thirds of the membership in both houses of the Assembly;
• proposals can also be submitted by senators, representatives, or by the executive power and require the formation of and approval in a national constituent convention;
• final passage by either method requires approval by absolute majority of votes cast in a referendum;
• amended many times, last in 2004 (2018)

citizenship by birth:

yes

citizenship by descent only:

yes

dual citizenship recognized:

yes

residency requirement for naturalization:

3-5 years

highest courts:

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 serve 10-year terms, with reelection possible after a lapse of 5 years following the previous term

subordinate courts:

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

chief of state:

• President Tabare VAZQUEZ (since 1 March 2015);
• Vice President Lucia TOPOLANSKY (since 13 September 2017);
• note - Vice President Raul Fernando SENDIC Rodriguez (since 1 March 2015) stepped down on 9 September amid accusations of misuse of public funds;
• the president is both chief of state and head of government

head of government:

President Tabare VAZQUEZ (since 1 March 2015); Vice President Lucia TOPOLANSKY (since 13 September 2017)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the president with approval of the General Assembly

elections/appointments:

• president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for nonconsecutive terms);
• election last held on 26 October 2014 with a runoff election on 30 November 2014 (next to be held on 27 October 2019, and a runoff if needed on 24 November 2019)

election results:

Tabare VAZQUEZ elected president in second round; percent of vote - Tabare VAZQUEZ (Socialist Party) 56.5%, Luis Alberto LACALLE Pou (Blanco) 43.4%

description:

bicameral General Assembly or Asamblea General consists of:; Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (31 seats; members directly elected in a single nationwide constituency by proportional representation vote; the vice-president serves as the presiding ex-officio member; elected members serve 5-year terms); Chamber of Representatives or Camara de Representantes (99 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote to serve 5-year terms)

elections:

• Chamber of Senators - last held on 26 October 2014 (next to be held in October 2019);
• Chamber of Representatives - last held on 26 October 2014 (next to be held in October 2019)

election results:

• Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by coalition/party - Frente Amplio 49.5%, National Party 31.9%, Colorado Party 13.3%, Independent Party 3.2%, other 2.1%;
• seats by coalition/party - Frente Amplio 15, National Party 10, Colorado Party 4, Independent Party 1

;

• Chamber of Representatives - percent of vote by coalition/party - Frente Amplio 49.5%, National Party 31.9%, Colorado Party 13.3%, Independent Party 3.2%, AP 1.2%, other 0.9%;
• seats by coalition/party - Frente Amplio 50, National Party 32, Colorado Party 13, Independent Party 3, AP 1

chief of mission:

Ambassador Carlos Alberto GIANELLI Derois (since 3 August 2015)

chancery:

1913 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20006

telephone:

[1] (202) 331-1313

FAX:

[1] (202) 331-8142

consulate(s) general:

Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador Kelly Ann KEIDERLING-FRANZ (since 23 June 2016)

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 (delineated in black) 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);
• the sun features are said to represent those of Inti, the Inca god of the sun

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

• Cellulose, beef, soybeans, rice, wheat;
• dairy products;
• fish;
• lumber, tobacco, wine

agriculture:

13%

industry:

14%

services:

73% (2010 est.)

lowest 10%:

30.8% (2014 est.)

highest 10%:

30.8% (2014 est.)

general assessment:

fully digitalized (2016)

domestic:

• most modern facilities concentrated in Montevideo;
• nationwide microwave radio relay network;
• overall fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity over 185 telephones per 100 persons (2016)

international:

• country code - 598;
• the UNISOR submarine cable system provides direct connectivity to Brazil and Argentina;
• satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2016)

• 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:

1,673 km (operational; government claims overall length is 2,961 km) (2016)

standard gauge:

1,673 km 1.435-m gauge (2016)

total:

77,732 km (2010)

paved:

7,743 km (2010)

unpaved:

69,989 km (2010)

total:

56 (2017)

by type:

container ship 1, general cargo 6, oil tanker 4, other 45 (2017)

• 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)

• 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 regimeuncontested boundary dispute between Brazil and Uruguay over Braziliera/Brasiliera Island in the Quarai/Cuareim River leaves the tripoint with Argentina in questionsmuggling of firearms and narcotics continues to be an issue along the Uruguay-Brazil border

• 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