Uruguay

Uruguay Background

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 yearend, 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.

Uruguay Information

• Population: 3,399,237 (July 2004 est.)
• Nationality: noun: Uruguayan(s) adjective: Uruguayan
• Location:: Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Argentina and Brazil
• Religions:: Roman Catholic 66% (less than half of the adult population attends church regularly), Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, nonprofessing or other 31%
• Ethnic Groups:: white 88%, mestizo 8%, black 4%, Amerindian, practically nonexistent
• Land Boundaries:: total: 1,564 km border countries: Argentina 579 km, Brazil 985 km
• Area: total: 176,220 sq km land: 173,620 sq km water: 2,600 sq km
• Coast Line: 660 km
• Climate: warm temperate; freezing temperatures almost unknown
• Terrain: mostly rolling plains and low hills; fertile coastal lowland
• Maritime Claims: territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
• Land Use: arable land: 7.43% permanent crops: 0.23% other: 92.34% (2001)
• Environmental Issues: water pollution from meat packing/tannery industry; inadequate solid/hazardous waste disposal
• Natural Resources: arable land, hydropower, minor minerals, fisheries
• Highways: total: 8,983 km paved: 8,081 km unpaved: 902 km (1999 est.)
• Railways: total: 2,073 km standard gauge: 2,073 km 1.435-m gauge note: 461 km have been taken out of service and 460 km are in partial use (2003)
• Ports & Harbours: Colonia, Fray Bentos, Juan La Caze, La Paloma, Montevideo, Nueva Palmira, Paysandu, Punta del Este, Piriapolis
• Airports: 64 (2003 est.)