Uruguay

From World travel guide

Uruguay is a country in Southern South America. It has a South Atlantic Ocean coastline and lies between Argentina to the west and Brazil to the north. It is the second-smallest country in South America (after Suriname). The country has a mostly low-lying landscape and three-quarters of the country is grassland, ideal for cattle and sheep raising.

Contents 1 Regions 2 Cities 3 Other destinations 4 Understand 4.1 Climate 4.2 Terrain 4.3 History 5 Get in 5.1 By plane 5.2 By train 5.3 By car 5.4 By bus 5.5 By boat 6 Get around 7 Talk 8 Buy 9 Eat 10 Drink 11 Sleep 12 Work 13 Stay safe 14 Stay healthy 15 Respect 16 Contact 17 External links 18 Geography 19 People 20 Government 21 Economy 22 Communications 23 Transportation 24 Military 25 Transnational Issues

Regions

Administrative divisions 

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

Cities

• Montevideo - Capital.
• Chuy - Right on the border with Brazil
• Colonia
• Fray Bentos
• Juan La Caze
• La Paloma
• Nueva Palmira
• Paysandu
• Punta del Este
• Piriapolis

Other destinations

Understand

Climate

Warm temperate; freezing temperatures almost unknown.

Natural hazards 

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

Terrain

Mostly rolling plains and low hills; fertile coastal lowland.

highest point 

Cerro Catedral 514 m

History

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 the end of the year 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. In 2004 a leftist coalition which included the Tupamaros won elections which left them in control of both houses of congress, the presidency, and most city and regional governments.

Get in

By plane

From North America, United Airlines and American Airlines fly to Montevideo via a connection in Buenos Aires. There are currently no non-stop services from North America to Montevideo.

http://www.uair.com/ flies to Punta del Este and Montevideo from South American cities such as Buenos Aires, Santiago, and Porto Allegre.

Pluna is another Uruguayan carrier.

By train

There are limited commuter train services around Montevideo. There are some tourist trains which do not have a fixed schedule. You need to find annoucements for them at the Montevideo train station. There is no regular long distance train service.

By car

Certain Buquebus crossings from Argentina carry cars in the hold for an additional charge. There are road crossings via bridges to Argentina and in to Brazil.

By bus

There is regular many times a day bus services to Buenos Aires and Cordoba, Argentina with continued service on to Santiago, Chile. There are many buses which run to Porto Alegre, Brazil.

By boat

The "Buquebus" ferry service operates between Buenos Aires, Argentina, and both Colonia and Montevideo, Uruguay. Some services continue to Punta del Este. The buquebus website is always down.

Between Buenos Aires and Montevideo, fares are currently U$ 1460 pesos for tourist class, and U$ 1760 pesos for first class. Journey time is approximately three hours.

Get around

Talk

Languages 

Spanish, Portunol, or Brazilero (Portuguese-Spanish mix on the Brazilian frontier) Most Uruguayans in the city have studied English in school but they do not speak it. Outside of Montevideo and Punta Del Este there are few English speakers.

Buy

Yerba Mate gourds.

Antiques.

Eat

Uruguayans' national dish is bbq'd meat. There are many public markets where you can get a hundred varieties of meat. Vegetarians can order ravioli just about anywhere. In the bar the local speciality is gramajo, a dish which is french fries like potatos, eggs, and ham. If you ask they can make it without the ham. Montevideo is a city of bars and has very few of the cafés of Buenos Aires. There are many good sidewalk cafés in the center of the city along the pedestrian streets in the direction of the old city.

Drink

Yerba Mate is widely drunk on the streets, but it is difficult to order in restaurants. You may have to buy a package at a super mercado and make your own. The drinking gourds are widely available from economical to super-luxe silver and horn. Yerba Mate is a social drink. If you are with a group of Uruguayans they will probably not offer you any because they assume that foreigners do not like the bitter taste. If you try some it will make everybody happy.

Uruguay is also acquiring a reputation for its fine wines, especially those made from the Tannat grape. Tannat wine is very tannic and rich, and is a perfect accompaniment to the barbecued beef that is at the heart of the national cuisine.

Sleep

The Hotel Apart Bremen is a renovated old building with rental flats. Hotels in Montevideo The Radisson is on a main square and costs about USD $80-$100 per night. It has a pool. It may have been a former Moonies building. Room 1958 has a horrible problem with windows creaking in the night and morning, probably due to the changing temperature. Breakfast buffet is included in the rate, as well as several pieces of underwear washed for you daily. (March 2005)

Ciudad Vieja Hostel, in the Core of the Historical Heart of the City and in the Middle of Montevideo’s Nightlife. More information at http://www.ciudadviejahostel.com

Red Hostel at http://www.redhostel.com/ is a 2004 renovated old Montevideo classic French home. Typical hostel traffic, but very nice staff who like to hang out with their friends late night on the hostel roof.

Work

There are numerous English language schools which are looking for native speakers as teachers. They can arrange papers or pay teachers under the table. The pay is not good, but enough to live on in Montevideo. Work permits are not particularly difficult to obtain and Uruguay lets you convert a tourist visa to a work visa without leaving the country.

Stay safe

In an emergency, call 911 or 999.

Stay healthy

In Montevideo and Punta del Este the tap water is safe to drink. The Hospital Britanica near the Tres Cruces central bus terminal has European-quality service and is clean and efficient. Less care to health is needed in Montevideo than most places in Latin America.

Respect

Contact

A man named Sergio walks around and offers to guide people around the city for USD $15 an hour. Either his mother or father is from Brazil, while the other parent is from Uruguay. He has bad things to say about Argentina and portenos.

External links

An article on places of gay interest in Uruguay including the Edificio Liberaij in Montevideo, where two gay Argentine bankers died in 1965. Montevideo also has South America's first sexual diversity monument.

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Geography

Geographic coordinates 

33 00 S, 56 00 W

Area - comparative 

slightly smaller than the state of Washington

Coastline 

660 km

Maritime claims 

contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

Natural resources 

arable land, hydropower, minor minerals, fisheries

Land use 

arable land: 7.21%
permanent crops: 0.27%
other: 92.52% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land 

1,800 sq km (1998 est.)

Environment - current issues 

water pollution from meat packing/tannery industry; inadequate solid/hazardous waste disposal

Environment - international agreements 

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, Nuclear Test Ban

People

Population 

3,386,575 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure 

0-14 years: 24.4% (male 422,826; female 402,324)
15-64 years: 62.6% (male 1,047,740; female 1,072,032)
65 years and over: 13% (male 181,522; female 260,131) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate 

0.79% (2002 est.)

Birth rate 

17.28 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate 

9 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate 

-0.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio 

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: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate 

14.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth 

total population: 75.66 years
female: 79.17 years (2002 est.)
male: 72.32 years

Total fertility rate 

2.35 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate 

0.33% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS 

6,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths 

150 (1999 est.)

Nationality 

noun: Uruguayan(s)
adjective: Uruguayan

Ethnic groups 

white 88%, mestizo 8%, black 4%, Amerindian, practically nonexistent

Religions 

Roman Catholic 66% (less than half of the adult population attends church regularly), Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, nonprofessing or other 31%

Literacy 

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.3%
male: 96.9%
female: 97.7% (1995 est.)

Government

Country name 

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

Government type 

constitutional republic

Independence 

25 August 1825 (from Brazil)

National holiday 

Independence Day, 25 August (1825)

Constitution 

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

Legal system 

based on Spanish civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage 

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch 

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%

Legislative branch 

bicameral General Assembly or Asamblea General consists of Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (30 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and Chamber of Representatives or Camara de Representantes (99 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: Chamber of Senators - last held 31 October 1999 (next to be held NA 2004); Chamber of Representatives - last held 31 October 1999 (next to be held NA 2004)
election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Encuentro Progresista 12, Colorado Party 10, Blanco 7, New Sector/Space Coalition 1; Chamber of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Encuentro Progresista 40, Colorado Party 33, Blanco 22, New Sector/Space Coalition 4

Judicial branch 

Supreme Court (judges are nominated by the president and elected for 10-year terms by the General Assembly)

Political parties and leaders 

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]

International organization participation 

CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMOGIP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNTAET, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US 

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

Diplomatic representation from the US 

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

Flag description 

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

Economy

Economy - overview 

Uruguay's economy is characterized by an export-oriented agricultural sector, a well-educated workforce, and high levels of social spending. After averaging growth of 5% annually in 1996-98, in 1999-2001 the economy suffered from lower demand in Argentina and Brazil, which together account for nearly half of Uruguay's exports. Despite the severity of the trade shocks, Uruguay's financial indicators remained more stable than those of its neighbors, a reflection of its solid reputation among investors and its investment-grade sovereign bond rating - one of only two in South America. Challenges for the government of President Jorge BATLLE include reducing the budget deficit, expanding Uruguay's trade ties beyond its Mercosur trade partners, and reducing the costs of public services. GDP fell by 1.3% in 2000 and by 1.5% in 2001.

GDP 

purchasing power parity - $31 billion (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate 

-1.5% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita 

purchasing power parity - $9,200 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector 

agriculture: 6%
industry: 29%
services: 65% (2001) (2001)

Population below poverty line 

6% (1997)

Household income or consumption by percentage share 

lowest 10%: 4%
highest 10%: 26% (1997)

Distribution of family income - Gini index 

42 (1989)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 

3.6% (2001) (2001)

Labor force 

1.2 million (2001) (2001)

Labor force - by occupation 

agriculture 14%, industry 16%, services 70%

Unemployment rate 

15.2% (2001) (2001)

Budget 

revenues: $3.7 billion
expenditures: $4.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $500 million (2000) (2000)

Industries 

food processing, electrical machinery, transportation equipment, petroleum products, textiles, chemicals, beverages

Industrial production growth rate 

-2.4% (2001 est.)

Electricity - production 

7.527 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source 

fossil fuel: 7%
hydro: 93%
other: 1% (2000)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption 

7.35 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports 

950 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports 

1.3 billion kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products 

rice, wheat, corn, barley; livestock; fish

Exports 

$2.24 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.)

Exports - commodities 

meat, rice, leather products, wool, vehicles, dairy products

Exports - partners 

Mercosur partners 40%, EU 20%, US 8% (2001 est.)

Imports 

$2.9 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.)

Imports - commodities 

machinery, chemicals, road vehicles, crude petroleum

Imports - partners 

Mercosur partners 44%, EU 18%, US 9% (2001 est.)

Debt - external 

$7.7 billion (2001 est.)

Currency 

Uruguayan peso (UYU)

Currency code 

UYU

Exchange rates 

Uruguayan pesos per US dollar - 14.3325 (January 2002), 13.3191 (2001), 12.0996 (2000), 11.3393 (1999), 10.4719 (1998), 9.4418 (1997)

Fiscal year 

calendar year

Communications

Telephones - main lines in use 

929,141 (2001)

Telephones - mobile cellular 

350,000 (2001)

Telephone system 

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)

Radio broadcast stations 

AM 91, FM 149, shortwave 7 (2001)

Radios 

1.97 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations 

20 (2001)

Televisions 

782,000 (1997)

Internet country code 

.uy

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 

14 (2001)

Internet users 

400,000 (2002)

Transportation

Railways 

total: 2,993 km
standard gauge: 2,993 km 1.435-m gauge
note: of the total route length, 461 km have been taken out of service and 460 km are in only partial use; moreover, not all lines offer passenger service (2001)

Highways 

total: 8,764 km
paved: 7,800 km
unpaved: 964 km (2001)

Waterways 

1,600 km (used by coastal and shallow-draft river craft)

Merchant marine 

total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 7,752 GRT/5,228 DWT
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Argentina 4, Greece 1 (2002 est.)
ships by type: petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1

Airports 

64 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways 

total: 15
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 2 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways 

total: 49
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 16
under 914 m: 31 (2002)

Military

Military branches 

Army, Navy (including Naval Air Arm, Coast Guard, Marines), Air Force, Police (Coracero Guard, Grenadier Guard)

Military manpower - availability 

males age 15-49: 824,395 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service 

males age 15-49: 666,880 (2002 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure 

$250 million (1999)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP 

1.1% (2000)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international 

uncontested dispute with Brazil over islands in the Rio Quarai (Rio Cuareim) and the Arroio Invernada (Arroyo de la Invernada)

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