Uruguay From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigationJump to search For other uses, see Uruguay (disambiguation). Oriental Republic of Uruguay República Oriental del Uruguay (Spanish) Flag of Uruguay Flag Coat of arms of Uruguay Coat of arms Motto: "Libertad o Muerte" (Spanish) (English: "Freedom or Death") Anthem: "Himno Nacional de Uruguay" (English: "National Anthem of Uruguay") MENU0:00 Location of Uruguay (dark green) in South America (grey) Location of Uruguay (dark green) in South America (grey) Capital and largest city Montevideo 34°53′S 56°10′W National language Spanish Regional language Uruguayan Portuguese Ethnic groups (2016[1]) 92% White 5% Mestizo or Native 3% Black Religion (2017)[2] 58% Christianity 41% No religion 1% Others Demonym(s) Uruguayan, Oriental Government Unitary presidential constitutional republic • President Luis Lacalle Pou • Vice President Beatriz Argimón Legislature General Assembly • Upper house Senate • Lower house Chamber of Representatives Independence from the Empire of Brazil • Declared 25 August 1825 • Recognized 27 August 1828 • First Constitution 18 July 1830 • Admitted to the UN 18 December 1945 Area • Total 176,215 km2 (68,037 sq mi) (89th) • Water (%) 1.5 Population • 2019 estimate 3,518,552 [3] (132nd) • 2011 census 3,390,077[4] • Density 19.8/km2 (51.3/sq mi) (99th) GDP (PPP) 2020 estimate • Total $86.562 billion[5] (92th) • Per capita $24,516[5] (59th) GDP (nominal) 2020 estimate • Total $62.917 billion[5] (80th) • Per capita $17,819[5] (49th) Gini (2017) Positive decrease 39.5[6] medium HDI (2018) Increase 0.808[7] very high · 57th Currency Uruguayan peso (UYU) Time zone UTC−3 (UYT) Driving side right Calling code +598 ISO 3166 code UY Internet TLD .uy Uruguay (/ˈjʊərəɡwaɪ/ (About this soundlisten);[8] Spanish: [uɾuˈɣwaj] (About this soundlisten)), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay (Spanish: República Oriental del Uruguay; Portuguese: República Oriental do Uruguai), is a country in the southeastern region of South America. It borders Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and east, with the Río de la Plata (River of Silver) to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast. Uruguay is home to an estimated 3.51 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the metropolitan area of its capital and largest city, Montevideo. With an area of approximately 176,000 square kilometers (68,000 sq mi), Uruguay is geographically the second-smallest nation in South America,[9] after Suriname. Uruguay was inhabited by the Charrúa people for approximately 4,000 years[10] before the Portuguese established Colónia do Sacramento in 1680; Uruguay was colonized by Europeans relatively late compared with neighboring countries. Montevideo was founded as a military stronghold by the Spanish in the early 18th century, signifying the competing claims over the region. Uruguay won its independence between 1811 and 1828, following a four-way struggle between Portugal and Spain, and later Argentina and Brazil. It remained subject to foreign influence and intervention throughout the 19th century, with the military playing a recurring role in domestic politics. A series of economic crises put an end to a democratic period that had begun in the early 20th century, culminating in a 1973 coup, which established a civic-military dictatorship. The military government persecuted leftists, socialists, and political opponents, resulting in several deaths and numerous instances of torture by the military; the military relinquished power to a civilian government in 1985. Uruguay is today a democratic constitutional republic, with a president who serves as both head of state and head of government. Uruguay is ranked first in Latin America in democracy, peace, low perception of corruption,[11] e-government,[12] and is first in South America when it comes to press freedom, size of the middle class and prosperity.[11] On a per-capita basis, Uruguay contributes more troops to United Nations peacekeeping missions than any other country.[11] It tops the rank of absence of terrorism, a unique position within South America. It ranks second in the region on economic freedom, income equality, per-capita income and inflows of FDI.[11] Uruguay is the third-best country on the continent in terms of HDI, GDP growth,[13] innovation and infrastructure.[11] It is regarded as a high-income country by the UN.[12] Uruguay was also ranked the third-best in the world in e-Participation in 2014.[12] Uruguay is an important global exporter of combed wool, rice, soybeans, frozen beef, malt and milk.[11] Nearly 95% of Uruguay's electricity comes from renewable energy, mostly hydroelectric facilities and wind parks.[14] Uruguay is a founding member of the United Nations, OAS, Mercosur and the Non-Aligned Movement. Uruguay is regarded as one of the most socially advanced countries in Latin America.[15] It ranks high on global measures of personal rights, tolerance, and inclusion issues[16] including its acceptance of LGBT people, ranking 5th in the world in the 2020 gay travel index.[17] The Economist named Uruguay "country of the year" in 2013,[18] acknowledging the policy of legalizing the production, sale and consumption of cannabis. Same-sex marriage and abortion are also legal.
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