Uruguay

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Template:Infobox Country or territory

Uruguay, officially the Eastern Republic of Uruguay or the Republic East of the Uruguay (River) (Template:Lang-es; pron. Template:IPA2), is a nation located in the southeastern part of South America. It is bordered by Brazil to the north, the Uruguay River to the west, the estuary of the Río de la Plata (literally "River of the Silver", but commonly known in English as "River Plate") to the southwest, with Argentina on the other bank of both, and finally the South Atlantic Ocean to the southeast. About half of its people live in the capital and largest city, Montevideo. The nation is the second smallest independent country in South America, larger only than Suriname (it is also larger than French Guiana, which is an overseas department of France), and is the most politically and economically stable. Uruguay is ranked as the second least corrupt country in Latin America after Chile.[1]

Contents

History

Template:MainThe only inhabitants of Uruguay before European colonization of the area were various tribes of hunter gatherer native americans, the most well known being the Charrua Indians, a small tribe driven south by the Guaraní Indians of Paraguay. The name "Uruguay" comes from Guaraní. It has many possible meanings since Guaraní is a highly agglutinative language. Two of them are "river of the urus" (uru is a kind of bird) and "river of colorful or 'painted' birds."

The Spanish arrived in the territory of present-day Uruguay in 1516, but the Indians' fierce resistance to conquest, combined with the absence of gold and silver, limited settlement in the region during the 16th and 17th centuries. Uruguay became a zone of contention between the Spanish and the Portuguese empires. In 1603 the Spanish began to introduce cattle, which became a source of wealth in the region. The first permanent settlement on the territory of present-day Uruguay was founded by the Spanish in 1624 at Soriano on the Río Negro. In 1669-71, the Portuguese built a fort at Colonia del Sacramento. Spanish colonization increased as Spain sought to limit Portugal's expansion of Brazil's frontiers.

The capital Montevideo was founded by the Spanish in the early 18th century as a military stronghold; its natural harbor soon developed into a commercial center competing with Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires. Uruguay's early 19th century history was shaped by ongoing fights between the British, Spanish, Portuguese, and colonial forces for dominance in the Argentina-Brazil-Uruguay region. In 1806 and 1807, the British army attempted to seize Buenos Aires as part of their war with Spain. As a result, at the beginning of 1807, Montevideo was occupied by a 10,000-strong British force who held it until the middle of the year when they left to attack Buenos Aires.

Rio de la Plata in 1603.
Uruguay's oldest church is in San Carlos.

Politics

Template:MainUruguay's politics takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Uruguay is both head of state and head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of the General Assembly of Uruguay. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.

For most of Uruguay's history, the Colorado and National parties have alternated in power. The elections of 2004, however, brought the Encuentro Progresista-Frente Amplio-Nueva Mayoría, a coalition of socialists, former Tupamaros, communists and social democrats among others to power with majorities in both houses of parliament and the election of President Tabaré Vázquez Rosas by an absolute majority.

The Reporters Without Borders worldwide press freedom index has ranked Uruguay as:

  • 21st of 139 reported countries in 2002 [2]
  • 25th of 166 reported countries in 2003 [3]
  • 42nd of 167 reported countries in 2004 [4]
  • 46th of 167 reported countries in 2005 [5]
  • 57th of 168 reported countries in 2006 [6]

According to Freedom House, an American organisation that tracks global trends in political freedom Uruguay ranked number 27 in the world democracy ranking. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, Uruguay has an index of 7.96,located in the last position between the 28 countries considered to be Full Democracies in the world, the index looks at 60 indicators across five categories: Free elections, civil liberties, functioning government, political participation and political culture. [7]

Administrative divisions

Template:MainUruguay consists of nineteen departments (Template:Lang, singular Template:Lang):

Map of Uruguay
Department Area (km²) Population* Capital
Artigas 11,928 78,019 Artigas
Canelones 4,536 485,028 Canelones
Cerro Largo 13,648 86,564 Melo
Colonia 6,106 119,266 Colonia del SacramentoTemplate:Nbsp
Durazno 11,643 58,859 Durazno
Flores 5,144 25,104 Trinidad
Florida 10,417 68,181 Florida
Lavalleja 10,016 60,925 Minas
Maldonado 4,793 140,192 Maldonado
Montevideo 530 1,326,064 Montevideo
Paysandú 13,922 113,244 Paysandú
Río Negro 9,282 53,989 Fray Bentos
Rivera 9,370 104,921 Rivera
Rocha 10,551 69,937 Rocha
Salto 14,163 123,120 Salto
San José 4,992 103,104 San José de Mayo
Soriano 9,008 84,563 Mercedes
Tacuarembó 15,438 90,489 Tacuarembó
Treinta y TresTemplate:Nbsp 9,676 49,318 Treinta y Tres
Template:Smaller

Geography

Satellite image of Uruguay.
Lighthouse at Colonia de Sacramento.

Template:MainAt 176.214 square kilometres of Continental Land and 142.199 square kilometres of jurisdictional waters and small river islands ( Instituto Nacional Estadistica http://www.ine.gub.uy/biblioteca/uruguayencifras2006/Territorio%20y%20medio%20ambiente.pdf ), Uruguay is the second smallest sovereign nation in South America (after Suriname) and the third smallest territory (French Guiana is the smallest). The landscape features mostly rolling plains and low hill ranges (cuchillas) with fertile coastal lowland, most of it grassland, ideal for cattle and sheep raising. A dense fluvial network covers the country, four river basins or deltas, the River Plate, Uruguay River, Merin Lake and Black River. The major internal river is the Black River or Río Negro. Several lagoons are found along the Atlantic coast. The highest point in the country is the Cerro Catedral at 513.66 meters (1,686 ft)in the 'Carape' mountain range. To the southwest is the Río de la Plata (River Plate), the estuary of the Uruguay River, which forms the western border, and the Paraná River, that does not run through Uruguay itself.

Borders:

Argentine Republic: the Uruguay River forms the natural border to the west of the country, running 506 km from 'Isla Brasilera' in the North to the Punta Gorda parallel. From there (forming the south border across the River Plate, it runs 320Km from Punta Gorda parallel to the external limit of the River Plate.

Federative Republic of Brazil: Chuy Stream,13Km, Straight Line(Chuy), 8.7 Km. San Miguel Stream 13Km. Merim Lake, 280.1 Km Yaguaron River,142.4 Km. Small Yaguaron River, 18.5Km. Mine's Stream 20.4 Km, Acegua Straight Line 37.2 Km. San Luis Stream 31.3 Km. North Branch of the San Luis Stream 3.6 Km. Straight Line 8 Km. 'Cañada' of the Cementery, 4 Km. Straight lines 0.6 Km, Santa Ana hill range SE, 168,5 Km. Rivera-Libramento 4,8 Km. Santa Ana hill range 20,8Km. Black hill range 41,3 Km. Invernada Stream ,37.8 Km. Cuareim River 313,4 Km. ( Source: Servicio Geografico Militar http://www.ejercito.mil.uy/cal/sgm/principal1024.html )

Climate

The climate in Uruguay is temperate, but fairly warm, as freezing temperatures are almost unknown. The predominantly gently undulating landscape is also somewhat vulnerable to rapid changes from weather fronts, as well as to the pampero, a chilly and occasionally violent wind blowing north from the pampas plains in Argentina.

Playa Brava in Punta del Este, Uruguay

Enclaves and exclaves

Since 1984 Uruguay has an Antarctic base in King George Island in Antarctica, part of the South Shetland Islands archipelago, at Template:Coor dms, some 100 km from the Antarctic peninsula itself.


There is one Argentine enclave within Uruguayan territory: the island of Martín García (coordinates Template:Coor dm). It is situated near the confluence of the Paraná and Uruguay rivers, a mere kilometre (1,100 yd) inside Uruguayan waters, about 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) from the Uruguayan coastline, near the small city of Martín Chico (itself about halfway between Nueva Palmira and Colonia).

An agreement reached by Argentina and Uruguay in 1973 reafirmed Argentine jurisdiction over the island, ending a century-old dispute between the two countries.Template:Fact According to the terms of the agreement, Martín García is to be devoted exclusively to a natural preserve. Its area is about 2 square kilometres (500 acres) and the population about 200 persons. The island was claimed by Argentina at the end of the 'Guerra Grande' (Big war) in 1852. Originally depended from the Spanish Navy Base of Montevideo, now capital of Uruguay. In the past, Argentina claimed the Uruguayan waters of the river, which explains the island's status.

Economy

Template:Main

Montevideo, Uruguay's capital.
Plaza Gomensoro in the Pocitos neighborhood of Montevideo.

Uruguay's economy is mainly dominated by the services sector, an export-oriented agricultural sector and an industrial sector, with a well-educated workforce and high levels of social spending. After averaging growth of 5% annually in 1996-1998, 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 neighbours, a reflection of its solid reputation among investors and its investment-grade sovereign bond rating — one of only two in South America.Template:Fact In recent years Uruguay has shifted most of its energy into developing the commercial use of IT technologies and has become an important exporter of software in Latin AmericaTemplate:Fact.

While some parts of the economy appeared to be resilient, the downturn had a quite a severe impact on Uruguayan citizens, with unemployment levels rising to more than 20%, real wages falling, the peso devalued, and the percentage of Uruguayans below the poverty line reaching almost 10%. These worsening economic conditions played a part in turning public opinion against the free market economic policies adopted by the previous administrations in the 1990s, leading to the popular rejection of proposals for privatization of the state petroleum company in 2003 and of the state water company in 2004. The newly elected Frente Amplio government, while pledging to continue payments on Uruguay's external debt,Template:Fact has also promised to undertake a crash jobs programs to attack the widespread problems of poverty and unemployment.Template:Fact

The main Goods and Services produced in Uruguay are listed below.

  • Beef is a traditional production still important although decreasing from its historical importance. Cattle were introduced to Uruguay before its independence by Hernando Arias de Saveedra, the Spanish Governor of Buenos Aires in 1603. Beef exports in 2006 amounted around a 37% of Uruguayan exportations. (http://www.aca.com.uy/datos_estadisticos/exportaciones_2006.htm )
  • Wool is a traditional product exported mainly to China, followed by the UK and India. (http://www.sul.org.uy )
  • Milk and dairy products. Conaprole, National Cooperative of Milk Producers (http://www.conaprole.com.uy) is the main exporter of dairy food of Latin America (in 2006) among others national and international companies operating in the market. The area of the country dedicated to the dairy food is located mainly in the south west.
  • Rice. Fine varieties are produced in the lowlands in the east of the country close to Merin Lake on the Uruguay-Brazil border. The national company Saman claims to be the main exporter in Latin America ( http://www.saman.com.uy ). Countries it exports to include Brazil, Iran, Peru, South Africa, Chile, Senegal, Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, Ecuador, USA, Canada and China.
  • Tobacco and beverages, including some fine wines.
  • Mineral products, including gold, granite and quartz.
  • Leather and leather products.
  • Wood, cork and derivative products.
  • Paper pulp, paper, cardboard and derivatives. A big pulp mill is due to start operating near the city of Fray Bentos, the pulpmill is owned by the finish group Metsa Botnia.
  • Textiles.
  • Ceramics, glass and glass products.
  • Electrical Machinery.
  • Transport Materials.
  • Communications.
  • Port Services:
  • Tourism, mainly seasonal. During the summer the Punta del Este resort is very attractive to Argentines and other nationalities; international cruises call at Montevideo from October to March every year. Also, Uruguay hosts many year-round international conferences. (The original GATT Uruguay Round concerning trade was, as its name suggests, hosted in Uruguay). Montevideo is home to the headquarters (secretariat) of Mercosur, the Common Market of the South, whose full members are Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Venezuela, associate members Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
  • Software and consulting. Uruguay's well-educated workforce and lower-than-international wages have put Uruguay on the IT map. Both local and international companies operate in the country, some of them with offices worldwide. A product named Genexus ( http://www.genexus.com ), originally created in Uruguay by a company called ArTech, is noteworthy. Other important developers and consultants include De Larrobla & Asociados ( http://www.bantotal.com ) and Grupo Quanam ( http://www.gquanam.com/home/index.php?idioma=eng ). Tata consulting Services has its headquarters for the Spanish speaking countries. Many of these companies have established in ‘Zona America’ Business and Technology Park, in the suburbs of Montevideo.

"With a population of only three million, Uruguay has rapidly become Latin America's outsourcing hub. In partnership with one of India's largest technology consulting firms, engineers in Montevideo work while their counterparts in Mumbai sleep." - The New York Times, Sep 22, 2006


  • Banking Services. Despite the recent downturn the banking sector is recovering, many private banks in Uruguay having operated without disruption during the 2002 crisis.

Agriculture

Punta del Este, a Uruguayan beach resort.

Template:MainAgriculture played such an important part in Uruguayan history and national identity until the middle of the twentieth century that the entire country was then sometimes likened to a single huge estancia (agricultural estate) centred around Montevideo, where the wealth generated in the hinterland was spent, as its casco or administrative head. As another saying went, "Uruguay es la vaca y el puerto" ("Uruguay is the cow and the port").Template:Fact

A heartland of historic estancias: Estancia San Eugenio, Casupá, southern department of Florida.

Today, agriculture contributes roughly 10% to the country’s GDP and is still the main foreign exchange earner, putting Uruguay in line with other agricultural exporters like Brazil, Canada and New Zealand. Uruguay is a member of the Cairns Group of exporters of agricultural products. Uruguay’s agriculture has relatively low inputs of labour, technology and capital in comparison with other such countries, which results in comparatively lower yields per hectare but also opens the door for Uruguay to market its products as "natural" or "ecological."

Campaigns like “Uruguayan grass-fed beef” and “Uruguay Natural” aim to establish Uruguay as a premium brand in beef, wine and other food products.Template:Fact

Recently, an industry has developed around estancia tourism which capitalizes on the traditional or folkloristic connotations associated with gaucho culture and the remaining resources of Uruguay's historic estancias.

Demographics

Torre de las Telecomunicaciones (Antel Tower) in Montevideo.

Template:MainUruguay is heavily populated by people of European origin. It is the epitome of 'Euro America' Approximately 88%[1] of the population is of white European origins, mostly Italians, with the balance made up mainly of Spaniards, followed by those of English, French, German, Portuguese, Irish, Russian, Scandinavian and Yugoslav origins. About 8% of the population is Mestizo (European and Amerindian mixed), while the remaining 4% consists of blacks, mixed race, and other groups.Church and state are officially separated. In Uruguay 66% of the population are Roman Catholic however, less than half of the adult population attends church regularly, other groups include, Protestants 2%, Jewish 1%, and nonprofessing or other 31%. [2]

Uruguay is notable for its high literacy rate (99%), which along with Cuba gives it the highest literacy rate in the western hemisphere- it has a large urban middle class, and relatively even income distribution. During the 1970s and 1980s, an estimated 600,000 Uruguayans emigrated, principally to Spain, Argentina and Brazil. Other Uruguayans went to various countries in Europe, to the USA and Australia.

As a result of the low birth rate, high life expectancy, and relatively high rate of emigration of younger people, Uruguay's population is quite mature. In 2006, the country had a birth rate of 13.91 births per thousand population, [3], lower than neighboring countries Argentina (16.73 births/1000 population) [4] and Brazil (16.56 births/1,000 population). [5]

Health and Sanitation

The government of Uruguay has done much improve its health conditions. Under the national constitution, the State is responsible for all medical functions in Uruguay, and provides free medical for those who qualify for it, particularly for the aged and those who cannot afford medical costs. As a result, over time it changed from having one of the highest mortality rates in Latin America to one of the lowest. For example, in 1995, infant mortality was 19.6 per 1,000 in 1995, 17.5 per 1,000 in 1996 to 11.61 per 1000 in 2006, showing a steady and continuous drop in the future.[6]

The government also continues to expand various forms of medical practice to offer the population diverse options of medical treatment in the nation's 65 medical facilities, as well as various forms of state-sponsored insurance plans, on which much of the population depends.

The Ministry of Sanitation in Uruguay has gone to great lengths to provide the nation's 3.4 million people with healthy drinking water. The 1985 census revealed that 15.9% of the population either had no access to drinking water or lived in unsanitary conditions. Estimates now are that only 1.2% of the population has difficulty accessing clean drinking water.[7]

Eductional establishments

Science

Mathematics:

Some Uruguayan matematicians and their contribution are mentioned below:

Jose Luis Massera (1915-2002), Massera Teorem, Invertibility of second Liapunov Theorem. ( http://agenda.ictp.trieste.it/agenda/current/askArchive.php?categ=a0151&id=a0151s1t2&ifd=11561&down=1&type=lecture_notes )

Jorge LEWOWICZ, Instituto de Matematica y Estadistica Rafael Laguardia (IMERL), José M. Muñoz 1085, ap. 4, Montevideo - MO 11300, Uruguay Jorge Lewowicz is a renowned mathematician who has made fundamental contributions to the field of the interaction between the topology of the space and the motion. His major research accomplishment concerns the classification of discrete expansive systems on surfaces, and the systematic use of Lyapunov functions (and quadratic forms) to study expansivity and other dynamical properties. Lewowicz was and continues to be the mentor of the Dynamical Systems group at Montevideo, contributing greatly to the education and training of outstanding young researchers. ( http://www.ictp.trieste.it/~twas/mbrs/Elected01.html )

Biology

Clemente Estable

Culture

Template:MainTemplate:Seealso

Due to the overwhelming majority of the Uruguayan population being of European descent, the culture of Uruguay parallels that of Western Europe. Uruguayans have a high standard of living. It is customary for Uruguayans to dine late at night, well after 10 o'clock, and to stay out on weekends well into the early morning hours. It is very common to see in cities such as Montevideo, Colonia and Punta del Este many restaurants, cafés and pubs open until these late hours with their outdoor seating filled with the vivacious Uruguayan community.

Music is also a great part of the culture of Uruguay. The most important and well-known are the Tango, Milonga, Murga, Candombe, and Cumbia.

Players and Composers

Genre Artist
Tango Carlos Gardel, Mattos Rodriguez, Julio Sosa
Milonga/Canto Popular Alfredo Zitarrosa, Los Olimareños, Eduardo Mateo
Other genres Jaime Roos, Jorge Drexler, Eduardo Young

Uruguayan writers

Delmira Agustini, poetTemplate:· Mario Benedetti, poet and novelistTemplate:· Eduardo Galeano, writer and social commentator renowned throughout Latin AmericaTemplate:· Felisberto Hernandez, short-story writer and essayistTemplate:· Juana de Ibarbourou, poetTemplate:· Jacobo Langsner, playwrightTemplate:· Mario Levrero, short-story writerTemplate:· Jorge Majfud, essayist and novelistTemplate:· Horacio Quiroga, short-story writerTemplate:· Juan Carlos Onetti, novelistTemplate:· José Enrique Rodó, essayist and philosopherTemplate:· Florencio Sánchez, playwrightTemplate:· María Eugenia Vaz Ferreira, poetTemplate:· Idea Vilariño, poet

Montevideo has been the birthplace of three noted French poets: Isidore Lucien Ducasse,