Uruguay, officially Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a sovereign country in South America, located in the eastern part of the Southern Cone. Its capital and most populated city is Montevideo. It borders to the northeast with Brazil - with the state of Río Grande del Sur -, to the west and southwest with Argentina - with the provinces of Corrientes, Entre Ríos and Buenos Aires, and the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (separated by the Río de la Plata) - and has coasts on the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers and is the second smallest country in South America, after Suriname.[3] According to data from the latest census of the National Institute of Statistics "Instituto Nacional de Estadistica (Uruguay)") in 2023, the population of Uruguay is 3,499,451 inhabitants, placing it in tenth position among the twelve South American countries.[9].
It is a presidential republic, subdivided into nineteen departments and 127 municipalities. The capital and most populated city in the country is Montevideo, with 1.4 million inhabitants.[10] The population of the metropolitan area of Montevideo is around 2.4 million people, which implies that 66% of the total national population resides in the capital and its surroundings (Canelones, San José and rural Montevideo) and the remaining 34%, in the Interior of the country. [c] It is a founding member of the United Nations,[12] of Mercosur,[13] of the OAS[14] and the G77, and is part of other international organizations.
The current Uruguayan territory was known during the colonial era as Banda Oriental, and included the territory of the so-called Eastern Missions, which were later seized by the government of Brazil and became part of the current Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. official. In its first constitution, the new country was called the Eastern State of Uruguay, a name that was modified in 1917 to the current one.[16][17].
It has a temperate climate with an average temperature of 17.5 °C, with January being the warmest month, with an average of 22.6 °C, and July the coldest month, with an average of 10.6 °C.[18] Rainfall is abundant and varies from almost 1000 mm per year in the south to 1500 mm in the north, on the border with Brazil.[19] Precipitation also has seasonal variations, with the months being Autumn and spring record the most abundant rainfall.[20] The Koppen climate classification places it in Cfa, that is, a humid subtropical climate.
The main economic resources are agriculture, forestry and livestock. Mineral and energy resources are scarce, and the main industries are paper, cardboard, cement and oil refining.
Evaluation of old cold rooms
Introduction
Uruguay, officially Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a sovereign country in South America, located in the eastern part of the Southern Cone. Its capital and most populated city is Montevideo. It borders to the northeast with Brazil - with the state of Río Grande del Sur -, to the west and southwest with Argentina - with the provinces of Corrientes, Entre Ríos and Buenos Aires, and the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (separated by the Río de la Plata) - and has coasts on the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers and is the second smallest country in South America, after Suriname.[3] According to data from the latest census of the National Institute of Statistics "Instituto Nacional de Estadistica (Uruguay)") in 2023, the population of Uruguay is 3,499,451 inhabitants, placing it in tenth position among the twelve South American countries.[9].
It is a presidential republic, subdivided into nineteen departments and 127 municipalities. The capital and most populated city in the country is Montevideo, with 1.4 million inhabitants.[10] The population of the metropolitan area of Montevideo is around 2.4 million people, which implies that 66% of the total national population resides in the capital and its surroundings (Canelones, San José and rural Montevideo) and the remaining 34%, in the Interior of the country. [c] It is a founding member of the United Nations,[12] of Mercosur,[13] of the OAS[14] and the G77, and is part of other international organizations.
The current Uruguayan territory was known during the colonial era as Banda Oriental, and included the territory of the so-called Eastern Missions, which were later seized by the government of Brazil and became part of the current Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. official. In its first constitution, the new country was called the Eastern State of Uruguay, a name that was modified in 1917 to the current one.[16][17].
It has a temperate climate with an average temperature of 17.5 °C, with January being the warmest month, with an average of 22.6 °C, and July the coldest month, with an average of 10.6 °C.[18] Rainfall is abundant and varies from almost 1000 mm per year in the south to 1500 mm in the north, on the border with Brazil.[19] Precipitation also has seasonal variations, with the months being Autumn and spring record the most abundant rainfall.[20] The Koppen climate classification places it in Cfa, that is, a humid subtropical climate.
According to the United Nations, Uruguay is the country in Latin America with the highest level of literacy. For its part, Transparency International places it in 13th place worldwide in the Corruption Perception Index, being the best positioned on the American continent.[21] The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) says that it is the third country in Latin America (after Chile and Argentina) with the highest Human Development Index (HDI) and the 54th in the world.[22][23] According to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), it is one of the countries in the region with a more equitable income distribution, with a Gini Coefficient of 0.39. It is also the fourth country in Latin America (after Cuba, Costa Rica and Chile) with the highest life expectancy.[24][25] In 2018, it is the third country in Latin America (after Panama and Chile) with the highest GDP (PPP) per capita.
The Latinobarómetro Corporation, in a study carried out in 2008, places Uruguay as the most peaceful country in Latin America.[26][27] Furthermore, according to the American magazine International Living it is the best in Latin America to live in.[28] This same publication ensures that it is among the twenty safest countries in the world,[28] while the Democracy Index of the British publication The Economist places it among the fifteen most democratic in the world, being the only Latin American country considered a "full democracy."[29].
Place names
In colonial times the territory was known as Banda Oriental. This name comes from its geographical location, being the easternmost domain of Spain on the American continent. During the first years of the independence struggle, it was called Eastern Province, forming part of the Federal League and later of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata. During the Luso-Brazilian Invasion (1816-1828) it was officially called Cisplatina Province.
When the draft of the first Constitution was drafted in 1830, the name "State of Montevideo" was suggested for the new independent nation. During the discussion of the project, the names "Northern Argentine State" and "Estado Oriental del Río de la Plata" or "Estado Oriental del Uruguay" or "Estado Oriental del Uruguay" were also proposed. Finally, after a vote in the assembly, the name Estado Oriental del Uruguay was approved, in geographical reference to the Uruguay River.[30] Finally, In the Constitutional Reform of 1918, the official name was changed to República Oriental del Uruguay, a name that had already been used de facto for a few decades.
Currently the most common name is simply Uruguay, there are several theories about the meaning and origin of the word:
• - River of the country of the urú or river of the urú. It is the version of the Spanish naturalist Félix de Azara. The "urú quail" or, simply urú,[31] is a bird of the family "Family (biology)") of the odontophorids - or New World quails - that lives in the jungles of the upper basin of the Uruguay River, located in the northeast of Argentina and southern Brazil, in the region of the Jesuit Missions. In this way, the literal translation from Guaraní would be: urú; gua, «of»; e y, "water", water - river - of the urú. The Uruguayan poet, singer and composer Aníbal Sampayo ascribes.[32].
• - River of snails. This interpretation arises from dividing the word into uruguá, "snail" or "sea snail", and y, "water or river", and has several sources. This idea was independently supported by the Jesuits Nicolás Durán Mastrilli and Antonio Ruiz de Montoya, who had a deep knowledge of the Guaraní language, and then, at the end of the century, the engineer José María Cabrer, who accompanied Félix de Azara on some of his trips through the Río de la Plata region, the Misiones and Paraguay. A 2010 investigation by the National Museum of Natural History also supports this thesis. It also supports this thesis. Irene Cocchi and Rosario Gutiérrez, authors of the book "In the country of snails, Uruguay", subscribe to this theory. The indigenous people, original inhabitants of the region, would be referring to a species of mollusk that is abundant in the Uruguay River, the Asolene megastoma - a gastropod belonging to the ampularidae family - The indigenous people used these snails as food and also in some rituals. indigenous people would demonstrate the importance that snails had for the ancient settlers of this region.[15][31][33].
• - River of birds. It is a very similar version to the first. The affix uru would designate “bird”—urubú, urutaú, jaburú—and guay “water or river.” The Pampean version with a guttural tone of "uhay" or "vahy" or even "hy" - Ayuhy, Iyuhy, Paraguay, Queguay, Iraí, Piraí, Ivahy - over time would have transformed the geographical designative.
• - River of painted birds. A poetic interpretation of Juan Zorrilla de San Martín.[31].
Historically, the correct demonym to refer to the inhabitants of the republic is orientales, but it has gradually fallen into disuse, having been replaced in most uses by Uruguayans.[15].
History
Pre-Hispanic era
The first humans arrived in what is currently Uruguayan territory 14,000 years ago, based on archaeological discoveries in the department of Artigas that, due to their antiquity, led to reconsidering the date of the arrival of man to the American continent.[34].
The oldest artificial constructions in the region are the more than 3,000 Indian hills that date back up to 5,000 years, distributed throughout the east of the country. Archaeological investigations have found evidence in the hills of companion dogs, as well as the agriculture of corn, beans, and pumpkins, a practice that was previously considered unknown to the prehistoric inhabitants of Uruguay.
The inhabitants of Uruguay at the time of the Spanish conquest were mainly the Charrúas, among whom the Guenoas-Minuanes, the Bohanes and the Chaná are distinguished. There is controversy over the existence of another group known as the Arachanes due to the lack of historical records. There was also the Yaros people who belonged to the Yés mixed or acculturated with the Charrúas. Contrary to what has been the dominant opinion for much of the century and , recent archaeological and ethnohistorical investigations have revealed that the settlement of Uruguayan territory by the Charrúas was largely after the European conquest. More precisely, it occurred between the end of the century and the beginning of the century, and was due to their expulsion from the territories of the current Argentine provinces of Santa Fe and Entre Ríos where they had their main residence, as part of the great offensive against the indigenous peoples unleashed by the Spanish colonizers after the Guaranític war. It is accepted, however, that some portion of Uruguayan territory, such as part of the current department of Colonia, had a Uruguayan presence before this migration. The Minuan ethnic group, on the other hand, would have been the most populous and widespread in Uruguayan territory, even after the displacement of the Charrúas.[35].
Simultaneously, the Guaraní, originally from the territories of the Jesuit missions, both during their existence and even more so after their dissolution, fled to nearby regions, including Uruguayan territory. They brought with them their European knowledge transmitted through their contact with the Society of Jesus in the aforementioned Missions, giving rise to the main Amerindian cultural heritage in the Uruguayan interior, especially in what has to do with practices related to animal husbandry, gastronomy, and other customs.[36].
colonial era
The first European settlement in the then called Banda Oriental was the Spanish San Lázaro "San Lázaro (Uruguay)"), founded by Sebastián Gaboto on the eastern bank of the Río de la Plata at the beginning of 1527.[37] A few weeks later, the Spanish under Gaboto founded a second fort at the mouth of the San Salvador River "Río San Salvador (Uruguay)"), which received its European name after from the name of the Fort of San Salvador. Such establishments were short-lived.
In January 1680, the Portuguese occupied the southern part of the Banda Oriental—violating the Treaty of Tordesillas—founding the Colonia do Santíssimo Sacramento, in front of the city of Buenos Aires. On November 22, 1723, the Field Master, Manuel de Freytas Fonseca established a fort in Montevieu Bay. On January 22, 1724, the Spanish from Buenos Aires displaced the Portuguese, who founded in the north of the eastern side of the Uruguay River, the city of Río Grande "Río Grande (Brazil)") in 1737, Porto Alegre in 1742 and the Fortress of Santa Teresa in 1762 in Rocha.
After evicting the Portuguese in 1724, Governor Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, called "Iron Arm", established a fort in the port of San Felipe. Montevideo was officially founded on December 24, 1726 by the Spanish captain. The new foundation was initially named Fort San José, and then San Felipe y Santiago, although the place was known in ancient times by the Spanish as Cerro Montevideu. There are several theories about the origin of the nomenclature of Montevideo: one hypothesis states that it could derive from the term "monte vide eu" used by someone who first saw the hill on its coasts. Another widely accepted origin would be that of the territorial census in its origins; At the time, the position where Montevideo is located was called: Monte VI from E to O —Monte sixth from East to West. At that time, Spain only had the port of Montevideo and the current departments of San José, Flores, Canelones and Maldonado. 80% of the eastern band of the Uruguay River remained Portuguese since 1680. The Portuguese established relations with the Chaná nation and introduced Africans from Bantu nations - from the kingdoms of Benguela, Ngola and Kongo "Kongo (ethnicity)"), among others, to Colonia and later to Montevideo - as slaves.
The Spanish settled families starting in 1726, when the second founding of Montevideo took place. The city of Montevideo was founded with military and commercial objectives,[38] being an important military plaza of the Spanish colonial dominions in the south during the century and the main port of the Río de la Plata estuary. The importance of Montevideo as a port of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata earned it confrontations with Buenos Aires, capital of the viceroyalty, on several occasions.
On November 22, 1749, the king of Spain appointed José Joaquín de Viana as the first governor of Montevideo. He arrived at the Río de la Plata on the ship Nuestra Señora de la Concepción on February 3, 1751, landing in Buenos Aires, where he swore the position of first Governor before Captain General Andonaegui and took possession of it in a solemn session that the Montevideo Cabildo held on March 14. The Government of Montevideo included the territories that went from the mouth of the Cufré stream, in the west, to the Pan de Azúcar hill "Cerro Pan de Azúcar (Uruguay)"), in the east, reaching in the north from the sources of the San José and Santa Lucía rivers "Río Santa Lucía (Uruguay)"), following the line of the Cuchilla Grande "Cuchilla Grande (Uruguay)") to the hill Ojosmín, which is located in the current department of Flores. In terms of the national political subdivision of the present, it corresponds to the current departments of Montevideo, Canelones and part of San José, Flores, Florida, Lavalleja and Maldonado.[39].
The first viceroy of the Río de la Plata, Pedro de Cevallos—or Zevallos—reconquered Montevideo and the Santa Teresa Fortress as well as the island of Santa Catarina. Finally, in 1777, Cevallos himself, named viceroy of the recently created Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, definitively conquered the Colony, a conquest that was endorsed by the treaty of San Ildefonso "Treaty of San Ildefonso (1777)").
In 1763 the city of San Carlos in Maldonado was founded with Portuguese by Cevallos. In 1798 and between 1806 and 1807 the English invasions occurred. Troops from Montevideo and Buenos Aires together repel the attacks of the English fleet—the first commanded by Commodore Home Riggs Popham and the second by Admiral Charles Stirling—coming to conquer the territories of Plata.
Independence
During the May Revolution of 1810—started in Buenos Aires—and the revolutionary uprising in the provinces of Plata, the city of Montevideo remained faithful to the Spanish authorities, although much of the rural interior and smaller cities did not. At the beginning of its formation, the leader José Gervasio Artigas stands out, whose intention was to create in the Eastern Province the nucleus of a confederation that would encompass the entire United Provinces of the Río de la Plata. Artigas titled himself protector of free peoples, bringing together under his military command the Banda Oriental - mostly present-day Uruguay - and the current Argentine provinces of Entre Ríos, Misiones, Corrientes, Santa Fe and, briefly, Córdoba "Province of Córdoba (Argentina)"). It also sought to integrate the Eastern Missions—which Artigas declared part of the Eastern Province—and the Republic of Paraguay.
In 1815 Artigas called a meeting of a congress of those provinces—the Congress of the East—in Arroyo de la China, currently Concepción del Uruguay in Entre Ríos, to try to solve their problems with the government of Buenos Aires. During the Portuguese-Brazilian invasion Artigas focused his operations from the Purification Camp.
During his brief period as leader and ruler of the Banda Oriental, Artigas promoted the implementation of an advanced social development program that included a reform of agrarian structures, through the Provisional Regulation of 1815, which established a distribution of land with social meaning under the slogan that "the unhappiest are the most privileged." Within this category, said regulation mentions blacks, zambos "Zambo (caste)") and poor widows with children, among others. Other development projects include the founding of the first public library, the customs regulations to promote national production, and the first attempt to establish a public school. This process comes to an end with the invasion of the Portuguese through Brazil.
In 1816 the Banda Oriental fell under the power of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarve. In 1821 the Cisplatin Congress decided to incorporate the territory into Portugal with the name of Cisplatin Province. In 1825 there was a revolution known as the emancipatory feat of the Thirty-Three Orientals, immediately followed by the Brazilian War, between the Empire and the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata. This concluded with the constitution of the Eastern State of Uruguay in 1828 after the signing of the Preliminary Peace Convention "Preliminary Peace Convention (1828)").
Civil wars and the extermination of indigenous people
Since Independence, Uruguay attempted to join the Western world through the expulsion of one of the surviving indigenous peoples, known as the Charrúas, to keep their lands.[40] On April 11, 1831, when General Fructuoso Rivera was president and General Manuel Oribe was minister of war, the Salsipuestas Massacre took place in which nearly thirty Charrúas died, the most important of a series of battles with the indigenous peoples, which resulted in the emigration of many Charrúas to Brazil and Argentina. This battle was the corollary of a war that preceded the arrival of the Spanish to the Río de la Plata, between the Charrúa and the Guaranític nations, the latter protected by General Rivera.
The first forty years of the new country witnessed great political instability. The continuous clashes between white "Partido Nacional (Uruguay)") and red "Partido Colorado (Uruguay)") gave rise to the so-called Great War and the long siege of Montevideo "Siege of Montevideo (1843-1851)"), with the country divided between two rival governments, and which witnessed serious interference in its internal affairs by Argentina and Brazil. That war was followed by a series of coups d'état and revolutions, which led Uruguay to participate in the long and costly war of the Triple Alliance against Paraguay. Only after the Revolution of the Lances, in 1872, did a stage of more peaceful resolution of political situations begin, although small civil wars continued to occur until 1904. In 1870 Spain recognized the independence of Uruguay when the Treaty of Recognition, Peace and Friendship was signed between the Eastern Republic of Uruguay and the Kingdom of Spain.
The Switzerland of America
At the end of the century the country had completed its organization and during the Batllista era—led by the president at that time, José Batlle y Ordóñez—it consolidated its democracy and reached high levels of well-being, comparable to Europeans. Due to this, Uruguay began to be known internationally as "the Switzerland of America."[41][42] Uruguay was one of the first countries to establish by law the right to divorce - 1907 - and one of the first countries in the world to establish the right of women's suffrage. In addition, it was the second nation in the world that, following the postulates of José Pedro Varela, established by law a free, compulsory and secular educational system -1877-.
Among the reforms promoted during the Batllista era, important advances in labor matters stood out, such as the eight-hour law of 1915, the prohibition of child labor for children under 13 years of age, the recognition of the right to strike, the extension of protection to the unemployed and retirees, as well as legal protection for union activity.[43].
There was an economic boom due to the consequences of the country's neutrality during the First World War, when the industrialization of the country began, where for years European manufactured products stopped being imported and they began to be manufactured in the national territory. This resulted in one of the lowest unemployment rates. Other achievements were added to all this; the tallest building in Latin America in 1928 -Palacio Salvo-, the excellent infrastructure, health and education with levels higher than those of European countries and many countries in developing Latin America, its public university, the largest stadium in the world -Estadio Centenario-, state public services -electricity, telephones, gas, trams, railways, running water, among others-, a Uruguayan peso that tended to appreciate against the dollar, new public institutions, the triumph in the championships of football in the Olympic Games - Paris 1924 and Amsterdam 1928 - and the World Cups in 1930 - hosted in the city of Montevideo - and 1950, in Brazil - called Maracanazo -, feats that contributed to perpetuating the myth of Uruguay's "golden age."
During the period between 1940 and 1945, which was the year Uruguay entered World War II, the economy was excessively dependent on foreign capital. One of Uruguay's problems was that it depended 100% on energy that came from abroad and therefore most of the benefits obtained returned without giving any benefit to the country. For this reason, the growth and evolution of Uruguay were greatly diminished, since the outflow of capital did not help national investment. After the end of the war, it became a founding member of the United Nations.
At the end of the century, the driving force behind Uruguay's growth, like that of many other Latin American countries, was exports. The fundamental difference between Uruguay and the others is that it did not depend excessively on a single destination country.
Economic decline
Around 1955, an economic crisis began that also affected political institutions. During the 1960s there was a continuous process of social and economic deterioration with a notable increase in agitation among left-wing union sectors. Simultaneously, the activity of about ten revolutionary groups was recorded, among which the "Tupamaros" stood out, who leaned towards urban guerrilla warfare.
At the same time, during the 60s and 70s far-right organizations acted, such as the Uruguayan Standing Youth -JUP- and the Comando Caza Tupamaros (CCT), known as Escuadrón de la Muerte "Death Squads (Uruguay)"). The Armed Forces used the deterioration that devastated the country to their advantage, gradually assuming prominence. These events led, ten years later, to a coup d'état that established a civil-military dictatorship "Civic-military dictatorship in Uruguay (1973-1985)").
Dictatorship
On June 27, 1973, the then president, Juan María Bordaberry, dissolved parliament with the support of the Armed Forces and months later created a State Council "State Council of the year 1973 (Uruguay)") with legislative functions, administrative control and in charge of projecting a constitutional reform "that reaffirms the republican-democratic principles", restricts freedom of expression of thought and empowers the Armed Forces and police to ensure the uninterrupted provision of public services.
The coup d'état of June 1973 and its resulting Council of State was immediately resisted by a large part of the citizenry and by the workers grouped in the National Workers' Convention (CNT&action=edit&redlink=1 "National Workers' Convention (Uruguay) (not yet drafted)")), as well as by the Student Movement, mainly represented by the Federation of University Students (FEUU) of the University of the Republic, who carried out a general strike of 15 days long, the longest in history so far.[45].
The Armed Forces detained left-wing leaders and other citizens without a political position, accusing them of sedition during the entire time that the military dictatorship lasted, that is, until 1985, as well as (for brief periods) well-known leaders of traditional political parties such as Jorge Batlle Ibáñez and Luis Alberto Lacalle de Herrera, who would later become Presidents of the Republic with the return to democracy, among others.
The members of "left-wing" parties were held almost completely incommunicado and suffered physical and psychological torture (later verified by organizations such as the International Red Cross). Nearly a hundred political prisoners died in Uruguayan prisons and another 140 people remain missing.[46].
The media was censored or banned, the trade union movement destroyed and tons of books burned after the works of some writers were banned. People registered as opponents of the regime are excluded from public administration and education.[47].
In 1976, at the end of his constitutional mandate, Bordaberry, convinced that the political chaos that the country had experienced was the responsibility of its political system, proposed to the Board of Commanders in Chief of the Armed Forces a reform of the country's institutional system, eliminating political parties and replacing them with "currents of opinion" in a corporatist system, an idea that is not shared by the military. The disagreements between Bordaberry and the military generated the political crisis of June 1976, which culminated in the dismissal of the president and the interim appointment of Alberto Demicheli to occupy the first magistracy.
Demicheli, who until then had served as president of the Council of State, assumes the presidency of the Republic on July 12. As the first measures of his government, he proceeded to sign Institutional Acts 1 and 2, by which he suspended "until further pronouncement" the call for general elections (scheduled for November of that same year) and the "Council of the Nation" was created. Regarding economic policy, Demicheli ratified the National Development Plan created in 1972 during the Bordaberry government. The applied economic policy sought a radical reformulation of the bases of the country's economic functioning, a new alliance between the military and the technobureaucracy, aimed at the transformation of the productive structures of foreign trade, income distribution, demand and relative prices, within a framework of broad liberalization and opening of the economy. Finally, on September 1 of the same year, Demichelli delegates the presidency to Aparicio Méndez (former Minister of Public Health), who takes over for a period of five years.
Return to democracy
On November 30, 1980, citizens rejected the constitutional reform project proposed by the dictatorial regime, beginning a slow process of political opening. On September 1, 1981, General Gregorio Álvarez assumed the presidency, and in 1984 he called elections, although with citizens and political parties banned. After taking place that same year, the Colorado Party "Partido Colorado (Uruguay)" emerges triumphant. During the first days of 1985 Álvarez left command in the hands of the President of the Supreme Court of Justice "Suprema Corte de Justicia (Uruguay)") in office, Rafael Addiego Bruno and, finally, on March 1, 1985 the government returned to civilians with the assumption of Julio María Sanguinetti as President.
In February and March 1985, the majority political parties agreed to vote on an amnesty law that extinguished political, common and military crimes related to them, committed after January 1, 1962. Authors and co-authors of completed crimes of intentional homicide were exempt from the amnesty, in which regard only the review of sentences by civil courts was provided. Police and military officials who had committed crimes involving inhuman, cruel or degrading treatment or the detention of people who later disappeared, or who had covered up such conduct, were expressly excluded.
Law 15,848 on the Expiration of the Punitive Claims of the State (popularly known as the "law of impunity" or "law of expiration"), which covered all members of the Armed Forces accused of human rights violations between 1973 and 1985, was approved by parliament in December 1986. In the following years, a campaign to collect signatures was carried out to promote a referendum to annul it. On April 16, 1989, after more than 25% of Uruguayan citizens authorized the referendum with their signature, it was carried out, with a triumph of the so-called "yellow vote" (for the color of the ballot), which ratified the law, with a margin of 57% against 43% with respect to the "green vote", for its annulment. The victory of the "yellow vote" meant not annulling the expiration law, and maintaining the amnesty for crimes committed during the military government.
In the November 1989 elections, Luis Alberto Lacalle (of the National Party) was elected. In 1994 Sanguinetti was elected for the second time.
In 1996, a constitutional reform was put for citizens' consideration that established internal elections and runoff elections for the first time; This reform is approved by a narrow margin in the plebiscite. Thus, in 1999 Jorge Batlle (of the Colorado Party) triumphed, as a result of this new system.
In relation to human rights during the civil-military dictatorship "Civic-military dictatorship in Uruguay (1973-1985)"), the Executive Branch has led the search for missing persons and victims of that period. In August 2000, the Peace Commission was created and, in April 2003, the Secretariat of Human Rights for the Recent Past, in charge of promoting postponed investigations and locating missing persons[48][49][50] Its tasks consisted of receiving, analyzing, classifying and compiling information on disappearances, with the support of forensic specialists and anthropologists.[51].
Economic, political and social crisis of 2002
In July 2002, in one of the hottest moments of the banking crisis, the senator of the Frente Amplio "Frente Amplio (Uruguay)"), Alberto Couriel, was in charge of the interpellation of the then minister Alberto Bensión, in which all the members of the Frente Amplio "Frente Amplio (Uruguay)") and a few of the National Party "Partido Nacional (Uruguay)") formally asked him to resign from office. This did not happen, but Rodríguez Batlle was removed.
In mid-July, the rejection of the National Party, until then an ally of the Batlle government, towards the economic policy that was being carried out was made public. It was then that, together with the Frente Amplio, they again asked for Bensión's resignation and this time they had better luck. Bensión left office on August 20 and Alejandro Atchugarry took office,[54] who was then serving as senator for the Colorado Party "Colorado Party (Uruguay)"). Atchugarry, who had just suffered the loss of his wife after a long illness, was reluctant to take up the position. However, Batlle found in him what he was looking for, a minister who was more political than technical. Batlle put the senator in a compromising situation, and suggested that if he did not take office as minister, he should resign from the presidency and Luis Hierro López would have to take the reins of the country.[55] Finally, Atchugarry accepted the position by saying "I love you and respect you like a father... Well, children don't say no to their parents.".[55] At the time of Atchugarry's inauguration, Rosario Medero, the white representative in the board of directors of the Central Bank, at the request of its political sector.
On July 30, the bank holiday was declared. The Batlle government excused itself by saying that it was an express request from the IMF to proceed with the liquidation of the Peirano group banks. This decision aimed to stop the flight of deposits that the Uruguayan financial market had been suffering since 2001, since many Argentine savers turned to their savings in Uruguay when they found themselves unable to withdraw money in their country. The ATMs ran out of money, and the exchange houses sold the dollar for 38 pesos and bought it for 24. The bank holiday ended on Monday, August 5.
The night of July 31 resulted in the first looting of a supermarket near the Legislative Palace "Palacio Legislativo (Uruguay)"). On August 1, a wave of these phenomena occurred that shook the city of Montevideo. There were more than thirty, and this time they happened in marginal areas. Many merchants expressed their willingness not to reopen their shops the next day for fear of being looted. The Minister of the Interior, Guillermo Stirling, tried to reassure the population by announcing a reinforcement of police surveillance for future occasions. On August 2 there was no looting, however, a wave of rumors invaded the city. It was rumored that a horde of people was heading towards the center of Montevideo, looting everything in their path. Merchants closed their doors instantly and the city center was left desolate. A strong police operation was launched and the Air Force flew over the capital using helicopters in search of the horde of looters that never arrived and perhaps never existed.[56].
Government of the Broad Front
In the 2004 presidential elections, the socialist and oncologist Tabaré Vázquez, candidate for the leftist coalition Encuentro Progresista-Frente Amplio-Nueva Mayoría, was elected with 50.6% of the votes, achieving victory in the first round and achieving a parliament with absolute majorities. Tabaré Vázquez belonged to the Uruguayan Socialist Party for more than 25 years, he disaffiliated from it in December 2008 due to philosophical discrepancies in his position regarding the decriminalization of abortion, however, without ceasing to continue being a person of deep socialist ideals. In the 2005 municipal elections, the National Party won ten mayoralties, the EP-FA-NM won eight, and the Colorado Party won one.
In the legislative elections of October 2009, the Frente Amplio "Frente Amplio (Uruguay)") once again achieved the parliamentary majority with 48% of the total votes (counting blank and annulled votes), while the National Party "Partido Nacional (Uruguay)") came second with 29.4%, the Colorado Party "Partido Colorado (Uruguay)") third, obtaining 17.5%. The Frente Amplio vote did not achieve an absolute majority of the total votes cast, including blank and annulled votes, so the presidential election was defined on November 29, 2009 through a runoff between the leftist José Mujica of the Frente Amplio and the right-wing former president Luis Alberto Lacalle Herrera of the National Party "National Party (Uruguay)"). José “Pepe” Mujica was elected president of Uruguay and successor to Tabaré Vázquez. The Frente Amplio formula obtained 52.4% of the votes, while the other candidate, the former white president Luis Alberto Lacalle (1990-1995), obtained 43.5%, according to the results of the Electoral Court.[61] Around 4% of the votes were blank or annulled. In the first round on October 25, Mujica, of the ruling leftist Frente Amplio party, and Lacalle, of the National Party, had received the most votes (48% and 29.1% respectively), but neither achieved a majority. In his inauguration speech, held on March 1, 2010, Mujica reaffirmed the need for the country to have state policies. He also proposed the elimination of destitution and the reduction of poverty by 50% as a primary objective of his administration.[62].
In the 2010 departmental elections, the National Party obtained twelve mayoralties (regained three, lost one), the Broad Front obtained five (lost four, conquered one) and the Colorado Party obtained two (gained one more). In the 2014 Uruguayan general elections, Tabaré Vázquez was again elected in the second round with 56.62% of the votes.
Elections of 2019 and 2025
As a result of the victory of the conservative National Party "Partido Nacional (Uruguay)") in the second round of the 2019 presidential elections, in 2020, Tabaré Vázquez was succeeded by the center-right Luis Alberto Lacalle Pou, after 15 years of left-wing governments, as the 42nd President of Uruguay.[63] In the first weeks of his mandate, the government of Uruguay had to begin to confront the pandemic of coronavirus,[64] followed by the declaration of a health emergency and the adoption of several exceptional measures.[65].
In the 2024 general elections, Yamandú Orsi of the Frente Amplio "Frente Amplio (Uruguay)") emerged, with Carolina Cosse as vice president. It is the fourth victory of the left coalition.
Government and politics
Contenido
La República Oriental del Uruguay es un Estado unitario democrático y descentralizado de carácter presidencialista.
Según un informe publicado por la revista británica The Economist (El Economista), Uruguay es considerado el país más plenamente democrático de Sudamérica, ubicado en el puesto 15 sobre un total de 167 naciones, siendo el más democrático de Latinoamérica.[66] Y, además, es el segundo de América -por detrás de Canadá- en la tabla de los países con menor índice de percepción de corrupción (elaborado por la organización Transparencia Internacional).[67].
Political structure
Its government is divided into three independent branches: executive branch, legislative branch and judicial branch. In addition, there are three autonomous public control bodies: the Electoral Court, the Administrative Litigation Court "Tribunal de lo Contencioso Administrativo (Uruguay)") and the Court of Accounts of the Republic "Tribunal de Cuentas (Uruguay)").
Executive power is exercised by the President of the Republic, acting in agreement with the respective minister or ministers, or with the Council of Ministers.[68] The president is simultaneously head of State and Government, and is elected together with the vice president by direct popular election. The president has a term of 5 years without immediate re-election until after the same period from leaving office. They are elected in the same candidacy presented by the respective party. In the event that no candidate obtains an absolute majority of the votes, a second round is held between the first two majorities. In said vote, the candidate that obtains the simple majority of the votes wins.
The President of the Republic appoints the heads of the ministries and can dismiss them. Likewise, the General Assembly can dismiss ministers by an absolute majority vote.
Legislative power resides in the General Assembly, which consists of a Senate of thirty-one members (counting the president of the chamber, who is the vice president of the Republic) and a House of Representatives of 99 members. Elections for parliament are held on closed lists simultaneously with the presidential election (the vote is not applied for each candidate for deputy or senator but for a list presented by each political party). Deputies are elected by department, while senators are elected at the national level, both for five-year terms. Each of Uruguay's 19 departments is headed by a popularly elected mayor. The councilors of the Departmental Board act as legislative power at the departmental level.
The judicial branch is headed by the Supreme Court of Justice, whose members are appointed by the General Assembly by a two-thirds majority and whose terms last ten years or until they reach 70 years of age. The Supreme Court of Justice is the last instance of appeal and is also in charge of judging the constitutionality of laws. The judicial branch is also made up of Courts of Appeal, Legal Courts and Peace Courts.
Territorial organization
Departmental governments.
The governments of each of the 19 departments are organized like the central government, with two fundamental bodies: the Municipal Mayor (Executive), and the Departmental Board (Legislative). They take care of the domestic tasks of the department, transportation, care of the cities, waste, public lighting, among other functions. They have their own resources, in particular taxes levied on vehicles registered in the department ("vehicle license") and the properties located there ("real estate tax", lighting tax, sanitation tax, etc.).
• - The Mayor is elected directly by the citizens registered in the civic registry of that department, in elections that are held in 19 constituencies (one for each department) on a date different from the national election (the second Sunday of the following May).
• - The Departmental Boards are unicameral organizations made up of 31 councilors. The political party that obtains the simple majority of votes obtains 16 of the seats and the rest is divided among the other parties in proportion to the votes obtained.
• - The constitutional reform of 1997 institutionalized the National Congress of Mayors, in order to coordinate the policies of the Departmental Governments to allow them to agree among themselves, with the executive branch or with other State bodies.
Uruguay is divided into 19 departments and has 127 municipalities, each of which has a population equal to or greater than 2,000 inhabitants:
The main cities in relation to their population are: Montevideo, Salto "Salto (Uruguay)"), Ciudad de la Costa, Maldonado, Paysandú, Las Piedras "Las Piedras (Uruguay)"), Rivera "Rivera (Uruguay)"), Tacuarembó, Melo and Artigas "Artigas (city)").
Municipalities.
By Law No. 18567 of September 13, 2009, local entities called municipalities were created, with bodies of five members. Its president is called "mayor" and the other members are called "councillors." The members are elected by direct vote of the citizens at the same time that the Mayors and Departmental Boards are elected. By Law No. 18,653 of March 15, 2010, 89 municipalities were defined, whose territory does not cover the entire country.
Currently the number of municipalities is 127.
The powers of these local bodies are very limited and are fundamentally based on the delegation of functions they receive from the respective departmental governments. The municipalities do not have their own budget or officials, and their resources are those assigned to them by the central government and the departments.
International relations
Uruguay has traditionally had strong political and cultural ties with its nearby countries and Europe. The British diplomat Alfred Mitchell-Innes was Minister of Uruguay in all the crucial years of The Great War (1913-1919).
With globalization and regional economic problems, its ties with the United States have strengthened. Uruguay is a firm defender of constitutional democracy, political pluralism and individual freedoms. Historically, international relations have been guided by the principles of non-intervention, multilateralism, respect for national sovereignty and trust in the law to resolve disputes. Uruguay also reflects the international relations of its campaign to seek export markets and foreign investment. It is a founding member of MERCOSUR. In June 1991, MERCOSUR and the United States signed the Rose Garden Agreement") (also known as the "Four Plus One" Agreement). The agreement did not become operational until June 2001 when MERCOSUR invited the US to examine the feasibility of market access negotiations. The first US-MERCOSUR meeting was held on September 24, 2001, and resulted in the creation of four working groups in industrial trade, electronic commerce, agriculture, and investment.
Uruguay has an FTA with Mexico and is a member of the Latin American Reserve Fund although it does not belong to the Andean Integration System.
After ambivalent positions by the Tabaré Vázquez government regarding the US offer to sign an FTA, in the absence of complete support in the Frente Amplio, the negotiations culminated with the signing of a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement with the US.
Uruguay is a member of the Rio Group, an association of Latin American states that deals with multilateral security issues. Likewise, it is a member State of the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance. Uruguay's location between Argentina and Brazil leads to close relations with these two largest neighbors. One of the first proponents of the Initiative for the Americas"), Uruguay has actively participated in the process of periodic follow-up to the Summits of the Americas, especially the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA).
Often considered a neutral country, having a professional diplomatic corps, Uruguay is frequently called upon to preside over international organizations. The country elected to preside over the FTAA and agricultural committees of the WTO and a Uruguayan presides over the WTO General Assembly. Uruguay is also a member of the Latin American Integration Association (ALADI), a Montevideo-based trade association that includes 10 South American countries plus Mexico and Cuba.
Uruguay along with Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay is a state party[70] and founder of Mercosur,[71] Chile as the first associate member; and Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, as recently associated states. Mercosur began to function with its own legal personality on December 15, 1994, the date of entry into force of the Ouro Preto Protocol, with Uruguay being part of the initial group of countries that made up this bloc.
Armed forces
The Armed Forces of Uruguay are constitutionally subordinate to the president through the Minister of Defense. In 2003, Uruguay had more than 2,500 soldiers in 12 peaceful missions of the United Nations. The largest troops are in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Haiti. There are 57 members of the armed forces in the Sinai Peninsula. The armed forces of Uruguay are made up of the National Army "Ejército Nacional (Uruguay)"), the National Navy "Armada Nacional (Uruguay)") and the Uruguayan Air Force.
The army is made up of about 18,000 troops[72] organized into four divisions (Military Division). Its armored force consists of 15 Ti-67 Tiran, (T-55 battle tanks captured by Israel in 1967 during the Six Day War and modernized), 17 M24 Chaffee and 22 M41A1 Walker Bulldogs. In addition, 15 BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles, 100 OT - 64 armored personnel carriers, 55 Thyssen Henschel - Cóndor, 24 M113A2, 15 EE-9 Cascavel, 18 EE-3 Jararaca reconnaissance vehicles, 48 Vodniks 4x4 armored vehicles from Russia, and 147 Mowag Piranha.[73].
The current assault rifle used by the army is the FN FAL. An Iranian company (Moldex) put out a tender to replace the FN FAL, but there is a UN embargo on arms imports from Iran. Finally, the tender won the Austrian Steyr AUG 5.56 mm rifle of excellent quality, of which 3,500 units were initially purchased (in 2009), and then reached 20,000, equipping the entire force.[74].
The National Navy is made up of about 5,000 troops and is structured into four commands, the Fleet Command, the National Naval Prefecture, the Directorate of Naval Material and the Directorate of Naval Personnel.
The Navy includes the Naval Rifle Corps which consists of four brigades and represents the marine infantry corps of Uruguay.
It has a Naval Aviation, whose base is located in the department of Maldonado, on the shores of Laguna del Sauce, and its name is Aeronaval Base No. 2 "Capitán de Corbeta Carlos A. Curbelo", which gives the name to the airport, which belongs to the National Navy, and is currently concessioned by decision of the government in the 1990s, also known as Laguna del Sauce International Airport, where the air resources are located for the task of Control of Jurisdictional Waters (CAJ) and search and rescue at sea (SAR).
The Naval School "Escuela Naval (Uruguay)") is located in Carrasco "Carrasco (Montevideo)"), a neighborhood in the city of Montevideo. The training consists of 4 years of study, embarking at the end of the last year on board the training ship ROU 20 Captain Miranda for a period of approximately one year. This trip serves as a practical experience for future sailors who visit various ports around the world, while promoting Uruguay as a tourist destination.
The Air Force is made up of about 3,000 troops and is organized into three air brigades. The 1st Air Brigade is based at the Cesáreo Berisso air base, which is at the Carrasco Airport, where the transport and helicopter squadrons are located. The 2nd Air Brigade is at the Mario W. Parallada air base at the Santa Bernardina Airport and has the fighter and ground attack squadrons, in addition to having the liaison squadron and the Advanced Flight Squadron. The 3rd Air Brigade is based at the Boiso Lanza airbase, and this houses the observation and liaison squadron. Fighter aircraft is made up of the American A-37B Dragonfly. For training they have the Aermacchi SF.260, B-58 Baron and PC-7. For transport they use a pair of C-130B Hercules, some C-95 Bandeirante, an EMB-120 Brasilia and some C-212 Aviocar. The observation and liaison aircraft are the 206H Stationair, and T-41D Mescalero. Finally, the helicopters include UH-1H Iroquois, Twin Hueys Bell 212, and AS 365 Dauphin.
Human rights
In terms of human rights, regarding membership in the seven bodies of the International Bill of Human Rights, which include the Human Rights Committee (HRC), Uruguay has signed or ratified:
Geography
Uruguay tiene una superficie terrestre total de ,[3] de la que es la suma total de los departamentos, 1200 km² comprende la suma de los lagos artificiales del río Negro "Río Negro (Uruguay)"),[3] 105 km² de las islas del río Uruguay y de aguas jurisdiccionales (río Uruguay, Río de la Plata y laguna Merín). Hasta agosto de 2016, el área de mar territorial era de (véase Puntos extremos de Uruguay). El 30 de agosto de 2016, la Convención de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Derecho del Mar confirmó a Uruguay la nueva extensión de la plataforma continental, por lo que el país crece hacia el mar y pasa a tener más territorio marítimo que terrestre. De ahí en más, el área total del territorio uruguayo abarca .[85].
Relief
The Uruguayan relief is characterized by its low altitude, divided into two large structural areas: the penallanuras and the plains. It represents a transition zone between the Pampas plain and the Brazilian shield.[86].
Although the average height of 140 can be considered low, the relief does not correspond to a typical plain, given the almost constant presence of blades "Cuchilla (geography)") and saws "Sierra (geography)"); This type of relief is called peneplain. The elevations are associated with two systems: the Haedo blade, north of the Negro River "Río Negro (Uruguay)"), and the Grande blade "Cuchilla Grande (Uruguay)"), to the south of it. From these two systems, blades of smaller size and elevation are released.[87].
From the Cuchilla de Haedo arise the Negra and Santa Ana blades that serve as the limit between Uruguay and Brazil, the Hospital blade a little further south and between the Negro and Tacuarembó rivers; To the west extend the Belén, Daymán and Queguay blades.[87] Geologically, this system is mainly composed of basalts and sandstone. Its hills usually have a flattened shape.[88].
The Cuchilla Grande system is made up of the Cuchilla Grande itself, which runs from north to south. As an extension of it to the north is the Dionisio blade"), between the Olimar and Tacuarí rivers. The Cerro Partido blade") extends to the east between the Cebollatí river and the India Muerta stream. The Carapé mountain range forms the southern end of the system and has the three highest hills in the country: Cerro Catedral "Cerro Catedral (Uruguay)"), Cerro de las Ánimas and Cerro Pan de Azúcar "Cerro Pan de Azúcar (Uruguay)"). As an extension of the Carapé mountain range, the Carbonera mountain range extends, parallel to the Atlantic coast. Towards the west, there is the Grande del Durazno blade"), between the Negro and Yi rivers. In the same direction, further south, the Grande Inferior blade") reaches the plains near the mouth of the Uruguay River, detaching from it the Santa Lucía blades"), the Mahoma mountain ranges, the Bizcocho blade") and the Colonia blade").[87] This system is composed mainly of granites and its hills usually have a shape rounded at its summit.[88].
The highest point is the Cathedral "Cerro Catedral (Uruguay)"), located in the Department of Maldonado, with 514 meters. Other notable elevations are the Cerro de las Ánimas and the Sugar Loaf "Cerro Pan de Azúcar (Uruguay)") in Maldonado, the Arequita in Lavalleja, the Montevideo hill with its historical fortress and from which the name of the city is supposedly derived, and the Batoví, near the Iporá spa, in Tacuarembó.[86].
The plains or plains generally have soil formed by sedimentation and very fertile. They are mainly found on the coast of the Uruguay River, the coast of the Río de la Plata and the Atlantic coast, the latter extending to the Merin lagoon and the basins of the Olimar and Cebollatí rivers.[89][90].
• - Cerro Pan de Azúcar "Cerro Pan de Azúcar (Uruguay)"), Maldonado.
• - Cerro Catedral "Cerro Catedral (Uruguay)"), the highest point in the country, Maldonado.
• - Cerro Batoví, symbol of the department of Tacuarembó.
• - Arequita National Park, Lavalleja.
• - Coastal plain of the Uruguay River, Paysandú.
• - Lunarejo Valley, Rivera "Rivera (Uruguay)").
• - Cascada del Brujo, Sierra de las Ánimas, Maldonado.
• - Dunes of the Cabo Polonio National Park, Rocha.
• - Quebrada de los Cuervos Canyon, Treinta y Tres.
Hydrography
The rivers and streams of Uruguay form an extensive and dense network that irrigates the entire territory. All river currents flow into the Atlantic Ocean. These currents tend to have a slight slope, which makes them slow and looped currents, which favors sediment deposits in their beds. Given the irregularity of rainfall in the region, floods often occur in times of excess rain, some of them serious.[91][92].
Although most of the country's territory is occupied by grasslands, most of the indigenous forest is concentrated on the banks of the water channels. The importance of this forest is given that it stops the erosion of the riverside soil, prevents excessive evaporation and dams the riverbeds.[93].
There are also important underground water deposits, with the north of the country being part of the Guaraní aquifer; Other important aquifers are the Raigón "Raigon (Uruguay)"), in the south of the country, the Mercedes "Mercedes (Uruguay)"), in the west, and the Chuy, in the east of the territory.[91][92].
Most of the territory is located within the Río de la Plata basin, while the rest of the territory is part of the Merin lagoon basin and a series of small water channels that flow directly into the Atlantic Ocean. For a better study of surface water resources, the Uruguayan State divides the territory into three hydrological regions: the Uruguay River, the Merin Lagoon and the Río de la Plata and the maritime front.[94].
The hydrographic region of the Uruguay River is the part of the basin of said river that is within Uruguayan territory. It has an approximate area of and represents 64% of the country's land area. Of that extension, more than half, corresponds to the Negro River basin.[95].
The hydrographic region of the Río de la Plata and the maritime front is comprised of the basins of rivers and streams that flow into the aforementioned river, except for the Uruguay River and its tributaries, and into the Atlantic Ocean. It has an area of , representing 20% of the territorial area of Uruguay.[96].
The hydrographic region of Laguna Merín is made up of the part of the basin of the same name that is within Uruguayan territory and extends across , which is equivalent to 16% of the territory.[97].
The Uruguay River, in addition to being the longest in the country, serves as the border with the Argentine Republic and has great economic importance, given that the plains that surround it are highly fertile. It is home to the Salto Grande dam, upstream from the cities of Salto (Uruguay) "Salto (Uruguay)") and Concordia (Argentina) "Concordia (Argentina)"), commissioned on June 21, 1979 and which provides most of the country's electrical energy. The dam's reservoir has generated an artificial lake of 783 km², with a length of 140 km, a width of 9 km and a volume of 5500 hm³. The river basin has an approximate total area of , of which (just over 33%) are within Uruguayan territory. In this region, the main tributaries of the Uruguay River are the Cuareim, Arapey, Dayman, Queguay, Negro "Río Negro (Uruguay)") and San Salvador "Río San Salvador (Uruguay)" rivers. It is also important as a communication route, since it is navigable to the city of Concepción del Uruguay and by shallow draft ships to the cities of Concordia "Concordia (Argentina)") and Salto "Salto (Uruguay)").[98][99][100][101].
Political geography
Uruguay maintains two border disputes with Brazil regarding the territories known as Isla Brasilera and Rincón de Artigas, in the department of Artigas "Artigas (department)"), which occupy an area of 237 km².[110].
The Uruguayan maritime space is divided into three clear zones according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (ratified by Uruguay on December 10, 1992), each with different levels of jurisdiction:
• - Territorial sea, is the strip of sea that every State has the right to establish up to a limit that does not exceed 12 nautical miles, measured from baselines, there the country exercises its full sovereignty just as on land, and may even deny transit or navigation to ships with foreign flags.
• - Exclusive economic zone, is the area located beyond the territorial sea and adjacent to it, comprising 200 nautical miles measured from the same baselines from which the width of the territorial sea is measured. The Uruguayan exclusive economic zone has an area of .[111] There the country has exclusive rights to fishing exploitation, as well as the resources of the seabed and subsoil. It cannot, however, prevent the transit of foreign flag ships or the laying of submarine cables.
• - Extended continental shelf is the natural extension of the continent that continues beyond the country's exclusive economic zone. It extends to the outer edge of the continental slope or to a distance of 350 nautical miles, whichever is less. There the country has exclusive rights to the exploitation of bed and subsoil resources, but not to fishing. On August 25, 2009, Uruguay presented a request to a UN commission for recognition of the 350 nautical miles of extended continental shelf. The claim was based on depth and geophysical measurements carried out by the Uruguayan Navy to determine the extent of the Uruguayan continental shelf.[112] In August 2011, the UN commission studying the claim requested more scientific information and on August 30, 2016, the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLPC), a technical body created by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), communicated its Recommendation on the establishment of the outer limit of the extended Uruguayan continental shelf. This recommendation implies a territorial extension for Uruguay of approximately, covering its entire continental margin and enabling it to establish the country's last border at 350 nautical miles.[113].
Uruguay is a signatory country of the Antarctic Treaty with consultative member status, which means that it has a voice and vote in the treaty's consultative meetings. In its accession document, Uruguay reserved the rights that correspond to it in Antarctica in accordance with International Law.
The country has two scientific bases on the Antarctic continent that are managed by the Uruguayan Antarctic Institute:
• - The Artigas Antarctic Scientific Base (BCAA), founded on December 22, 1984 on King George Island, is a permanent Antarctic base belonging to Uruguay, it has 13 buildings and a population of 60 people in summer and 9 in winter, various scientific activities are carried out there.
Climate
The climate in Uruguay is temperate and humid, with warm summers, cool winters, and more or less homogeneous rainfall throughout the year. Uruguay is the only country in South America that is located entirely in the temperate zone. The absence of important orographic systems contributes to the fact that spatial variations in temperature, precipitation and other parameters are not so high. The average annual temperature is approximately 17 °C.[114].
In Uruguay, where both maritime and continental influences are noticeable, the rainfall distribution presents a double rainy season, and is distributed between spring-summer and autumn, with a maximum peak in autumn and a secondary maximum in spring.
Due to its latitude, between 30°S and 35°S, the four seasons are clearly differentiated by temperature. Although the climate of Uruguay tends to be standardized or averaged, there is a clear difference between the north and south of the territory. The area located in the extreme northwest of the country (Artigas, Salto, Rivera) is considerably warmer with an average of between 18-19 °C and an average rainfall of about 1400 mm per year (the extreme northern area has a typical "temperate subtropical" behavior). The south and east (Montevideo, Maldonado, Rocha, Lavalleja) on the other hand are cooler with an average of around 16 °C and 1000 mm per year (these areas have characteristics more similar to the "maritime temperate").
Low landforms predominate in Uruguay (the average height of the territory is less than 150 meters), so the climate is determined by latitude and the influence of the sea currents of the Atlantic Ocean. The warm Brazil current increases the temperature of the Atlantic from late January to early May; The cold current of the Malvinas Islands cools its waters from June to September. The effect of both determines an average sea temperature at surface level (Punta del Este) between 8 °C and 23 °C depending on the time of year. From February to April, the ocean temperature is very pleasant and generally significantly different from that recorded from June to the end of December, although there is important interannual variation during the summer.
The cold is generally quite humid, very windy with cloudy days, the heat is not too dry, rather humid and heavy in the south and drier in the north.
Snow has been present in the southern and central areas of the country, however the most common are meteorological frosts, which mainly affect the central-southern and central-northern areas of the country.
As an example of the climatic variability of Uruguay, in the 31 days of a month of July, 25 days of frost can be recorded, as in the city of Florida, 34.1° S 56.2° W, at (meters above sea level), just 90 km from Montevideo, (this occurred in July 2007) or only 6 days (in July 2006), this shows a great variation between years in the cold season. Summer, unlike winter, is more uniform. The La Niña phenomenon "La Niña (climate)") (2007) causes a uniformly cold winter and prolonged droughts (Florida, recorded average for July 2007 6.8 °C), while the El Niño phenomenon causes rain and mild winters (Florida, recorded average for July 2006 13.1 °C).
Flora and fauna
Flora
Flora of Uruguay is defined as the around 2,500 plant species distributed in 150 families "Family (biology)"),[126] whether native or foreign, that exist in that country. 75% of the territory is grassland,[127] and the native forests, together with the palmares, cover 752,000 hectares (4.3% of the country's surface).[128].
The existence of differentiated zones of species throughout the territory is determined, mainly, by the existence or not of artificial irrigation, the lack of which causes natural grassland to predominate in most of the Uruguayan territory. On the other hand, large plant species can be found in ravines, mountain ranges, river banks and areas surrounding them.
Uruguay has the largest group of ombúes in the world, located in Laguna de Castillos. Also noteworthy is the enormous palm grove of the Butiá capitata species that covers a large part of the department of Rocha, being the southernmost group of palm trees in the world, with hundreds of thousands of specimens distributed over tens of km².
Among the exotic species introduced into the territory, the eucalyptus (introduced in the century), the pine, the araucaria, the oak, the holy cedar, the weeping willow, the birch, the carob, the rosemary, the hibiscus, the ficus, the cactus, the ivy, the tacuara, the fruit trees (citrus, guava, apple tree, fig tree, etc.), the strain, the palm tree, Platanus hispanica (for the ornamentation of cities), reeds, climbing plants, sugar cane, among others.
Fauna
The native fauna of Uruguay is characterized by a large number of aquatic and terrestrial birds, as well as mammals and reptiles. However, human presence has endangered various animal species, partly due to the destruction of their natural habitat or due to poaching.
The birdlife of Uruguay consists of around four hundred and fifty species, twenty-four of which are globally threatened and five are introduced.
Within the group of plumage birds, the large hen and the chiricote or small crepe stand out, two of the best-known species in the country. Also common are the Pardirallus, or red and blue beaked hen and the spotted one. The red-legged donkey and the green-legged donkey are also equally important, as are smaller species such as the yellow-breasted donkey, the spotted or blackish-winged donkey, and finally the painted donkey.
The Tero is spread throughout the territory and is characterized by its speed and its song, from which it receives the common name of "Teru-Teru".[129] On the other hand, the rhea is found in a stable proportion and in recent years its meat has been sold in foreign markets, which is why breeding of this species has been extended under special conditions.[130].
The cardinal present throughout the American continent,[131] and other species such as the Argentine parrot, the parrot, the furnarius rufus, the capercaillie, the black-necked swan, the duck, the heron, the gull, as well as the pelican, the benteveo, the gray crow, the crane, the mountain eagle, and the swallow that lives in the summer months, are birds present throughout the territory. Uruguayan, like the Chajá.
It is believed that there are more than 200 species of reptiles in the country, most of them harmless to humans; Venomous snakes are found in the north, in the departments of Artigas, Rivera, Salto and Tacuarembó, and in the mountain areas in the south.
Multiple reptiles stand out, including several species of lizards such as the overo lizard, turtles such as the morrocoyo, and snakes such as the cross viper or yarará. The alligator is distributed in the north of Uruguay, especially in the department of Artigas on the coast of the Cuareim River and its tributaries; Being in danger, there is captive breeding in the Pan de Azúcar hill reserve.
The batrachian fauna is rich, drawing attention to the great giant toad, the Creole frog, the escuerzo, and several small species, including some endemic ones.
The fauna of terrestrial mammals of Uruguay includes 77 species grouped into 7 orders and 24 families. Of them, approximately 40 live in the Eastern Wetlands in Rocha. On the other hand, there is certainty of the extinction of at least four species of this group in Uruguay. They are: the large anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), the jaguar (Felis onca), the collared peccary (Tayassu tajacu) and the swamp deer (Blastoceros dichotomus). The latter was last seen in Rocha in 1957, precisely in the swamps that surround the Potrerillo de Santa Teresa.[132].
As for aquatic animals, Uruguay has considerable diversity due to its extensive ocean coast on the Atlantic, its mighty rivers, and a series of natural and artificial lakes. The sea lion lives on the beaches of Punta del Este, for example, which feeds on fish and represents a threat to fishermen in the area. During the southern winter, that is, from June to September, it is possible to find some whales, and even penguins, on the coast of Montevideo. Uruguay has the second largest colony of sea lions in the world. Most of them are located on the island of Lobos "Isla de Lobos (Uruguay)"), near Punta del Este. There are mainly two species of sea lions, Arctophoca australis, commonly known as "two-haired sea lion" and Otaria flavescens, whose common name is "one-haired sea lion" or "South American sea lion."[133] There are also whales and dolphins.[134].
The fish of Uruguay can be divided into two large groups, both with a notable number of species, freshwater and saltwater fish.
Many species are exploited for sport from the coasts, while others support an industry linked to their sexual reproduction. Among the many species in this group, a good number of shark species particularly stand out.
Freshwater fish can be distinguished into several subgroups:
• - Fishes from the Uruguay River. Possibly the best known are dorado and catfish.
• - Fish from the Río de la Plata. Of the species in this group, one of the most popular among sport fishermen is the silverside.
• - Inland freshwater fish. Uruguay is an international destination for sport fishermen who search, especially, for the gigantic tarariras, captured in lentic river environments of the eastern interior.
It is also known among aquarists around the world for its various ornamental species, many of them endemic, from the Cichlidae and Rivulidae families.
There are four species that are considered pests, for which hunting is authorized:
• - The wild boar, also called "boar pig"; It is not native to Uruguay and was introduced into the country by Aarón de Anchorena (Anchorena Park), during his stay. Since there was no control over its breeding, it spread throughout the territory, particularly in the mountain areas. It is persecuted, since during the sheep breeding season, it attacks them.
• - The hare, an introduced species, also causes damage to crops.
• - The sparrow, which is not native to Uruguay, was introduced by some Chinese immigrants to the territory. Since it did not have natural predators to control its reproduction, it multiplied and dispersed throughout the national territory. Hunting is allowed.
• - The parrot, with the introduction of the eucalyptus with very smooth bark, which some of its predators cannot climb, became a pest, wreaking havoc on crops.
Economy
La economía de Uruguay está dominada por el sector agrícola orientado a las exportaciones, y por un sector industrial desarrollado. Después de haber crecido un 5 % por año durante el periodo de 1996-1998, la economía se vio fuertemente afectada por las recesiones económicas de Brasil y Argentina, y la moneda se devaluó al mismo tiempo que lo hacía la moneda argentina. Uruguay es miembro del Mercosur, y Montevideo es la sede. Tras la crisis de 2002, el país inició una prolongada fase de crecimiento económico a tasas elevadas, basado principalmente en las exportaciones de mercancías a precios elevados.
Uruguay es un país agroexportador, por lo cual la agricultura: arroz, trigo, maíz, girasol, sorgo, cebada, soja, caña de azúcar (Bella Unión) y la ganadería (vacunos, ovinos) son los recursos fundamentales de la economía. Las industrias principales son los frigoríficos, la lechera y derivados, la textil, la de papel y cartón, los fertilizantes, los alcoholes, el cemento y la refinación de hidrocarburos.
Si bien los recursos minerales y energéticos son escasos, existen grandes yacimientos de ágatas "Ágata (mineral)") y amatistas en el norte del país (departamento de Artigas "Artigas (departamento)")), yacimientos de granito y mármol, y extracción de oro en la localidad de Minas de Corrales. También está en estudio la búsqueda de diamantes y otros minerales.
Destaca también el sector de servicios (financieros, logística, transporte, comunicaciones) así como la pujante industria de las tecnologías de la información, en particular el desarrollo de software y servicios vinculados. Uruguay es también el mayor exportador per cápita de software de América Latina y el cuarto en términos absolutos, solo superado por México, Brasil y Argentina.[135]
En los últimos años ha crecido en importancia la explotación forestal de Eucalyptus grandis y Eucalyptus globulus, con vista a la producción de madera aserrada y madera para la producción de pasta de celulosa. Asimismo, está en construcción una planta perteneciente a Montes del Plata, resultado de la unión de las empresas Stora Enso y Arauco, así como hay otras en estado de proyecto. Se encuentra en funcionamiento una planta de pasta de celulosa perteneciente a la empresa finlandesa UPM-Kymmene (anteriormente Botnia), ubicada sobre el río Uruguay, en el departamento de Río Negro, cerca de la capital del mismo, Fray Bentos.
Otro de los principales ingresos económicos al país es el turismo: la nación cuenta con una línea costera sobre el Río de la Plata y el océano Atlántico salpicada de balnearios, entre los que se destacan Punta del Este y Piriápolis, de fama internacional. El turismo agropecuario, histórico y termal tiene importancia.
El número de afiliados a los sindicatos se ha cuadruplicado desde 2003, pasando de 110 000 a más de 400 000 en 2015 para una plantilla de 1,5 millones de trabajadores. Según la Confederación Sindical Internacional, Uruguay se ha convertido en el país más avanzado de América en cuanto al respeto de "los derechos laborales fundamentales, en particular la libertad de asociación, el derecho a la negociación colectiva y el derecho de huelga". Uno de los efectos de esta elevada sindicalización fue la reducción de las desigualdades socioeconómicas.[136].
Macroeconomic indicators
After years of growth, in the period 1999-2002 the economy suffered a significant recession, which derived mainly from the indirect effects of the economic problems of its large neighbors, such as Argentina and Brazil. The banking crisis was caused by the massive withdrawal of Argentine citizens' assets from Uruguayan banks. Then with the intervention of the IMF, Uruguay was able to face its problems, including debt restructuring. The average growth in the five-year period 2004-2008 was 8% annually. The external debt as of December 31, 2014, according to data from the CIA The World Factbook, reached 24.19 billion dollars.[137].
According to IMF estimates, in 2009 after the international financial crisis, the economy grew at 0.6%. According to the Central Bank, with the data processed in 2010, the economy grew in 2009 by 2.9% and in 2010 by 8.5%. Since 2013, there has been stagnation in economic activity, with declining annual growth: 5.1% (2013), 3.5% (2014) and 1.5% in 2015.[137].
The nominal GDP "Annex: Countries by GDP (nominal)") reached 76,244 million dollars in 2023, being among the fifteen largest economies in Latin America, surpassed in all cases by countries with more populations. In fact, if the GDP (nominal) per capita_per_c%C3%A1pita "Annex: Countries by GDP (nominal) per capita") is considered, it reached $21,378 per inhabitant in 2023, making Uruguay the leader in the region, followed by Panama and Chile. If it is measured by GDP per capita adjusted to purchasing power_per_c%C3%A1pita "Annex: Countries by GDP (PPP) per capita") in 2023 Uruguay with 28,984 would occupy third position, behind Panama and Chile. Inflation or CPI was 5.1% in January 2024.[138].
• - External debt approx. (2023): 57,239 million US$.[143].
• - Imports (2022): US$10,941 million. (without oil and derivatives)[144].
• - Exports (2022): 13,356 million US$.[145].
• - Main client countries: China, European Union, Brazil.[143].
• - Main supplier countries: Brazil, China, Argentina.[144].
GDP structure in 2002:.
Socioeconomic indicators
According to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Uruguay is the third country in Latin America (after Chile and Argentina) with the highest Human Development Index (HDI) and the 54th in the world.[23].
Poverty measured as a percentage of poor people reached 9.7% in 2014, while indigence reached 0.3% of the population.[146] According to the Social Panorama of Latin America Report 2011 by ECLAC, Uruguay has the lowest poverty rate in Latin America.[147] The average monthly income per inhabitant, as of January 2015, in Montevideo, is in households: $5,492 (226 US$), and per person: 20,363 $ (838 US$).
In the rest of the country, households: $47,215 (US$1,943), individuals: $14,386 (US$592) —does not include income from bonus and rental value (1 dollar = $24.3) January 15, 2015, BCU.
When comparing the incidence of poverty by ancestry, striking differences are observed. For the year 2008, while poverty among white people was 19.4%, Afro-descendant people registered 43.1% for the country as a whole.[148].
• - Unemployment (June 2021): 9.4%[149].
• - Employment (June 2021): 55.4%[149].
• - Poverty (2020): 11.6%[150].
• - Indigence (2020): 0.4%[150].
Exports and imports
For the year 2020, Uruguayan exports represented 7,590 million dollars, while imports represented 8,580 million dollars, which means a negative trade balance. Its main trading partners are the other members of Mercosur, China to whom it mainly sells cereals and beef and with whom it is negotiating a free trade agreement, and the United States.
Cattle raising
Since its beginnings as a country, livestock farming was very important for Uruguay. The production of meat and wool always remained among the country's main areas of activity and export. There are multiple breeding establishments for both cattle (Hereford, Aberdeen Angus, and other breeds) and sheep (Corriedale, Australian Merino). The old salting plants gave way in the century to cold storage rooms, from where Uruguayan beef goes to many different destinations around the world.
Livestock farming is also important in terms of dairy cattle. The sector has gone from supplying only local consumption from traditional dairy farms, to the situation in the century in which industrialized dairy products are an important export item. Uruguay currently sells dairy products to European countries.[151].
Sheep production is concentrated in the north of the country, in the departments of Artigas "Artigas (department)") and Salto "Salto (department)"), although it is distributed in the rest of the country to a lesser extent, while cattle are found throughout the territory, with more predominance in the south of the country.
Mining
Mineral production is not one of the country's outstanding sectors, however you can find: agates "Ágata (mineral)") and amethysts in the department of Artigas "Artigas (department)"), gold mines in Rivera, Treinta y Tres and Lavalleja, beryl in Colonia, lead, zinc, barite and dolomites in Lavalleja (these last two can also be found in Maldonado), iron in Rivera, Durazno, Florida and Treinta y Tres, manganese in San José and Rivera, quartz and feldspars in Florida (the latter is also found in Canelones), montmorillonite in Cerro Largo, kaolin in Durazno, talc in Colonia and Lavalleja, ilmenite and peat in Rocha, silts in Montevideo, San José and Maldonado, limestones in Lavalleja, Paysandú and Treinta y Tres, clay in Montevideo, Durazno, Maldonado, San José and Canelones and gypsum clay in Río Negro. Likewise, in different parts of the country, granite, black granite, sand, gypsum, boulders, marl, pyrite, ballast, crushed and raw flagstone, diorite and granodiorite are extracted.
There was an exploitation project, the first in the country of a large size, open pit mining, called the Aratirí project, for the extraction of iron in the area of Cuchilla Grande "Cuchilla Grande (Uruguay)"), in the departments of Treinta y Tres, Durazno and Florida, near the town of Valentines "Valentines (Uruguay)").[152]
Agriculture
Agriculture still contributes approximately 10% to the country's GDP and is the main source of foreign currency, putting Uruguay in line with other agricultural exporters such as Brazil, Canada and New Zealand. Uruguay is a member of the Cairns Group of agricultural product exporters.
In Uruguay, rainfed agriculture[153] has relatively low inputs of labor, technology and capital compared to its irrigated agriculture (rice) and other countries, which results in comparatively lower yields per hectare, except for rice, but also opens the door for Uruguay to market its products as "natural" or "ecological". Campaigns such as "Natural Grass-Fed Uruguayan Meat" and "Natural Uruguay" aim to establish Uruguay as a brand in the meat, wine and other food products sector. You can freely access the suitability of its soils and their characteristics by consulting through the national rural plot of Uruguay on the following map servers: [3][4].
Some agricultural export crops in Uruguay are wheat, barley, oats, soybeans, rice, corn, sorghum, sunflowers and blueberries.
One of the traditional crops in this country is the vine. This crop was introduced by Spanish colonizers in the middle of the century. Although traditionally there were vineyards planted throughout the national territory, currently there are some areas of concentration of vineyards and wineries such as the metropolitan area of Montevideo, the surroundings of the city of Colonia and the city of Bella Unión.
Recently, an industry has emerged around tourism ranches that capitalizes on the traditions or folklore associated with gaucho culture and the remaining resources of the historic ranches from Uruguay's golden era. One of the examples of this industry is tourism related to the world of wine and restaurants. Given the historical importance of this crop and the associationist spirit of the country, some wineries have formed the Los Caminos del vino association, whose objective is to promote wine tourism.
Tourism
Uruguay has tourist destinations among which Punta del Este, Montevideo, Colonia del Sacramento, Salto "Salto (Uruguay)"), Lavalleja and Rocha among others stand out.
Punta del Este is the most visited compared to the other resorts, although tourists also look for other coastal destinations such as Atlántida "Atlántida (Uruguay)") or Piriapolis, among others. The Uruguayan government, in order to encourage tourism in Uruguay, implemented the so-called "VAT Refund Program for Non-Resident Tourists" that has been operating since 2009. This benefit will be made through the purchase of national leather, knitwear, food, beverages or crafts products of national origin that the tourist takes with them abroad, refunding 85% of the VAT. The farms also stand out as tourist centers. At the same time, the Uruguayan carnival is imposed to attract visitors in the summer season, especially in Montevideo.
During the 2009-2010 season, 179 cruise ships arrived, accounting for 292,048 people disembarking, with a per capita expenditure of USD 61.05, for a total of USD 17,830,909. During the 2010-2011 season, 171 cruise ships followed, accounting for 278,627 people. disembarked.[154] In the 2011-2012 season, 225 cruise ships arrived in the country, an increase of 31.6% compared to the previous year, 353,727 visitors disembarked, leaving USD 20,884,091 in foreign currency.[155].
• - Note (1): The shaded color denotes the country with the best indicator in Latin America.
Infrastructure and services
Uruguay no cuenta con recursos propios de combustible fósil para la generación de energía. El país cuenta con tres centrales hidroeléctricas en el Río Negro "Río Negro (Uruguay)"), el río interior más grande del país: Rincón del Bonete (160 MW de potencia instalada), Baygorria (108 MW) y Palmar (333 MW); y una en el Río Uruguay, Salto Grande (1890 MW), esta última compartida a medias con Argentina. Existen tres centrales térmicas de respaldo ante la eventual falta de energías renovables, Central térmica de Ciclo Combinado Punta del Tigre (840 MW), Central térmica Batlle y Ordóñez (70 MW) y la Central La Tablada (200 MW).
En el año 2000 se instaló el primer aerogenerador experimental en la sierra de los Caracoles, y en 2007 se instaló el primer aerogenerador comercial en Maldonado. En la siguiente década se experimentó un fuerte crecimiento de la energía eólica que pasó de cubrir apenas 1% de la matriz eléctrica uruguaya en 2013 a 34% en 2018.[159] En 2016 el sector alcanzó los 1000 MW de potencia instalada.[160].
Además existe una gran participación de la generación con biomasa "Biomasa (energía)"), principalmente a partir de residuos agrícolas y forestales.
La red actual de Uruguay está integrada con la de Argentina por el oeste participando en las exportaciones y las importaciones de energía eléctrica. Y con Brasil por el este a través de las estaciones conversoras de frecuencia de Rivera "Rivera (Uruguay)") y Melo, logrando de esta forma diversificar los suministros de energía para ambos países.
Por otra parte, en los últimos años se han realizado campañas de exploración de hidrocarburos tanto en tierra (onshore) como en la plataforma continental marítima (offshore) logrando importantes avances en el conocimiento en esta área.[161].
En lo que respecta al transporte de cargas se hace por medio de camiones y del ferrocarril. En lo referente a pasajeros existen líneas de ómnibus de corta distancia (menos de 50 km) y de larga distancia (de más de 50 km) las cuales cubren las principales rutas, concentrándose en las ciudades más importantes. Las líneas de trenes de pasajeros que se concentran en la capital, eran los únicos servicios operativos hasta 2019, desde entonces se encuentran suspendidos por motive de reconstrucción de la vía principal.
En 2020, la red vial de Uruguay contaba con 8696 km de carreteras, de los cuales 3164 estaban pavimentados. Solo existen carreteras duplicadas que parten de Montevideo, hacia Maldonado (125 km por Ruta 10 "Ruta 10 (Uruguay)")), Colonia del Sacramento (150 km por Ruta 1 "Ruta 1 (Uruguay)")) y Rivera "Rivera (Uruguay)") (pocos km de la Ruta 5 "Ruta 5 (Uruguay)")),[162] según el Ministerio de Transporte y Obras Públicas "Ministerio de Transporte y Obras Públicas (Uruguay)"). Se distribuyen en los 176 215 km² de territorio,[3] lo que significa uno de los más altos índices de accesos a diferentes partes de una región de América Latina. La característica principal es que la mayoría de las carreteras confluyen en la capital, Montevideo. Actualmente, finalizó el proyecto de construcción de un anillo perimetral (Ruta 102 "Ruta 102 (Uruguay)")) que evita atravesar la ciudad, uniendo entre sí las rutas del oeste con las del este. Además existen varias rutas importantes que recorren el país, facilitando así el tránsito entre los departamentos del interior sin pasar por la capital, por ejemplo la ruta 26 "Ruta 26 (Uruguay)") que une Melo con Paysandú vía Tacuarembó.
Tipos de firme en las carreteras:[163].
• - 303 km de hormigón.
• - 3164 km de capa asfáltica.
• - 4220 km de tratamiento bituminoso.
• - 1009 km de tosca.
Las principales carreteras, rutas y autovías de Uruguay son: Ruta 1 "Ruta 1 (Uruguay)"), Ruta 3 "Ruta 3 (Uruguay)"), Ruta 5 "Ruta 5 (Uruguay)"), Ruta 8 "Ruta 8 (Uruguay)"), Ruta 9 "Ruta 9 (Uruguay)"), Ruta 26 "Ruta 26 (Uruguay)"), Ruta 101 "Ruta 101 (Uruguay)"), Ruta Interbalnearia, Avenida Italia y Avenida Giannattasio, tienen un buen mantenimiento y señalización aunque hay tramos en mal estado. Las rutas secundarias tienen condición variable, de muy buena a mala calidad.
La red de ferrocarriles uruguayos cuenta, en 2020, con aproximadamente 3073 km de vía, con una trocha 100 % homogénea, de 1435 mm, y solo 11 km de vía doble y es una de las más densas de la región (0,016 km/km²). A 2020, se encuentran operativos solamente unos 1673 km de vía casi exclusivamente para el transporte de cargas,[162] y dentro de estos, solo 118 km (desde 2019) para servicios de pasajeros. El resto del ramal se encuentra clausurado.[164].
El estado actual tanto de la red ferroviaria como del parque tractivo se encuentra, desde los años 1950, sumido en la decadencia y en un estado bastante precario. La gran mayoría de la red no solo está clausurada, sino que en algunos casos no se les ha realizado ni mantenimiento ni reconstrucciones desde hace décadas. En cuanto a la flota, todo el material es importado y cerca del 95 % del material es de segunda mano que se encuentra en servicio, reparado, en mal estado o desguazado.
El sistema ferroviario uruguayo no está electrificado. Sin embargo, en los últimos años se ha estado llevando a cabo la reparación y reconstrucción de algunos ramales para el transporte de cargas. Un proyecto de 2015 pretende reconstruir un tramo de 273 km de los 563 km de la línea troncal Montevideo-Rivera que se encuentra actualmente en ejecución para el transporte de pasta de celulosa de la empresa forestal finlandesa UPM-Kymmene, que contempla la prolongación de vía doble actual (11 km) a 26 km y el uso de traviesas de hormigón del tipo monobloque y rieles soldados con acero colado, algo nunca antes acontecido en el país. En 2020, se llevó a la reparación la flota en ese momento existente y la compra de material nuevo.[165][166].
Desde el 1 de marzo de 2003, los trenes de pasajeros parten y llegan de una nueva y pequeña estación terminal situada 500 metros hacia el norte de la Estación Central de Montevideo, la cual permanece cerrada desde entonces. Esto significó una pérdida de más de 100 000 pasajeros para los servicios de trenes.[167].
La AFE es, desde 1952, la actual administradora estatal de la red y, desde 2020, es la encargada del mantenimiento de infraestructuras. Está permitida la circulación de material de otras empresas e instituciones y varias poseen sus propios vagones y locomotoras (ANCAP, AUAR, CEFU, CUCP).
En Uruguay hay 242 aeropuertos o aeródromos secundarios, de los cuales doce tienen pista de aterrizaje pavimentada, siendo los otros, aeródromos secundarios o pistas de emergencia con la pista sin pavimentar con pavimento leve.[168][169][170] Los dos más importantes son el Aeropuerto Internacional de Carrasco, ubicado en el Departamento de Canelones, dentro de la zona metropolitana de Montevideo, y el Aeropuerto Internacional de Punta del Este, en el Departamento de Maldonado.
El Aeropuerto Internacional de Carrasco fue inaugurado inicialmente en 1947 y en 2009, Puerta del Sur, el propietario y operador del aeropuerto, con una inversión de 165 millones $, encargó a Rafael Viñoly Architects expandir y modernizar las instalaciones existentes con una nueva y amplia terminal de pasajeros para aumentar la capacidad y estimular crecimiento comercial y turismo en la región. En 2009 finalizaron las obras de la nueva terminal. Se inauguró el 15 de noviembre de 2009 y comenzó a operar el 29 de diciembre de 2009. El aeropuerto puede manejar hasta 4,5 millones de usuarios por año. La revista Frontier, con sede en Londres, lo eligió como uno de los mejores cuatro aeropuertos del mundo en su 27.ª edición. Las viejas instalaciones quedaron para el servicio de carga aérea. Se proyecta la transformación de esta terminal en un centro de conexión meridional sudamericano para cargas.
El Aeropuerto Internacional de Punta del Este, conocido también como Aeropuerto de Laguna del Sauce, está ubicado a 15 kilómetros (9,3 millas) de la ciudad de Punta del Este, en el departamento de Maldonado, es la segunda terminal aérea con mayor tráfico de pasajeros del país. Obra del arquitecto uruguayo Carlos Ott, la terminal fue inaugurada en 1997 y las pistas fueron renovadas a través de una concesión de inversión privada.
Los principales puertos de Uruguay se ubican sobre las costas del Río de la Plata y del río Uruguay. Los principales puertos de carga son Montevideo (11 kilotoneladas y 888 000 TEU "TEU (unidad de medida)") movidos en 2016), Nueva Palmira (7,3 kilotoneladas movidas en 2016) y Fray Bentos") (2,1 kilotoneladas movidas en 2016).[171] En cuanto a puertos deportivos se destacan Colonia del Sacramento"), La Paloma&action=edit&redlink=1 "Puerto de La Paloma (Rocha) (aún no redactado)"), Piriápolis y Punta del Este.
En Uruguay la libertad de prensa está amparada por la Constitución. Según un estudio realizado por Reporteros Sin Fronteras en 2009, el país ocupa la posición número 29 en el índice de libertad de prensa mundial y el primer lugar entre los países de América Latina.[172].
Cada mil habitantes circulan 293 periódicos, hay 603 radio-receptores, 530 televisores y 278 líneas telefónicas. Teniendo en cuenta una familia de 4 personas de clase media, todas gozarían de estos bienes.
Según estimaciones de 2005, existen 93 emisoras de radio AM, 191 emisoras de FM, 7 de onda corta y 62 emisoras de televisión.[173].
Se firmó un acuerdo de aceptación (2007), para adoptar la norma de televisión digital europea a diferencia de Brasil que adoptó la norma japonesa. En diciembre de 2010 se establece como definitiva la norma japonesa-brasilera por una decisión geopolítica, enmarcada en el interés de profundizar las relaciones con los países de la región que optaron por esta norma.
En el área metropolitana de Montevideo hay 7 canales importantes de emisión por aire:.
• - TV Ciudad (canal de aire desde 2015, solo en televisión digital terrestre) (público).
A las mismos se agregan los canales del interior del país y sus repetidoras, así como la televisión por cable, satelital y IPTV: DirecTV, Flow SAT "Cablevisión (Uruguay)"), TDH (es servicio exclusivo de TCC "TCC (Uruguay)"), Canal 10 "Canal 10 (Uruguay)") y la red Equital) y Antel TV.
El sistema telefónico uruguayo es 100 % digital desde 1997, gracias a los esfuerzos por mejorar de la empresa monopólica estatal de telecomunicaciones Antel. Uruguay fue el primer país en toda América en poseer este estatus.[174].
En Uruguay hay más de un millón de teléfonos fijos,[175] 31,7 líneas fijas cada 100 habitantes, lo que constituye la segunda red de más alta densidad en telefonía fija de Latinoamérica después de la de Costa Rica, esta situación se explica principalmente debido al mayor uso del ADSL en los hogares uruguayos. La mitad del sistema telefónico se encuentra en Montevideo. En 2007 se eliminó el sobrecosto para llamadas entre dos localidades, por lo que una llamada de larga distancia nacional pasó a costar igual que una urbana. El valor del cómputo depende solo de la hora y del día de la llamada.
En junio de 2014 la cantidad de teléfonos celulares alcanzó a 5 358 325 unidades (más de un aparato por habitante),[176] o 159,2 servicios móviles cada 100 habitantes, quedando 2.º a nivel latinoamericano después de Panamá. Son tres las empresas prestadoras del servicio, una de ellas es pública ANTEL, antes llamada Ancel, con 2 674 061 de celulares, y las restantes son las privadas Movistar "Movistar (Uruguay)") con 1 854 385, y Claro con 829 879 celulares.
Uruguay es el primer país de América Latina con una operación comercial en tecnología LTE,[177] Telefonía móvil 4G Long Term Evolution, tecnología de cuarta generación, que permite gran capacidad de transmisión de banda ancha de forma inalámbrica. El servicio comenzó a prestarse en la primera quincena de diciembre de 2011, en principio en Punta del Este y Maldonado, y después se extendió a zonas de Montevideo.
El 69,5 % de las conexiones a Internet son móviles y el 30,5 % fijas, sumando un total a junio de 2014 de 2 609 842 servicios.[176]
En esa fecha Uruguay tenía 795 804 servicios de banda ancha fija, y 1 814 038 servicios de banda ancha móvil. ANTEL es el proveedor del 98 % de los servicios de banda ancha fija.
Con una tasa de 47,7 usuarios de Internet cada 100 habitantes, Uruguay lidera en América Latina en ser el país con mayor proporción de internautas. En una evaluación sobre 21 países de América Latina, Uruguay es el de mayor penetración conjunta de telefonía fija, móvil, y banda ancha, con un índice de adopción de TIC (Tecnologías de la información y la comunicación)[178] de 5,42.
Según el Informe Global de la Información Tecnológica 2012-2013 que abarca también las Tecnologías de la información y la comunicación,[179] Uruguay esta tercero en Latinoamérica en las TIC, ocupando a nivel mundial Chile el puesto 34, Panamá el puesto 46 y Uruguay el 52.
En 2007 el país alcanzó la cifra de un millón de usuarios de Internet.[180].
Technology
Uruguay is an important exporter of software, and ranks first in income from software and computer services per capita in Latin America.[181] In 2007 it exported 188 million dollars (0.58% of the 2008 GDP), in 2011 Uruguay exported software for 250 million dollars.[182].
According to the Global Innovation Index, carried out by the World Intellectual Property Organization, in 2024, Uruguay was ranked 68th in innovation among 139 countries in the world;
Science
Investment in research has not been a characteristic of Uruguay; Most of them are isolated efforts or those of a center such as the Clemente Estable Biological Research Institute (IIBCE) and the University of the Republic. The main research is in the area of medicine and mathematics.
Despite the above, in 1986 the Basic Sciences Development Program - PEDECIBA - was created, the result of an agreement between the University of the Republic, the Ministry of Education and Culture and the United Nations Development Program - UNDP - with the objective of the repatriation of scientists and the beginning of master's degrees and doctorates in basic sciences - which at that time included Biology, Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics and Chemistry. The first director of PEDECIBA was Dr. Roberto Caldeyro Barcia. Another recent milestone in Uruguayan science is the installation of the Pasteur Institute of Montevideo dependent on the Pasteur Institute of France. The director of this institute is Dr. Guillermo Dighiero").
Several Uruguayan scientists have stood out in the exercise of their profession, such as the engineers Eladio Dieste – recognized worldwide for his use of what he called reinforced ceramics – or the mathematician and engineer José Luis Massera, recognized for the motto that bears his name. Another prominent scientist is Clemente Estable, teacher and researcher in biology and neurobiology. The Institute for Biological Research was named in his honor.
Health
Uruguay has a mixed health system (public and private). The Ministry of Public Health (M.S.P.) is responsible for standardizing, evaluating and supervising health care throughout the country, both for public and private assistance. According to data from the Medical Union of Uruguay, there were around 14,726 doctors active as of June 30, 2010, with a high average density rate (4.46 doctors per thousand inhabitants).[187].
According to the National Institute of Statistics of Uruguay, in 2006, 97.2% of the population residing in towns with 5,000 or more inhabitants had some type of medical care, while 2.8% had a total absence of rights to health care. This same study revealed that practically 46% of the population is affiliated with a private medical care institution, while 42% receives their health care through the Ministry of Public Health or the Hospital de Clínicas (dependent on the University of the Republic). Among the former, more than half (24.4%) also have a mobile emergency service, while only 4.8% of public health users have this service.[188].
Human resources constitute one of the main favorable points in health in Uruguay, since according to a report carried out in 2006 by the World Health Organization, the country is the second in Latin America with the most doctors per inhabitant (3.65 per thousand inhabitants) after Cuba (5.91).[189].
The Ministry of Labor and Social Security, the Social Security Bank, the Bank Retirement and Pension Fund are full members and participants of the Inter-American Conference on Social Security (CISS).
• - Life expectancy at birth (est. 2019):[190]
Total population: 77.91 years
Men: 74.12 years
Women: 81.84.
• - Maternal mortality: 17 every 100,000 births (2019)[191].
• - Infant mortality: 6.8 per 1000 (2019)[192].
• - Mortality under 5 years of age: 2.3 per 1000 (2019)[192].
• - Literacy: 98.7% (2018)[193].
• - Daily calorie consumption: 2862 per capita.
• - Drinking water:[194] 98%.
Abortion has been discussed in the legislative chambers about ten times since the return to democracy. In 2002 the vote was frustrated in the Senate, in the previous discussions it never made it out of the parliamentary committees, in 2008 it was approved but the presidential veto stopped it because the special majority required to override the veto was not achieved. Various surveys show a large majority of Uruguayans (around 60%) in favor of the decriminalization of abortion. During 2012, a new Bill was presented, called the "Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy Law", which was approved by both Chambers in October of the same year. The executive branch promulgated the law on October 22 and issued a regulatory decree in November. The Pregnancy Termination Law establishes that women have the right to terminate their pregnancy before twelve weeks of gestation, for which they must appear before a multidisciplinary Clinical Committee; After being informed of her rights and the consequences of her decision, the woman will have a period of five days to reflect. After this period, the pregnancy will be terminated by the medical organization that provides coverage. Uruguay is the first country in South America to decriminalize abortion and the second in Latin America (after Cuba).
Society
Demography
Uruguay is a multiethnic society, which means that it has historically been inhabited by people of different ethnic origins.[199] The vast majority of the Uruguayan population is of European origin "White (person)"), descended from immigrants who arrived during the colonial period and, especially, through the migratory waves of the 20th centuries, with a predominance of Italians and Spaniards.[200].
At the end of the century, about a third of the Uruguayan population was French or of French descent, representing around 40% of the inhabitants of Montevideo in 1850. Currently, it is estimated that 15% of Uruguayans have this origin.[201] Uruguay belongs to the International Organization of Francophonie (OIF). The successive waves of migration led to a significant presence of descendants of French, German, Portuguese, Croatian, British, Swiss, Russian, Polish, among other nationalities.[202].
Uruguay has one of the lowest demographic growth rates in America and one of the highest life expectancies on the continent. Illiteracy is estimated at 1.6%, while the average life expectancy reaches approximately 77 years.[203][204].
Demographic evolution of Uruguay since 1800:[205].
According to the results of the 2023 census, the population of Uruguay amounted to 3,499,451 inhabitants, with an average annual intercensal growth rate of 1‰ compared to the 2011 census.[208] The low intercensal growth rate observed in the period 1996-2004 (3.2‰) is even lower than that recorded between the 1985-1996 censuses. 6.4‰. This decrease corresponds to a progressive decrease in the birth rate and in migratory changes.[209].
The makeup and structure of the Uruguayan population distinguishes it from the rest of Latin America. Uruguay was at least 30 years ahead of the rest of the Latin American countries in the demographic transition, the vast majority of which began this process in the 50s and 60s. It has been estimated that in 1900 Uruguayan women had an average of 6 children, in 1950 this dropped to 3 and, in 2013, to 1.86 (according to the INE "National Institute of Statistics (Uruguay)"), already below the generational replacement limit. At the same time, it stands out for being the country with the longest population in Latin America, where the group of 60 years or older amounted to 17.7% in 2008. The changes in the birth rate are also due to the great increase in life expectancy, which amounts to 76.91 years (73.24 for men, 80.20 for women). The degree of urbanization is very high and reaches 96.1% of the population.[203][210].
The largest urban agglomeration is the metropolitan area of Montevideo, with an estimated population of 1.8 million inhabitants, which represents 52% of the national population.[c].
Emigration and immigration
Since its independence, in 1830, Uruguay has been a country of emigrants, and it was also a receiving nation of immigrants, and continues to be, although to a lesser extent than before, especially Argentine, Brazilian, Peruvian, Venezuelan and Cuban citizens.[226][227].
The main groups of immigrants who arrived at the port of Montevideo, between 1850 and 1940, came mainly from Spain, especially from Galicia, the Canary Islands, Andalusia, Asturias, the Basque Country and Aragon (see Spanish immigration in Uruguay), and also in large numbers from Italy, where they initially emigrated from Genoa, Liguria, and from Piedmont, to later become generalized and receive immigrants from all parts of Italy (see Italian immigration in Uruguay). Immigration contributions from France were also important, especially from French Basques, from Germany, and from Jews escaping the war - among them many from Poland - Asian countries and Eastern Europe. The period during which the country received the most foreigners was that of Franco's regime, in Spain, and that of the wars in Europe. In 2001 there were 52,353 Spaniards residing in Uruguay, a figure that dropped to 40,720 in 2007, making the country the tenth in the world with the largest Spanish population.[228].
European immigration settled in Uruguay from the end of the century until the mid-1960s. From the perspective of international migration, in the second half of the century, Uruguay began to consolidate itself as a country of emigration, whether for political or economic reasons, a phenomenon that has significantly influenced population growth in recent decades. Emigration is mainly to Europe, Argentina and the United States. Spain is the main destination for Uruguayans within Europe, but they also emigrate to Italy, France and Germany. During the 1970s there was also a significant migratory flow to Australia.[229][230].
Regarding emigration, many Spaniards who lived in Uruguay have returned to their country of origin for various reasons, including the crisis that affected the economy in 2002 and 2004.
Argentina, with 116,592 registered in 2010, is the country with the highest percentage of Uruguayan residents abroad, representing 0.3% of the total population (see Uruguayan immigration in Argentina). Other countries widely chosen by Uruguayans to live and work are Spain, Italy, the United States, Brazil, Canada, and those in Western Europe.
According to data from the INE "National Institute of Statistics (Uruguay)"), 55,480 Uruguayans currently reside in Spain: 28,304 men and 27,176 women, of which 24,363 have Spanish nationality.[231] The autonomous communities with the largest number of citizens of Uruguay are Galicia, the Canary Islands, Catalonia, the Basque Country, the Valencian Community, Madrid and Andalusia.
There are 17,954 Uruguayans residing in Catalonia, of which 6,000 have Spanish nationality. In the Valencian Community there are 9,246, in the Balearic Islands, 5,217, and in Andorra 250.
Influence of European immigrants in Uruguay
Uruguay had a white population "Blanco (person)") of 87.7% by 2011, the Amerindian population is considered non-existent.[170] At the end of the century and the beginning of the century, waves of immigration from Europe appeared, especially by Spaniards, Italians and French.[232] In 1870 Colonia Valdense was consolidated,[232] which had already seen its birth at the end of the decade of the 50s and early 60s by Swiss immigrants.
Many Europeans, especially from Spain and Germany, sought refuge in Uruguay after the military victory of fascism in the Spanish Civil War, the subsequent military dictatorship, and the rise of Nazi Germany.[232] Among them, the Catalans Margarita Xirgu, actress, and the architect Antoni Bonet i Castellana stand out; Enriqueta Compte y Riqué, Barcelona teacher; and illustrious families from Catalonia, the Canary Islands, and Galicia, who made important contributions to the economic, political and social development of the country. The Batlle family, originally from Sitges, would produce four presidents in Uruguay in three centuries. José Batlle y Ordóñez, son of Lorenzo Batlle y Grau, separated the church from the State, modernized the country and led it to a period of financial prosperity that earned it the name of the "Switzerland of America".[233].
The Pereira-Rossell couple founded the public hospital that today bears their name, in Montevideo. Emilio Reus, a Madrid businessman, invested a lot of capital in the construction of new homes for commerce and residence. The painter Joaquín Torres García, son of a Catalan father, was one of the most important artistic icons of Uruguay—and Catalonia—throughout the century. There is also a Catalan House in Montevideo, where the Congress of Catalans of the Republics of La Plata was held in 1936.
The construction of an Italian hospital called Hospital Italiano Umberto I, at the beginning of the last century, reveals the influence of the Italian community in Montevideo. In the same way, the Galicians, considered the largest group of immigrants, with 36,000 people, along with the Asturians (there are currently 3,000 in Uruguay[234]), founded the "Casa de Galicia", with a medical and hospital service that cares for patients who, for the most part, are of that origin.
On the other hand, the implementation of the Italian language as a mandatory subject in the humanities baccalaureate educational plans, operational since the 1940s,[235] shows the influence that immigrants from this country exerted on local culture and in other areas such as gastronomy. Also in the gastronomic field, the influence of other cultures on the local culture stands out, such as the case of Catalan breads and spices, Galician confectionery, or the use in confectionery of the French word chantilly, to refer to cream.
Three great French writers of the centuries were born in Uruguay: the Count of Lautréamont, Jules Laforgue, and Jules Supervielle.
LGBT rights
In 2004 the first law against discrimination was approved[236] and in 2007 the Concubinary Union was approved, which would come into force on January 10, 2008,[237][238] and which grants spouses with more than 5 years of cohabitation most of the rights of marriage. In 2009, Uruguay became the first country in Latin America to legalize homoparental adoption.[239][240] The same year, the right to change identity in documentation for transgender people over 18 years of age was recognized.
In 2008, Uruguay signed a United Nations declaration calling for the global decriminalization of homosexuality.[241][242] In 2009, the Executive Branch issued a decree enabling the entry of homosexuals into the Army.[239] In April 2013, the law on equal marriage was approved, making Uruguay the 12th country in the world and the 2nd in Latin America to legally recognize this. right.[243].
Religion
The Uruguayan State is secular, with absolute freedom of religion. The separation between the Uruguayan State and the Catholic Church was established in the Constitution of 1919,[245][246] under the influence of the radical Colorado reformer José Batlle y Ordóñez (1903-1911), as a process of secularization that had begun in 1861 with the secularization of cemeteries and continued in 1877 with the approval of the Decree Law of Common Education drafted by José Pedro Varela which established the non-compulsory nature of religious education in schools. The Constitution and the law prohibit discrimination on religious grounds.[247]
[248].
A survey conducted in 2008 by the National Statistics Institute "Instituto Nacional de Estadistica (Uruguay)") of Uruguay presented Catholicism as the main religion, with 45.7% of the population and 9.0% being non-Catholic Christians (Protestants, Pentecostals, Evangelicals, Adventists, Baptists, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses), 0.6% are animists or umbandists, and the 0.4% Jews. For their part, 30.1% declared they believed in a god, but without belonging to any religion, while 14% were atheists or agnostics.[249] Among the Armenian community, considerable in Montevideo, the predominant religion is Christianity, specifically the Armenian Apostolic.[250].
A study carried out in 2014 by the Latinobarómetro Corporation highlights Uruguay as the most secular country in Latin America, with 38% of atheists, agnostics or irreligious, compared to 41% of Catholics, 8% of evangelicals and 13% of other metaphysical beliefs.[251].
In accordance with the aforementioned studies, various political observers consider Uruguay the most secular country in the Americas.[252] The secularization of Uruguay began with the relatively minor role of the church in the colonial era, compared to other parts of the Spanish Empire. The small number of indigenous people in Uruguay and their fierce resistance to proselytism reduced the influence of the ecclesiastical authorities.[246].
Culture
National symbols
By decree of February 18, 1952, national symbols and their hierarchical gradation, precedence and respect were established:
National Pavilion.
Coat of arms of the State.
National Anthem.
Flag of Artigas.
Flag of the Thirty-Three Orientals.
National Cockade.
• - National Symbols.
• - National Pavilion.
• - State Coat of Arms.
• - National Anthem.
• - Flag of Artigas.
• - Flag of the Thirty-Three.
• - National Rosette.
Decree 435/007 established that the National Cockade is for free use, while the cockade identified with the Flag of Artigas is for the exclusive use of the Armed Forces and the one identified with the Flag of the Thirty-Three Orientals is for the exclusive use of the National Police.
The flag of Uruguay or National Flag is the most important national symbol. It was adopted by the laws of December 16, 1828 and July 12, 1830. Its colors are white and blue, with the sun, which occupies the canton, being gold. The arrangement of the nine horizontal stripes that are distributed over the field represent the first nine departments. The canton is occupied by the Sun of May, which represents the Inca god Inti, symbol of the May Revolution.
The National Coat of Arms of Uruguay is the one approved by the laws of March 19, 1829 and July 12, 1906 and the Decree of October 26, 1908. In accordance with this last decree, the official model of the National Coat of Arms (presented by Mr. Miguel Copetti) was established.
Language
Uruguay does not have any official language. The most spoken language in the country is Spanish; Furthermore, Portuguese and Portuñol Riverense, a dialect of Portuguese, are spoken as a minority in some border regions, neither of which is recognized in the constitution. Uruguayan Sign Language (USL) was also legally recognized as the language of deaf people in 2001 by Law No. 17378.[253] Although there is no general official language designation in the Uruguayan Constitution, in the legal-procedural field, Spanish is the official language for carrying out all procedural acts, with the assistance of an interpreter being necessary in the event that a party in the judicial process does not use it. understand.[254].
Spanish has variants and influences like all languages; emerging terms or expressions that identify Uruguayans from each part of the country. The Spanish spoken in Uruguay is a variant of River Plate Spanish, a dialect of Spanish spoken in the area of the Río de la Plata basin, in Argentina and Uruguay and other surrounding regions. Centered on the cities of Buenos Aires, Montevideo and Rosario "Rosario (Santa Fe)"), the three most important population centers in the region, it extends its cultural influence to geographically distant regions, especially through the media, in which it is the standard reading in both countries.
In the past there used to be a good group of people who spoke Italian or French as their first language, but this has been lost over time and the cessation of European immigration to America in recent decades. There is also a considerable minority who speak Russian, Yiddish, Corsican, German, Guaraní, Lithuanian, Portuguese and Plautdietsch.[255][256].
In the border region with Brazil in the department of Rocha and parts of the department of Maldonado, a variant of Rio de la Plata Spanish is spoken that dispenses with the voseo in favor of the tuteo "Tuteo (grammar)"), a particularity that is supposedly due to the Castilian origin of its original population, although the variety of Portuguese from southern Brazil is an archaic variety that uses the tuteo "Tuteo (grammar)") (and dispenses with the voseo which is the rule in the modern Portuguese), the border influence can also be assumed.
There exists in the northern region of Uruguay a set of variants of Portuguese that receive the scientific name of «Portuguese Dialects of Uruguay».[257] Its best-known variant is called portuñol riverense (no relation to portuñol, the simple mixture of Portuguese and Spanish).[258] It is spoken on the border between Uruguay and Brazil, and more specifically in the area of the sister cities of Rivera "Rivera (Uruguay)") and Santana do Livramento, as well as between the cities of Artigas "Artigas (city)") and Quarai, and in Chuy and Chuí. Only Uruguayan citizens use such language.[259].
In public education, English is taught with the aim of providing basic notions and preparing students to continue their study during secondary education, with exemption allowed for those who demonstrate an advanced level. Likewise, some secondary education institutions offer Portuguese classes. Traditionally, French and Italian were also part of the secondary education curriculum, the former corresponding to initial orientations and the latter to higher levels in areas such as Humanities and Law.[260].
Education
Public education in Uruguay is governed by the principles of secularism, free and compulsory education, established by José Pedro Varela. The population has access to free education from initial level to university. The National Administration of Public Education (ANEP), through its Central Board of Directors "Consejo Directivo Central (Uruguay)") (CODICEN), administers the initial, primary, middle and teacher training levels. The educational system is complemented by private institutions that range from preschool to university education.
One of the country's main achievements is its high literacy rate, which reached 97.7% in 2006 according to the National Institute of Statistics "National Institute of Statistics (Uruguay)"), placing Uruguay among the countries with the highest literacy rate in Latin America.[261].
The first kindergarten in Uruguay and South America was founded in 1892 by the Uruguayan-Catalan teacher Enriqueta Compte y Riqué. Primary education is compulsory and covers ages 6 to 11. Secondary education is completed between the ages of 12 and 14, followed by the baccalaureate between the ages of 15 and 17. The latter lasts three years: one common year and two with optional orientations in the humanities, sciences, biology or arts. The final year offers subdivisions within each orientation, such as law, economics, engineering, architecture, medicine and agronomy.
In 2007 the Uruguayan government launched Plan Ceibal, an initiative taken from the OLPC project. This plan allows each teacher and each student in public schools to have a laptop with an Internet connection, completely free of charge. In 2009, 366,000 computers had been delivered (to 350,000 children and 16,000 teachers). In August 2010, a new stage began, with the beginning of the distribution of laptop computers, with more and better features, to public secondary school students. By December 2011, 454,000 laptops had been delivered, approximately 320,000 to primary school children, 120,000 to high school adolescents, and the rest to teachers and professors.[262].
The country has two public universities, the University of the Republic, which consists of several faculties and attached services, and the Technological University of Uruguay (UTEC), which began operating in 2013 in the interior of the country. To grant tertiary and technical careers there is the Universidad del Trabajo del Uruguay (UTU).
Starting in 1985, private universities began to be founded, the Catholic University of Uruguay being the first of them.
• - Catholic University of Uruguay.
• - ORT Uruguay University.
• - University of Montevideo.
• - Business University.
• - Latin American Center University of Human Economy.
Art
The River Plate music par excellence is the tango (whose greatest exponent is Carlos Gardel), and also the milonga "Milonga (musical genre)"). Uruguay also has music such as candombe and the Uruguayan murga, which have their peak in the carnival calls (in the case of candombe) and in the Carnival itself, in the case of the murga.
Among the prominent musicians and singers are Aníbal Sampayo, Alfredo Zitarrosa, Eduardo Mateo, Julio Sosa, José Carbajal, Daniel Viglietti, Amalia de la Vega, Osiris Rodríguez Castillos, Pepe Guerra, Eduardo Darnauchans, Jaime Roos, Fernando Cabrera "Fernando Cabrera (musician)"), the brothers Hugo Fattoruso and Osvaldo Fattoruso, Carlos Canzani, Jorge Drexler, Rubén Rada, Lucas Sugo, Pablo Estramín, Gastón Ciarlo, Jorge Lazaroff, Tabaré Arapí, Leo Maslíah, Mariana Ingold, Pablo Sciuto, Alberto Wolf, Quintín Cabrera, Gustavo Pena, Riki Musso, Jorge Galemire, Jorge Bonaldi, Tabaré Etcheverry and Sylvia Meyer.
As musical groups we can highlight a strong presence of rock and, in turn, in several subgenres, such as punk (Traidores, Los Estómagos, Buitres Porque de la Una, Trotsky Vengarán, La Chancha, Cooper"), Los Tontos), funk (Hereford "Hereford (band)"), La Trampa "La Trampa (Uruguayan band)")), ska (La Vela Puerca, Once Tiros), pop rock (El Cuarteto de Nos, No Te Va Gustar), art and blues (La Tabaré, La Triple Nelson), garage (Eté & Los Problems), alternative (Buenos Muchachos) fusion (Bufón "Bufón (band)"), progressive (Psiglo), candombe beat (Totem "Totem (band)"), El Kinto), heavy metal (Alvacast, Pecho e' Fierro, Chopper "Chopper (band)")), funk (El Peyote Asesino, Plátano Macho "Plátano Macho (band)"), surf and new wave (The Supersónico) and indie (Astroboy "Astroboy (band)"), also romantic ballad groups (Los Iracundos), folklore (Larbanois & Carrero, Los Olimareños), plena and salsa (Sonora Borinquen, Karibe con K), various popular songs (Los que Iban Cantando, Rumbo "Rumbo (band)"), ReyToro"), Cursi&action=edit&redlink=1 "Cursi (band) (not yet written)"), El Cubano de América")) and cumbia (Mala Tuya"), Márama, Rombai), etc.
Also Uruguayan are the author of the most famous tango music in the world (La Cumparsita), Gerardo Matos Rodríguez, Eduardo Fabini, nationalist composer of the first half of the century, Héctor Tosar, composer, theorist and musical pedagogue; the revolutionist of the cultured guitar playing technique, Abel Carlevaro, the great murga and tango singer Washington Canario Luna, among other great artists.
In Opera, the sopranos Rita Contino, María José Siri and Luz del Alba Rubio stand out with international careers. The mezzo-sopranos: Raquel Pierotti and Graciela Lassner. The tenors: Carlos Ventre, Edgardo Rocha, Gastón Rivero and Juan Carlos Valls. The baritones: Erwin Schrott and Darío Solari. At the national level, the sopranos stand out: Sandra Silvera, Sandra Scorza, Marianne Cardoso. The mezzo-soprano: Rina Baffa and Mariella Nocetti. The tenors: Gerardo Marandino. The baritones: Federico Sanguinetti, Marcelo Otegui.
Philosophy
Philosophical activity in Uruguay began in 1838 with disputes between non-Uruguayan residents in the press: the Argentine Juan Bautista Alberdi and the director of the Colegio Oriental, at that time a Spaniard. Its development will advance slowly, mixed between political or intellectual discussions in general. Within the century, among others, the controversy between Mariano Soler, a Catholic, and Alfredo Vásquez Acevedo, a positivist, stands out.
In the century the two main names of Uruguayan philosophy appear, Carlos Vaz Ferreira and Arturo Ardao.
Vaz Ferreira was born in Montevideo on October 15, 1872. He was the brother of the poet María Eugenia Vaz Ferreira. In 1897 he published "Expository Course on Elementary Psychology" and in 1898 another book on Formal Logic. His main work is "Lógica viva" (1910), in which he determined the errors that were committed in discussions and in everyday life (fallacies, paralogisms). Since 1897 he has also been a professor of Philosophy in Secondary Education, which then depended on the University of the Republic. He would later found the Faculty of Humanities and Sciences "Faculty of Humanities and Educational Sciences (University of the Republic)"). He was Dean of this institution and Rector of the University of the Republic.
Ardao studied at this same university, receiving a Doctorate in Law and Social Sciences. He continued linked to that house of studies, dedicating himself to Philosophy and opening a new field in the study of the History of Ideas. He was a member of the Central Board of Directors of the University. He was Director of the Institute of Philosophy, and later Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Sciences. His main philosophical works (in addition to those in the field of 'history of ideas') are "Philosophy of the Spanish language" and "Space and intelligence".
Other significant thinkers in the century were Emilio Oribe, Mario Sambarino") and José Luis Rebellato.
Amerindian heritage
The territory that currently includes Uruguay was populated, in the past, by indigenous tribes who, after the arrival of European settlers, were strongly threatened. The best-known ethnic groups are the Charrúas - from whom the name has been inherited by those born in the country -, the Guaraníes, the Chanás, the Guenoas, the Minuanes, the Bohanes and the Yaros.[35][267].
In the case of the Charrúa Indians, due to the total and indiscriminate slaughter of this tribe, during the first presidency of the Republic, of Fructuoso Rivera, it is not possible to establish exactly to what extent current society and the Charrúa have something in common. With the exception of small utensils and human remains that are preserved in museums in Montevideo, nothing remains of this human group.
The Guaraní, on the other hand, who today live in almost all of Paraguay and areas of northern Argentina and southern Bolivia, left many evidence of their presence. To begin with, the name of Uruguay (river of the "uru", a small bird that inhabited the area, or "Urugua", river of snails), as well as the names of Paraguay or Taragüí (in the Argentine province of Corrientes), are of Guaraní origin. Numerous place names in Uruguay, such as Tacuarembó, Iporá, Batoví, particularly concentrated in the north of the country, are also of Guaraní origin. Some names, such as the male given name, Tabaré, which is quite common in the country (like the name of President Tabaré Vázquez), are also of Guarani origin.
The chanás and the tapestry were reduced by the Franciscan Order and converted to Catholicism. They are perhaps the only two native ethnic groups with descendants in rural areas of the interior of Uruguay, today. However, it is important to make it clear that because many of them mixed with European settlers, their descent is Creole and mestizo, as are their customs.
Through contact with neighboring countries, that is, Argentina and Brazil, an important cultural heritage was introduced. It is possible that between the tribes there was a kind of contact and even organization and exchange of money or raw materials.
When the Spanish and Portuguese settlers arrived in this region of America, they found that the environment was hostile, the humidity very high and the cold very strong. Faced with such inclemencies and the hard work of hunting and construction carried out by the nomadic and sedentary indigenous people, the Spaniards had to find out what the secret of so much resistance on the part of the natives was. There they discovered a species of tree, which was grown in southern Brazil and eastern Paraguay, and decided to carry out extensive plantations of this plant, to which time and history have given a privileged place in the region.
The stimulating and healing effects of yerba mate (very similar to those of traditional tea) meant that its use spread rapidly until reaching Uruguay and Argentina. The Quechua Indians then adapted and called it "" (glass or container) to the type of elongated gourd where and hot water are deposited to drink what has been Spanishized as "".[268].
European heritage
The European heritage took place in the 20th century. Its influence was reflected in the construction, construction methods, habits and, above all, in gastronomy. The country was a welcoming setting for the investments of wealthy German and French businessmen and for the residence and work of many Spaniards and Italians who were fleeing the poverty that devastated their countries. After the Second World War, Uruguay was favored by the number of immigrants who entered the country with the intention of working and living. With them, came their customs.
The Italians opened pizzerias, ice cream parlors and pasta factories. The Spanish scallop, in Uruguay, is called "milanesa", because it was introduced by the Italians[271] The Spaniards, and especially the Galicians and Asturians, opened bakeries and butcher shops or modest stores or bars. Galician confectionery doughs and pastries, empanadas and pans, seafood and fresh fish were introduced. The Spanish omelette gained some popularity, while the Andalusian pot, Catalan spices, rice pudding and jams spread on a large scale.
The English introduced the country's first footwear brand, Champion. The French dedicated themselves to high business and baking and refining, while the Germans opened beverage and food processing factories.
Other typical products are dulce de leche and alfajor "Alfajor (Latin America)"). Characteristic of the Río de la Plata, they are part of the region's gastronomic heritage, along with fried cakes.
Gastronomy
The gastronomy of Uruguay is characterized by having certain parallels with the gastronomy of Argentina and Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), differing, therefore, from much of Latin American cuisine. This factor is due to a greater extent to the contribution that the early arrival of immigrants of Spanish and Italian origin has made to the country.
The production of beef and the extensive exploitation of the dairy sector make Uruguayan gastronomy a meat monopoly, with foods derived from livestock predominating, among which are rump meat, roast meat, ribs, churas, chinchulines, udder, tongue and gizzard. Additionally, foods from pigs and sheep stand out, as well as those obtained from other parts of the cow (see black pudding). In this line, chorizos, sausages and different varieties of ham (cooked, raw or smoked), shoulder, loin, bacon and bacon stand out.
The production of the dairy industry is also representative, from which many of the most basic ingredients of the national cuisine are obtained: lard (or butter), double cream, chantilly cream (whipped milk or whipped cream in Spain), dulce de leche, different types of cheese - cologne, semi-hard, lean, mozzarella, sandwich, Roquefort, ricotta, spreadable, etc. -, yogurt, pasteurized whole or skimmed milk and milk. in powder.
Bakery and confectionery products are also extremely varied. Some of the varieties of bread "Bread (food)") produced in the country are known by the following names: flute, baguette, cannon, Catalan bread, Marseillaise, Buenos Aires, turtle, Vienna bread, American bread, sandwich bread, biscuit (navy/milky/field/fat), mignon, grissini, croissants, doughs, cookies (salty/sweet/stuffed/wafers), etc. Of note are the alfajores "Alfajor (Latin America)"), very varied, and the sponge cakes, a typical product in Uruguayan culture, consumed especially at breakfast or snack time and at gatherings with family or friends.
Grappamiel is an alcoholic drink originally from Uruguay and consists of mixing grappa and honey. It is obtained from the distillate of pomace and lees from the fermentation of grapes and then mixed with pure natural honey from bees. Grapa with honey generally contains around 25% alcohol.
Another drink, non-alcoholic and very similar to tea, is mate "Mate (infusion)"). Although it is rare, it is possible to find "cocido mate" (the one prepared following the tea process), mate with milk, or mate with a pinch of honey and rum.
Currently there is a large Uruguayan wine production. In the last 20 years, the country has aimed at quality production given the impossibility of competing with wine produced in large quantities in neighboring regions (such as Mendoza in Argentina). A particularity of Uruguayan wine production, especially that marketed internationally, is the use of the Tannat grape variety. Although there are other countries where this variety is produced, including France where it originates, most of the production comes from Uruguay.
Sport
The sport with the most followers in Uruguay is soccer.[272] Historically, soccer has been a fundamental element in terms of the consolidation of Uruguayan "nationality" and the international projection of the image of Uruguay as a country, at the beginning of the century. "La celeste" (historical nickname of the Uruguayan team, which arises from the color of its shirt) dazzled Europe with its Olympic presentations and earned the admiration and respect of the sporting universe, placing South American soccer on the highest level of consideration at a time when said continent was still ignored on the international soccer map (Uruguay in particular unknown on all maps, not just the soccer map). Uruguay won two consecutive Gold medals in the Olympic Games (Paris 1924 and Amsterdam 1928), being for 80 years the only South American country to occupy the top Olympic spot, an honor now shared with Argentina since Beijing 2008.
[273] and Brazil since Rio de Janeiro 2016.
Between July 13 and 30, 1930, the first world soccer championship organized by FIFA was held in Uruguay. In the final of the same Uruguay beat Argentina 4-2, winning their first world title.
Uruguay has, together with Argentina, the first place in the number of Copa América, with 15, followed by Brazil, with 9. In terms of world titles, it won the Soccer World Cup twice (in 1930[274] and 1950,[275] the latter being a historic sporting achievement and one of the most dramatic and unforgettable moments in the history of soccer, the final of which has since been known by the nickname "Maracanazo"). At the club level, Nacional and Peñarol, the two main Uruguayan teams, have represented Uruguay magnificently, obtaining between them eight Copa Libertadores and six Intercontinental Cups, in addition to an outstanding list (in quantity and quality) of international titles that allow them to occupy, until November 2006, the first and third positions in the Conmebol Club Ranking (Peñarol 1094 pts., Boca Juniors 1023 pts., National 960 pts.).[276].
There are many Uruguayan players who are part of Spanish, Italian, and other European and Asian leagues. Among the most notable are Luis Suárez (historical scorer for the Uruguayan team), Edison Cavani and Diego Forlán.
In 2011, the Uruguayan team became champion of America for the fifteenth time (record), winning the 2011 Copa América Argentina, winning the final against Paraguay 3-0 at the Monumental Stadium in Núñez.
Basketball is the second most popular sport in Uruguay, being very popular especially in Montevideo, where in many neighborhoods of the city there is at least one Club. The governing body of this sport in Uruguay is the Uruguayan Basketball Federation, created in 1915 and a member of FIBA since 1936. Among the most important achievements of the Uruguayan basketball team are the achievement of bronze medals in the 1952 and 1956 Olympic Games, in Helsinki and Melbourne respectively, as well as several South American championships and participation in Pan-American and world tournaments.
Parties
As a result of the secular nature of the Uruguayan state, Christian holidays (Holy Week and Christmas) officially receive other names (Tourism Week and Family Day). However, except for Holy Week, they are popularly known by their Christian name. The latter is variously called Santa, Tourism, Criolla, or the Vuelta Ciclista.
In 1933, during the dictatorship of Gabriel Terra, a dozen holidays were eliminated to reverse the situation of the crisis of 1929. Among them, America's Day, which commemorated the May Revolution every May 25 since 1834, was eliminated.[277].
Grades:.
• - All non-working holidays are immutable.
• - In years in which there is a change of presidential command (those ending in 0 or 5), March 1 is a non-working holiday.
• - The day of carrying out a national population and housing census, set by the executive branch, will be a non-working holiday with double remuneration if worked.
• - Holiday shift:
Starting in 1997, by Law No. 16,805, working holidays become removable. If they coincide on Saturday, Sunday or Monday, they will be observed on those days. If they occur on Tuesday or Wednesday, they will be observed on the immediately preceding Monday. If they occur on a Thursday or Friday, they will be observed on the immediately following Monday. The Three Kings, Carnival and Tourism Week holidays are excluded from the shift, which will continue to be observed on the day of the week on which they occur, whatever it may be.
Starting in 2002, by Law No. 17,414, June 19 and November 2 are also excluded from the shift.
Only in 2011, and to commemorate 200 years of the Battle of the Stones, by Law No. 18,748, May 18 was not run.
World Heritage in Uruguay
Cultural and natural assets:.
• - 1995: historic neighborhood of the City of Colonia del Sacramento[280].
• - 2015: Cultural and industrial landscape of Fray Bentos.
• - 2021: Work of engineer Eladio Dieste: Church of Atlántida.
Intangible cultural heritage:
• - 2009: Candombe.
• - 2009: Tango.
Statistics
• - Según un estudio de la Legatum Institute con sede en Dubái, Emiratos Árabes Unidos, y en el Índice de Prosperidad Legatum 2013,[281] Uruguay está primero en Latinoamérica y con el puesto 30 a nivel mundial en la clasificación de países de alta prosperidad que reúne a los 30 primeros países del mundo. Lo siguen Costa Rica en el puesto 31 y Chile en el puesto 35 a nivel de América Latina.
• - Según un estudio de la organización Transparencia Internacional, es el país de Latinoamérica que posee el menor índice de percepción de la corrupción.[282].
• - Según el informe del año 2009 de "Reporteros sin Fronteras", Uruguay es el país con el índice de libertad de prensa más alto en Sudamérica.[283].
• - Según el Índice de democracia del periódico británico «The Economist», Uruguay y Costa Rica son los únicos países latinoamericanos considerados una democracia completa, ubicando a Uruguay en el puesto 18 a nivel mundial y primero en Latinoamérica.
• - Uruguay es en 2013, el segundo país de América (luego de Canadá), en la clasificación de naciones más pacíficas del mundo, es el primero de Latinoamérica y está en el puesto 24 a nivel mundial.
• - Un informe de la revista Reader's Digest lo sitúa dentro de los diez países más verdes del mundo, ocupando la novena posición de una lista que encabezan estados como Finlandia, Islandia y Noruega.[284].
• - Uruguay se posiciona en el quinto puesto latinoamericano (tras Chile, Panamá, Costa Rica y El Salvador) y en el número 53 mundial en el Índice de globalización.[285].
• - Uruguay según el Índice de libertad económica para 2013 del Wall Street Journal y de la Heritage Foundation, está segundo en Latinoamérica después de Chile con el puesto mundial 36 y Chile con el 7.[286].
• - En el Índice de Facilidad de hacer negocios a 2010 según el Banco Mundial conserva el tercer puesto en Sudamérica, tras Chile, y Perú.
• - En el Índice internacional de derechos de propiedad comparte con Costa Rica (tras Chile y Puerto Rico) el tercer puesto de la región, y el 50.º puesto a nivel mundial en 2010.
Democracy index
The Democracy Index is the classification prepared by the Intelligence Unit of The Economist, through which it is intended to determine the range of democracy in 167 countries.[287].
Uruguay is, along with Costa Rica and Chile, the only Latin American countries considered to be "full democracies", obtaining high scores in three of the five areas of assessment, although the low score in the area of "political participation" prevents it from rising to the top global positions in the table. Even so, it obtains a better grade average than most countries in the European Union.
International rankings
The classification is shown in the order of the position of Uruguay's index with respect to the classification of the countries evaluated in each category. The year displayed along with the indicator reflects the date of the data used in the evaluation as reported by each source, and does not necessarily correspond to the year of publication.
• - Portal:Uruguay. Content related to Uruguay.
• - Portal:Montevideo. Content related to Montevideo.
• - Portal:Uruguay. Contenido relacionado con Uruguay.
• - Wikimedia Commons alberga una galería multimedia sobre Uruguay.
• - Wikinoticias tiene noticias relacionadas con Uruguay.
• - Wikcionario tiene definiciones y otra información sobre uruguayo.
• - Wikiquote alberga frases célebres de o sobre Proverbios uruguayos.
• - Wikiquote alberga frases célebres de o sobre Uruguay.
• - Wikisource contiene obras originales de o sobre Uruguay.
• - Wikiviajes alberga guías de viajes de o sobre Uruguay.
Government links
• - Portal of the Uruguayan State.
• - Presidency of the Eastern Republic of Uruguay.
• - Legislative power.
• - Ministry of Tourism of Uruguay.
Cultural links
• - Portal of Museums of Uruguay.
• - National Museum of Visual Arts (MNAV).
• - Juan Manuel Blanes Municipal Museum of Fine Arts.
Business links
• - Uruguay in Mercosur Guide.
References
[1] ↑ Si bien declaró la independencia de Brasil, la ley de independencia de la declaratoria especificaba que también lo hacía de Portugal y de cualquier potencia extranjera, mientras que con la ley de unión se vuelve a unir a las Provincias Unidas del Río de la Plata.
[2] ↑ Fecha en que se ratificó la Convención Preliminar de Paz, por la que Brasil y las Provincias Unidas renunciaron a sus aspiraciones de dominio sobre Uruguay.
[3] ↑ a b Se tomó como Área Metropolitana de Montevideo a las localidades de las páginas 25, 26 y 27 de los anexos del Libro Blanco del Área Metropolitana.[11].
[4] ↑ «oriental». Diccionario de la lengua española. Madrid: Real Academia Española. Consultado el 28 de enero de 2022.: https://dle.rae.es/oriental
[9] ↑ Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (PNUD), ed. (6 de mayo de 2025). «Human Development Insights» (en inglés). Consultado el 18 de noviembre de 2025.: https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/country-insights#/ranks
[15] ↑ Naciones Unidas (ed.). «Research Guides: Miembros de la ONU: Estados Miembros fundadores». research.un.org. Archivado desde el original el 7 de junio de 2022. Consultado el 14 de junio de 2021.: https://research.un.org/es/unmembers/founders
[41] ↑ Fucé, Pablo (2017). «El Real de San Felipe y Santiago de Montevideo (1724-1749): plaza y fuerte de los Borbones en la afirmaci ón de la conquista de la Banda Oriental». Anuario del Instituto de Historia Argentina 17 (2): e051. doi:10.24215/2314257Xe051. Consultado el 24 de enero de 2020.: https://www.anuarioiha.fahce.unlp.edu.ar/article/view/IHAe051
[45] ↑ «...Uruguay has for most of its history been the 'Switzerland' of South America...» - Thomas J. Knight, Latin America comes of age (Scarecrow Press, 1979), 24.
[64] ↑ Redacción 180 (30 de noviembre de 2009). «Final: Mujica 52,39 %; Lacalle 43,51 %». 180.com.uy. Consultado el 1 de diciembre de 2009. (enlace roto disponible en Internet Archive; véase el historial, la primera versión y la última).: http://elecciones.180.com.uy/articulo/Final-Mujica-52-6-Lacalle-43-3
[78] ↑ Oficina del Alto Comisionado para los Derechos Humanos (lista actualizada). «Lista de todos los Estados Miembros de las Naciones Unidas que son parte o signatarios en los diversos instrumentos de derechos humanos de las Naciones Unidas» (web) (en inglés).: https://indicators.ohchr.org/
[79] ↑ Pacto Internacional de Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales, vigilado por el Comité de Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales.
[80] ↑ Pacto Internacional de Derechos Civiles y Políticos, vigilado por el Comité de Derechos Humanos.
[81] ↑ Convención Internacional sobre la Eliminación de todas las Formas de Discriminación Racial, vigilada por el Comité para la Eliminación de Discriminación Racial.
[82] ↑ Convención Internacional para la protección de todas las personas contra las desapariciones forzadas.
[83] ↑ Convención Internacional sobre la Eliminación de todas las Formas de Discriminación contra la Mujer, vigilada por el Comité para la Eliminación de Discriminación contra la Mujer.
[84] ↑ Convención contra la tortura y otros tratos o penas crueles, inhumanos o degradantes, vigilada por el Comité contra la tortura.
[85] ↑ Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño, vigilada por el Comité de los Derechos del Niño.
[86] ↑ Convención internacional sobre la protección de los derechos de todos los trabajadores migratorios y de sus familiares. La convención entrará en vigor cuando sea ratificada por veinte estados.
[87] ↑ Convención sobre los Derechos de las Personas con Discapacidad, vigilado por el Comité sobre los Derechos de las Personas con Discapacidad.
[122] ↑ UNFCCC (ed.). Conference of the Parties. Report of the Conference of the Parties on its twenty-first session, held in Paris from 30 November to 13 December 2015 (en inglés). Consultado el 14 de noviembre de 2020.: https://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2015/cop21/eng/10.pdf#page=33
[145] ↑ Datos Uruguay (ed.). «Inflación en Uruguay – datos históricos y actualizados». Consultado el 12 de octubre de 2025.: https://datosuruguay.com/inflacion
[154] ↑ Depetris, Edith; et al. (2009). «Consistencia de indicadores de especialización en el comercio internacional. Aplicación al caso de la mantequilla en Argentina y Uruguay». Revista de Métodos Cuantitativos para la Economía y la Empresa 9: 85-105. ISSN 1886-516X. La referencia utiliza el parámetro obsoleto |coautores= (ayuda) (enlace roto disponible en Internet Archive; véase el historial, la primera versión y la última).: http://www.upo.es/RevMetCuant/art.php?id=39
[160] ↑ Organización de Naciones Unidas. «UNData. Country profiles» (en inglés). Consultado el 9 de agosto de 2008. Población por país estimada para 2007 (busque el perfil de cada país).: http://data.un.org/CountryProfile.aspx?crName=Argentina
[162] ↑ «Energías renovables: el físico que usó el viento para hacer de Uruguay un caso asombroso de electricidad limpia». BBC News Mundo. 25 de julio de 2024. Consultado el 25 de junio de 2025.: https://www.bbc.com/mundo/articles/c6p2z7qjng9o
[187] ↑ Organización Mundial de la Propiedad Intelectual (2024). «Global Innovation Index 2024: Unlocking the Promise of Social Entrepreneurship». www.wipo.int (en inglés). p. 18. ISBN 978-92-805-3681-2. doi:10.34667/tind.50062. Consultado el 6 de octubre de 2024.: https://www.wipo.int/web-publications/global-innovation-index-2024/en/
[192] ↑ Organización Mundial de la Salud (20 de febrero de 2006). «Global distribution of health workers in WHO Member States» (pdf). The World Health Report (en inglés). Consultado el 21 de julio de 2013.: http://www.who.int/entity/whr/2006/annex/06_annex4_en.pdf
[198] ↑ OMS; UNICEF (junio de 2006). «Coverage Estimates: Improved Drinking Water» (pdf). WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Program for Water Supply and Sanitation (en inglés). Archivado desde el original el 5 de octubre de 2007. Consultado el 21 de julio de 2013. La referencia utiliza el parámetro obsoleto |mes= (ayuda).: https://web.archive.org/web/20071005050319/http://www.wssinfo.org/pdf/country/URY_wat.pdf
[199] ↑ OMS; UNICEF (junio de 2006). «Coverage Estimates: Improved Sanitation» (pdf). WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Program for Water Supply and Sanitation (en inglés). Archivado desde el original el 5 de octubre de 2007. Consultado el 21 de julio de 2013. La referencia utiliza el parámetro obsoleto |mes= (ayuda).: https://web.archive.org/web/20071005100649/http://www.wssinfo.org/pdf/country/URY_san.pdf
[209] ↑ a b c Russell H. Fitzgibbon (1956). Uruguay: Portrait of a democracy. Londres: George Allen & Unwin.
[210] ↑ Lucio Mendieta y Núñez (1957). Revista mexicana de sociología. n.º 19. México: Instituto de Investigaciones Sociales de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, pp. 347.
[245] ↑ «Over 80 Nations Support Statement at Human Rights Council on LGBT Rights». U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Geneva (en inglés estadounidense). 22 de marzo de 2011. Consultado el 16 de junio de 2021.: https://geneva.usmission.gov/2011/03/22/lgbtrights/
[248] ↑ Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs. «Background Note: Uruguay». US Department of State. Consultado el 23 de febrero de 2011.: https://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2091.htm
[249] ↑ a b «Religión - Uruguay» (en inglés). Library of Congress Country Studies. Consultado el 23 de febrero de 2011.: http://countrystudies.us/uruguay/43.htm
[256] ↑ «Ley N.º 17378. Registro Nacional de Leyes y Decretos. 25 de julio de 2001». www.impo.com.uy. Consultado el 14 de diciembre de 2020.: https://www.impo.com.uy/bases/leyes/17378-2001
[260] ↑ ELIZAINCIN, Adolfo; BEHARES, Luis Ernesto; BARRIOS, Graciela. Nos falemo brasilero. Dialectos portugueses del Uruguay. 1987. Montevideo: Amesur. ISBN B0000D650N.
[261] ↑ CHAREILLE, Samantha. Aspectos de la situación lingüística de Uruguay: El caso del portuñol. Archivado el 30 de septiembre de 2007 en Wayback Machine. GLOTTOPOL. Revue de sociolinguistique en ligne (Numéro 4, julliet 2004). (en francés) Consultado de agosto de 2012.: http://www.univ-rouen.fr/dyalang/glottopol/telecharger/numero_4/gpl408chareille.pdf
[262] ↑ CARVALHO, Ana Maria. Variation and difussion of Uruguayan Portuguese in a bilingual border town. University of California at Berkeley USA. (inglés) Consultado el 3 de agosto de 2013.: http://webs.uvigo.es/ssl/actas1997/05/Carvalho.pdf
[286] ↑ «Sin censura». Consultado el 18 de agosto de 2013. (enlace roto disponible en Internet Archive; véase el historial, la primera versión y la última).: http://sdr.liccom.edu.uy/2013/05/11/sin-censura/
[291] ↑ Reporters Without Borders. «Clasificación Mundial de la Libertad de Prensa 2017». Consultado el 3 de enero de 2018.: https://rsf.org/es/clasificacion
[292] ↑ the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) (ed.). «Democracy Index 2016» (en inglés). Consultado el 3 de enero de 2018.: http://www.eiu.com/topic/democracy-index
[297] ↑ Legatum Institute (ed.). «The Legatum Prosperity Index 2017» (en inglés). Consultado el 3 de enero de 2017.: http://www.prosperity.com/rankings
The main economic resources are agriculture, forestry and livestock. Mineral and energy resources are scarce, and the main industries are paper, cardboard, cement and oil refining.
According to the United Nations, Uruguay is the country in Latin America with the highest level of literacy. For its part, Transparency International places it in 13th place worldwide in the Corruption Perception Index, being the best positioned on the American continent.[21] The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) says that it is the third country in Latin America (after Chile and Argentina) with the highest Human Development Index (HDI) and the 54th in the world.[22][23] According to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), it is one of the countries in the region with a more equitable income distribution, with a Gini Coefficient of 0.39. It is also the fourth country in Latin America (after Cuba, Costa Rica and Chile) with the highest life expectancy.[24][25] In 2018, it is the third country in Latin America (after Panama and Chile) with the highest GDP (PPP) per capita.
The Latinobarómetro Corporation, in a study carried out in 2008, places Uruguay as the most peaceful country in Latin America.[26][27] Furthermore, according to the American magazine International Living it is the best in Latin America to live in.[28] This same publication ensures that it is among the twenty safest countries in the world,[28] while the Democracy Index of the British publication The Economist places it among the fifteen most democratic in the world, being the only Latin American country considered a "full democracy."[29].
Place names
In colonial times the territory was known as Banda Oriental. This name comes from its geographical location, being the easternmost domain of Spain on the American continent. During the first years of the independence struggle, it was called Eastern Province, forming part of the Federal League and later of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata. During the Luso-Brazilian Invasion (1816-1828) it was officially called Cisplatina Province.
When the draft of the first Constitution was drafted in 1830, the name "State of Montevideo" was suggested for the new independent nation. During the discussion of the project, the names "Northern Argentine State" and "Estado Oriental del Río de la Plata" or "Estado Oriental del Uruguay" or "Estado Oriental del Uruguay" were also proposed. Finally, after a vote in the assembly, the name Estado Oriental del Uruguay was approved, in geographical reference to the Uruguay River.[30] Finally, In the Constitutional Reform of 1918, the official name was changed to República Oriental del Uruguay, a name that had already been used de facto for a few decades.
Currently the most common name is simply Uruguay, there are several theories about the meaning and origin of the word:
• - River of the country of the urú or river of the urú. It is the version of the Spanish naturalist Félix de Azara. The "urú quail" or, simply urú,[31] is a bird of the family "Family (biology)") of the odontophorids - or New World quails - that lives in the jungles of the upper basin of the Uruguay River, located in the northeast of Argentina and southern Brazil, in the region of the Jesuit Missions. In this way, the literal translation from Guaraní would be: urú; gua, «of»; e y, "water", water - river - of the urú. The Uruguayan poet, singer and composer Aníbal Sampayo ascribes.[32].
• - River of snails. This interpretation arises from dividing the word into uruguá, "snail" or "sea snail", and y, "water or river", and has several sources. This idea was independently supported by the Jesuits Nicolás Durán Mastrilli and Antonio Ruiz de Montoya, who had a deep knowledge of the Guaraní language, and then, at the end of the century, the engineer José María Cabrer, who accompanied Félix de Azara on some of his trips through the Río de la Plata region, the Misiones and Paraguay. A 2010 investigation by the National Museum of Natural History also supports this thesis. It also supports this thesis. Irene Cocchi and Rosario Gutiérrez, authors of the book "In the country of snails, Uruguay", subscribe to this theory. The indigenous people, original inhabitants of the region, would be referring to a species of mollusk that is abundant in the Uruguay River, the Asolene megastoma - a gastropod belonging to the ampularidae family - The indigenous people used these snails as food and also in some rituals. indigenous people would demonstrate the importance that snails had for the ancient settlers of this region.[15][31][33].
• - River of birds. It is a very similar version to the first. The affix uru would designate “bird”—urubú, urutaú, jaburú—and guay “water or river.” The Pampean version with a guttural tone of "uhay" or "vahy" or even "hy" - Ayuhy, Iyuhy, Paraguay, Queguay, Iraí, Piraí, Ivahy - over time would have transformed the geographical designative.
• - River of painted birds. A poetic interpretation of Juan Zorrilla de San Martín.[31].
Historically, the correct demonym to refer to the inhabitants of the republic is orientales, but it has gradually fallen into disuse, having been replaced in most uses by Uruguayans.[15].
History
Pre-Hispanic era
The first humans arrived in what is currently Uruguayan territory 14,000 years ago, based on archaeological discoveries in the department of Artigas that, due to their antiquity, led to reconsidering the date of the arrival of man to the American continent.[34].
The oldest artificial constructions in the region are the more than 3,000 Indian hills that date back up to 5,000 years, distributed throughout the east of the country. Archaeological investigations have found evidence in the hills of companion dogs, as well as the agriculture of corn, beans, and pumpkins, a practice that was previously considered unknown to the prehistoric inhabitants of Uruguay.
The inhabitants of Uruguay at the time of the Spanish conquest were mainly the Charrúas, among whom the Guenoas-Minuanes, the Bohanes and the Chaná are distinguished. There is controversy over the existence of another group known as the Arachanes due to the lack of historical records. There was also the Yaros people who belonged to the Yés mixed or acculturated with the Charrúas. Contrary to what has been the dominant opinion for much of the century and , recent archaeological and ethnohistorical investigations have revealed that the settlement of Uruguayan territory by the Charrúas was largely after the European conquest. More precisely, it occurred between the end of the century and the beginning of the century, and was due to their expulsion from the territories of the current Argentine provinces of Santa Fe and Entre Ríos where they had their main residence, as part of the great offensive against the indigenous peoples unleashed by the Spanish colonizers after the Guaranític war. It is accepted, however, that some portion of Uruguayan territory, such as part of the current department of Colonia, had a Uruguayan presence before this migration. The Minuan ethnic group, on the other hand, would have been the most populous and widespread in Uruguayan territory, even after the displacement of the Charrúas.[35].
Simultaneously, the Guaraní, originally from the territories of the Jesuit missions, both during their existence and even more so after their dissolution, fled to nearby regions, including Uruguayan territory. They brought with them their European knowledge transmitted through their contact with the Society of Jesus in the aforementioned Missions, giving rise to the main Amerindian cultural heritage in the Uruguayan interior, especially in what has to do with practices related to animal husbandry, gastronomy, and other customs.[36].
colonial era
The first European settlement in the then called Banda Oriental was the Spanish San Lázaro "San Lázaro (Uruguay)"), founded by Sebastián Gaboto on the eastern bank of the Río de la Plata at the beginning of 1527.[37] A few weeks later, the Spanish under Gaboto founded a second fort at the mouth of the San Salvador River "Río San Salvador (Uruguay)"), which received its European name after from the name of the Fort of San Salvador. Such establishments were short-lived.
In January 1680, the Portuguese occupied the southern part of the Banda Oriental—violating the Treaty of Tordesillas—founding the Colonia do Santíssimo Sacramento, in front of the city of Buenos Aires. On November 22, 1723, the Field Master, Manuel de Freytas Fonseca established a fort in Montevieu Bay. On January 22, 1724, the Spanish from Buenos Aires displaced the Portuguese, who founded in the north of the eastern side of the Uruguay River, the city of Río Grande "Río Grande (Brazil)") in 1737, Porto Alegre in 1742 and the Fortress of Santa Teresa in 1762 in Rocha.
After evicting the Portuguese in 1724, Governor Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, called "Iron Arm", established a fort in the port of San Felipe. Montevideo was officially founded on December 24, 1726 by the Spanish captain. The new foundation was initially named Fort San José, and then San Felipe y Santiago, although the place was known in ancient times by the Spanish as Cerro Montevideu. There are several theories about the origin of the nomenclature of Montevideo: one hypothesis states that it could derive from the term "monte vide eu" used by someone who first saw the hill on its coasts. Another widely accepted origin would be that of the territorial census in its origins; At the time, the position where Montevideo is located was called: Monte VI from E to O —Monte sixth from East to West. At that time, Spain only had the port of Montevideo and the current departments of San José, Flores, Canelones and Maldonado. 80% of the eastern band of the Uruguay River remained Portuguese since 1680. The Portuguese established relations with the Chaná nation and introduced Africans from Bantu nations - from the kingdoms of Benguela, Ngola and Kongo "Kongo (ethnicity)"), among others, to Colonia and later to Montevideo - as slaves.
The Spanish settled families starting in 1726, when the second founding of Montevideo took place. The city of Montevideo was founded with military and commercial objectives,[38] being an important military plaza of the Spanish colonial dominions in the south during the century and the main port of the Río de la Plata estuary. The importance of Montevideo as a port of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata earned it confrontations with Buenos Aires, capital of the viceroyalty, on several occasions.
On November 22, 1749, the king of Spain appointed José Joaquín de Viana as the first governor of Montevideo. He arrived at the Río de la Plata on the ship Nuestra Señora de la Concepción on February 3, 1751, landing in Buenos Aires, where he swore the position of first Governor before Captain General Andonaegui and took possession of it in a solemn session that the Montevideo Cabildo held on March 14. The Government of Montevideo included the territories that went from the mouth of the Cufré stream, in the west, to the Pan de Azúcar hill "Cerro Pan de Azúcar (Uruguay)"), in the east, reaching in the north from the sources of the San José and Santa Lucía rivers "Río Santa Lucía (Uruguay)"), following the line of the Cuchilla Grande "Cuchilla Grande (Uruguay)") to the hill Ojosmín, which is located in the current department of Flores. In terms of the national political subdivision of the present, it corresponds to the current departments of Montevideo, Canelones and part of San José, Flores, Florida, Lavalleja and Maldonado.[39].
The first viceroy of the Río de la Plata, Pedro de Cevallos—or Zevallos—reconquered Montevideo and the Santa Teresa Fortress as well as the island of Santa Catarina. Finally, in 1777, Cevallos himself, named viceroy of the recently created Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, definitively conquered the Colony, a conquest that was endorsed by the treaty of San Ildefonso "Treaty of San Ildefonso (1777)").
In 1763 the city of San Carlos in Maldonado was founded with Portuguese by Cevallos. In 1798 and between 1806 and 1807 the English invasions occurred. Troops from Montevideo and Buenos Aires together repel the attacks of the English fleet—the first commanded by Commodore Home Riggs Popham and the second by Admiral Charles Stirling—coming to conquer the territories of Plata.
Independence
During the May Revolution of 1810—started in Buenos Aires—and the revolutionary uprising in the provinces of Plata, the city of Montevideo remained faithful to the Spanish authorities, although much of the rural interior and smaller cities did not. At the beginning of its formation, the leader José Gervasio Artigas stands out, whose intention was to create in the Eastern Province the nucleus of a confederation that would encompass the entire United Provinces of the Río de la Plata. Artigas titled himself protector of free peoples, bringing together under his military command the Banda Oriental - mostly present-day Uruguay - and the current Argentine provinces of Entre Ríos, Misiones, Corrientes, Santa Fe and, briefly, Córdoba "Province of Córdoba (Argentina)"). It also sought to integrate the Eastern Missions—which Artigas declared part of the Eastern Province—and the Republic of Paraguay.
In 1815 Artigas called a meeting of a congress of those provinces—the Congress of the East—in Arroyo de la China, currently Concepción del Uruguay in Entre Ríos, to try to solve their problems with the government of Buenos Aires. During the Portuguese-Brazilian invasion Artigas focused his operations from the Purification Camp.
During his brief period as leader and ruler of the Banda Oriental, Artigas promoted the implementation of an advanced social development program that included a reform of agrarian structures, through the Provisional Regulation of 1815, which established a distribution of land with social meaning under the slogan that "the unhappiest are the most privileged." Within this category, said regulation mentions blacks, zambos "Zambo (caste)") and poor widows with children, among others. Other development projects include the founding of the first public library, the customs regulations to promote national production, and the first attempt to establish a public school. This process comes to an end with the invasion of the Portuguese through Brazil.
In 1816 the Banda Oriental fell under the power of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarve. In 1821 the Cisplatin Congress decided to incorporate the territory into Portugal with the name of Cisplatin Province. In 1825 there was a revolution known as the emancipatory feat of the Thirty-Three Orientals, immediately followed by the Brazilian War, between the Empire and the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata. This concluded with the constitution of the Eastern State of Uruguay in 1828 after the signing of the Preliminary Peace Convention "Preliminary Peace Convention (1828)").
Civil wars and the extermination of indigenous people
Since Independence, Uruguay attempted to join the Western world through the expulsion of one of the surviving indigenous peoples, known as the Charrúas, to keep their lands.[40] On April 11, 1831, when General Fructuoso Rivera was president and General Manuel Oribe was minister of war, the Salsipuestas Massacre took place in which nearly thirty Charrúas died, the most important of a series of battles with the indigenous peoples, which resulted in the emigration of many Charrúas to Brazil and Argentina. This battle was the corollary of a war that preceded the arrival of the Spanish to the Río de la Plata, between the Charrúa and the Guaranític nations, the latter protected by General Rivera.
The first forty years of the new country witnessed great political instability. The continuous clashes between white "Partido Nacional (Uruguay)") and red "Partido Colorado (Uruguay)") gave rise to the so-called Great War and the long siege of Montevideo "Siege of Montevideo (1843-1851)"), with the country divided between two rival governments, and which witnessed serious interference in its internal affairs by Argentina and Brazil. That war was followed by a series of coups d'état and revolutions, which led Uruguay to participate in the long and costly war of the Triple Alliance against Paraguay. Only after the Revolution of the Lances, in 1872, did a stage of more peaceful resolution of political situations begin, although small civil wars continued to occur until 1904. In 1870 Spain recognized the independence of Uruguay when the Treaty of Recognition, Peace and Friendship was signed between the Eastern Republic of Uruguay and the Kingdom of Spain.
The Switzerland of America
At the end of the century the country had completed its organization and during the Batllista era—led by the president at that time, José Batlle y Ordóñez—it consolidated its democracy and reached high levels of well-being, comparable to Europeans. Due to this, Uruguay began to be known internationally as "the Switzerland of America."[41][42] Uruguay was one of the first countries to establish by law the right to divorce - 1907 - and one of the first countries in the world to establish the right of women's suffrage. In addition, it was the second nation in the world that, following the postulates of José Pedro Varela, established by law a free, compulsory and secular educational system -1877-.
Among the reforms promoted during the Batllista era, important advances in labor matters stood out, such as the eight-hour law of 1915, the prohibition of child labor for children under 13 years of age, the recognition of the right to strike, the extension of protection to the unemployed and retirees, as well as legal protection for union activity.[43].
There was an economic boom due to the consequences of the country's neutrality during the First World War, when the industrialization of the country began, where for years European manufactured products stopped being imported and they began to be manufactured in the national territory. This resulted in one of the lowest unemployment rates. Other achievements were added to all this; the tallest building in Latin America in 1928 -Palacio Salvo-, the excellent infrastructure, health and education with levels higher than those of European countries and many countries in developing Latin America, its public university, the largest stadium in the world -Estadio Centenario-, state public services -electricity, telephones, gas, trams, railways, running water, among others-, a Uruguayan peso that tended to appreciate against the dollar, new public institutions, the triumph in the championships of football in the Olympic Games - Paris 1924 and Amsterdam 1928 - and the World Cups in 1930 - hosted in the city of Montevideo - and 1950, in Brazil - called Maracanazo -, feats that contributed to perpetuating the myth of Uruguay's "golden age."
During the period between 1940 and 1945, which was the year Uruguay entered World War II, the economy was excessively dependent on foreign capital. One of Uruguay's problems was that it depended 100% on energy that came from abroad and therefore most of the benefits obtained returned without giving any benefit to the country. For this reason, the growth and evolution of Uruguay were greatly diminished, since the outflow of capital did not help national investment. After the end of the war, it became a founding member of the United Nations.
At the end of the century, the driving force behind Uruguay's growth, like that of many other Latin American countries, was exports. The fundamental difference between Uruguay and the others is that it did not depend excessively on a single destination country.
Economic decline
Around 1955, an economic crisis began that also affected political institutions. During the 1960s there was a continuous process of social and economic deterioration with a notable increase in agitation among left-wing union sectors. Simultaneously, the activity of about ten revolutionary groups was recorded, among which the "Tupamaros" stood out, who leaned towards urban guerrilla warfare.
At the same time, during the 60s and 70s far-right organizations acted, such as the Uruguayan Standing Youth -JUP- and the Comando Caza Tupamaros (CCT), known as Escuadrón de la Muerte "Death Squads (Uruguay)"). The Armed Forces used the deterioration that devastated the country to their advantage, gradually assuming prominence. These events led, ten years later, to a coup d'état that established a civil-military dictatorship "Civic-military dictatorship in Uruguay (1973-1985)").
Dictatorship
On June 27, 1973, the then president, Juan María Bordaberry, dissolved parliament with the support of the Armed Forces and months later created a State Council "State Council of the year 1973 (Uruguay)") with legislative functions, administrative control and in charge of projecting a constitutional reform "that reaffirms the republican-democratic principles", restricts freedom of expression of thought and empowers the Armed Forces and police to ensure the uninterrupted provision of public services.
The coup d'état of June 1973 and its resulting Council of State was immediately resisted by a large part of the citizenry and by the workers grouped in the National Workers' Convention (CNT&action=edit&redlink=1 "National Workers' Convention (Uruguay) (not yet drafted)")), as well as by the Student Movement, mainly represented by the Federation of University Students (FEUU) of the University of the Republic, who carried out a general strike of 15 days long, the longest in history so far.[45].
The Armed Forces detained left-wing leaders and other citizens without a political position, accusing them of sedition during the entire time that the military dictatorship lasted, that is, until 1985, as well as (for brief periods) well-known leaders of traditional political parties such as Jorge Batlle Ibáñez and Luis Alberto Lacalle de Herrera, who would later become Presidents of the Republic with the return to democracy, among others.
The members of "left-wing" parties were held almost completely incommunicado and suffered physical and psychological torture (later verified by organizations such as the International Red Cross). Nearly a hundred political prisoners died in Uruguayan prisons and another 140 people remain missing.[46].
The media was censored or banned, the trade union movement destroyed and tons of books burned after the works of some writers were banned. People registered as opponents of the regime are excluded from public administration and education.[47].
In 1976, at the end of his constitutional mandate, Bordaberry, convinced that the political chaos that the country had experienced was the responsibility of its political system, proposed to the Board of Commanders in Chief of the Armed Forces a reform of the country's institutional system, eliminating political parties and replacing them with "currents of opinion" in a corporatist system, an idea that is not shared by the military. The disagreements between Bordaberry and the military generated the political crisis of June 1976, which culminated in the dismissal of the president and the interim appointment of Alberto Demicheli to occupy the first magistracy.
Demicheli, who until then had served as president of the Council of State, assumes the presidency of the Republic on July 12. As the first measures of his government, he proceeded to sign Institutional Acts 1 and 2, by which he suspended "until further pronouncement" the call for general elections (scheduled for November of that same year) and the "Council of the Nation" was created. Regarding economic policy, Demicheli ratified the National Development Plan created in 1972 during the Bordaberry government. The applied economic policy sought a radical reformulation of the bases of the country's economic functioning, a new alliance between the military and the technobureaucracy, aimed at the transformation of the productive structures of foreign trade, income distribution, demand and relative prices, within a framework of broad liberalization and opening of the economy. Finally, on September 1 of the same year, Demichelli delegates the presidency to Aparicio Méndez (former Minister of Public Health), who takes over for a period of five years.
Return to democracy
On November 30, 1980, citizens rejected the constitutional reform project proposed by the dictatorial regime, beginning a slow process of political opening. On September 1, 1981, General Gregorio Álvarez assumed the presidency, and in 1984 he called elections, although with citizens and political parties banned. After taking place that same year, the Colorado Party "Partido Colorado (Uruguay)" emerges triumphant. During the first days of 1985 Álvarez left command in the hands of the President of the Supreme Court of Justice "Suprema Corte de Justicia (Uruguay)") in office, Rafael Addiego Bruno and, finally, on March 1, 1985 the government returned to civilians with the assumption of Julio María Sanguinetti as President.
In February and March 1985, the majority political parties agreed to vote on an amnesty law that extinguished political, common and military crimes related to them, committed after January 1, 1962. Authors and co-authors of completed crimes of intentional homicide were exempt from the amnesty, in which regard only the review of sentences by civil courts was provided. Police and military officials who had committed crimes involving inhuman, cruel or degrading treatment or the detention of people who later disappeared, or who had covered up such conduct, were expressly excluded.
Law 15,848 on the Expiration of the Punitive Claims of the State (popularly known as the "law of impunity" or "law of expiration"), which covered all members of the Armed Forces accused of human rights violations between 1973 and 1985, was approved by parliament in December 1986. In the following years, a campaign to collect signatures was carried out to promote a referendum to annul it. On April 16, 1989, after more than 25% of Uruguayan citizens authorized the referendum with their signature, it was carried out, with a triumph of the so-called "yellow vote" (for the color of the ballot), which ratified the law, with a margin of 57% against 43% with respect to the "green vote", for its annulment. The victory of the "yellow vote" meant not annulling the expiration law, and maintaining the amnesty for crimes committed during the military government.
In the November 1989 elections, Luis Alberto Lacalle (of the National Party) was elected. In 1994 Sanguinetti was elected for the second time.
In 1996, a constitutional reform was put for citizens' consideration that established internal elections and runoff elections for the first time; This reform is approved by a narrow margin in the plebiscite. Thus, in 1999 Jorge Batlle (of the Colorado Party) triumphed, as a result of this new system.
In relation to human rights during the civil-military dictatorship "Civic-military dictatorship in Uruguay (1973-1985)"), the Executive Branch has led the search for missing persons and victims of that period. In August 2000, the Peace Commission was created and, in April 2003, the Secretariat of Human Rights for the Recent Past, in charge of promoting postponed investigations and locating missing persons[48][49][50] Its tasks consisted of receiving, analyzing, classifying and compiling information on disappearances, with the support of forensic specialists and anthropologists.[51].
Economic, political and social crisis of 2002
In July 2002, in one of the hottest moments of the banking crisis, the senator of the Frente Amplio "Frente Amplio (Uruguay)"), Alberto Couriel, was in charge of the interpellation of the then minister Alberto Bensión, in which all the members of the Frente Amplio "Frente Amplio (Uruguay)") and a few of the National Party "Partido Nacional (Uruguay)") formally asked him to resign from office. This did not happen, but Rodríguez Batlle was removed.
In mid-July, the rejection of the National Party, until then an ally of the Batlle government, towards the economic policy that was being carried out was made public. It was then that, together with the Frente Amplio, they again asked for Bensión's resignation and this time they had better luck. Bensión left office on August 20 and Alejandro Atchugarry took office,[54] who was then serving as senator for the Colorado Party "Colorado Party (Uruguay)"). Atchugarry, who had just suffered the loss of his wife after a long illness, was reluctant to take up the position. However, Batlle found in him what he was looking for, a minister who was more political than technical. Batlle put the senator in a compromising situation, and suggested that if he did not take office as minister, he should resign from the presidency and Luis Hierro López would have to take the reins of the country.[55] Finally, Atchugarry accepted the position by saying "I love you and respect you like a father... Well, children don't say no to their parents.".[55] At the time of Atchugarry's inauguration, Rosario Medero, the white representative in the board of directors of the Central Bank, at the request of its political sector.
On July 30, the bank holiday was declared. The Batlle government excused itself by saying that it was an express request from the IMF to proceed with the liquidation of the Peirano group banks. This decision aimed to stop the flight of deposits that the Uruguayan financial market had been suffering since 2001, since many Argentine savers turned to their savings in Uruguay when they found themselves unable to withdraw money in their country. The ATMs ran out of money, and the exchange houses sold the dollar for 38 pesos and bought it for 24. The bank holiday ended on Monday, August 5.
The night of July 31 resulted in the first looting of a supermarket near the Legislative Palace "Palacio Legislativo (Uruguay)"). On August 1, a wave of these phenomena occurred that shook the city of Montevideo. There were more than thirty, and this time they happened in marginal areas. Many merchants expressed their willingness not to reopen their shops the next day for fear of being looted. The Minister of the Interior, Guillermo Stirling, tried to reassure the population by announcing a reinforcement of police surveillance for future occasions. On August 2 there was no looting, however, a wave of rumors invaded the city. It was rumored that a horde of people was heading towards the center of Montevideo, looting everything in their path. Merchants closed their doors instantly and the city center was left desolate. A strong police operation was launched and the Air Force flew over the capital using helicopters in search of the horde of looters that never arrived and perhaps never existed.[56].
Government of the Broad Front
In the 2004 presidential elections, the socialist and oncologist Tabaré Vázquez, candidate for the leftist coalition Encuentro Progresista-Frente Amplio-Nueva Mayoría, was elected with 50.6% of the votes, achieving victory in the first round and achieving a parliament with absolute majorities. Tabaré Vázquez belonged to the Uruguayan Socialist Party for more than 25 years, he disaffiliated from it in December 2008 due to philosophical discrepancies in his position regarding the decriminalization of abortion, however, without ceasing to continue being a person of deep socialist ideals. In the 2005 municipal elections, the National Party won ten mayoralties, the EP-FA-NM won eight, and the Colorado Party won one.
In the legislative elections of October 2009, the Frente Amplio "Frente Amplio (Uruguay)") once again achieved the parliamentary majority with 48% of the total votes (counting blank and annulled votes), while the National Party "Partido Nacional (Uruguay)") came second with 29.4%, the Colorado Party "Partido Colorado (Uruguay)") third, obtaining 17.5%. The Frente Amplio vote did not achieve an absolute majority of the total votes cast, including blank and annulled votes, so the presidential election was defined on November 29, 2009 through a runoff between the leftist José Mujica of the Frente Amplio and the right-wing former president Luis Alberto Lacalle Herrera of the National Party "National Party (Uruguay)"). José “Pepe” Mujica was elected president of Uruguay and successor to Tabaré Vázquez. The Frente Amplio formula obtained 52.4% of the votes, while the other candidate, the former white president Luis Alberto Lacalle (1990-1995), obtained 43.5%, according to the results of the Electoral Court.[61] Around 4% of the votes were blank or annulled. In the first round on October 25, Mujica, of the ruling leftist Frente Amplio party, and Lacalle, of the National Party, had received the most votes (48% and 29.1% respectively), but neither achieved a majority. In his inauguration speech, held on March 1, 2010, Mujica reaffirmed the need for the country to have state policies. He also proposed the elimination of destitution and the reduction of poverty by 50% as a primary objective of his administration.[62].
In the 2010 departmental elections, the National Party obtained twelve mayoralties (regained three, lost one), the Broad Front obtained five (lost four, conquered one) and the Colorado Party obtained two (gained one more). In the 2014 Uruguayan general elections, Tabaré Vázquez was again elected in the second round with 56.62% of the votes.
Elections of 2019 and 2025
As a result of the victory of the conservative National Party "Partido Nacional (Uruguay)") in the second round of the 2019 presidential elections, in 2020, Tabaré Vázquez was succeeded by the center-right Luis Alberto Lacalle Pou, after 15 years of left-wing governments, as the 42nd President of Uruguay.[63] In the first weeks of his mandate, the government of Uruguay had to begin to confront the pandemic of coronavirus,[64] followed by the declaration of a health emergency and the adoption of several exceptional measures.[65].
In the 2024 general elections, Yamandú Orsi of the Frente Amplio "Frente Amplio (Uruguay)") emerged, with Carolina Cosse as vice president. It is the fourth victory of the left coalition.
Government and politics
Contenido
La República Oriental del Uruguay es un Estado unitario democrático y descentralizado de carácter presidencialista.
Según un informe publicado por la revista británica The Economist (El Economista), Uruguay es considerado el país más plenamente democrático de Sudamérica, ubicado en el puesto 15 sobre un total de 167 naciones, siendo el más democrático de Latinoamérica.[66] Y, además, es el segundo de América -por detrás de Canadá- en la tabla de los países con menor índice de percepción de corrupción (elaborado por la organización Transparencia Internacional).[67].
Political structure
Its government is divided into three independent branches: executive branch, legislative branch and judicial branch. In addition, there are three autonomous public control bodies: the Electoral Court, the Administrative Litigation Court "Tribunal de lo Contencioso Administrativo (Uruguay)") and the Court of Accounts of the Republic "Tribunal de Cuentas (Uruguay)").
Executive power is exercised by the President of the Republic, acting in agreement with the respective minister or ministers, or with the Council of Ministers.[68] The president is simultaneously head of State and Government, and is elected together with the vice president by direct popular election. The president has a term of 5 years without immediate re-election until after the same period from leaving office. They are elected in the same candidacy presented by the respective party. In the event that no candidate obtains an absolute majority of the votes, a second round is held between the first two majorities. In said vote, the candidate that obtains the simple majority of the votes wins.
The President of the Republic appoints the heads of the ministries and can dismiss them. Likewise, the General Assembly can dismiss ministers by an absolute majority vote.
Legislative power resides in the General Assembly, which consists of a Senate of thirty-one members (counting the president of the chamber, who is the vice president of the Republic) and a House of Representatives of 99 members. Elections for parliament are held on closed lists simultaneously with the presidential election (the vote is not applied for each candidate for deputy or senator but for a list presented by each political party). Deputies are elected by department, while senators are elected at the national level, both for five-year terms. Each of Uruguay's 19 departments is headed by a popularly elected mayor. The councilors of the Departmental Board act as legislative power at the departmental level.
The judicial branch is headed by the Supreme Court of Justice, whose members are appointed by the General Assembly by a two-thirds majority and whose terms last ten years or until they reach 70 years of age. The Supreme Court of Justice is the last instance of appeal and is also in charge of judging the constitutionality of laws. The judicial branch is also made up of Courts of Appeal, Legal Courts and Peace Courts.
Territorial organization
Departmental governments.
The governments of each of the 19 departments are organized like the central government, with two fundamental bodies: the Municipal Mayor (Executive), and the Departmental Board (Legislative). They take care of the domestic tasks of the department, transportation, care of the cities, waste, public lighting, among other functions. They have their own resources, in particular taxes levied on vehicles registered in the department ("vehicle license") and the properties located there ("real estate tax", lighting tax, sanitation tax, etc.).
• - The Mayor is elected directly by the citizens registered in the civic registry of that department, in elections that are held in 19 constituencies (one for each department) on a date different from the national election (the second Sunday of the following May).
• - The Departmental Boards are unicameral organizations made up of 31 councilors. The political party that obtains the simple majority of votes obtains 16 of the seats and the rest is divided among the other parties in proportion to the votes obtained.
• - The constitutional reform of 1997 institutionalized the National Congress of Mayors, in order to coordinate the policies of the Departmental Governments to allow them to agree among themselves, with the executive branch or with other State bodies.
Uruguay is divided into 19 departments and has 127 municipalities, each of which has a population equal to or greater than 2,000 inhabitants:
The main cities in relation to their population are: Montevideo, Salto "Salto (Uruguay)"), Ciudad de la Costa, Maldonado, Paysandú, Las Piedras "Las Piedras (Uruguay)"), Rivera "Rivera (Uruguay)"), Tacuarembó, Melo and Artigas "Artigas (city)").
Municipalities.
By Law No. 18567 of September 13, 2009, local entities called municipalities were created, with bodies of five members. Its president is called "mayor" and the other members are called "councillors." The members are elected by direct vote of the citizens at the same time that the Mayors and Departmental Boards are elected. By Law No. 18,653 of March 15, 2010, 89 municipalities were defined, whose territory does not cover the entire country.
Currently the number of municipalities is 127.
The powers of these local bodies are very limited and are fundamentally based on the delegation of functions they receive from the respective departmental governments. The municipalities do not have their own budget or officials, and their resources are those assigned to them by the central government and the departments.
International relations
Uruguay has traditionally had strong political and cultural ties with its nearby countries and Europe. The British diplomat Alfred Mitchell-Innes was Minister of Uruguay in all the crucial years of The Great War (1913-1919).
With globalization and regional economic problems, its ties with the United States have strengthened. Uruguay is a firm defender of constitutional democracy, political pluralism and individual freedoms. Historically, international relations have been guided by the principles of non-intervention, multilateralism, respect for national sovereignty and trust in the law to resolve disputes. Uruguay also reflects the international relations of its campaign to seek export markets and foreign investment. It is a founding member of MERCOSUR. In June 1991, MERCOSUR and the United States signed the Rose Garden Agreement") (also known as the "Four Plus One" Agreement). The agreement did not become operational until June 2001 when MERCOSUR invited the US to examine the feasibility of market access negotiations. The first US-MERCOSUR meeting was held on September 24, 2001, and resulted in the creation of four working groups in industrial trade, electronic commerce, agriculture, and investment.
Uruguay has an FTA with Mexico and is a member of the Latin American Reserve Fund although it does not belong to the Andean Integration System.
After ambivalent positions by the Tabaré Vázquez government regarding the US offer to sign an FTA, in the absence of complete support in the Frente Amplio, the negotiations culminated with the signing of a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement with the US.
Uruguay is a member of the Rio Group, an association of Latin American states that deals with multilateral security issues. Likewise, it is a member State of the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance. Uruguay's location between Argentina and Brazil leads to close relations with these two largest neighbors. One of the first proponents of the Initiative for the Americas"), Uruguay has actively participated in the process of periodic follow-up to the Summits of the Americas, especially the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA).
Often considered a neutral country, having a professional diplomatic corps, Uruguay is frequently called upon to preside over international organizations. The country elected to preside over the FTAA and agricultural committees of the WTO and a Uruguayan presides over the WTO General Assembly. Uruguay is also a member of the Latin American Integration Association (ALADI), a Montevideo-based trade association that includes 10 South American countries plus Mexico and Cuba.
Uruguay along with Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay is a state party[70] and founder of Mercosur,[71] Chile as the first associate member; and Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, as recently associated states. Mercosur began to function with its own legal personality on December 15, 1994, the date of entry into force of the Ouro Preto Protocol, with Uruguay being part of the initial group of countries that made up this bloc.
Armed forces
The Armed Forces of Uruguay are constitutionally subordinate to the president through the Minister of Defense. In 2003, Uruguay had more than 2,500 soldiers in 12 peaceful missions of the United Nations. The largest troops are in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Haiti. There are 57 members of the armed forces in the Sinai Peninsula. The armed forces of Uruguay are made up of the National Army "Ejército Nacional (Uruguay)"), the National Navy "Armada Nacional (Uruguay)") and the Uruguayan Air Force.
The army is made up of about 18,000 troops[72] organized into four divisions (Military Division). Its armored force consists of 15 Ti-67 Tiran, (T-55 battle tanks captured by Israel in 1967 during the Six Day War and modernized), 17 M24 Chaffee and 22 M41A1 Walker Bulldogs. In addition, 15 BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles, 100 OT - 64 armored personnel carriers, 55 Thyssen Henschel - Cóndor, 24 M113A2, 15 EE-9 Cascavel, 18 EE-3 Jararaca reconnaissance vehicles, 48 Vodniks 4x4 armored vehicles from Russia, and 147 Mowag Piranha.[73].
The current assault rifle used by the army is the FN FAL. An Iranian company (Moldex) put out a tender to replace the FN FAL, but there is a UN embargo on arms imports from Iran. Finally, the tender won the Austrian Steyr AUG 5.56 mm rifle of excellent quality, of which 3,500 units were initially purchased (in 2009), and then reached 20,000, equipping the entire force.[74].
The National Navy is made up of about 5,000 troops and is structured into four commands, the Fleet Command, the National Naval Prefecture, the Directorate of Naval Material and the Directorate of Naval Personnel.
The Navy includes the Naval Rifle Corps which consists of four brigades and represents the marine infantry corps of Uruguay.
It has a Naval Aviation, whose base is located in the department of Maldonado, on the shores of Laguna del Sauce, and its name is Aeronaval Base No. 2 "Capitán de Corbeta Carlos A. Curbelo", which gives the name to the airport, which belongs to the National Navy, and is currently concessioned by decision of the government in the 1990s, also known as Laguna del Sauce International Airport, where the air resources are located for the task of Control of Jurisdictional Waters (CAJ) and search and rescue at sea (SAR).
The Naval School "Escuela Naval (Uruguay)") is located in Carrasco "Carrasco (Montevideo)"), a neighborhood in the city of Montevideo. The training consists of 4 years of study, embarking at the end of the last year on board the training ship ROU 20 Captain Miranda for a period of approximately one year. This trip serves as a practical experience for future sailors who visit various ports around the world, while promoting Uruguay as a tourist destination.
The Air Force is made up of about 3,000 troops and is organized into three air brigades. The 1st Air Brigade is based at the Cesáreo Berisso air base, which is at the Carrasco Airport, where the transport and helicopter squadrons are located. The 2nd Air Brigade is at the Mario W. Parallada air base at the Santa Bernardina Airport and has the fighter and ground attack squadrons, in addition to having the liaison squadron and the Advanced Flight Squadron. The 3rd Air Brigade is based at the Boiso Lanza airbase, and this houses the observation and liaison squadron. Fighter aircraft is made up of the American A-37B Dragonfly. For training they have the Aermacchi SF.260, B-58 Baron and PC-7. For transport they use a pair of C-130B Hercules, some C-95 Bandeirante, an EMB-120 Brasilia and some C-212 Aviocar. The observation and liaison aircraft are the 206H Stationair, and T-41D Mescalero. Finally, the helicopters include UH-1H Iroquois, Twin Hueys Bell 212, and AS 365 Dauphin.
Human rights
In terms of human rights, regarding membership in the seven bodies of the International Bill of Human Rights, which include the Human Rights Committee (HRC), Uruguay has signed or ratified:
Geography
Uruguay tiene una superficie terrestre total de ,[3] de la que es la suma total de los departamentos, 1200 km² comprende la suma de los lagos artificiales del río Negro "Río Negro (Uruguay)"),[3] 105 km² de las islas del río Uruguay y de aguas jurisdiccionales (río Uruguay, Río de la Plata y laguna Merín). Hasta agosto de 2016, el área de mar territorial era de (véase Puntos extremos de Uruguay). El 30 de agosto de 2016, la Convención de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Derecho del Mar confirmó a Uruguay la nueva extensión de la plataforma continental, por lo que el país crece hacia el mar y pasa a tener más territorio marítimo que terrestre. De ahí en más, el área total del territorio uruguayo abarca .[85].
Relief
The Uruguayan relief is characterized by its low altitude, divided into two large structural areas: the penallanuras and the plains. It represents a transition zone between the Pampas plain and the Brazilian shield.[86].
Although the average height of 140 can be considered low, the relief does not correspond to a typical plain, given the almost constant presence of blades "Cuchilla (geography)") and saws "Sierra (geography)"); This type of relief is called peneplain. The elevations are associated with two systems: the Haedo blade, north of the Negro River "Río Negro (Uruguay)"), and the Grande blade "Cuchilla Grande (Uruguay)"), to the south of it. From these two systems, blades of smaller size and elevation are released.[87].
From the Cuchilla de Haedo arise the Negra and Santa Ana blades that serve as the limit between Uruguay and Brazil, the Hospital blade a little further south and between the Negro and Tacuarembó rivers; To the west extend the Belén, Daymán and Queguay blades.[87] Geologically, this system is mainly composed of basalts and sandstone. Its hills usually have a flattened shape.[88].
The Cuchilla Grande system is made up of the Cuchilla Grande itself, which runs from north to south. As an extension of it to the north is the Dionisio blade"), between the Olimar and Tacuarí rivers. The Cerro Partido blade") extends to the east between the Cebollatí river and the India Muerta stream. The Carapé mountain range forms the southern end of the system and has the three highest hills in the country: Cerro Catedral "Cerro Catedral (Uruguay)"), Cerro de las Ánimas and Cerro Pan de Azúcar "Cerro Pan de Azúcar (Uruguay)"). As an extension of the Carapé mountain range, the Carbonera mountain range extends, parallel to the Atlantic coast. Towards the west, there is the Grande del Durazno blade"), between the Negro and Yi rivers. In the same direction, further south, the Grande Inferior blade") reaches the plains near the mouth of the Uruguay River, detaching from it the Santa Lucía blades"), the Mahoma mountain ranges, the Bizcocho blade") and the Colonia blade").[87] This system is composed mainly of granites and its hills usually have a shape rounded at its summit.[88].
The highest point is the Cathedral "Cerro Catedral (Uruguay)"), located in the Department of Maldonado, with 514 meters. Other notable elevations are the Cerro de las Ánimas and the Sugar Loaf "Cerro Pan de Azúcar (Uruguay)") in Maldonado, the Arequita in Lavalleja, the Montevideo hill with its historical fortress and from which the name of the city is supposedly derived, and the Batoví, near the Iporá spa, in Tacuarembó.[86].
The plains or plains generally have soil formed by sedimentation and very fertile. They are mainly found on the coast of the Uruguay River, the coast of the Río de la Plata and the Atlantic coast, the latter extending to the Merin lagoon and the basins of the Olimar and Cebollatí rivers.[89][90].
• - Cerro Pan de Azúcar "Cerro Pan de Azúcar (Uruguay)"), Maldonado.
• - Cerro Catedral "Cerro Catedral (Uruguay)"), the highest point in the country, Maldonado.
• - Cerro Batoví, symbol of the department of Tacuarembó.
• - Arequita National Park, Lavalleja.
• - Coastal plain of the Uruguay River, Paysandú.
• - Lunarejo Valley, Rivera "Rivera (Uruguay)").
• - Cascada del Brujo, Sierra de las Ánimas, Maldonado.
• - Dunes of the Cabo Polonio National Park, Rocha.
• - Quebrada de los Cuervos Canyon, Treinta y Tres.
Hydrography
The rivers and streams of Uruguay form an extensive and dense network that irrigates the entire territory. All river currents flow into the Atlantic Ocean. These currents tend to have a slight slope, which makes them slow and looped currents, which favors sediment deposits in their beds. Given the irregularity of rainfall in the region, floods often occur in times of excess rain, some of them serious.[91][92].
Although most of the country's territory is occupied by grasslands, most of the indigenous forest is concentrated on the banks of the water channels. The importance of this forest is given that it stops the erosion of the riverside soil, prevents excessive evaporation and dams the riverbeds.[93].
There are also important underground water deposits, with the north of the country being part of the Guaraní aquifer; Other important aquifers are the Raigón "Raigon (Uruguay)"), in the south of the country, the Mercedes "Mercedes (Uruguay)"), in the west, and the Chuy, in the east of the territory.[91][92].
Most of the territory is located within the Río de la Plata basin, while the rest of the territory is part of the Merin lagoon basin and a series of small water channels that flow directly into the Atlantic Ocean. For a better study of surface water resources, the Uruguayan State divides the territory into three hydrological regions: the Uruguay River, the Merin Lagoon and the Río de la Plata and the maritime front.[94].
The hydrographic region of the Uruguay River is the part of the basin of said river that is within Uruguayan territory. It has an approximate area of and represents 64% of the country's land area. Of that extension, more than half, corresponds to the Negro River basin.[95].
The hydrographic region of the Río de la Plata and the maritime front is comprised of the basins of rivers and streams that flow into the aforementioned river, except for the Uruguay River and its tributaries, and into the Atlantic Ocean. It has an area of , representing 20% of the territorial area of Uruguay.[96].
The hydrographic region of Laguna Merín is made up of the part of the basin of the same name that is within Uruguayan territory and extends across , which is equivalent to 16% of the territory.[97].
The Uruguay River, in addition to being the longest in the country, serves as the border with the Argentine Republic and has great economic importance, given that the plains that surround it are highly fertile. It is home to the Salto Grande dam, upstream from the cities of Salto (Uruguay) "Salto (Uruguay)") and Concordia (Argentina) "Concordia (Argentina)"), commissioned on June 21, 1979 and which provides most of the country's electrical energy. The dam's reservoir has generated an artificial lake of 783 km², with a length of 140 km, a width of 9 km and a volume of 5500 hm³. The river basin has an approximate total area of , of which (just over 33%) are within Uruguayan territory. In this region, the main tributaries of the Uruguay River are the Cuareim, Arapey, Dayman, Queguay, Negro "Río Negro (Uruguay)") and San Salvador "Río San Salvador (Uruguay)" rivers. It is also important as a communication route, since it is navigable to the city of Concepción del Uruguay and by shallow draft ships to the cities of Concordia "Concordia (Argentina)") and Salto "Salto (Uruguay)").[98][99][100][101].
Political geography
Uruguay maintains two border disputes with Brazil regarding the territories known as Isla Brasilera and Rincón de Artigas, in the department of Artigas "Artigas (department)"), which occupy an area of 237 km².[110].
The Uruguayan maritime space is divided into three clear zones according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (ratified by Uruguay on December 10, 1992), each with different levels of jurisdiction:
• - Territorial sea, is the strip of sea that every State has the right to establish up to a limit that does not exceed 12 nautical miles, measured from baselines, there the country exercises its full sovereignty just as on land, and may even deny transit or navigation to ships with foreign flags.
• - Exclusive economic zone, is the area located beyond the territorial sea and adjacent to it, comprising 200 nautical miles measured from the same baselines from which the width of the territorial sea is measured. The Uruguayan exclusive economic zone has an area of .[111] There the country has exclusive rights to fishing exploitation, as well as the resources of the seabed and subsoil. It cannot, however, prevent the transit of foreign flag ships or the laying of submarine cables.
• - Extended continental shelf is the natural extension of the continent that continues beyond the country's exclusive economic zone. It extends to the outer edge of the continental slope or to a distance of 350 nautical miles, whichever is less. There the country has exclusive rights to the exploitation of bed and subsoil resources, but not to fishing. On August 25, 2009, Uruguay presented a request to a UN commission for recognition of the 350 nautical miles of extended continental shelf. The claim was based on depth and geophysical measurements carried out by the Uruguayan Navy to determine the extent of the Uruguayan continental shelf.[112] In August 2011, the UN commission studying the claim requested more scientific information and on August 30, 2016, the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLPC), a technical body created by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), communicated its Recommendation on the establishment of the outer limit of the extended Uruguayan continental shelf. This recommendation implies a territorial extension for Uruguay of approximately, covering its entire continental margin and enabling it to establish the country's last border at 350 nautical miles.[113].
Uruguay is a signatory country of the Antarctic Treaty with consultative member status, which means that it has a voice and vote in the treaty's consultative meetings. In its accession document, Uruguay reserved the rights that correspond to it in Antarctica in accordance with International Law.
The country has two scientific bases on the Antarctic continent that are managed by the Uruguayan Antarctic Institute:
• - The Artigas Antarctic Scientific Base (BCAA), founded on December 22, 1984 on King George Island, is a permanent Antarctic base belonging to Uruguay, it has 13 buildings and a population of 60 people in summer and 9 in winter, various scientific activities are carried out there.
Climate
The climate in Uruguay is temperate and humid, with warm summers, cool winters, and more or less homogeneous rainfall throughout the year. Uruguay is the only country in South America that is located entirely in the temperate zone. The absence of important orographic systems contributes to the fact that spatial variations in temperature, precipitation and other parameters are not so high. The average annual temperature is approximately 17 °C.[114].
In Uruguay, where both maritime and continental influences are noticeable, the rainfall distribution presents a double rainy season, and is distributed between spring-summer and autumn, with a maximum peak in autumn and a secondary maximum in spring.
Due to its latitude, between 30°S and 35°S, the four seasons are clearly differentiated by temperature. Although the climate of Uruguay tends to be standardized or averaged, there is a clear difference between the north and south of the territory. The area located in the extreme northwest of the country (Artigas, Salto, Rivera) is considerably warmer with an average of between 18-19 °C and an average rainfall of about 1400 mm per year (the extreme northern area has a typical "temperate subtropical" behavior). The south and east (Montevideo, Maldonado, Rocha, Lavalleja) on the other hand are cooler with an average of around 16 °C and 1000 mm per year (these areas have characteristics more similar to the "maritime temperate").
Low landforms predominate in Uruguay (the average height of the territory is less than 150 meters), so the climate is determined by latitude and the influence of the sea currents of the Atlantic Ocean. The warm Brazil current increases the temperature of the Atlantic from late January to early May; The cold current of the Malvinas Islands cools its waters from June to September. The effect of both determines an average sea temperature at surface level (Punta del Este) between 8 °C and 23 °C depending on the time of year. From February to April, the ocean temperature is very pleasant and generally significantly different from that recorded from June to the end of December, although there is important interannual variation during the summer.
The cold is generally quite humid, very windy with cloudy days, the heat is not too dry, rather humid and heavy in the south and drier in the north.
Snow has been present in the southern and central areas of the country, however the most common are meteorological frosts, which mainly affect the central-southern and central-northern areas of the country.
As an example of the climatic variability of Uruguay, in the 31 days of a month of July, 25 days of frost can be recorded, as in the city of Florida, 34.1° S 56.2° W, at (meters above sea level), just 90 km from Montevideo, (this occurred in July 2007) or only 6 days (in July 2006), this shows a great variation between years in the cold season. Summer, unlike winter, is more uniform. The La Niña phenomenon "La Niña (climate)") (2007) causes a uniformly cold winter and prolonged droughts (Florida, recorded average for July 2007 6.8 °C), while the El Niño phenomenon causes rain and mild winters (Florida, recorded average for July 2006 13.1 °C).
Flora and fauna
Flora
Flora of Uruguay is defined as the around 2,500 plant species distributed in 150 families "Family (biology)"),[126] whether native or foreign, that exist in that country. 75% of the territory is grassland,[127] and the native forests, together with the palmares, cover 752,000 hectares (4.3% of the country's surface).[128].
The existence of differentiated zones of species throughout the territory is determined, mainly, by the existence or not of artificial irrigation, the lack of which causes natural grassland to predominate in most of the Uruguayan territory. On the other hand, large plant species can be found in ravines, mountain ranges, river banks and areas surrounding them.
Uruguay has the largest group of ombúes in the world, located in Laguna de Castillos. Also noteworthy is the enormous palm grove of the Butiá capitata species that covers a large part of the department of Rocha, being the southernmost group of palm trees in the world, with hundreds of thousands of specimens distributed over tens of km².
Among the exotic species introduced into the territory, the eucalyptus (introduced in the century), the pine, the araucaria, the oak, the holy cedar, the weeping willow, the birch, the carob, the rosemary, the hibiscus, the ficus, the cactus, the ivy, the tacuara, the fruit trees (citrus, guava, apple tree, fig tree, etc.), the strain, the palm tree, Platanus hispanica (for the ornamentation of cities), reeds, climbing plants, sugar cane, among others.
Fauna
The native fauna of Uruguay is characterized by a large number of aquatic and terrestrial birds, as well as mammals and reptiles. However, human presence has endangered various animal species, partly due to the destruction of their natural habitat or due to poaching.
The birdlife of Uruguay consists of around four hundred and fifty species, twenty-four of which are globally threatened and five are introduced.
Within the group of plumage birds, the large hen and the chiricote or small crepe stand out, two of the best-known species in the country. Also common are the Pardirallus, or red and blue beaked hen and the spotted one. The red-legged donkey and the green-legged donkey are also equally important, as are smaller species such as the yellow-breasted donkey, the spotted or blackish-winged donkey, and finally the painted donkey.
The Tero is spread throughout the territory and is characterized by its speed and its song, from which it receives the common name of "Teru-Teru".[129] On the other hand, the rhea is found in a stable proportion and in recent years its meat has been sold in foreign markets, which is why breeding of this species has been extended under special conditions.[130].
The cardinal present throughout the American continent,[131] and other species such as the Argentine parrot, the parrot, the furnarius rufus, the capercaillie, the black-necked swan, the duck, the heron, the gull, as well as the pelican, the benteveo, the gray crow, the crane, the mountain eagle, and the swallow that lives in the summer months, are birds present throughout the territory. Uruguayan, like the Chajá.
It is believed that there are more than 200 species of reptiles in the country, most of them harmless to humans; Venomous snakes are found in the north, in the departments of Artigas, Rivera, Salto and Tacuarembó, and in the mountain areas in the south.
Multiple reptiles stand out, including several species of lizards such as the overo lizard, turtles such as the morrocoyo, and snakes such as the cross viper or yarará. The alligator is distributed in the north of Uruguay, especially in the department of Artigas on the coast of the Cuareim River and its tributaries; Being in danger, there is captive breeding in the Pan de Azúcar hill reserve.
The batrachian fauna is rich, drawing attention to the great giant toad, the Creole frog, the escuerzo, and several small species, including some endemic ones.
The fauna of terrestrial mammals of Uruguay includes 77 species grouped into 7 orders and 24 families. Of them, approximately 40 live in the Eastern Wetlands in Rocha. On the other hand, there is certainty of the extinction of at least four species of this group in Uruguay. They are: the large anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), the jaguar (Felis onca), the collared peccary (Tayassu tajacu) and the swamp deer (Blastoceros dichotomus). The latter was last seen in Rocha in 1957, precisely in the swamps that surround the Potrerillo de Santa Teresa.[132].
As for aquatic animals, Uruguay has considerable diversity due to its extensive ocean coast on the Atlantic, its mighty rivers, and a series of natural and artificial lakes. The sea lion lives on the beaches of Punta del Este, for example, which feeds on fish and represents a threat to fishermen in the area. During the southern winter, that is, from June to September, it is possible to find some whales, and even penguins, on the coast of Montevideo. Uruguay has the second largest colony of sea lions in the world. Most of them are located on the island of Lobos "Isla de Lobos (Uruguay)"), near Punta del Este. There are mainly two species of sea lions, Arctophoca australis, commonly known as "two-haired sea lion" and Otaria flavescens, whose common name is "one-haired sea lion" or "South American sea lion."[133] There are also whales and dolphins.[134].
The fish of Uruguay can be divided into two large groups, both with a notable number of species, freshwater and saltwater fish.
Many species are exploited for sport from the coasts, while others support an industry linked to their sexual reproduction. Among the many species in this group, a good number of shark species particularly stand out.
Freshwater fish can be distinguished into several subgroups:
• - Fishes from the Uruguay River. Possibly the best known are dorado and catfish.
• - Fish from the Río de la Plata. Of the species in this group, one of the most popular among sport fishermen is the silverside.
• - Inland freshwater fish. Uruguay is an international destination for sport fishermen who search, especially, for the gigantic tarariras, captured in lentic river environments of the eastern interior.
It is also known among aquarists around the world for its various ornamental species, many of them endemic, from the Cichlidae and Rivulidae families.
There are four species that are considered pests, for which hunting is authorized:
• - The wild boar, also called "boar pig"; It is not native to Uruguay and was introduced into the country by Aarón de Anchorena (Anchorena Park), during his stay. Since there was no control over its breeding, it spread throughout the territory, particularly in the mountain areas. It is persecuted, since during the sheep breeding season, it attacks them.
• - The hare, an introduced species, also causes damage to crops.
• - The sparrow, which is not native to Uruguay, was introduced by some Chinese immigrants to the territory. Since it did not have natural predators to control its reproduction, it multiplied and dispersed throughout the national territory. Hunting is allowed.
• - The parrot, with the introduction of the eucalyptus with very smooth bark, which some of its predators cannot climb, became a pest, wreaking havoc on crops.
Economy
La economía de Uruguay está dominada por el sector agrícola orientado a las exportaciones, y por un sector industrial desarrollado. Después de haber crecido un 5 % por año durante el periodo de 1996-1998, la economía se vio fuertemente afectada por las recesiones económicas de Brasil y Argentina, y la moneda se devaluó al mismo tiempo que lo hacía la moneda argentina. Uruguay es miembro del Mercosur, y Montevideo es la sede. Tras la crisis de 2002, el país inició una prolongada fase de crecimiento económico a tasas elevadas, basado principalmente en las exportaciones de mercancías a precios elevados.
Uruguay es un país agroexportador, por lo cual la agricultura: arroz, trigo, maíz, girasol, sorgo, cebada, soja, caña de azúcar (Bella Unión) y la ganadería (vacunos, ovinos) son los recursos fundamentales de la economía. Las industrias principales son los frigoríficos, la lechera y derivados, la textil, la de papel y cartón, los fertilizantes, los alcoholes, el cemento y la refinación de hidrocarburos.
Si bien los recursos minerales y energéticos son escasos, existen grandes yacimientos de ágatas "Ágata (mineral)") y amatistas en el norte del país (departamento de Artigas "Artigas (departamento)")), yacimientos de granito y mármol, y extracción de oro en la localidad de Minas de Corrales. También está en estudio la búsqueda de diamantes y otros minerales.
Destaca también el sector de servicios (financieros, logística, transporte, comunicaciones) así como la pujante industria de las tecnologías de la información, en particular el desarrollo de software y servicios vinculados. Uruguay es también el mayor exportador per cápita de software de América Latina y el cuarto en términos absolutos, solo superado por México, Brasil y Argentina.[135]
En los últimos años ha crecido en importancia la explotación forestal de Eucalyptus grandis y Eucalyptus globulus, con vista a la producción de madera aserrada y madera para la producción de pasta de celulosa. Asimismo, está en construcción una planta perteneciente a Montes del Plata, resultado de la unión de las empresas Stora Enso y Arauco, así como hay otras en estado de proyecto. Se encuentra en funcionamiento una planta de pasta de celulosa perteneciente a la empresa finlandesa UPM-Kymmene (anteriormente Botnia), ubicada sobre el río Uruguay, en el departamento de Río Negro, cerca de la capital del mismo, Fray Bentos.
Otro de los principales ingresos económicos al país es el turismo: la nación cuenta con una línea costera sobre el Río de la Plata y el océano Atlántico salpicada de balnearios, entre los que se destacan Punta del Este y Piriápolis, de fama internacional. El turismo agropecuario, histórico y termal tiene importancia.
El número de afiliados a los sindicatos se ha cuadruplicado desde 2003, pasando de 110 000 a más de 400 000 en 2015 para una plantilla de 1,5 millones de trabajadores. Según la Confederación Sindical Internacional, Uruguay se ha convertido en el país más avanzado de América en cuanto al respeto de "los derechos laborales fundamentales, en particular la libertad de asociación, el derecho a la negociación colectiva y el derecho de huelga". Uno de los efectos de esta elevada sindicalización fue la reducción de las desigualdades socioeconómicas.[136].
Macroeconomic indicators
After years of growth, in the period 1999-2002 the economy suffered a significant recession, which derived mainly from the indirect effects of the economic problems of its large neighbors, such as Argentina and Brazil. The banking crisis was caused by the massive withdrawal of Argentine citizens' assets from Uruguayan banks. Then with the intervention of the IMF, Uruguay was able to face its problems, including debt restructuring. The average growth in the five-year period 2004-2008 was 8% annually. The external debt as of December 31, 2014, according to data from the CIA The World Factbook, reached 24.19 billion dollars.[137].
According to IMF estimates, in 2009 after the international financial crisis, the economy grew at 0.6%. According to the Central Bank, with the data processed in 2010, the economy grew in 2009 by 2.9% and in 2010 by 8.5%. Since 2013, there has been stagnation in economic activity, with declining annual growth: 5.1% (2013), 3.5% (2014) and 1.5% in 2015.[137].
The nominal GDP "Annex: Countries by GDP (nominal)") reached 76,244 million dollars in 2023, being among the fifteen largest economies in Latin America, surpassed in all cases by countries with more populations. In fact, if the GDP (nominal) per capita_per_c%C3%A1pita "Annex: Countries by GDP (nominal) per capita") is considered, it reached $21,378 per inhabitant in 2023, making Uruguay the leader in the region, followed by Panama and Chile. If it is measured by GDP per capita adjusted to purchasing power_per_c%C3%A1pita "Annex: Countries by GDP (PPP) per capita") in 2023 Uruguay with 28,984 would occupy third position, behind Panama and Chile. Inflation or CPI was 5.1% in January 2024.[138].
• - External debt approx. (2023): 57,239 million US$.[143].
• - Imports (2022): US$10,941 million. (without oil and derivatives)[144].
• - Exports (2022): 13,356 million US$.[145].
• - Main client countries: China, European Union, Brazil.[143].
• - Main supplier countries: Brazil, China, Argentina.[144].
GDP structure in 2002:.
Socioeconomic indicators
According to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Uruguay is the third country in Latin America (after Chile and Argentina) with the highest Human Development Index (HDI) and the 54th in the world.[23].
Poverty measured as a percentage of poor people reached 9.7% in 2014, while indigence reached 0.3% of the population.[146] According to the Social Panorama of Latin America Report 2011 by ECLAC, Uruguay has the lowest poverty rate in Latin America.[147] The average monthly income per inhabitant, as of January 2015, in Montevideo, is in households: $5,492 (226 US$), and per person: 20,363 $ (838 US$).
In the rest of the country, households: $47,215 (US$1,943), individuals: $14,386 (US$592) —does not include income from bonus and rental value (1 dollar = $24.3) January 15, 2015, BCU.
When comparing the incidence of poverty by ancestry, striking differences are observed. For the year 2008, while poverty among white people was 19.4%, Afro-descendant people registered 43.1% for the country as a whole.[148].
• - Unemployment (June 2021): 9.4%[149].
• - Employment (June 2021): 55.4%[149].
• - Poverty (2020): 11.6%[150].
• - Indigence (2020): 0.4%[150].
Exports and imports
For the year 2020, Uruguayan exports represented 7,590 million dollars, while imports represented 8,580 million dollars, which means a negative trade balance. Its main trading partners are the other members of Mercosur, China to whom it mainly sells cereals and beef and with whom it is negotiating a free trade agreement, and the United States.
Cattle raising
Since its beginnings as a country, livestock farming was very important for Uruguay. The production of meat and wool always remained among the country's main areas of activity and export. There are multiple breeding establishments for both cattle (Hereford, Aberdeen Angus, and other breeds) and sheep (Corriedale, Australian Merino). The old salting plants gave way in the century to cold storage rooms, from where Uruguayan beef goes to many different destinations around the world.
Livestock farming is also important in terms of dairy cattle. The sector has gone from supplying only local consumption from traditional dairy farms, to the situation in the century in which industrialized dairy products are an important export item. Uruguay currently sells dairy products to European countries.[151].
Sheep production is concentrated in the north of the country, in the departments of Artigas "Artigas (department)") and Salto "Salto (department)"), although it is distributed in the rest of the country to a lesser extent, while cattle are found throughout the territory, with more predominance in the south of the country.
Mining
Mineral production is not one of the country's outstanding sectors, however you can find: agates "Ágata (mineral)") and amethysts in the department of Artigas "Artigas (department)"), gold mines in Rivera, Treinta y Tres and Lavalleja, beryl in Colonia, lead, zinc, barite and dolomites in Lavalleja (these last two can also be found in Maldonado), iron in Rivera, Durazno, Florida and Treinta y Tres, manganese in San José and Rivera, quartz and feldspars in Florida (the latter is also found in Canelones), montmorillonite in Cerro Largo, kaolin in Durazno, talc in Colonia and Lavalleja, ilmenite and peat in Rocha, silts in Montevideo, San José and Maldonado, limestones in Lavalleja, Paysandú and Treinta y Tres, clay in Montevideo, Durazno, Maldonado, San José and Canelones and gypsum clay in Río Negro. Likewise, in different parts of the country, granite, black granite, sand, gypsum, boulders, marl, pyrite, ballast, crushed and raw flagstone, diorite and granodiorite are extracted.
There was an exploitation project, the first in the country of a large size, open pit mining, called the Aratirí project, for the extraction of iron in the area of Cuchilla Grande "Cuchilla Grande (Uruguay)"), in the departments of Treinta y Tres, Durazno and Florida, near the town of Valentines "Valentines (Uruguay)").[152]
Agriculture
Agriculture still contributes approximately 10% to the country's GDP and is the main source of foreign currency, putting Uruguay in line with other agricultural exporters such as Brazil, Canada and New Zealand. Uruguay is a member of the Cairns Group of agricultural product exporters.
In Uruguay, rainfed agriculture[153] has relatively low inputs of labor, technology and capital compared to its irrigated agriculture (rice) and other countries, which results in comparatively lower yields per hectare, except for rice, but also opens the door for Uruguay to market its products as "natural" or "ecological". Campaigns such as "Natural Grass-Fed Uruguayan Meat" and "Natural Uruguay" aim to establish Uruguay as a brand in the meat, wine and other food products sector. You can freely access the suitability of its soils and their characteristics by consulting through the national rural plot of Uruguay on the following map servers: [3][4].
Some agricultural export crops in Uruguay are wheat, barley, oats, soybeans, rice, corn, sorghum, sunflowers and blueberries.
One of the traditional crops in this country is the vine. This crop was introduced by Spanish colonizers in the middle of the century. Although traditionally there were vineyards planted throughout the national territory, currently there are some areas of concentration of vineyards and wineries such as the metropolitan area of Montevideo, the surroundings of the city of Colonia and the city of Bella Unión.
Recently, an industry has emerged around tourism ranches that capitalizes on the traditions or folklore associated with gaucho culture and the remaining resources of the historic ranches from Uruguay's golden era. One of the examples of this industry is tourism related to the world of wine and restaurants. Given the historical importance of this crop and the associationist spirit of the country, some wineries have formed the Los Caminos del vino association, whose objective is to promote wine tourism.
Tourism
Uruguay has tourist destinations among which Punta del Este, Montevideo, Colonia del Sacramento, Salto "Salto (Uruguay)"), Lavalleja and Rocha among others stand out.
Punta del Este is the most visited compared to the other resorts, although tourists also look for other coastal destinations such as Atlántida "Atlántida (Uruguay)") or Piriapolis, among others. The Uruguayan government, in order to encourage tourism in Uruguay, implemented the so-called "VAT Refund Program for Non-Resident Tourists" that has been operating since 2009. This benefit will be made through the purchase of national leather, knitwear, food, beverages or crafts products of national origin that the tourist takes with them abroad, refunding 85% of the VAT. The farms also stand out as tourist centers. At the same time, the Uruguayan carnival is imposed to attract visitors in the summer season, especially in Montevideo.
During the 2009-2010 season, 179 cruise ships arrived, accounting for 292,048 people disembarking, with a per capita expenditure of USD 61.05, for a total of USD 17,830,909. During the 2010-2011 season, 171 cruise ships followed, accounting for 278,627 people. disembarked.[154] In the 2011-2012 season, 225 cruise ships arrived in the country, an increase of 31.6% compared to the previous year, 353,727 visitors disembarked, leaving USD 20,884,091 in foreign currency.[155].
• - Note (1): The shaded color denotes the country with the best indicator in Latin America.
Infrastructure and services
Uruguay no cuenta con recursos propios de combustible fósil para la generación de energía. El país cuenta con tres centrales hidroeléctricas en el Río Negro "Río Negro (Uruguay)"), el río interior más grande del país: Rincón del Bonete (160 MW de potencia instalada), Baygorria (108 MW) y Palmar (333 MW); y una en el Río Uruguay, Salto Grande (1890 MW), esta última compartida a medias con Argentina. Existen tres centrales térmicas de respaldo ante la eventual falta de energías renovables, Central térmica de Ciclo Combinado Punta del Tigre (840 MW), Central térmica Batlle y Ordóñez (70 MW) y la Central La Tablada (200 MW).
En el año 2000 se instaló el primer aerogenerador experimental en la sierra de los Caracoles, y en 2007 se instaló el primer aerogenerador comercial en Maldonado. En la siguiente década se experimentó un fuerte crecimiento de la energía eólica que pasó de cubrir apenas 1% de la matriz eléctrica uruguaya en 2013 a 34% en 2018.[159] En 2016 el sector alcanzó los 1000 MW de potencia instalada.[160].
Además existe una gran participación de la generación con biomasa "Biomasa (energía)"), principalmente a partir de residuos agrícolas y forestales.
La red actual de Uruguay está integrada con la de Argentina por el oeste participando en las exportaciones y las importaciones de energía eléctrica. Y con Brasil por el este a través de las estaciones conversoras de frecuencia de Rivera "Rivera (Uruguay)") y Melo, logrando de esta forma diversificar los suministros de energía para ambos países.
Por otra parte, en los últimos años se han realizado campañas de exploración de hidrocarburos tanto en tierra (onshore) como en la plataforma continental marítima (offshore) logrando importantes avances en el conocimiento en esta área.[161].
En lo que respecta al transporte de cargas se hace por medio de camiones y del ferrocarril. En lo referente a pasajeros existen líneas de ómnibus de corta distancia (menos de 50 km) y de larga distancia (de más de 50 km) las cuales cubren las principales rutas, concentrándose en las ciudades más importantes. Las líneas de trenes de pasajeros que se concentran en la capital, eran los únicos servicios operativos hasta 2019, desde entonces se encuentran suspendidos por motive de reconstrucción de la vía principal.
En 2020, la red vial de Uruguay contaba con 8696 km de carreteras, de los cuales 3164 estaban pavimentados. Solo existen carreteras duplicadas que parten de Montevideo, hacia Maldonado (125 km por Ruta 10 "Ruta 10 (Uruguay)")), Colonia del Sacramento (150 km por Ruta 1 "Ruta 1 (Uruguay)")) y Rivera "Rivera (Uruguay)") (pocos km de la Ruta 5 "Ruta 5 (Uruguay)")),[162] según el Ministerio de Transporte y Obras Públicas "Ministerio de Transporte y Obras Públicas (Uruguay)"). Se distribuyen en los 176 215 km² de territorio,[3] lo que significa uno de los más altos índices de accesos a diferentes partes de una región de América Latina. La característica principal es que la mayoría de las carreteras confluyen en la capital, Montevideo. Actualmente, finalizó el proyecto de construcción de un anillo perimetral (Ruta 102 "Ruta 102 (Uruguay)")) que evita atravesar la ciudad, uniendo entre sí las rutas del oeste con las del este. Además existen varias rutas importantes que recorren el país, facilitando así el tránsito entre los departamentos del interior sin pasar por la capital, por ejemplo la ruta 26 "Ruta 26 (Uruguay)") que une Melo con Paysandú vía Tacuarembó.
Tipos de firme en las carreteras:[163].
• - 303 km de hormigón.
• - 3164 km de capa asfáltica.
• - 4220 km de tratamiento bituminoso.
• - 1009 km de tosca.
Las principales carreteras, rutas y autovías de Uruguay son: Ruta 1 "Ruta 1 (Uruguay)"), Ruta 3 "Ruta 3 (Uruguay)"), Ruta 5 "Ruta 5 (Uruguay)"), Ruta 8 "Ruta 8 (Uruguay)"), Ruta 9 "Ruta 9 (Uruguay)"), Ruta 26 "Ruta 26 (Uruguay)"), Ruta 101 "Ruta 101 (Uruguay)"), Ruta Interbalnearia, Avenida Italia y Avenida Giannattasio, tienen un buen mantenimiento y señalización aunque hay tramos en mal estado. Las rutas secundarias tienen condición variable, de muy buena a mala calidad.
La red de ferrocarriles uruguayos cuenta, en 2020, con aproximadamente 3073 km de vía, con una trocha 100 % homogénea, de 1435 mm, y solo 11 km de vía doble y es una de las más densas de la región (0,016 km/km²). A 2020, se encuentran operativos solamente unos 1673 km de vía casi exclusivamente para el transporte de cargas,[162] y dentro de estos, solo 118 km (desde 2019) para servicios de pasajeros. El resto del ramal se encuentra clausurado.[164].
El estado actual tanto de la red ferroviaria como del parque tractivo se encuentra, desde los años 1950, sumido en la decadencia y en un estado bastante precario. La gran mayoría de la red no solo está clausurada, sino que en algunos casos no se les ha realizado ni mantenimiento ni reconstrucciones desde hace décadas. En cuanto a la flota, todo el material es importado y cerca del 95 % del material es de segunda mano que se encuentra en servicio, reparado, en mal estado o desguazado.
El sistema ferroviario uruguayo no está electrificado. Sin embargo, en los últimos años se ha estado llevando a cabo la reparación y reconstrucción de algunos ramales para el transporte de cargas. Un proyecto de 2015 pretende reconstruir un tramo de 273 km de los 563 km de la línea troncal Montevideo-Rivera que se encuentra actualmente en ejecución para el transporte de pasta de celulosa de la empresa forestal finlandesa UPM-Kymmene, que contempla la prolongación de vía doble actual (11 km) a 26 km y el uso de traviesas de hormigón del tipo monobloque y rieles soldados con acero colado, algo nunca antes acontecido en el país. En 2020, se llevó a la reparación la flota en ese momento existente y la compra de material nuevo.[165][166].
Desde el 1 de marzo de 2003, los trenes de pasajeros parten y llegan de una nueva y pequeña estación terminal situada 500 metros hacia el norte de la Estación Central de Montevideo, la cual permanece cerrada desde entonces. Esto significó una pérdida de más de 100 000 pasajeros para los servicios de trenes.[167].
La AFE es, desde 1952, la actual administradora estatal de la red y, desde 2020, es la encargada del mantenimiento de infraestructuras. Está permitida la circulación de material de otras empresas e instituciones y varias poseen sus propios vagones y locomotoras (ANCAP, AUAR, CEFU, CUCP).
En Uruguay hay 242 aeropuertos o aeródromos secundarios, de los cuales doce tienen pista de aterrizaje pavimentada, siendo los otros, aeródromos secundarios o pistas de emergencia con la pista sin pavimentar con pavimento leve.[168][169][170] Los dos más importantes son el Aeropuerto Internacional de Carrasco, ubicado en el Departamento de Canelones, dentro de la zona metropolitana de Montevideo, y el Aeropuerto Internacional de Punta del Este, en el Departamento de Maldonado.
El Aeropuerto Internacional de Carrasco fue inaugurado inicialmente en 1947 y en 2009, Puerta del Sur, el propietario y operador del aeropuerto, con una inversión de 165 millones $, encargó a Rafael Viñoly Architects expandir y modernizar las instalaciones existentes con una nueva y amplia terminal de pasajeros para aumentar la capacidad y estimular crecimiento comercial y turismo en la región. En 2009 finalizaron las obras de la nueva terminal. Se inauguró el 15 de noviembre de 2009 y comenzó a operar el 29 de diciembre de 2009. El aeropuerto puede manejar hasta 4,5 millones de usuarios por año. La revista Frontier, con sede en Londres, lo eligió como uno de los mejores cuatro aeropuertos del mundo en su 27.ª edición. Las viejas instalaciones quedaron para el servicio de carga aérea. Se proyecta la transformación de esta terminal en un centro de conexión meridional sudamericano para cargas.
El Aeropuerto Internacional de Punta del Este, conocido también como Aeropuerto de Laguna del Sauce, está ubicado a 15 kilómetros (9,3 millas) de la ciudad de Punta del Este, en el departamento de Maldonado, es la segunda terminal aérea con mayor tráfico de pasajeros del país. Obra del arquitecto uruguayo Carlos Ott, la terminal fue inaugurada en 1997 y las pistas fueron renovadas a través de una concesión de inversión privada.
Los principales puertos de Uruguay se ubican sobre las costas del Río de la Plata y del río Uruguay. Los principales puertos de carga son Montevideo (11 kilotoneladas y 888 000 TEU "TEU (unidad de medida)") movidos en 2016), Nueva Palmira (7,3 kilotoneladas movidas en 2016) y Fray Bentos") (2,1 kilotoneladas movidas en 2016).[171] En cuanto a puertos deportivos se destacan Colonia del Sacramento"), La Paloma&action=edit&redlink=1 "Puerto de La Paloma (Rocha) (aún no redactado)"), Piriápolis y Punta del Este.
En Uruguay la libertad de prensa está amparada por la Constitución. Según un estudio realizado por Reporteros Sin Fronteras en 2009, el país ocupa la posición número 29 en el índice de libertad de prensa mundial y el primer lugar entre los países de América Latina.[172].
Cada mil habitantes circulan 293 periódicos, hay 603 radio-receptores, 530 televisores y 278 líneas telefónicas. Teniendo en cuenta una familia de 4 personas de clase media, todas gozarían de estos bienes.
Según estimaciones de 2005, existen 93 emisoras de radio AM, 191 emisoras de FM, 7 de onda corta y 62 emisoras de televisión.[173].
Se firmó un acuerdo de aceptación (2007), para adoptar la norma de televisión digital europea a diferencia de Brasil que adoptó la norma japonesa. En diciembre de 2010 se establece como definitiva la norma japonesa-brasilera por una decisión geopolítica, enmarcada en el interés de profundizar las relaciones con los países de la región que optaron por esta norma.
En el área metropolitana de Montevideo hay 7 canales importantes de emisión por aire:.
• - TV Ciudad (canal de aire desde 2015, solo en televisión digital terrestre) (público).
A las mismos se agregan los canales del interior del país y sus repetidoras, así como la televisión por cable, satelital y IPTV: DirecTV, Flow SAT "Cablevisión (Uruguay)"), TDH (es servicio exclusivo de TCC "TCC (Uruguay)"), Canal 10 "Canal 10 (Uruguay)") y la red Equital) y Antel TV.
El sistema telefónico uruguayo es 100 % digital desde 1997, gracias a los esfuerzos por mejorar de la empresa monopólica estatal de telecomunicaciones Antel. Uruguay fue el primer país en toda América en poseer este estatus.[174].
En Uruguay hay más de un millón de teléfonos fijos,[175] 31,7 líneas fijas cada 100 habitantes, lo que constituye la segunda red de más alta densidad en telefonía fija de Latinoamérica después de la de Costa Rica, esta situación se explica principalmente debido al mayor uso del ADSL en los hogares uruguayos. La mitad del sistema telefónico se encuentra en Montevideo. En 2007 se eliminó el sobrecosto para llamadas entre dos localidades, por lo que una llamada de larga distancia nacional pasó a costar igual que una urbana. El valor del cómputo depende solo de la hora y del día de la llamada.
En junio de 2014 la cantidad de teléfonos celulares alcanzó a 5 358 325 unidades (más de un aparato por habitante),[176] o 159,2 servicios móviles cada 100 habitantes, quedando 2.º a nivel latinoamericano después de Panamá. Son tres las empresas prestadoras del servicio, una de ellas es pública ANTEL, antes llamada Ancel, con 2 674 061 de celulares, y las restantes son las privadas Movistar "Movistar (Uruguay)") con 1 854 385, y Claro con 829 879 celulares.
Uruguay es el primer país de América Latina con una operación comercial en tecnología LTE,[177] Telefonía móvil 4G Long Term Evolution, tecnología de cuarta generación, que permite gran capacidad de transmisión de banda ancha de forma inalámbrica. El servicio comenzó a prestarse en la primera quincena de diciembre de 2011, en principio en Punta del Este y Maldonado, y después se extendió a zonas de Montevideo.
El 69,5 % de las conexiones a Internet son móviles y el 30,5 % fijas, sumando un total a junio de 2014 de 2 609 842 servicios.[176]
En esa fecha Uruguay tenía 795 804 servicios de banda ancha fija, y 1 814 038 servicios de banda ancha móvil. ANTEL es el proveedor del 98 % de los servicios de banda ancha fija.
Con una tasa de 47,7 usuarios de Internet cada 100 habitantes, Uruguay lidera en América Latina en ser el país con mayor proporción de internautas. En una evaluación sobre 21 países de América Latina, Uruguay es el de mayor penetración conjunta de telefonía fija, móvil, y banda ancha, con un índice de adopción de TIC (Tecnologías de la información y la comunicación)[178] de 5,42.
Según el Informe Global de la Información Tecnológica 2012-2013 que abarca también las Tecnologías de la información y la comunicación,[179] Uruguay esta tercero en Latinoamérica en las TIC, ocupando a nivel mundial Chile el puesto 34, Panamá el puesto 46 y Uruguay el 52.
En 2007 el país alcanzó la cifra de un millón de usuarios de Internet.[180].
Technology
Uruguay is an important exporter of software, and ranks first in income from software and computer services per capita in Latin America.[181] In 2007 it exported 188 million dollars (0.58% of the 2008 GDP), in 2011 Uruguay exported software for 250 million dollars.[182].
According to the Global Innovation Index, carried out by the World Intellectual Property Organization, in 2024, Uruguay was ranked 68th in innovation among 139 countries in the world;
Science
Investment in research has not been a characteristic of Uruguay; Most of them are isolated efforts or those of a center such as the Clemente Estable Biological Research Institute (IIBCE) and the University of the Republic. The main research is in the area of medicine and mathematics.
Despite the above, in 1986 the Basic Sciences Development Program - PEDECIBA - was created, the result of an agreement between the University of the Republic, the Ministry of Education and Culture and the United Nations Development Program - UNDP - with the objective of the repatriation of scientists and the beginning of master's degrees and doctorates in basic sciences - which at that time included Biology, Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics and Chemistry. The first director of PEDECIBA was Dr. Roberto Caldeyro Barcia. Another recent milestone in Uruguayan science is the installation of the Pasteur Institute of Montevideo dependent on the Pasteur Institute of France. The director of this institute is Dr. Guillermo Dighiero").
Several Uruguayan scientists have stood out in the exercise of their profession, such as the engineers Eladio Dieste – recognized worldwide for his use of what he called reinforced ceramics – or the mathematician and engineer José Luis Massera, recognized for the motto that bears his name. Another prominent scientist is Clemente Estable, teacher and researcher in biology and neurobiology. The Institute for Biological Research was named in his honor.
Health
Uruguay has a mixed health system (public and private). The Ministry of Public Health (M.S.P.) is responsible for standardizing, evaluating and supervising health care throughout the country, both for public and private assistance. According to data from the Medical Union of Uruguay, there were around 14,726 doctors active as of June 30, 2010, with a high average density rate (4.46 doctors per thousand inhabitants).[187].
According to the National Institute of Statistics of Uruguay, in 2006, 97.2% of the population residing in towns with 5,000 or more inhabitants had some type of medical care, while 2.8% had a total absence of rights to health care. This same study revealed that practically 46% of the population is affiliated with a private medical care institution, while 42% receives their health care through the Ministry of Public Health or the Hospital de Clínicas (dependent on the University of the Republic). Among the former, more than half (24.4%) also have a mobile emergency service, while only 4.8% of public health users have this service.[188].
Human resources constitute one of the main favorable points in health in Uruguay, since according to a report carried out in 2006 by the World Health Organization, the country is the second in Latin America with the most doctors per inhabitant (3.65 per thousand inhabitants) after Cuba (5.91).[189].
The Ministry of Labor and Social Security, the Social Security Bank, the Bank Retirement and Pension Fund are full members and participants of the Inter-American Conference on Social Security (CISS).
• - Life expectancy at birth (est. 2019):[190]
Total population: 77.91 years
Men: 74.12 years
Women: 81.84.
• - Maternal mortality: 17 every 100,000 births (2019)[191].
• - Infant mortality: 6.8 per 1000 (2019)[192].
• - Mortality under 5 years of age: 2.3 per 1000 (2019)[192].
• - Literacy: 98.7% (2018)[193].
• - Daily calorie consumption: 2862 per capita.
• - Drinking water:[194] 98%.
Abortion has been discussed in the legislative chambers about ten times since the return to democracy. In 2002 the vote was frustrated in the Senate, in the previous discussions it never made it out of the parliamentary committees, in 2008 it was approved but the presidential veto stopped it because the special majority required to override the veto was not achieved. Various surveys show a large majority of Uruguayans (around 60%) in favor of the decriminalization of abortion. During 2012, a new Bill was presented, called the "Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy Law", which was approved by both Chambers in October of the same year. The executive branch promulgated the law on October 22 and issued a regulatory decree in November. The Pregnancy Termination Law establishes that women have the right to terminate their pregnancy before twelve weeks of gestation, for which they must appear before a multidisciplinary Clinical Committee; After being informed of her rights and the consequences of her decision, the woman will have a period of five days to reflect. After this period, the pregnancy will be terminated by the medical organization that provides coverage. Uruguay is the first country in South America to decriminalize abortion and the second in Latin America (after Cuba).
Society
Demography
Uruguay is a multiethnic society, which means that it has historically been inhabited by people of different ethnic origins.[199] The vast majority of the Uruguayan population is of European origin "White (person)"), descended from immigrants who arrived during the colonial period and, especially, through the migratory waves of the 20th centuries, with a predominance of Italians and Spaniards.[200].
At the end of the century, about a third of the Uruguayan population was French or of French descent, representing around 40% of the inhabitants of Montevideo in 1850. Currently, it is estimated that 15% of Uruguayans have this origin.[201] Uruguay belongs to the International Organization of Francophonie (OIF). The successive waves of migration led to a significant presence of descendants of French, German, Portuguese, Croatian, British, Swiss, Russian, Polish, among other nationalities.[202].
Uruguay has one of the lowest demographic growth rates in America and one of the highest life expectancies on the continent. Illiteracy is estimated at 1.6%, while the average life expectancy reaches approximately 77 years.[203][204].
Demographic evolution of Uruguay since 1800:[205].
According to the results of the 2023 census, the population of Uruguay amounted to 3,499,451 inhabitants, with an average annual intercensal growth rate of 1‰ compared to the 2011 census.[208] The low intercensal growth rate observed in the period 1996-2004 (3.2‰) is even lower than that recorded between the 1985-1996 censuses. 6.4‰. This decrease corresponds to a progressive decrease in the birth rate and in migratory changes.[209].
The makeup and structure of the Uruguayan population distinguishes it from the rest of Latin America. Uruguay was at least 30 years ahead of the rest of the Latin American countries in the demographic transition, the vast majority of which began this process in the 50s and 60s. It has been estimated that in 1900 Uruguayan women had an average of 6 children, in 1950 this dropped to 3 and, in 2013, to 1.86 (according to the INE "National Institute of Statistics (Uruguay)"), already below the generational replacement limit. At the same time, it stands out for being the country with the longest population in Latin America, where the group of 60 years or older amounted to 17.7% in 2008. The changes in the birth rate are also due to the great increase in life expectancy, which amounts to 76.91 years (73.24 for men, 80.20 for women). The degree of urbanization is very high and reaches 96.1% of the population.[203][210].
The largest urban agglomeration is the metropolitan area of Montevideo, with an estimated population of 1.8 million inhabitants, which represents 52% of the national population.[c].
Emigration and immigration
Since its independence, in 1830, Uruguay has been a country of emigrants, and it was also a receiving nation of immigrants, and continues to be, although to a lesser extent than before, especially Argentine, Brazilian, Peruvian, Venezuelan and Cuban citizens.[226][227].
The main groups of immigrants who arrived at the port of Montevideo, between 1850 and 1940, came mainly from Spain, especially from Galicia, the Canary Islands, Andalusia, Asturias, the Basque Country and Aragon (see Spanish immigration in Uruguay), and also in large numbers from Italy, where they initially emigrated from Genoa, Liguria, and from Piedmont, to later become generalized and receive immigrants from all parts of Italy (see Italian immigration in Uruguay). Immigration contributions from France were also important, especially from French Basques, from Germany, and from Jews escaping the war - among them many from Poland - Asian countries and Eastern Europe. The period during which the country received the most foreigners was that of Franco's regime, in Spain, and that of the wars in Europe. In 2001 there were 52,353 Spaniards residing in Uruguay, a figure that dropped to 40,720 in 2007, making the country the tenth in the world with the largest Spanish population.[228].
European immigration settled in Uruguay from the end of the century until the mid-1960s. From the perspective of international migration, in the second half of the century, Uruguay began to consolidate itself as a country of emigration, whether for political or economic reasons, a phenomenon that has significantly influenced population growth in recent decades. Emigration is mainly to Europe, Argentina and the United States. Spain is the main destination for Uruguayans within Europe, but they also emigrate to Italy, France and Germany. During the 1970s there was also a significant migratory flow to Australia.[229][230].
Regarding emigration, many Spaniards who lived in Uruguay have returned to their country of origin for various reasons, including the crisis that affected the economy in 2002 and 2004.
Argentina, with 116,592 registered in 2010, is the country with the highest percentage of Uruguayan residents abroad, representing 0.3% of the total population (see Uruguayan immigration in Argentina). Other countries widely chosen by Uruguayans to live and work are Spain, Italy, the United States, Brazil, Canada, and those in Western Europe.
According to data from the INE "National Institute of Statistics (Uruguay)"), 55,480 Uruguayans currently reside in Spain: 28,304 men and 27,176 women, of which 24,363 have Spanish nationality.[231] The autonomous communities with the largest number of citizens of Uruguay are Galicia, the Canary Islands, Catalonia, the Basque Country, the Valencian Community, Madrid and Andalusia.
There are 17,954 Uruguayans residing in Catalonia, of which 6,000 have Spanish nationality. In the Valencian Community there are 9,246, in the Balearic Islands, 5,217, and in Andorra 250.
Influence of European immigrants in Uruguay
Uruguay had a white population "Blanco (person)") of 87.7% by 2011, the Amerindian population is considered non-existent.[170] At the end of the century and the beginning of the century, waves of immigration from Europe appeared, especially by Spaniards, Italians and French.[232] In 1870 Colonia Valdense was consolidated,[232] which had already seen its birth at the end of the decade of the 50s and early 60s by Swiss immigrants.
Many Europeans, especially from Spain and Germany, sought refuge in Uruguay after the military victory of fascism in the Spanish Civil War, the subsequent military dictatorship, and the rise of Nazi Germany.[232] Among them, the Catalans Margarita Xirgu, actress, and the architect Antoni Bonet i Castellana stand out; Enriqueta Compte y Riqué, Barcelona teacher; and illustrious families from Catalonia, the Canary Islands, and Galicia, who made important contributions to the economic, political and social development of the country. The Batlle family, originally from Sitges, would produce four presidents in Uruguay in three centuries. José Batlle y Ordóñez, son of Lorenzo Batlle y Grau, separated the church from the State, modernized the country and led it to a period of financial prosperity that earned it the name of the "Switzerland of America".[233].
The Pereira-Rossell couple founded the public hospital that today bears their name, in Montevideo. Emilio Reus, a Madrid businessman, invested a lot of capital in the construction of new homes for commerce and residence. The painter Joaquín Torres García, son of a Catalan father, was one of the most important artistic icons of Uruguay—and Catalonia—throughout the century. There is also a Catalan House in Montevideo, where the Congress of Catalans of the Republics of La Plata was held in 1936.
The construction of an Italian hospital called Hospital Italiano Umberto I, at the beginning of the last century, reveals the influence of the Italian community in Montevideo. In the same way, the Galicians, considered the largest group of immigrants, with 36,000 people, along with the Asturians (there are currently 3,000 in Uruguay[234]), founded the "Casa de Galicia", with a medical and hospital service that cares for patients who, for the most part, are of that origin.
On the other hand, the implementation of the Italian language as a mandatory subject in the humanities baccalaureate educational plans, operational since the 1940s,[235] shows the influence that immigrants from this country exerted on local culture and in other areas such as gastronomy. Also in the gastronomic field, the influence of other cultures on the local culture stands out, such as the case of Catalan breads and spices, Galician confectionery, or the use in confectionery of the French word chantilly, to refer to cream.
Three great French writers of the centuries were born in Uruguay: the Count of Lautréamont, Jules Laforgue, and Jules Supervielle.
LGBT rights
In 2004 the first law against discrimination was approved[236] and in 2007 the Concubinary Union was approved, which would come into force on January 10, 2008,[237][238] and which grants spouses with more than 5 years of cohabitation most of the rights of marriage. In 2009, Uruguay became the first country in Latin America to legalize homoparental adoption.[239][240] The same year, the right to change identity in documentation for transgender people over 18 years of age was recognized.
In 2008, Uruguay signed a United Nations declaration calling for the global decriminalization of homosexuality.[241][242] In 2009, the Executive Branch issued a decree enabling the entry of homosexuals into the Army.[239] In April 2013, the law on equal marriage was approved, making Uruguay the 12th country in the world and the 2nd in Latin America to legally recognize this. right.[243].
Religion
The Uruguayan State is secular, with absolute freedom of religion. The separation between the Uruguayan State and the Catholic Church was established in the Constitution of 1919,[245][246] under the influence of the radical Colorado reformer José Batlle y Ordóñez (1903-1911), as a process of secularization that had begun in 1861 with the secularization of cemeteries and continued in 1877 with the approval of the Decree Law of Common Education drafted by José Pedro Varela which established the non-compulsory nature of religious education in schools. The Constitution and the law prohibit discrimination on religious grounds.[247]
[248].
A survey conducted in 2008 by the National Statistics Institute "Instituto Nacional de Estadistica (Uruguay)") of Uruguay presented Catholicism as the main religion, with 45.7% of the population and 9.0% being non-Catholic Christians (Protestants, Pentecostals, Evangelicals, Adventists, Baptists, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses), 0.6% are animists or umbandists, and the 0.4% Jews. For their part, 30.1% declared they believed in a god, but without belonging to any religion, while 14% were atheists or agnostics.[249] Among the Armenian community, considerable in Montevideo, the predominant religion is Christianity, specifically the Armenian Apostolic.[250].
A study carried out in 2014 by the Latinobarómetro Corporation highlights Uruguay as the most secular country in Latin America, with 38% of atheists, agnostics or irreligious, compared to 41% of Catholics, 8% of evangelicals and 13% of other metaphysical beliefs.[251].
In accordance with the aforementioned studies, various political observers consider Uruguay the most secular country in the Americas.[252] The secularization of Uruguay began with the relatively minor role of the church in the colonial era, compared to other parts of the Spanish Empire. The small number of indigenous people in Uruguay and their fierce resistance to proselytism reduced the influence of the ecclesiastical authorities.[246].
Culture
National symbols
By decree of February 18, 1952, national symbols and their hierarchical gradation, precedence and respect were established:
National Pavilion.
Coat of arms of the State.
National Anthem.
Flag of Artigas.
Flag of the Thirty-Three Orientals.
National Cockade.
• - National Symbols.
• - National Pavilion.
• - State Coat of Arms.
• - National Anthem.
• - Flag of Artigas.
• - Flag of the Thirty-Three.
• - National Rosette.
Decree 435/007 established that the National Cockade is for free use, while the cockade identified with the Flag of Artigas is for the exclusive use of the Armed Forces and the one identified with the Flag of the Thirty-Three Orientals is for the exclusive use of the National Police.
The flag of Uruguay or National Flag is the most important national symbol. It was adopted by the laws of December 16, 1828 and July 12, 1830. Its colors are white and blue, with the sun, which occupies the canton, being gold. The arrangement of the nine horizontal stripes that are distributed over the field represent the first nine departments. The canton is occupied by the Sun of May, which represents the Inca god Inti, symbol of the May Revolution.
The National Coat of Arms of Uruguay is the one approved by the laws of March 19, 1829 and July 12, 1906 and the Decree of October 26, 1908. In accordance with this last decree, the official model of the National Coat of Arms (presented by Mr. Miguel Copetti) was established.
Language
Uruguay does not have any official language. The most spoken language in the country is Spanish; Furthermore, Portuguese and Portuñol Riverense, a dialect of Portuguese, are spoken as a minority in some border regions, neither of which is recognized in the constitution. Uruguayan Sign Language (USL) was also legally recognized as the language of deaf people in 2001 by Law No. 17378.[253] Although there is no general official language designation in the Uruguayan Constitution, in the legal-procedural field, Spanish is the official language for carrying out all procedural acts, with the assistance of an interpreter being necessary in the event that a party in the judicial process does not use it. understand.[254].
Spanish has variants and influences like all languages; emerging terms or expressions that identify Uruguayans from each part of the country. The Spanish spoken in Uruguay is a variant of River Plate Spanish, a dialect of Spanish spoken in the area of the Río de la Plata basin, in Argentina and Uruguay and other surrounding regions. Centered on the cities of Buenos Aires, Montevideo and Rosario "Rosario (Santa Fe)"), the three most important population centers in the region, it extends its cultural influence to geographically distant regions, especially through the media, in which it is the standard reading in both countries.
In the past there used to be a good group of people who spoke Italian or French as their first language, but this has been lost over time and the cessation of European immigration to America in recent decades. There is also a considerable minority who speak Russian, Yiddish, Corsican, German, Guaraní, Lithuanian, Portuguese and Plautdietsch.[255][256].
In the border region with Brazil in the department of Rocha and parts of the department of Maldonado, a variant of Rio de la Plata Spanish is spoken that dispenses with the voseo in favor of the tuteo "Tuteo (grammar)"), a particularity that is supposedly due to the Castilian origin of its original population, although the variety of Portuguese from southern Brazil is an archaic variety that uses the tuteo "Tuteo (grammar)") (and dispenses with the voseo which is the rule in the modern Portuguese), the border influence can also be assumed.
There exists in the northern region of Uruguay a set of variants of Portuguese that receive the scientific name of «Portuguese Dialects of Uruguay».[257] Its best-known variant is called portuñol riverense (no relation to portuñol, the simple mixture of Portuguese and Spanish).[258] It is spoken on the border between Uruguay and Brazil, and more specifically in the area of the sister cities of Rivera "Rivera (Uruguay)") and Santana do Livramento, as well as between the cities of Artigas "Artigas (city)") and Quarai, and in Chuy and Chuí. Only Uruguayan citizens use such language.[259].
In public education, English is taught with the aim of providing basic notions and preparing students to continue their study during secondary education, with exemption allowed for those who demonstrate an advanced level. Likewise, some secondary education institutions offer Portuguese classes. Traditionally, French and Italian were also part of the secondary education curriculum, the former corresponding to initial orientations and the latter to higher levels in areas such as Humanities and Law.[260].
Education
Public education in Uruguay is governed by the principles of secularism, free and compulsory education, established by José Pedro Varela. The population has access to free education from initial level to university. The National Administration of Public Education (ANEP), through its Central Board of Directors "Consejo Directivo Central (Uruguay)") (CODICEN), administers the initial, primary, middle and teacher training levels. The educational system is complemented by private institutions that range from preschool to university education.
One of the country's main achievements is its high literacy rate, which reached 97.7% in 2006 according to the National Institute of Statistics "National Institute of Statistics (Uruguay)"), placing Uruguay among the countries with the highest literacy rate in Latin America.[261].
The first kindergarten in Uruguay and South America was founded in 1892 by the Uruguayan-Catalan teacher Enriqueta Compte y Riqué. Primary education is compulsory and covers ages 6 to 11. Secondary education is completed between the ages of 12 and 14, followed by the baccalaureate between the ages of 15 and 17. The latter lasts three years: one common year and two with optional orientations in the humanities, sciences, biology or arts. The final year offers subdivisions within each orientation, such as law, economics, engineering, architecture, medicine and agronomy.
In 2007 the Uruguayan government launched Plan Ceibal, an initiative taken from the OLPC project. This plan allows each teacher and each student in public schools to have a laptop with an Internet connection, completely free of charge. In 2009, 366,000 computers had been delivered (to 350,000 children and 16,000 teachers). In August 2010, a new stage began, with the beginning of the distribution of laptop computers, with more and better features, to public secondary school students. By December 2011, 454,000 laptops had been delivered, approximately 320,000 to primary school children, 120,000 to high school adolescents, and the rest to teachers and professors.[262].
The country has two public universities, the University of the Republic, which consists of several faculties and attached services, and the Technological University of Uruguay (UTEC), which began operating in 2013 in the interior of the country. To grant tertiary and technical careers there is the Universidad del Trabajo del Uruguay (UTU).
Starting in 1985, private universities began to be founded, the Catholic University of Uruguay being the first of them.
• - Catholic University of Uruguay.
• - ORT Uruguay University.
• - University of Montevideo.
• - Business University.
• - Latin American Center University of Human Economy.
Art
The River Plate music par excellence is the tango (whose greatest exponent is Carlos Gardel), and also the milonga "Milonga (musical genre)"). Uruguay also has music such as candombe and the Uruguayan murga, which have their peak in the carnival calls (in the case of candombe) and in the Carnival itself, in the case of the murga.
Among the prominent musicians and singers are Aníbal Sampayo, Alfredo Zitarrosa, Eduardo Mateo, Julio Sosa, José Carbajal, Daniel Viglietti, Amalia de la Vega, Osiris Rodríguez Castillos, Pepe Guerra, Eduardo Darnauchans, Jaime Roos, Fernando Cabrera "Fernando Cabrera (musician)"), the brothers Hugo Fattoruso and Osvaldo Fattoruso, Carlos Canzani, Jorge Drexler, Rubén Rada, Lucas Sugo, Pablo Estramín, Gastón Ciarlo, Jorge Lazaroff, Tabaré Arapí, Leo Maslíah, Mariana Ingold, Pablo Sciuto, Alberto Wolf, Quintín Cabrera, Gustavo Pena, Riki Musso, Jorge Galemire, Jorge Bonaldi, Tabaré Etcheverry and Sylvia Meyer.
As musical groups we can highlight a strong presence of rock and, in turn, in several subgenres, such as punk (Traidores, Los Estómagos, Buitres Porque de la Una, Trotsky Vengarán, La Chancha, Cooper"), Los Tontos), funk (Hereford "Hereford (band)"), La Trampa "La Trampa (Uruguayan band)")), ska (La Vela Puerca, Once Tiros), pop rock (El Cuarteto de Nos, No Te Va Gustar), art and blues (La Tabaré, La Triple Nelson), garage (Eté & Los Problems), alternative (Buenos Muchachos) fusion (Bufón "Bufón (band)"), progressive (Psiglo), candombe beat (Totem "Totem (band)"), El Kinto), heavy metal (Alvacast, Pecho e' Fierro, Chopper "Chopper (band)")), funk (El Peyote Asesino, Plátano Macho "Plátano Macho (band)"), surf and new wave (The Supersónico) and indie (Astroboy "Astroboy (band)"), also romantic ballad groups (Los Iracundos), folklore (Larbanois & Carrero, Los Olimareños), plena and salsa (Sonora Borinquen, Karibe con K), various popular songs (Los que Iban Cantando, Rumbo "Rumbo (band)"), ReyToro"), Cursi&action=edit&redlink=1 "Cursi (band) (not yet written)"), El Cubano de América")) and cumbia (Mala Tuya"), Márama, Rombai), etc.
Also Uruguayan are the author of the most famous tango music in the world (La Cumparsita), Gerardo Matos Rodríguez, Eduardo Fabini, nationalist composer of the first half of the century, Héctor Tosar, composer, theorist and musical pedagogue; the revolutionist of the cultured guitar playing technique, Abel Carlevaro, the great murga and tango singer Washington Canario Luna, among other great artists.
In Opera, the sopranos Rita Contino, María José Siri and Luz del Alba Rubio stand out with international careers. The mezzo-sopranos: Raquel Pierotti and Graciela Lassner. The tenors: Carlos Ventre, Edgardo Rocha, Gastón Rivero and Juan Carlos Valls. The baritones: Erwin Schrott and Darío Solari. At the national level, the sopranos stand out: Sandra Silvera, Sandra Scorza, Marianne Cardoso. The mezzo-soprano: Rina Baffa and Mariella Nocetti. The tenors: Gerardo Marandino. The baritones: Federico Sanguinetti, Marcelo Otegui.
Philosophy
Philosophical activity in Uruguay began in 1838 with disputes between non-Uruguayan residents in the press: the Argentine Juan Bautista Alberdi and the director of the Colegio Oriental, at that time a Spaniard. Its development will advance slowly, mixed between political or intellectual discussions in general. Within the century, among others, the controversy between Mariano Soler, a Catholic, and Alfredo Vásquez Acevedo, a positivist, stands out.
In the century the two main names of Uruguayan philosophy appear, Carlos Vaz Ferreira and Arturo Ardao.
Vaz Ferreira was born in Montevideo on October 15, 1872. He was the brother of the poet María Eugenia Vaz Ferreira. In 1897 he published "Expository Course on Elementary Psychology" and in 1898 another book on Formal Logic. His main work is "Lógica viva" (1910), in which he determined the errors that were committed in discussions and in everyday life (fallacies, paralogisms). Since 1897 he has also been a professor of Philosophy in Secondary Education, which then depended on the University of the Republic. He would later found the Faculty of Humanities and Sciences "Faculty of Humanities and Educational Sciences (University of the Republic)"). He was Dean of this institution and Rector of the University of the Republic.
Ardao studied at this same university, receiving a Doctorate in Law and Social Sciences. He continued linked to that house of studies, dedicating himself to Philosophy and opening a new field in the study of the History of Ideas. He was a member of the Central Board of Directors of the University. He was Director of the Institute of Philosophy, and later Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Sciences. His main philosophical works (in addition to those in the field of 'history of ideas') are "Philosophy of the Spanish language" and "Space and intelligence".
Other significant thinkers in the century were Emilio Oribe, Mario Sambarino") and José Luis Rebellato.
Amerindian heritage
The territory that currently includes Uruguay was populated, in the past, by indigenous tribes who, after the arrival of European settlers, were strongly threatened. The best-known ethnic groups are the Charrúas - from whom the name has been inherited by those born in the country -, the Guaraníes, the Chanás, the Guenoas, the Minuanes, the Bohanes and the Yaros.[35][267].
In the case of the Charrúa Indians, due to the total and indiscriminate slaughter of this tribe, during the first presidency of the Republic, of Fructuoso Rivera, it is not possible to establish exactly to what extent current society and the Charrúa have something in common. With the exception of small utensils and human remains that are preserved in museums in Montevideo, nothing remains of this human group.
The Guaraní, on the other hand, who today live in almost all of Paraguay and areas of northern Argentina and southern Bolivia, left many evidence of their presence. To begin with, the name of Uruguay (river of the "uru", a small bird that inhabited the area, or "Urugua", river of snails), as well as the names of Paraguay or Taragüí (in the Argentine province of Corrientes), are of Guaraní origin. Numerous place names in Uruguay, such as Tacuarembó, Iporá, Batoví, particularly concentrated in the north of the country, are also of Guaraní origin. Some names, such as the male given name, Tabaré, which is quite common in the country (like the name of President Tabaré Vázquez), are also of Guarani origin.
The chanás and the tapestry were reduced by the Franciscan Order and converted to Catholicism. They are perhaps the only two native ethnic groups with descendants in rural areas of the interior of Uruguay, today. However, it is important to make it clear that because many of them mixed with European settlers, their descent is Creole and mestizo, as are their customs.
Through contact with neighboring countries, that is, Argentina and Brazil, an important cultural heritage was introduced. It is possible that between the tribes there was a kind of contact and even organization and exchange of money or raw materials.
When the Spanish and Portuguese settlers arrived in this region of America, they found that the environment was hostile, the humidity very high and the cold very strong. Faced with such inclemencies and the hard work of hunting and construction carried out by the nomadic and sedentary indigenous people, the Spaniards had to find out what the secret of so much resistance on the part of the natives was. There they discovered a species of tree, which was grown in southern Brazil and eastern Paraguay, and decided to carry out extensive plantations of this plant, to which time and history have given a privileged place in the region.
The stimulating and healing effects of yerba mate (very similar to those of traditional tea) meant that its use spread rapidly until reaching Uruguay and Argentina. The Quechua Indians then adapted and called it "" (glass or container) to the type of elongated gourd where and hot water are deposited to drink what has been Spanishized as "".[268].
European heritage
The European heritage took place in the 20th century. Its influence was reflected in the construction, construction methods, habits and, above all, in gastronomy. The country was a welcoming setting for the investments of wealthy German and French businessmen and for the residence and work of many Spaniards and Italians who were fleeing the poverty that devastated their countries. After the Second World War, Uruguay was favored by the number of immigrants who entered the country with the intention of working and living. With them, came their customs.
The Italians opened pizzerias, ice cream parlors and pasta factories. The Spanish scallop, in Uruguay, is called "milanesa", because it was introduced by the Italians[271] The Spaniards, and especially the Galicians and Asturians, opened bakeries and butcher shops or modest stores or bars. Galician confectionery doughs and pastries, empanadas and pans, seafood and fresh fish were introduced. The Spanish omelette gained some popularity, while the Andalusian pot, Catalan spices, rice pudding and jams spread on a large scale.
The English introduced the country's first footwear brand, Champion. The French dedicated themselves to high business and baking and refining, while the Germans opened beverage and food processing factories.
Other typical products are dulce de leche and alfajor "Alfajor (Latin America)"). Characteristic of the Río de la Plata, they are part of the region's gastronomic heritage, along with fried cakes.
Gastronomy
The gastronomy of Uruguay is characterized by having certain parallels with the gastronomy of Argentina and Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), differing, therefore, from much of Latin American cuisine. This factor is due to a greater extent to the contribution that the early arrival of immigrants of Spanish and Italian origin has made to the country.
The production of beef and the extensive exploitation of the dairy sector make Uruguayan gastronomy a meat monopoly, with foods derived from livestock predominating, among which are rump meat, roast meat, ribs, churas, chinchulines, udder, tongue and gizzard. Additionally, foods from pigs and sheep stand out, as well as those obtained from other parts of the cow (see black pudding). In this line, chorizos, sausages and different varieties of ham (cooked, raw or smoked), shoulder, loin, bacon and bacon stand out.
The production of the dairy industry is also representative, from which many of the most basic ingredients of the national cuisine are obtained: lard (or butter), double cream, chantilly cream (whipped milk or whipped cream in Spain), dulce de leche, different types of cheese - cologne, semi-hard, lean, mozzarella, sandwich, Roquefort, ricotta, spreadable, etc. -, yogurt, pasteurized whole or skimmed milk and milk. in powder.
Bakery and confectionery products are also extremely varied. Some of the varieties of bread "Bread (food)") produced in the country are known by the following names: flute, baguette, cannon, Catalan bread, Marseillaise, Buenos Aires, turtle, Vienna bread, American bread, sandwich bread, biscuit (navy/milky/field/fat), mignon, grissini, croissants, doughs, cookies (salty/sweet/stuffed/wafers), etc. Of note are the alfajores "Alfajor (Latin America)"), very varied, and the sponge cakes, a typical product in Uruguayan culture, consumed especially at breakfast or snack time and at gatherings with family or friends.
Grappamiel is an alcoholic drink originally from Uruguay and consists of mixing grappa and honey. It is obtained from the distillate of pomace and lees from the fermentation of grapes and then mixed with pure natural honey from bees. Grapa with honey generally contains around 25% alcohol.
Another drink, non-alcoholic and very similar to tea, is mate "Mate (infusion)"). Although it is rare, it is possible to find "cocido mate" (the one prepared following the tea process), mate with milk, or mate with a pinch of honey and rum.
Currently there is a large Uruguayan wine production. In the last 20 years, the country has aimed at quality production given the impossibility of competing with wine produced in large quantities in neighboring regions (such as Mendoza in Argentina). A particularity of Uruguayan wine production, especially that marketed internationally, is the use of the Tannat grape variety. Although there are other countries where this variety is produced, including France where it originates, most of the production comes from Uruguay.
Sport
The sport with the most followers in Uruguay is soccer.[272] Historically, soccer has been a fundamental element in terms of the consolidation of Uruguayan "nationality" and the international projection of the image of Uruguay as a country, at the beginning of the century. "La celeste" (historical nickname of the Uruguayan team, which arises from the color of its shirt) dazzled Europe with its Olympic presentations and earned the admiration and respect of the sporting universe, placing South American soccer on the highest level of consideration at a time when said continent was still ignored on the international soccer map (Uruguay in particular unknown on all maps, not just the soccer map). Uruguay won two consecutive Gold medals in the Olympic Games (Paris 1924 and Amsterdam 1928), being for 80 years the only South American country to occupy the top Olympic spot, an honor now shared with Argentina since Beijing 2008.
[273] and Brazil since Rio de Janeiro 2016.
Between July 13 and 30, 1930, the first world soccer championship organized by FIFA was held in Uruguay. In the final of the same Uruguay beat Argentina 4-2, winning their first world title.
Uruguay has, together with Argentina, the first place in the number of Copa América, with 15, followed by Brazil, with 9. In terms of world titles, it won the Soccer World Cup twice (in 1930[274] and 1950,[275] the latter being a historic sporting achievement and one of the most dramatic and unforgettable moments in the history of soccer, the final of which has since been known by the nickname "Maracanazo"). At the club level, Nacional and Peñarol, the two main Uruguayan teams, have represented Uruguay magnificently, obtaining between them eight Copa Libertadores and six Intercontinental Cups, in addition to an outstanding list (in quantity and quality) of international titles that allow them to occupy, until November 2006, the first and third positions in the Conmebol Club Ranking (Peñarol 1094 pts., Boca Juniors 1023 pts., National 960 pts.).[276].
There are many Uruguayan players who are part of Spanish, Italian, and other European and Asian leagues. Among the most notable are Luis Suárez (historical scorer for the Uruguayan team), Edison Cavani and Diego Forlán.
In 2011, the Uruguayan team became champion of America for the fifteenth time (record), winning the 2011 Copa América Argentina, winning the final against Paraguay 3-0 at the Monumental Stadium in Núñez.
Basketball is the second most popular sport in Uruguay, being very popular especially in Montevideo, where in many neighborhoods of the city there is at least one Club. The governing body of this sport in Uruguay is the Uruguayan Basketball Federation, created in 1915 and a member of FIBA since 1936. Among the most important achievements of the Uruguayan basketball team are the achievement of bronze medals in the 1952 and 1956 Olympic Games, in Helsinki and Melbourne respectively, as well as several South American championships and participation in Pan-American and world tournaments.
Parties
As a result of the secular nature of the Uruguayan state, Christian holidays (Holy Week and Christmas) officially receive other names (Tourism Week and Family Day). However, except for Holy Week, they are popularly known by their Christian name. The latter is variously called Santa, Tourism, Criolla, or the Vuelta Ciclista.
In 1933, during the dictatorship of Gabriel Terra, a dozen holidays were eliminated to reverse the situation of the crisis of 1929. Among them, America's Day, which commemorated the May Revolution every May 25 since 1834, was eliminated.[277].
Grades:.
• - All non-working holidays are immutable.
• - In years in which there is a change of presidential command (those ending in 0 or 5), March 1 is a non-working holiday.
• - The day of carrying out a national population and housing census, set by the executive branch, will be a non-working holiday with double remuneration if worked.
• - Holiday shift:
Starting in 1997, by Law No. 16,805, working holidays become removable. If they coincide on Saturday, Sunday or Monday, they will be observed on those days. If they occur on Tuesday or Wednesday, they will be observed on the immediately preceding Monday. If they occur on a Thursday or Friday, they will be observed on the immediately following Monday. The Three Kings, Carnival and Tourism Week holidays are excluded from the shift, which will continue to be observed on the day of the week on which they occur, whatever it may be.
Starting in 2002, by Law No. 17,414, June 19 and November 2 are also excluded from the shift.
Only in 2011, and to commemorate 200 years of the Battle of the Stones, by Law No. 18,748, May 18 was not run.
World Heritage in Uruguay
Cultural and natural assets:.
• - 1995: historic neighborhood of the City of Colonia del Sacramento[280].
• - 2015: Cultural and industrial landscape of Fray Bentos.
• - 2021: Work of engineer Eladio Dieste: Church of Atlántida.
Intangible cultural heritage:
• - 2009: Candombe.
• - 2009: Tango.
Statistics
• - Según un estudio de la Legatum Institute con sede en Dubái, Emiratos Árabes Unidos, y en el Índice de Prosperidad Legatum 2013,[281] Uruguay está primero en Latinoamérica y con el puesto 30 a nivel mundial en la clasificación de países de alta prosperidad que reúne a los 30 primeros países del mundo. Lo siguen Costa Rica en el puesto 31 y Chile en el puesto 35 a nivel de América Latina.
• - Según un estudio de la organización Transparencia Internacional, es el país de Latinoamérica que posee el menor índice de percepción de la corrupción.[282].
• - Según el informe del año 2009 de "Reporteros sin Fronteras", Uruguay es el país con el índice de libertad de prensa más alto en Sudamérica.[283].
• - Según el Índice de democracia del periódico británico «The Economist», Uruguay y Costa Rica son los únicos países latinoamericanos considerados una democracia completa, ubicando a Uruguay en el puesto 18 a nivel mundial y primero en Latinoamérica.
• - Uruguay es en 2013, el segundo país de América (luego de Canadá), en la clasificación de naciones más pacíficas del mundo, es el primero de Latinoamérica y está en el puesto 24 a nivel mundial.
• - Un informe de la revista Reader's Digest lo sitúa dentro de los diez países más verdes del mundo, ocupando la novena posición de una lista que encabezan estados como Finlandia, Islandia y Noruega.[284].
• - Uruguay se posiciona en el quinto puesto latinoamericano (tras Chile, Panamá, Costa Rica y El Salvador) y en el número 53 mundial en el Índice de globalización.[285].
• - Uruguay según el Índice de libertad económica para 2013 del Wall Street Journal y de la Heritage Foundation, está segundo en Latinoamérica después de Chile con el puesto mundial 36 y Chile con el 7.[286].
• - En el Índice de Facilidad de hacer negocios a 2010 según el Banco Mundial conserva el tercer puesto en Sudamérica, tras Chile, y Perú.
• - En el Índice internacional de derechos de propiedad comparte con Costa Rica (tras Chile y Puerto Rico) el tercer puesto de la región, y el 50.º puesto a nivel mundial en 2010.
Democracy index
The Democracy Index is the classification prepared by the Intelligence Unit of The Economist, through which it is intended to determine the range of democracy in 167 countries.[287].
Uruguay is, along with Costa Rica and Chile, the only Latin American countries considered to be "full democracies", obtaining high scores in three of the five areas of assessment, although the low score in the area of "political participation" prevents it from rising to the top global positions in the table. Even so, it obtains a better grade average than most countries in the European Union.
International rankings
The classification is shown in the order of the position of Uruguay's index with respect to the classification of the countries evaluated in each category. The year displayed along with the indicator reflects the date of the data used in the evaluation as reported by each source, and does not necessarily correspond to the year of publication.
• - Portal:Uruguay. Content related to Uruguay.
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• - Wikcionario tiene definiciones y otra información sobre uruguayo.
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Government links
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• - Legislative power.
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Cultural links
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• - National Museum of Visual Arts (MNAV).
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Business links
• - Uruguay in Mercosur Guide.
References
[1] ↑ Si bien declaró la independencia de Brasil, la ley de independencia de la declaratoria especificaba que también lo hacía de Portugal y de cualquier potencia extranjera, mientras que con la ley de unión se vuelve a unir a las Provincias Unidas del Río de la Plata.
[2] ↑ Fecha en que se ratificó la Convención Preliminar de Paz, por la que Brasil y las Provincias Unidas renunciaron a sus aspiraciones de dominio sobre Uruguay.
[3] ↑ a b Se tomó como Área Metropolitana de Montevideo a las localidades de las páginas 25, 26 y 27 de los anexos del Libro Blanco del Área Metropolitana.[11].
[4] ↑ «oriental». Diccionario de la lengua española. Madrid: Real Academia Española. Consultado el 28 de enero de 2022.: https://dle.rae.es/oriental
[9] ↑ Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (PNUD), ed. (6 de mayo de 2025). «Human Development Insights» (en inglés). Consultado el 18 de noviembre de 2025.: https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/country-insights#/ranks
[15] ↑ Naciones Unidas (ed.). «Research Guides: Miembros de la ONU: Estados Miembros fundadores». research.un.org. Archivado desde el original el 7 de junio de 2022. Consultado el 14 de junio de 2021.: https://research.un.org/es/unmembers/founders
[41] ↑ Fucé, Pablo (2017). «El Real de San Felipe y Santiago de Montevideo (1724-1749): plaza y fuerte de los Borbones en la afirmaci ón de la conquista de la Banda Oriental». Anuario del Instituto de Historia Argentina 17 (2): e051. doi:10.24215/2314257Xe051. Consultado el 24 de enero de 2020.: https://www.anuarioiha.fahce.unlp.edu.ar/article/view/IHAe051
[45] ↑ «...Uruguay has for most of its history been the 'Switzerland' of South America...» - Thomas J. Knight, Latin America comes of age (Scarecrow Press, 1979), 24.
[64] ↑ Redacción 180 (30 de noviembre de 2009). «Final: Mujica 52,39 %; Lacalle 43,51 %». 180.com.uy. Consultado el 1 de diciembre de 2009. (enlace roto disponible en Internet Archive; véase el historial, la primera versión y la última).: http://elecciones.180.com.uy/articulo/Final-Mujica-52-6-Lacalle-43-3
[78] ↑ Oficina del Alto Comisionado para los Derechos Humanos (lista actualizada). «Lista de todos los Estados Miembros de las Naciones Unidas que son parte o signatarios en los diversos instrumentos de derechos humanos de las Naciones Unidas» (web) (en inglés).: https://indicators.ohchr.org/
[79] ↑ Pacto Internacional de Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales, vigilado por el Comité de Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales.
[80] ↑ Pacto Internacional de Derechos Civiles y Políticos, vigilado por el Comité de Derechos Humanos.
[81] ↑ Convención Internacional sobre la Eliminación de todas las Formas de Discriminación Racial, vigilada por el Comité para la Eliminación de Discriminación Racial.
[82] ↑ Convención Internacional para la protección de todas las personas contra las desapariciones forzadas.
[83] ↑ Convención Internacional sobre la Eliminación de todas las Formas de Discriminación contra la Mujer, vigilada por el Comité para la Eliminación de Discriminación contra la Mujer.
[84] ↑ Convención contra la tortura y otros tratos o penas crueles, inhumanos o degradantes, vigilada por el Comité contra la tortura.
[85] ↑ Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño, vigilada por el Comité de los Derechos del Niño.
[86] ↑ Convención internacional sobre la protección de los derechos de todos los trabajadores migratorios y de sus familiares. La convención entrará en vigor cuando sea ratificada por veinte estados.
[87] ↑ Convención sobre los Derechos de las Personas con Discapacidad, vigilado por el Comité sobre los Derechos de las Personas con Discapacidad.
[122] ↑ UNFCCC (ed.). Conference of the Parties. Report of the Conference of the Parties on its twenty-first session, held in Paris from 30 November to 13 December 2015 (en inglés). Consultado el 14 de noviembre de 2020.: https://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2015/cop21/eng/10.pdf#page=33
[145] ↑ Datos Uruguay (ed.). «Inflación en Uruguay – datos históricos y actualizados». Consultado el 12 de octubre de 2025.: https://datosuruguay.com/inflacion
[154] ↑ Depetris, Edith; et al. (2009). «Consistencia de indicadores de especialización en el comercio internacional. Aplicación al caso de la mantequilla en Argentina y Uruguay». Revista de Métodos Cuantitativos para la Economía y la Empresa 9: 85-105. ISSN 1886-516X. La referencia utiliza el parámetro obsoleto |coautores= (ayuda) (enlace roto disponible en Internet Archive; véase el historial, la primera versión y la última).: http://www.upo.es/RevMetCuant/art.php?id=39
[160] ↑ Organización de Naciones Unidas. «UNData. Country profiles» (en inglés). Consultado el 9 de agosto de 2008. Población por país estimada para 2007 (busque el perfil de cada país).: http://data.un.org/CountryProfile.aspx?crName=Argentina
[162] ↑ «Energías renovables: el físico que usó el viento para hacer de Uruguay un caso asombroso de electricidad limpia». BBC News Mundo. 25 de julio de 2024. Consultado el 25 de junio de 2025.: https://www.bbc.com/mundo/articles/c6p2z7qjng9o
[187] ↑ Organización Mundial de la Propiedad Intelectual (2024). «Global Innovation Index 2024: Unlocking the Promise of Social Entrepreneurship». www.wipo.int (en inglés). p. 18. ISBN 978-92-805-3681-2. doi:10.34667/tind.50062. Consultado el 6 de octubre de 2024.: https://www.wipo.int/web-publications/global-innovation-index-2024/en/
[192] ↑ Organización Mundial de la Salud (20 de febrero de 2006). «Global distribution of health workers in WHO Member States» (pdf). The World Health Report (en inglés). Consultado el 21 de julio de 2013.: http://www.who.int/entity/whr/2006/annex/06_annex4_en.pdf
[198] ↑ OMS; UNICEF (junio de 2006). «Coverage Estimates: Improved Drinking Water» (pdf). WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Program for Water Supply and Sanitation (en inglés). Archivado desde el original el 5 de octubre de 2007. Consultado el 21 de julio de 2013. La referencia utiliza el parámetro obsoleto |mes= (ayuda).: https://web.archive.org/web/20071005050319/http://www.wssinfo.org/pdf/country/URY_wat.pdf
[199] ↑ OMS; UNICEF (junio de 2006). «Coverage Estimates: Improved Sanitation» (pdf). WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Program for Water Supply and Sanitation (en inglés). Archivado desde el original el 5 de octubre de 2007. Consultado el 21 de julio de 2013. La referencia utiliza el parámetro obsoleto |mes= (ayuda).: https://web.archive.org/web/20071005100649/http://www.wssinfo.org/pdf/country/URY_san.pdf
[209] ↑ a b c Russell H. Fitzgibbon (1956). Uruguay: Portrait of a democracy. Londres: George Allen & Unwin.
[210] ↑ Lucio Mendieta y Núñez (1957). Revista mexicana de sociología. n.º 19. México: Instituto de Investigaciones Sociales de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, pp. 347.
[245] ↑ «Over 80 Nations Support Statement at Human Rights Council on LGBT Rights». U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Geneva (en inglés estadounidense). 22 de marzo de 2011. Consultado el 16 de junio de 2021.: https://geneva.usmission.gov/2011/03/22/lgbtrights/
[248] ↑ Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs. «Background Note: Uruguay». US Department of State. Consultado el 23 de febrero de 2011.: https://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2091.htm
[249] ↑ a b «Religión - Uruguay» (en inglés). Library of Congress Country Studies. Consultado el 23 de febrero de 2011.: http://countrystudies.us/uruguay/43.htm
[256] ↑ «Ley N.º 17378. Registro Nacional de Leyes y Decretos. 25 de julio de 2001». www.impo.com.uy. Consultado el 14 de diciembre de 2020.: https://www.impo.com.uy/bases/leyes/17378-2001
[260] ↑ ELIZAINCIN, Adolfo; BEHARES, Luis Ernesto; BARRIOS, Graciela. Nos falemo brasilero. Dialectos portugueses del Uruguay. 1987. Montevideo: Amesur. ISBN B0000D650N.
[261] ↑ CHAREILLE, Samantha. Aspectos de la situación lingüística de Uruguay: El caso del portuñol. Archivado el 30 de septiembre de 2007 en Wayback Machine. GLOTTOPOL. Revue de sociolinguistique en ligne (Numéro 4, julliet 2004). (en francés) Consultado de agosto de 2012.: http://www.univ-rouen.fr/dyalang/glottopol/telecharger/numero_4/gpl408chareille.pdf
[262] ↑ CARVALHO, Ana Maria. Variation and difussion of Uruguayan Portuguese in a bilingual border town. University of California at Berkeley USA. (inglés) Consultado el 3 de agosto de 2013.: http://webs.uvigo.es/ssl/actas1997/05/Carvalho.pdf
[286] ↑ «Sin censura». Consultado el 18 de agosto de 2013. (enlace roto disponible en Internet Archive; véase el historial, la primera versión y la última).: http://sdr.liccom.edu.uy/2013/05/11/sin-censura/
[291] ↑ Reporters Without Borders. «Clasificación Mundial de la Libertad de Prensa 2017». Consultado el 3 de enero de 2018.: https://rsf.org/es/clasificacion
[292] ↑ the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) (ed.). «Democracy Index 2016» (en inglés). Consultado el 3 de enero de 2018.: http://www.eiu.com/topic/democracy-index
[297] ↑ Legatum Institute (ed.). «The Legatum Prosperity Index 2017» (en inglés). Consultado el 3 de enero de 2017.: http://www.prosperity.com/rankings
Around the turn of the century —1900— the main goods that Uruguay exported were wool with 42% of the total percentage and, secondly, frozen meat with 24%. With these two goods alone, Uruguay reached 66% of exports, giving special importance to the agricultural sector. These products were especially directed to three markets: Belgium, France and Argentina, although they did not represent 70% of total exports. With World War I, exports to these three countries decreased and the so-called other countries gained more weight. In 1912, exports to other countries were 30% and after 5 years they rose to 70%.[44].
The fact that its export market was broader was an advantage for the Uruguayan economy since it did not strictly depend on a few countries that imported its products, and it was not vulnerable to changes in demand in these markets. The Uruguayan economy concentrated all its efforts and investments in the production of these two primary products, which were exported with some success since they were scarce in countries, especially European, that were dedicated to the production of manufactured products. Uruguayan livestock farming acquired a greater weight in the country's economy, due to the technological advances of the time. New methods were introduced that increased the productivity of livestock, such as the breeding method, since in terms of land area, this was smaller compared to neighboring Argentina, which was also one of the largest meat exporting countries. Although the star product of the Uruguayan economy was wool —46%—, meat exports increased thanks to the use of refrigerators, which allowed meat to be better preserved, and to improvements in navigation and transportation techniques that helped long-distance travel.
The new production characteristics led to a radical change in agricultural structures, giving way to capitalist farms oriented to the market, and not simple internal consumption, but the organization of the land did not produce lasting economic development in the country. The large ranchers were subject to the interests of foreign capitalists, English among many, who had strong control over production. In the particular case of Uruguay, there is talk of extensive growth, in which the use of land was increased and more labor was incorporated without looking for alternatives to the lack of natural resources, as a consequence of the exploitation of the land "Land (economy)").
After the era of exports, where Uruguay experienced a period of economic prosperity, international events arrived that shook not only Uruguay's economy, but also the global economy. These external impacts are: World War I and II and the US Great Depression of 1929; All of them are events external to Uruguay but that impacted its economy.
As already mentioned, the engine of Uruguay's economy was the export sector. With the war events of its trading partners, Uruguay lost part of its demand for products from abroad and this was reflected in a decline in its growth. During this period that would last until the early 1950s, Uruguay was at the expense of what was happening in the rest of the world and this is observed with the fluctuations of its GDP pc—up if there are no important events, and down if relevant events occur. Therefore, until the implementation of the ISI measures – Import Substitution Industrialization – towards the beginning of the 1950s, Uruguay was at the expense of the international situation.
In 1950, the ideas arrived in Latin America to stop being economies based on the primary sector and begin to produce themselves the manufactures that until then they had imported or ISI. In Uruguay, due to its limited geographical expansion and the restriction this represented in developing a powerful internal market, industrialization measures had less impact than in neighboring countries.
Some ISI measures did become real: the Central Government took sides and promoted numerous companies and an attempt was made to import more capital goods than other types to change the economic system. But, as has been mentioned, for Uruguay it is not at all clear that the ISI measures were important enough for a change in the production model to occur. On the other hand, the public deficit that would begin here would have consequences later.
The political and social unrest in Uruguay at this time also did not help its economy take off.
The Minister of Economy and Finance, Alejandro Végh Villegas, seeks to promote the financial sector and foreign investment. Social spending is reduced and many state companies are privatized. However, the economy did not improve and deteriorated after 1980, GDP fell by 20% and unemployment rose to 17%. The State intervenes trying to rescue bankrupt companies and banks.[47].
In 2015, these functions passed to the Truth and Justice Working Group, an autonomous and independent body.[52] Likewise, in December 2006, June 19 of each year was declared as a commemorative date.[53].
While chaos reigned in the country, in the United States Isaac Alfie commanded the delegation that Batlle had sent to form a working group with delegates from the US government, since Horst Köhler, director of the IMF, had given the order not to lend one more dollar to Uruguay. Finally, the United States agreed with Uruguay on a bridge loan of $1.5 billion to capitalize state banks. That was the beginning of the end of the country's economic crisis.[57].
In November, the National Party "Partido Nacional (Uruguay)") decided to remove ministers Antonio Mercader, Álvaro Alonso, Carlos Cat, Sergio Abreu and Jaime Trobo from their positions in Batlle's government, as they wanted to separate themselves from him.
The 2002 crisis left devastating figures for the country. Such is the case of the suicide rate, which increased by 12.6%, meaning that two Uruguayans committed suicide per day and many cases of self-elimination attempts were recorded.[58].
As a direct economic consequence of this crisis, the real salary had a sharp fall, reaching its floor between 2003 and 2004 with a loss of 22% compared to the year 2000.[59] For its part, the unemployment rate rose to a maximum in 2002 of 17%, rising 3 and a half percentage points compared to the time he took office.[60] Towards the end of his government, the unemployment rates They reversed their trend, reaching figures lower than those at the time of their assumption. On the contrary, the fall suffered by real wages could not be reversed, being in 2005 some 18.6 percentage points below the figures for 2000.
Mercosur has legislative powers, through the issuance of Decisions, Resolutions and Directives that are of mandatory application for the Member States (articles 9, 15 and 20 of the Ouro Preto Protocol).
In Uruguay there are different attitudes regarding Mercosur from the different political parties. From right-wing ranks, former president Luis Alberto Lacalle affirmed that Mercosur should be limited to commercial relations. Antagonistically, the former leftist president of Uruguay, José Mujica, stated on his inauguration day as president that Mercosur must continue even more deeply, in his own words, "until death do us part."
Mercosur has also been harshly criticized since its inception. There are those who affirm that, given the comparative size of Uruguay with respect to the other Mercosur partners and considering the constant obstacles that products from this country suffer when exporting to neighboring countries, that the current configuration of Mercosur is not convenient for Uruguay. On more than one occasion, the relationship between Uruguay and Mercosur was at risk of breaking down; like when, for example, there was the possibility of signing a Free Trade Agreement between Uruguay and the United States.
The Negro River basin occupies more than half of the territory of the Uruguay River basin that belongs to this country, with an area of . The Negro River "Río Negro (Uruguay)") is the most important tributary of the Uruguay River, with a length of 850 km and an average flow rate of 520 m³/s. It serves as a boundary for several departments: Cerro Largo, Rivera, Tacuarembó, Río Negro, Flores and Soriano. Its main tributaries are the Tacuarembó River and the Yi River.[92][101].
The Negro River has great economic importance, since in addition to being an important source of water for irrigation and human and animal consumption, it has three dams for the generation of electrical energy: the Rincón del Bonete dam, with an installed power of 152 MW at a voltage of kV, the Rincón de Baygorria dam, with a power of 108 MW and a voltage of 150 kV and the Constitución or Palmar dam, with a power of 333 MW and voltage of 500 kV. This represents just over a third of Uruguay's total hydroelectric energy.[102][103].
It is made up of a series of rivers and streams of medium or short length, which flow directly into the Río de la Plata or the Atlantic Ocean. This region occupies 20% of the country's continental territory. Within this region, the Santa Lucía River "Río Santa Lucía (Uruguay)") appears with special importance, from which water is extracted for purification in Aguas Corrientes, a facility that supplies 1,700,000 people in Montevideo and several towns in the department of Canelones.[96][104].
Mainly towards the east of this region, the water courses usually flow into coastal lagoons, which have communication with the Río de la Plata or the ocean. The Cisne and Sauce lagoons are used for water purification. The Sauce lagoon supplies up to 300,000 people in the summer season, including the cities of Maldonado, Punta del Este, San Carlos "San Carlos (Uruguay)"), Piriápolis, Pan de Azúcar "Pan de Azúcar (city)") and several other smaller towns.[93][105].
It is a basin that covers part of the Uruguayan territory and Brazil. In Uruguay it occupies just over half of its total surface area. Its main tributary is the Cebollatí River. Many of the rivers and streams that make up this basin pass through the plain that surrounds the lagoon, forming estuaries and extensive marshes, which makes possible the cultivation of rice, which is widespread in the area. To prevent the seasonality of rainfall from affecting this crop, several dams have been built, among which the India Muerta dam stands out.[93].
• - The Río de la Plata bathes the coasts of Montevideo.
• - Salto Grande Dam, on the Uruguay River.
• - Black River.
• - Railway bridge over the Yi River.
• - Aguas Corrientes Reservoir, Santa Lucía River.
• - Sauce Lagoon.
• - The Ruperto Elichiribehety Antarctic Research Station (ECARE), established on December 22, 1997 by the Uruguayan Antarctic Institute on the Antarctic Peninsula, is a Uruguayan summer scientific station in Antarctica. It functions as a support base for various scientific activities.
Uruguay's climate is conducive to livestock production from natural pastures. It generally has a marked seasonality, with a very important peak in spring, due to an optimal combination of humidity and temperature, and a very marked deficit in winter to cover nutritional needs, due to the impact on the quality and volume of the forage due to meteorological frosts. The southern and eastern zone, with maritime characteristics, has a more favorable forage production cycle than the central and northern region.
Strong seasonal winds (the pampero is a cold and occasionally violent wind that blows from the Argentine pampas), droughts, torrential rains; Due to the absence of mountains, which act as climate barriers, all locations are particularly vulnerable to rapid changes in the climate front. Winds of up to 200 km/h can be observed with a variable frequency of between 30 and 45 years, 120 km/h is a more frequent speed even every 2 or 5 years.
Uruguay is the only country in Latin America that has achieved almost universal coverage of access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation for its citizens, with high levels of quality of services.[195][196] Drinking water is within reach of 99% of the population of the entire country.[197] Currently, sanitation covers the majority of the population of Montevideo and expands to the metropolitan area. It is in charge of O.S.E. except in the department of Montevideo, where it is the responsibility of the departmental administration.
In 2004, a constitutional appeal against the privatization of running water services was approved. The government's priority is to improve the efficiency of services and expand access to sewage service (where applicable) in areas where on-site sanitation is used.
During the first government of Tabaré Vázquez, Uruguay became one of the first countries to establish the law that prohibits smoking in the closed spaces of private establishments, and in all public administration offices. The World Health Organization places the country in fifth place worldwide among countries that fight against smoking and lung cancer.[198].
Since the 1970s, cannabis use has not been punished. In the government period that began in 2010, initiatives arose from different political parties to achieve the decriminalization of the cultivation of marijuana for self-consumption. On December 10, 2013, a law regulating the cannabis market was approved. The production (which will be controlled by the State), the marketing, possession and recreational and medicinal uses of marijuana, as well as uses for industrial purposes, thus becoming the first country in the world to fully legalize the sale and cultivation of marijuana.
Finally, and in terms of toponymy, a significant number of localities refer to the place of origin of their founders, among which Nuevo Berlin, Cardona "Cardona (Uruguay)"), Colonia Valdense, Nueva Helvecia (Swiss Colony) and Toledo "Toledo (Uruguay)") stand out.
In contemporary art music, the activities of the Núcleo Música Nueva de Montevideo, founded in 1966, stand out.
Uruguayan theater is one of the most important in Latin America. And it is the greatest artistic expression in the country. Currently Uruguay has more than 70 theaters, more than 30 in Montevideo, where works by national authors are presented, as well as universal theater adaptations.[263].
The Carnival of Uruguay as a typical expression of Uruguayan popular culture, is characterized by being one of the longest in the world, with stages in many areas of the country and even has its own museum, the Carnival Museum "Museo del Carnaval (Montevideo)") where, among other things, its history is collected. Candombe represents one of the most representative styles of the country.[264] It was introduced by African slaves in colonial times and since then it has become very common in all corners of society, both among blacks and whites or other ethnic groups. The famous llamadas, organized by the Afro-descendant community in Uruguay, are a parade of groups that celebrate with colors and drums, close to the carnival festival, with the rhythm of candombe. The Montevideo carnival festivities are the most extensive in the world, lasting 40 days, covering the entire month of February and sometimes part of January and March.[265] In addition to the parades (the aforementioned llamadas, linked to Afro-descendants), and at least one general one, the festivities are characterized by a type of street theater, with stages set up especially for the occasion (tablados), although in recent decades, Increasing commercialization and professionalization has led to stages being set up in closed venues. There are several types of groups, the most popular being the murga.
From the academic tradition of painting by Juan Manuel Blanes, considered the painter of the country, to the latest expressions of young art, Uruguay has numerous notable artists and movements.
Contact with European avant-garde artists, as well as study scholarships abroad awarded by different institutions, constitute the base heritage of Uruguayan painting.
In which the constructivism of the teacher Joaquín Torres García and his disciples, José Gurvich, Gonzalo Fonseca, Julio U. Alpuy, Alceu Ribeiro and Edgardo Ribeiro, members of the Torres García Workshop, stand out.
Within modern art, the Madí movement with Carmelo Arden Quin, Rhod Rothfuss and Rodolfo Ian Uricchio. Geometric artists such as José Pedro Costigliolo and María Freire emerge from other aspects.
Other Uruguayan painters: Carlos Federico Sáez, Pedro Figari, Alfredo De Simone, José Cuneo Perinetti, Rafael Barradas, Guillermo Laborde, Petrona Viera, Carmelo de Arzadun, Ernesto Laroche, Felipe Seade, Nelson Ramos, Clever Lara, Jorge Páez Vilaró, among others.
The classical sculptures and monuments in squares and parks stand out, made by Juan Manuel Ferrari, José Belloni and José Luis Zorrilla de San Martín, among others. Of the contemporary sculptors, it is worth mentioning Germán Cabrera, Eduardo Yepes, Gonzalo Fonseca, Octavio Podesta, Águeda Dicancro, Mariví Ugolino and Ricardo Pascale, among others.
For decades, Uruguayan film production was characterized by its scarcity of resources and its intermittency. During its history it had moments when it was expected to take off, although it never fully consolidated. For long periods there was no feature film making, such as, for example, between 1929 and 1936, 1959 and 1979, and 1983 and 1993. Starting in the mid-'90s, there was a steady evolution in quantity and quality in the production of feature films. Likewise, since 2003 a stage of success and professionalization begins. Universities created careers related to this industry, leading to the training of future directors, screenwriters, etc. In recent years the Uruguayan government has given incentives to filming and productions, exempting them from taxes. Due to this, a large number of production companies were created that, associated with foreign companies, produce films and advertising shorts for the international market. In general, it has been characterized by co-productions with other countries.
The birth of Uruguayan fiction cinema can be considered to occur in 1919 with Pervanche, directed by León Ibáñez, a film whose copies were destroyed. However, the first Uruguayan documentary is from 1898: Bicycle race at the Arroyo Seco velodrome by Félix Oliver.
In subsequent years, the feature films Almas de la costa (1923) by Juan Antonio Borges, The Little Hero of Arroyo del Oro (1929) by Carlos Alonso "Carlos Alonso (filmmaker)"), Radio Candelario (1938) by Rafael Jorge Abellá, with the presence of Eduardo Depauli, Detective a contramano by Adolfo Fabregat"), Un vintén p'al Judas (1959) by Ugo Ulive (strictly speaking, a medium-length film, currently lost), El Lugar del Humo (1979) by Eva Landeck, and They Mataron a Venancio Flores (1982) by Juan Carlos Rodríguez Castro.
Starting in the '60s, a documentary film movement emerged, in which the filmmakers Mario Handler, Mario Jacob") and Ugo Ulive stand out.
The expansion stage that began in 1993 began with The almost true story of Pepita la Pistolera by Beatriz Flores Silva. Among the main exponents of current Uruguayan cinema are Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll, who in 2005 won the Goya Award for the best Spanish-speaking foreign film, and also the FIPRESCI award at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004 with the film Whisky "Whisky (film)"). The Goya Award had already been obtained by a Uruguayan in 2003, with the film The Last Train "The Last Train (film)"). Other notable Uruguayan productions from this period are El dirigible "El dirigible (1994 film)"), 25 Watts, The trip to the sea, En la puta vida, El vineyard, Otario "Otario (film)"), A way to dance, The Pope's bath, Acné "Acné (film)"), Gigante "Gigante (1994 film) 2009)"), Bad day to fish, among others. In these years, within the documentary genre, Apart from Mario Handler stands out above all. Other documentaries worth mentioning are Despite Treblinka by Gerardo Stawsky and Bad streak by Daniela Speranza.
It is also worth highlighting César Charlone "César Charlone (filmmaker)") as director of photography of the Brazilian film City of God, for which he was nominated for an Oscar; and the actor Daniel Hendler, winner of multiple awards such as the Silver Bear at the Berlin festival. We can also mention Israel Adrián Caetano, famous director of shorts and films, among which is Chronicle of a Fugue. Likewise, in February 2005, Jorge Drexler was the first Uruguayan to receive an Oscar for best song in a language other than English for the song Al Otro Lado del Río from the film Diarios de Motorcycle "Diarios de Motorcycle (film)") based on the life of Che Guevara. Rodrigo Plá won the Lion of the Future award at the 64th Venice Film Festival (2007) for his feature film La Zona. Gabriela Guillermo, with her medium-length film El Regalo, won an award for cinematographic quality in France. Esteban Schroeder") directed the film Matar a todos, in which he revives the so-called Berríos case.
In 2011, 16 Uruguayan films were released and of the 2.5 million spectators who went to movie theaters, 142,461 watched national films, the most viewed being: Artigas - La Redota, Reus "Reus (film)"), Manyas"), Tres Millones "Three Millions (film)"), and The silent house.[266] On 3 In February 2012, Selkirk, The Real Robison Crusoe directed by Walter Tournier was released. Also in 2012, 3 "3 (film)"), a film by Pablo Stoll, was released.
Uruguayan literature was born in the first decade of the century with Bartolomé Hidalgo, author of famous cielitos and creator of a lyrical modality called "Gauchesca Poetry." This trend was later cultivated by urban and enlightened authors who used the "gaucho language" for their compositions, collecting scenes and idiosyncrasies from rural areas in their works. Romildo Risso, El "Viejo Pancho", Serafín J. García, Elías Regules, Antonio Lussich, Javier de Viana were great followers of this trend, some of whom were united in the group formed around the publication "El Fogón "El Fogón (magazine)")" founded by Orosmán Moratorio and Alcides de María.
Another of the fathers of national literature, but already with a neoclassical tendency, was Francisco Acuña de Figueroa.
The romantics are represented in the work of Adolfo Berro and Juan Zorrilla de San Martín. Three French poets were born in Uruguay: the Count de Lautréamont, Jules Laforgue, and Jules Supervielle.
In 1900 Julio Herrera y Reissig is the precursor of Spanish-American modernist poetry "Modernism (literature in Spanish)"). An important reference point is also José Enrique Rodó. The poets Juana de Ibarbourou (also known as Juana de América), María Eugenia Vaz Ferreira and Delmira Agustini stand out during this time. Among the lyricists, Emilio Frugoni and Emilio Oribe stand out. In narrative, Horacio Quiroga stands out with his stories, especially his Tales of love of madness and death, being considered by many as the South American Poe. In theater, the master of River Plate theater, Florencio Sánchez, stands out.
Among the intellectual values produced in the second half of the century, Juan Carlos Onetti, Francisco Espínola, Felisberto Hernández, Juan José Morosoli, the poet Idea Vilariño, Eduardo Galeano and Mario Benedetti stand out. The writer and singer Osiris Rodríguez Castillos also stood out with particular light.
Among the newest, whose work began to be published at the end of the century, Mauricio Rosencof, Leo Maslíah, Tomás de Mattos, Rafael Courtoisie, Mario Delgado Aparaín, Roberto Echavarren, Fernando Butazzoni, Hugo Fontana, Marosa di Giorgio, Hugo Burel and Mario Levrero among others stand out. In the theater, Jacobo Langsner has stood out since the mid-1960s and Antonio Larreta since the eighties.
yerba mate
mañana
the herb
mate "Mate (infusion)")
In Uruguay, unlike other countries in the region, the characteristic mate is cimarrón.[269] It is served in a container shaped like an emptied zucchini, which can be made from a fruit that is used for such purposes, or made of wood. "Mate" is originally the name of a type of pumpkin. The infusion takes its name from this hard, hollowed out, dried and cut gourd that is the traditional container for the yerba (ground yerba mate) with which the drink that is consumed hot is prepared. The yerba mate is placed inside the container, after "curing" it (that is, having ensured that it has been moistened and achieved a color and state conducive to its good use). The infusion is produced by adding hot water with a thermos or kettle. It is sucked through a rod with a small grate at the bottom, known locally as a tumba (a traditionally metallic straw, usually silver, although there are also "Cane (vegetable)" cane bulbs). The act of serving mate is known as cebar.[268].
The mate can also have variations according to the consumer's taste. It is generally bitter, but it can also be sweet (if sugar is added), cooked (boiled and served as tea), with milk, fruit juice, with orange or lemon peel, etc. The mate that is most consumed in the interior of Uruguay is the one served in a narrow container, in the shape of a cookie, and hence its name: mate biscuit, in Spanish.
The habit of drinking mate is a Uruguayan custom and tradition, although it is not exclusive, as it also occurs in Argentina, southern Brazil, Paraguay and small parts of Chile and Bolivia. What is characteristic of the Uruguayan custom is its intensity and extension among the population. By way of comparison, it is as important as tea is to the English or coffee is to the Colombians. It is the national drink par excellence and, although it is grown in Brazil and Paraguay, it is the product most consumed by the population.[270].
At the club level, the Uruguayan Basketball League is the most important tournament of this sport in the country, where the best teams compete for the title of Champion. Since its creation, in 2003 as a replacement for the Federal Tournament, the popularity of the sport at the national level has been steadily increasing. Defensor Sporting "Defensor Sporting Club (basketball)") is the dean of Uruguayan Basketball and the most successful team, with 20 National Championships won (more than double that of the second, Welcome with 9) and 2 South American Championships. For its part, within the Uruguayan Basketball League, Malvín is the most successful, with three conquests.
The 4 Group N Rally world championships stand out, achieved by the Minuano Gustavo Trelles, in addition to the triumphs achieved by the late Gonzalo Rodríguez "Gonzalo Rodríguez (motorist)") in the categories prior to Formula 1.
Other sports that are very popular are tennis, rugby, handball and rowing "Rowing (sport)"), which have recently gained more followers, as well as hockey, and cycling, a discipline in which, at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, Milton Wynants won a silver medal, putting Uruguay back on the medal table after 36 years.
Uruguay has also had an outstanding participation in Basque Pelota, placing itself in fifth place in the historical medal table of the Basque Pelota World Championship with 4 gold medals, 29 silver and 14 bronze. It organized the world championships in 1955, 1966 and 1974, being the only country in South America to host said tournament. Montevideo and Mexico are the only cities in which the world championship was held three times.
The Uruguayan delegation in the Olympic Games has won two gold medals in soccer in 1924 and 1928. It has also won two silver and six bronze medals in the disciplines of basketball, boxing, cycling and rowing.
Around the turn of the century —1900— the main goods that Uruguay exported were wool with 42% of the total percentage and, secondly, frozen meat with 24%. With these two goods alone, Uruguay reached 66% of exports, giving special importance to the agricultural sector. These products were especially directed to three markets: Belgium, France and Argentina, although they did not represent 70% of total exports. With World War I, exports to these three countries decreased and the so-called other countries gained more weight. In 1912, exports to other countries were 30% and after 5 years they rose to 70%.[44].
The fact that its export market was broader was an advantage for the Uruguayan economy since it did not strictly depend on a few countries that imported its products, and it was not vulnerable to changes in demand in these markets. The Uruguayan economy concentrated all its efforts and investments in the production of these two primary products, which were exported with some success since they were scarce in countries, especially European, that were dedicated to the production of manufactured products. Uruguayan livestock farming acquired a greater weight in the country's economy, due to the technological advances of the time. New methods were introduced that increased the productivity of livestock, such as the breeding method, since in terms of land area, this was smaller compared to neighboring Argentina, which was also one of the largest meat exporting countries. Although the star product of the Uruguayan economy was wool —46%—, meat exports increased thanks to the use of refrigerators, which allowed meat to be better preserved, and to improvements in navigation and transportation techniques that helped long-distance travel.
The new production characteristics led to a radical change in agricultural structures, giving way to capitalist farms oriented to the market, and not simple internal consumption, but the organization of the land did not produce lasting economic development in the country. The large ranchers were subject to the interests of foreign capitalists, English among many, who had strong control over production. In the particular case of Uruguay, there is talk of extensive growth, in which the use of land was increased and more labor was incorporated without looking for alternatives to the lack of natural resources, as a consequence of the exploitation of the land "Land (economy)").
After the era of exports, where Uruguay experienced a period of economic prosperity, international events arrived that shook not only Uruguay's economy, but also the global economy. These external impacts are: World War I and II and the US Great Depression of 1929; All of them are events external to Uruguay but that impacted its economy.
As already mentioned, the engine of Uruguay's economy was the export sector. With the war events of its trading partners, Uruguay lost part of its demand for products from abroad and this was reflected in a decline in its growth. During this period that would last until the early 1950s, Uruguay was at the expense of what was happening in the rest of the world and this is observed with the fluctuations of its GDP pc—up if there are no important events, and down if relevant events occur. Therefore, until the implementation of the ISI measures – Import Substitution Industrialization – towards the beginning of the 1950s, Uruguay was at the expense of the international situation.
In 1950, the ideas arrived in Latin America to stop being economies based on the primary sector and begin to produce themselves the manufactures that until then they had imported or ISI. In Uruguay, due to its limited geographical expansion and the restriction this represented in developing a powerful internal market, industrialization measures had less impact than in neighboring countries.
Some ISI measures did become real: the Central Government took sides and promoted numerous companies and an attempt was made to import more capital goods than other types to change the economic system. But, as has been mentioned, for Uruguay it is not at all clear that the ISI measures were important enough for a change in the production model to occur. On the other hand, the public deficit that would begin here would have consequences later.
The political and social unrest in Uruguay at this time also did not help its economy take off.
The Minister of Economy and Finance, Alejandro Végh Villegas, seeks to promote the financial sector and foreign investment. Social spending is reduced and many state companies are privatized. However, the economy did not improve and deteriorated after 1980, GDP fell by 20% and unemployment rose to 17%. The State intervenes trying to rescue bankrupt companies and banks.[47].
In 2015, these functions passed to the Truth and Justice Working Group, an autonomous and independent body.[52] Likewise, in December 2006, June 19 of each year was declared as a commemorative date.[53].
While chaos reigned in the country, in the United States Isaac Alfie commanded the delegation that Batlle had sent to form a working group with delegates from the US government, since Horst Köhler, director of the IMF, had given the order not to lend one more dollar to Uruguay. Finally, the United States agreed with Uruguay on a bridge loan of $1.5 billion to capitalize state banks. That was the beginning of the end of the country's economic crisis.[57].
In November, the National Party "Partido Nacional (Uruguay)") decided to remove ministers Antonio Mercader, Álvaro Alonso, Carlos Cat, Sergio Abreu and Jaime Trobo from their positions in Batlle's government, as they wanted to separate themselves from him.
The 2002 crisis left devastating figures for the country. Such is the case of the suicide rate, which increased by 12.6%, meaning that two Uruguayans committed suicide per day and many cases of self-elimination attempts were recorded.[58].
As a direct economic consequence of this crisis, the real salary had a sharp fall, reaching its floor between 2003 and 2004 with a loss of 22% compared to the year 2000.[59] For its part, the unemployment rate rose to a maximum in 2002 of 17%, rising 3 and a half percentage points compared to the time he took office.[60] Towards the end of his government, the unemployment rates They reversed their trend, reaching figures lower than those at the time of their assumption. On the contrary, the fall suffered by real wages could not be reversed, being in 2005 some 18.6 percentage points below the figures for 2000.
Mercosur has legislative powers, through the issuance of Decisions, Resolutions and Directives that are of mandatory application for the Member States (articles 9, 15 and 20 of the Ouro Preto Protocol).
In Uruguay there are different attitudes regarding Mercosur from the different political parties. From right-wing ranks, former president Luis Alberto Lacalle affirmed that Mercosur should be limited to commercial relations. Antagonistically, the former leftist president of Uruguay, José Mujica, stated on his inauguration day as president that Mercosur must continue even more deeply, in his own words, "until death do us part."
Mercosur has also been harshly criticized since its inception. There are those who affirm that, given the comparative size of Uruguay with respect to the other Mercosur partners and considering the constant obstacles that products from this country suffer when exporting to neighboring countries, that the current configuration of Mercosur is not convenient for Uruguay. On more than one occasion, the relationship between Uruguay and Mercosur was at risk of breaking down; like when, for example, there was the possibility of signing a Free Trade Agreement between Uruguay and the United States.
The Negro River basin occupies more than half of the territory of the Uruguay River basin that belongs to this country, with an area of . The Negro River "Río Negro (Uruguay)") is the most important tributary of the Uruguay River, with a length of 850 km and an average flow rate of 520 m³/s. It serves as a boundary for several departments: Cerro Largo, Rivera, Tacuarembó, Río Negro, Flores and Soriano. Its main tributaries are the Tacuarembó River and the Yi River.[92][101].
The Negro River has great economic importance, since in addition to being an important source of water for irrigation and human and animal consumption, it has three dams for the generation of electrical energy: the Rincón del Bonete dam, with an installed power of 152 MW at a voltage of kV, the Rincón de Baygorria dam, with a power of 108 MW and a voltage of 150 kV and the Constitución or Palmar dam, with a power of 333 MW and voltage of 500 kV. This represents just over a third of Uruguay's total hydroelectric energy.[102][103].
It is made up of a series of rivers and streams of medium or short length, which flow directly into the Río de la Plata or the Atlantic Ocean. This region occupies 20% of the country's continental territory. Within this region, the Santa Lucía River "Río Santa Lucía (Uruguay)") appears with special importance, from which water is extracted for purification in Aguas Corrientes, a facility that supplies 1,700,000 people in Montevideo and several towns in the department of Canelones.[96][104].
Mainly towards the east of this region, the water courses usually flow into coastal lagoons, which have communication with the Río de la Plata or the ocean. The Cisne and Sauce lagoons are used for water purification. The Sauce lagoon supplies up to 300,000 people in the summer season, including the cities of Maldonado, Punta del Este, San Carlos "San Carlos (Uruguay)"), Piriápolis, Pan de Azúcar "Pan de Azúcar (city)") and several other smaller towns.[93][105].
It is a basin that covers part of the Uruguayan territory and Brazil. In Uruguay it occupies just over half of its total surface area. Its main tributary is the Cebollatí River. Many of the rivers and streams that make up this basin pass through the plain that surrounds the lagoon, forming estuaries and extensive marshes, which makes possible the cultivation of rice, which is widespread in the area. To prevent the seasonality of rainfall from affecting this crop, several dams have been built, among which the India Muerta dam stands out.[93].
• - The Río de la Plata bathes the coasts of Montevideo.
• - Salto Grande Dam, on the Uruguay River.
• - Black River.
• - Railway bridge over the Yi River.
• - Aguas Corrientes Reservoir, Santa Lucía River.
• - Sauce Lagoon.
• - The Ruperto Elichiribehety Antarctic Research Station (ECARE), established on December 22, 1997 by the Uruguayan Antarctic Institute on the Antarctic Peninsula, is a Uruguayan summer scientific station in Antarctica. It functions as a support base for various scientific activities.
Uruguay's climate is conducive to livestock production from natural pastures. It generally has a marked seasonality, with a very important peak in spring, due to an optimal combination of humidity and temperature, and a very marked deficit in winter to cover nutritional needs, due to the impact on the quality and volume of the forage due to meteorological frosts. The southern and eastern zone, with maritime characteristics, has a more favorable forage production cycle than the central and northern region.
Strong seasonal winds (the pampero is a cold and occasionally violent wind that blows from the Argentine pampas), droughts, torrential rains; Due to the absence of mountains, which act as climate barriers, all locations are particularly vulnerable to rapid changes in the climate front. Winds of up to 200 km/h can be observed with a variable frequency of between 30 and 45 years, 120 km/h is a more frequent speed even every 2 or 5 years.
Uruguay is the only country in Latin America that has achieved almost universal coverage of access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation for its citizens, with high levels of quality of services.[195][196] Drinking water is within reach of 99% of the population of the entire country.[197] Currently, sanitation covers the majority of the population of Montevideo and expands to the metropolitan area. It is in charge of O.S.E. except in the department of Montevideo, where it is the responsibility of the departmental administration.
In 2004, a constitutional appeal against the privatization of running water services was approved. The government's priority is to improve the efficiency of services and expand access to sewage service (where applicable) in areas where on-site sanitation is used.
During the first government of Tabaré Vázquez, Uruguay became one of the first countries to establish the law that prohibits smoking in the closed spaces of private establishments, and in all public administration offices. The World Health Organization places the country in fifth place worldwide among countries that fight against smoking and lung cancer.[198].
Since the 1970s, cannabis use has not been punished. In the government period that began in 2010, initiatives arose from different political parties to achieve the decriminalization of the cultivation of marijuana for self-consumption. On December 10, 2013, a law regulating the cannabis market was approved. The production (which will be controlled by the State), the marketing, possession and recreational and medicinal uses of marijuana, as well as uses for industrial purposes, thus becoming the first country in the world to fully legalize the sale and cultivation of marijuana.
Finally, and in terms of toponymy, a significant number of localities refer to the place of origin of their founders, among which Nuevo Berlin, Cardona "Cardona (Uruguay)"), Colonia Valdense, Nueva Helvecia (Swiss Colony) and Toledo "Toledo (Uruguay)") stand out.
In contemporary art music, the activities of the Núcleo Música Nueva de Montevideo, founded in 1966, stand out.
Uruguayan theater is one of the most important in Latin America. And it is the greatest artistic expression in the country. Currently Uruguay has more than 70 theaters, more than 30 in Montevideo, where works by national authors are presented, as well as universal theater adaptations.[263].
The Carnival of Uruguay as a typical expression of Uruguayan popular culture, is characterized by being one of the longest in the world, with stages in many areas of the country and even has its own museum, the Carnival Museum "Museo del Carnaval (Montevideo)") where, among other things, its history is collected. Candombe represents one of the most representative styles of the country.[264] It was introduced by African slaves in colonial times and since then it has become very common in all corners of society, both among blacks and whites or other ethnic groups. The famous llamadas, organized by the Afro-descendant community in Uruguay, are a parade of groups that celebrate with colors and drums, close to the carnival festival, with the rhythm of candombe. The Montevideo carnival festivities are the most extensive in the world, lasting 40 days, covering the entire month of February and sometimes part of January and March.[265] In addition to the parades (the aforementioned llamadas, linked to Afro-descendants), and at least one general one, the festivities are characterized by a type of street theater, with stages set up especially for the occasion (tablados), although in recent decades, Increasing commercialization and professionalization has led to stages being set up in closed venues. There are several types of groups, the most popular being the murga.
From the academic tradition of painting by Juan Manuel Blanes, considered the painter of the country, to the latest expressions of young art, Uruguay has numerous notable artists and movements.
Contact with European avant-garde artists, as well as study scholarships abroad awarded by different institutions, constitute the base heritage of Uruguayan painting.
In which the constructivism of the teacher Joaquín Torres García and his disciples, José Gurvich, Gonzalo Fonseca, Julio U. Alpuy, Alceu Ribeiro and Edgardo Ribeiro, members of the Torres García Workshop, stand out.
Within modern art, the Madí movement with Carmelo Arden Quin, Rhod Rothfuss and Rodolfo Ian Uricchio. Geometric artists such as José Pedro Costigliolo and María Freire emerge from other aspects.
Other Uruguayan painters: Carlos Federico Sáez, Pedro Figari, Alfredo De Simone, José Cuneo Perinetti, Rafael Barradas, Guillermo Laborde, Petrona Viera, Carmelo de Arzadun, Ernesto Laroche, Felipe Seade, Nelson Ramos, Clever Lara, Jorge Páez Vilaró, among others.
The classical sculptures and monuments in squares and parks stand out, made by Juan Manuel Ferrari, José Belloni and José Luis Zorrilla de San Martín, among others. Of the contemporary sculptors, it is worth mentioning Germán Cabrera, Eduardo Yepes, Gonzalo Fonseca, Octavio Podesta, Águeda Dicancro, Mariví Ugolino and Ricardo Pascale, among others.
For decades, Uruguayan film production was characterized by its scarcity of resources and its intermittency. During its history it had moments when it was expected to take off, although it never fully consolidated. For long periods there was no feature film making, such as, for example, between 1929 and 1936, 1959 and 1979, and 1983 and 1993. Starting in the mid-'90s, there was a steady evolution in quantity and quality in the production of feature films. Likewise, since 2003 a stage of success and professionalization begins. Universities created careers related to this industry, leading to the training of future directors, screenwriters, etc. In recent years the Uruguayan government has given incentives to filming and productions, exempting them from taxes. Due to this, a large number of production companies were created that, associated with foreign companies, produce films and advertising shorts for the international market. In general, it has been characterized by co-productions with other countries.
The birth of Uruguayan fiction cinema can be considered to occur in 1919 with Pervanche, directed by León Ibáñez, a film whose copies were destroyed. However, the first Uruguayan documentary is from 1898: Bicycle race at the Arroyo Seco velodrome by Félix Oliver.
In subsequent years, the feature films Almas de la costa (1923) by Juan Antonio Borges, The Little Hero of Arroyo del Oro (1929) by Carlos Alonso "Carlos Alonso (filmmaker)"), Radio Candelario (1938) by Rafael Jorge Abellá, with the presence of Eduardo Depauli, Detective a contramano by Adolfo Fabregat"), Un vintén p'al Judas (1959) by Ugo Ulive (strictly speaking, a medium-length film, currently lost), El Lugar del Humo (1979) by Eva Landeck, and They Mataron a Venancio Flores (1982) by Juan Carlos Rodríguez Castro.
Starting in the '60s, a documentary film movement emerged, in which the filmmakers Mario Handler, Mario Jacob") and Ugo Ulive stand out.
The expansion stage that began in 1993 began with The almost true story of Pepita la Pistolera by Beatriz Flores Silva. Among the main exponents of current Uruguayan cinema are Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll, who in 2005 won the Goya Award for the best Spanish-speaking foreign film, and also the FIPRESCI award at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004 with the film Whisky "Whisky (film)"). The Goya Award had already been obtained by a Uruguayan in 2003, with the film The Last Train "The Last Train (film)"). Other notable Uruguayan productions from this period are El dirigible "El dirigible (1994 film)"), 25 Watts, The trip to the sea, En la puta vida, El vineyard, Otario "Otario (film)"), A way to dance, The Pope's bath, Acné "Acné (film)"), Gigante "Gigante (1994 film) 2009)"), Bad day to fish, among others. In these years, within the documentary genre, Apart from Mario Handler stands out above all. Other documentaries worth mentioning are Despite Treblinka by Gerardo Stawsky and Bad streak by Daniela Speranza.
It is also worth highlighting César Charlone "César Charlone (filmmaker)") as director of photography of the Brazilian film City of God, for which he was nominated for an Oscar; and the actor Daniel Hendler, winner of multiple awards such as the Silver Bear at the Berlin festival. We can also mention Israel Adrián Caetano, famous director of shorts and films, among which is Chronicle of a Fugue. Likewise, in February 2005, Jorge Drexler was the first Uruguayan to receive an Oscar for best song in a language other than English for the song Al Otro Lado del Río from the film Diarios de Motorcycle "Diarios de Motorcycle (film)") based on the life of Che Guevara. Rodrigo Plá won the Lion of the Future award at the 64th Venice Film Festival (2007) for his feature film La Zona. Gabriela Guillermo, with her medium-length film El Regalo, won an award for cinematographic quality in France. Esteban Schroeder") directed the film Matar a todos, in which he revives the so-called Berríos case.
In 2011, 16 Uruguayan films were released and of the 2.5 million spectators who went to movie theaters, 142,461 watched national films, the most viewed being: Artigas - La Redota, Reus "Reus (film)"), Manyas"), Tres Millones "Three Millions (film)"), and The silent house.[266] On 3 In February 2012, Selkirk, The Real Robison Crusoe directed by Walter Tournier was released. Also in 2012, 3 "3 (film)"), a film by Pablo Stoll, was released.
Uruguayan literature was born in the first decade of the century with Bartolomé Hidalgo, author of famous cielitos and creator of a lyrical modality called "Gauchesca Poetry." This trend was later cultivated by urban and enlightened authors who used the "gaucho language" for their compositions, collecting scenes and idiosyncrasies from rural areas in their works. Romildo Risso, El "Viejo Pancho", Serafín J. García, Elías Regules, Antonio Lussich, Javier de Viana were great followers of this trend, some of whom were united in the group formed around the publication "El Fogón "El Fogón (magazine)")" founded by Orosmán Moratorio and Alcides de María.
Another of the fathers of national literature, but already with a neoclassical tendency, was Francisco Acuña de Figueroa.
The romantics are represented in the work of Adolfo Berro and Juan Zorrilla de San Martín. Three French poets were born in Uruguay: the Count de Lautréamont, Jules Laforgue, and Jules Supervielle.
In 1900 Julio Herrera y Reissig is the precursor of Spanish-American modernist poetry "Modernism (literature in Spanish)"). An important reference point is also José Enrique Rodó. The poets Juana de Ibarbourou (also known as Juana de América), María Eugenia Vaz Ferreira and Delmira Agustini stand out during this time. Among the lyricists, Emilio Frugoni and Emilio Oribe stand out. In narrative, Horacio Quiroga stands out with his stories, especially his Tales of love of madness and death, being considered by many as the South American Poe. In theater, the master of River Plate theater, Florencio Sánchez, stands out.
Among the intellectual values produced in the second half of the century, Juan Carlos Onetti, Francisco Espínola, Felisberto Hernández, Juan José Morosoli, the poet Idea Vilariño, Eduardo Galeano and Mario Benedetti stand out. The writer and singer Osiris Rodríguez Castillos also stood out with particular light.
Among the newest, whose work began to be published at the end of the century, Mauricio Rosencof, Leo Maslíah, Tomás de Mattos, Rafael Courtoisie, Mario Delgado Aparaín, Roberto Echavarren, Fernando Butazzoni, Hugo Fontana, Marosa di Giorgio, Hugo Burel and Mario Levrero among others stand out. In the theater, Jacobo Langsner has stood out since the mid-1960s and Antonio Larreta since the eighties.
yerba mate
mañana
the herb
mate "Mate (infusion)")
In Uruguay, unlike other countries in the region, the characteristic mate is cimarrón.[269] It is served in a container shaped like an emptied zucchini, which can be made from a fruit that is used for such purposes, or made of wood. "Mate" is originally the name of a type of pumpkin. The infusion takes its name from this hard, hollowed out, dried and cut gourd that is the traditional container for the yerba (ground yerba mate) with which the drink that is consumed hot is prepared. The yerba mate is placed inside the container, after "curing" it (that is, having ensured that it has been moistened and achieved a color and state conducive to its good use). The infusion is produced by adding hot water with a thermos or kettle. It is sucked through a rod with a small grate at the bottom, known locally as a tumba (a traditionally metallic straw, usually silver, although there are also "Cane (vegetable)" cane bulbs). The act of serving mate is known as cebar.[268].
The mate can also have variations according to the consumer's taste. It is generally bitter, but it can also be sweet (if sugar is added), cooked (boiled and served as tea), with milk, fruit juice, with orange or lemon peel, etc. The mate that is most consumed in the interior of Uruguay is the one served in a narrow container, in the shape of a cookie, and hence its name: mate biscuit, in Spanish.
The habit of drinking mate is a Uruguayan custom and tradition, although it is not exclusive, as it also occurs in Argentina, southern Brazil, Paraguay and small parts of Chile and Bolivia. What is characteristic of the Uruguayan custom is its intensity and extension among the population. By way of comparison, it is as important as tea is to the English or coffee is to the Colombians. It is the national drink par excellence and, although it is grown in Brazil and Paraguay, it is the product most consumed by the population.[270].
At the club level, the Uruguayan Basketball League is the most important tournament of this sport in the country, where the best teams compete for the title of Champion. Since its creation, in 2003 as a replacement for the Federal Tournament, the popularity of the sport at the national level has been steadily increasing. Defensor Sporting "Defensor Sporting Club (basketball)") is the dean of Uruguayan Basketball and the most successful team, with 20 National Championships won (more than double that of the second, Welcome with 9) and 2 South American Championships. For its part, within the Uruguayan Basketball League, Malvín is the most successful, with three conquests.
The 4 Group N Rally world championships stand out, achieved by the Minuano Gustavo Trelles, in addition to the triumphs achieved by the late Gonzalo Rodríguez "Gonzalo Rodríguez (motorist)") in the categories prior to Formula 1.
Other sports that are very popular are tennis, rugby, handball and rowing "Rowing (sport)"), which have recently gained more followers, as well as hockey, and cycling, a discipline in which, at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, Milton Wynants won a silver medal, putting Uruguay back on the medal table after 36 years.
Uruguay has also had an outstanding participation in Basque Pelota, placing itself in fifth place in the historical medal table of the Basque Pelota World Championship with 4 gold medals, 29 silver and 14 bronze. It organized the world championships in 1955, 1966 and 1974, being the only country in South America to host said tournament. Montevideo and Mexico are the only cities in which the world championship was held three times.
The Uruguayan delegation in the Olympic Games has won two gold medals in soccer in 1924 and 1928. It has also won two silver and six bronze medals in the disciplines of basketball, boxing, cycling and rowing.