Uruguay

<p>The Spanish founded the city of Montevideo in modern-day Uruguay in 1726 as a military stronghold, and it soon became an important commercial center due to its natural harbor. Argentina initially claimed Uruguay, but Brazil annexed the country in 1821. Uruguay declared its independence in 1825 and secured its freedom in 1828 after a three-year struggle. The administrations of President Jose BATLLE in the early 20th century launched widespread political, social, and economic reforms that established a statist tradition. A violent Marxist urban guerrilla movement named the Tupamaros (or Movimiento de Liberación Nacional-Tupamaros) launched in the late 1960s and pushed Uruguay's president to cede control of the government to the military in 1973. By year-end, the rebels had been crushed, but the military continued to expand its hold over the government. Civilian rule was restored in 1985. In 2004, the left-of-center Frente Amplio (FA) Coalition won national elections that effectively ended 170 years of political control by the Colorado and National (Blanco) parties. The left-of-center coalition retained the presidency and control of both chambers of congress until 2019. Uruguay's political and labor conditions are among the freest on the South American continent.</p>

Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Argentina and Brazil

33 00 S, 56 00 W

South America

about the size of Virginia and West Virginia combined; slightly smaller than the state of Washington

660 km

warm temperate; freezing temperatures almost unknown

mostly rolling plains and low hills; fertile coastal lowland

arable land, hydropower, minor minerals, fish

2,230 sq km (2018)

Rio de la Plata/Parana river mouth (shared with Brazil [s], Argentina, Paraguay) - 4,880 km; Uruguay river mouth (shared with Brazil [s] and Argentina) - 1,610 km<br><br><strong>note:</strong> [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Guarani Aquifer System

most of the country's population resides in the southern half of the country; approximately 80% of the populace is urban; 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

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

White 87.7%, Black 4.6%, Indigenous 2.4%, other 0.3%, none or unspecified 5% (2011 est.)

Roman Catholic 36.5%, Protestant 5% (Evangelical (non-specific) 4.6%, Adventist 0.2%, Protestant (non-specific) 0.3%), African American Cults/Umbanda 2.8%, Jehovah's Witness 0.6%, Church of Jesus Christ 0.2%, other 1%, Believer (not belonging to the church) 1.8%, agnostic 0.3%, atheist 1.3%, none 47.3%, unspecified 3.4%<br><br>Roman Catholic 42%, Protestant 15%, other 6%, agnostic 3%, atheist 10%, unspecified 24% (2023 est.)

-0.06% (2025 est.)

9.05 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

9.88 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

0.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

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

1.774 million MONTEVIDEO (capital) (2023)

15 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

1.27 children born/woman (2025 est.)

0.62 (2025 est.)

4.67 physicians/1,000 population (2022)

2.5 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)

27.9% (2016)

1.8% (2018 est.)

55.4% (2023 est.)

water pollution from meat-packing, tannery industries; heavy metal pollution; inadequate solid and hazardous waste disposal; deforestation

warm temperate; freezing temperatures almost unknown

8.5 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

172.2 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

presidential republic

19 departments (<em>departamentos</em>, singular - <em>departamento</em>); Artigas, Canelones, Cerro Largo, Colonia, Durazno, Flores, Florida, Lavalleja, Maldonado, Montevideo, Paysandú, Rio Negro, Rivera, Rocha, Salto, San José, Soriano, Tacuarembó, Treinta y Tres

civil law system based on the Spanish civil code

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Broad Front or FA (Frente Amplio) - (a broad governing coalition that comprises 34 factions including Popular Participation Movement or MPP, Uruguay Assembly, Progressive Alliance, Broad Social Democratic Space, Socialist Party, Vertiente Artiguista, Christian Democratic Party, Big House, Communist Party, The Federal League, Fuerza Renovadora)<br>Colorado Party or PC (including Batllistas and Ciudadanos)<br>Intransigent Radical Ecologist Party (Partido Ecologista Radical Intransigente) or PERI<br>Independent Party<br>National Party or PN (including Todos (Everyone) and National Alliance)<br>Open Cabildo<br>Popular Unity

CAN (associate), CD, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUSCO, NAM (observer), OAS, OIF (observer), OPANAL, OPCW, Pacific Alliance (observer), PCA, SICA (observer), UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNISFA, UNMOGIP, UNOCI, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

25 August 1825 (from Brazil)

Independence Day, 25 August (1825)

<strong>description: </strong>nine equal horizontal stripes of white (top and bottom) alternating with blue; a white square in the upper-left corner has a yellow sun with a human face (outlined in black) known as the Sun of May, with 16 rays that alternate between triangular and wavy<br><br><strong>meaning: </strong>the stripes represent the country's nine original departments; the sun refers to the legend of the sun breaking through the clouds on 25 May 1810 as independence was declared from Spain; the sun is said to be Inti, the Inca god of the sun

Sun of May (a sun-with-face symbol)

blue, white, yellow

high-income, export-oriented South American economy; South America&rsquo;s largest middle class; low socioeconomic inequality; growing homicide rates; growing Chinese and EU relations; 2019 Argentine recession hurt; key milk, beef, rice, and wool exporter

$80.962 billion (2024 est.)

milk, rice, wheat, barley, soybeans, beef, rapeseed, sugarcane, maize, beef offal (2023)

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

4.4% (2024 est.)

1.768 million (2024 est.)

10.1% (2023 est.)

18.7% (of GDP) (2023 est.)

China 21%, Brazil 17%, USA 8%, Argentina 5%, Netherlands 5% (2023)

wood pulp, beef, milk, rice, wood (2023)

Brazil 22%, China 18%, Argentina 11%, USA 9%, Nigeria 4% (2023)

crude petroleum, refined petroleum, cars, trucks, fertilizers (2023)

mix of privately owned and state-run broadcast media; over 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 2010 (2019)

.uy

CX

65 (2025)

4 (2025)

Armed Forces of Uruguay (Fuerzas Armadas del Uruguay or FF.AA. del Uruguay): National Army, National Navy (includes Coast Guard (Prefectura Nacional Naval or PRENA)), Uruguayan Air Force<br><br>Ministry of Interior: National Police (2025)

approximately 23,000 active-duty Armed Forces (15,000 Army; 5,000 Navy; 3,000 Air Force) (2025)

the military's inventory includes a variety of mostly older or secondhand equipment originating from a range of suppliers, including Brazil, Germany, Russia/former Soviet Union, South Korea, and the US (2025)

generally 18-30 years of age (up to 22 for the Navy and up to 40 for some specialist positions) for voluntary military service for men and women; initial 24-month service obligation (2025)

630 Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO); 210 Golan Heights (UNDOF) (2025)

the armed forces are responsible for defense of the country&rsquo;s independence, national sovereignty, and territorial integrity, as well as protecting strategic resources; it has some domestic responsibilities, including perimeter security for a number of prisons, border security, and providing humanitarian/disaster assistance; it also assists the Ministry of Interior in combating narcotics trafficking; the military participates in UN peacekeeping missions and multinational exercises with foreign partners; Uruguay traditionally has held security ties with Argentina, Brazil, Peru, and the US; since 2018, it has also signed defense cooperation agreements with China and Russia (2025)