+598 is the dialing code for Uruguay.
Uruguay is wedged between neighboring Brazil and Argentina on the Atlantic coast of South America. The country was early a modern welfare state and stable democracy when the region was otherwise characterized by authoritarian rule. Military dictatorship also prevailed in Uruguay for more than a decade from the early 1970s, but now the country has once again been rumored to be a progressive forerunner, not least in social policy issues. Agriculture is the foundation of the economy. The breeding of cows and sheep is mainly carried out on large farms, estancias, in the plain.
- Abbreviationfinder: Brief profiles of Uruguay, including geography, history, politics, economics as well as common acronyms about this country.
Geography and climate
Uruguay is located on the Atlantic coast of South America, sandwiched between Brazil and Argentina. It is the continent’s second smallest state, after Surinam, and corresponds to the surface about a third of Sweden. The landscape consists of a hilly plateau with some low mountain ranges running in a north-south direction.
Most of Uruguay is lowland. The highest mountain, Cerro Catedral, reaches just over 500 meters.
Three quarters of the country consists of grass pastures which are excellent pastures. The coast towards the Atlantic Ocean in the south is low and sandy and is bordered on the east by lagoons.
The country is named after the Uruguay River which forms a border with Argentina and then culminates in the large bay of Río de la Plata. The land is divided in the east-west direction by the river Río Negro, which forms a series of long narrow lakes in the middle of the country.
Country Facts
Geography
| Cultivated land | 87.2 % |
| Land area | 176215 km 2 |
Population and health
| Population development | 0.27 ‰ |
| Urban population (Urbanization) | 95.3 % |
| Death rate | 9.45 per 1000 residents |
| Life expectancy: Women | 80.26 years |
| Life expectancy: Men | 73.86 years |
| Birth rate | 13.07 births per 1000 residents |
| HDI index | 0.793 |
| Population | 3341893 |
| Infant mortality | 8.74 deaths / 1000 births |
Population Graph Source: Countryaah.com
Energy
| Electricity, production | 10300 million kWh |
| Energy consumption per resident | 1362.1 kg. oil per resident |
| Natural gas, production | million cubic meters |
| Crude oil, production | million tons |
Infrastructure
| Internet users | 59.0 per 100 residents |
| Mobile subscriptions | 165 per 100 residents |
| Passenger cars | 200 per 1000 residents |
Business and economics
| Unemployment | 7.1% of the workforce |
| GDP | 21500 per resident |
| Primary occupations | 13 % |
| Secondary profession | 14 % |
| Tertiary professions | 73 % |
Uruguay is the only country in South America that is completely outside the tropical zone. Instead, it belongs to the subtropical climate belt and has four seasons. The location by the sea contributes to a mild climate during most of the year.
The warmest is in December – February when the daytime temperature normally reaches 28-30 degrees. The coldest months are June – August with a temperature of usually 10-14 degrees. In winter, the temperature can drop to zero, but frost is unusual and snow does not occur. No season is markedly dry or rainy. The weather is changing rapidly and severe storms can occur at any time during the year.
FACTS – GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE
Surface
176 215 km2 (2018)
Time
Swedish –4 hours
Adjacent country (s)
Argentina, Brazil
Capital with number of residents
Montevideo 1.4 million
Other major cities
Salto 104,000, Paysandú 76,000, Las Piedras 71,000 (Census 2011)
Highest mountain
Cerro Catedral (513 m asl)
Important rivers
Río Negro, Río Uruguay
Largest lake
Embalse del Río Negro (artificial)
Average Precipitation / year
about 1,000 mm
Average / day
22 °C (Feb), 10 °C (July)
2011
October
The amnesty law is repealed
Congress withdraws the invalidated amnesty law (see March 2011). The crimes are declared to be crimes against humanity, and thus cannot be prescribed. In the Senate, the decision goes through with the votes 16-16.
September
Public apology for UN soldiers
President Mujica apologizes to Haiti after reporting that an 18-year-old Haitian man was raped by a group of Uruguayan peacekeeping soldiers. The case has caused much upset in Haiti.
March
Amnesty laws are annulled
A decision by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) is announced which means that a 1986 amnesty law relating to crimes committed under the military dictatorship (1973-1855) is not valid because it violates international human rights conventions (see also Political system).
2010
November
Military convicted of MR crime
An active military is being dropped for the first time for human rights violations during the dictatorship (see Political system).
March
Mujica takes over as president
José Mujica becomes President. He won the second round of the presidential election in November 2009 with 55 percent of the vote, against 45 percent for Luis Lacalle de Herrera (who was president from 1990 to 1995).
February
Ex-president gets jail
Former President and military dictator Juan María Bordaberry (1972-1976) is sentenced to 30 years in prison for murder and violation of the Constitution after the 1973 military coup.
2009
November
Mujica wins the presidential election
November 29th
In the second round of the presidential election, the ruling Left Alliance defeats Breda Front’s candidate José Mujica by 55 percent of the vote, against Luis Alberto Lacalle Pou’s 45 percent for the right-wing Blanco Party (or National Party).
October
Left victory in the election
October 25th
The Left Alliance The broad front retains its majority in both chambers of Congress, with 50 seats in the House of Representatives and 16 in the Senate. The Blank Party gets 30 and 9 seats, the Colorado Party 17 and 5, respectively, and the Independent Party 2 in the House of Representatives and none in the Senate. Wide front presidential candidate José Mujica gets 49 percent of the vote and thus misses with barely a marginal victory in the first round. Blanco’s Luis Alberto Lacalle Pou gets 30 percent and Colorados Pedro Bordaberry 18 percent. Mujica and Lacalle Pou advance to a second round. Two referendums are also held, with both proposals being voted down. One was to repeal an amnesty provision for human rights violations committed during the military dictatorship of 1973–1985 (53 percent no) and the other was to allow postal voting for Uruguayans abroad (63 percent no).