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- @node Geography (Uruguay)
- @section Geography (Uruguay)
-
- @display
-
- Location:
- Eastern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean between Argentina
- and Brazil
- Map references:
- South America, Standard Time Zones of the World
- Area:
- total area:
- 176,220 km2
- land area:
- 173,620 km2 comparative area:
- slightly smaller than Washington State
- Land boundaries:
- total 1,564 km, Argentina 579 km, Brazil 985 km
- Coastline:
- 660 km
- Maritime claims:
- continental shelf:
- 200 m depth or to depth of exploitation
- territorial sea:
- 200 nm; overflight and navigation permitted beyond 12 nm
- International disputes:
- short section of boundary with Argentina is in dispute; two short sections
- of the boundary with Brazil are in dispute - Arroyo de la Invernada (Arroio
- Invernada) area of the Rio Quarai and the islands at the confluence of the
- Rio Cuareim (Rio Quarai) and the Uruguay
- Climate:
- warm temperate; freezing temperatures almost unknown
- Terrain:
- mostly rolling plains and low hills; fertile coastal lowland
- Natural resources:
- soil, hydropower potential, minor minerals
- Land use:
- arable land:
- 8%
- permanent crops:
- 0%
- meadows and pastures:
- 78%
- forest and woodland:
- 4%
- other:
- 10%
- Irrigated land:
- 1,100 km2 (1989 est.)
- Environment:
- subject to seasonally high winds, droughts, floods
-
-
-
- @end display
-
- @node People (Uruguay)
- @section People (Uruguay)
-
- @display
-
- Population:
- 3,175,050 (July 1993 est.)
- Population growth rate:
- 0.75% (1993 est.)
- Birth rate:
- 17.82 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
- Death rate:
- 9.52 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
- Net migration rate:
- -0.79 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
- Infant mortality rate:
- 18 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
- Life expectancy at birth:
- total population: 73.74 years
- male:
- 70.52 years
- female:
- 77.11 years (1993 est.)
- Total fertility rate:
- 2.46 children born/woman (1993 est.)
- Nationality:
- noun:
- Uruguayan(s)
- adjective:
- Uruguayan
- Ethnic divisions:
- white 88%, mestizo 8%, black 4%
- Religions:
- Roman Catholic 66% (less than half adult population attends church
- regularly), Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, nonprofessing or other 30%
- Languages:
- Spanish
- Literacy:
- age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
- total population:
- 96%
- male:
- 97%
- female:
- 96%
- Labor force:
- 1.355 million (1991 est.)
- by occupation:
- government 25%, manufacturing 19%, agriculture 11%, commerce 12%, utilities,
- construction, transport, and communications 12%, other services 21% (1988
- est.)
-
-
-
- @end display
-
- @node Government (Uruguay)
- @section Government (Uruguay)
-
- @display
-
- Names:
- conventional long form:
- Oriental Republic of Uruguay
- conventional short form:
- Uruguay
- local long form:
- Republica Oriental del Uruguay
- local short form:
- Uruguay
- Digraph:
- UY
- Type:
- republic
- Capital:
- Montevideo
- Administrative divisions:
- 19 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Artigas, Canelones,
- Cerro Largo, Colonia, Durazno, Flores, Florida, Lavalleja, Maldonado,
- Montevideo, Paysandu, Rio Negro, Rivera, Rocha, Salto, San Jose, Soriano,
- Tacuarembo, Treinta y Tres
- Independence:
- 25 August 1828 (from Brazil)
- Constitution:
- 27 November 1966, effective February 1967, suspended 27 June 1973, new
- constitution rejected by referendum 30 November 1980
- Legal system:
- based on Spanish civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
- National holiday:
- Independence Day, 25 August (1828)
- Political parties and leaders:
- National (Blanco) Party, Carlos CAT; Colorado Party, Secretary General
- (vacant); Broad Front Coalition, Liber SEREGNI Mosquera - includes PSU, PCU,
- MLN, MRO, PVP; Uruguayan Socialist Party (PSU), Jose Pedro CARDOSO, and;
- Communist Party (PCU), Marina ARISMENDI; National Liberation Movement (MLN)
- or Tupamaros, Eleuterio FERNANDEZ Huidobro; Oriental Rvolutionary Movement
- (MRO), Walter ARTOLA; Party for the Victory of the Poor (PVP), Hugo CORES;
- New Space Coalition consists of PGP, PDC, and Civic Union, Hugo BATALLA;
- People's Government Party (PGP), Hugo BATALLA, secretary general; Christian
- Democratic Party (PDC), Carlos VASSALLO, secretary general; Civic Union,
- Humberto CIGANDA
- Suffrage:
- 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
- Elections:
- President:
- last held 26 November 1989 (next to be held NA November 1994); results -
- Luis Alberto LACALLE Herrera (Blanco) 37%, Jorge BATLLE Ibanez (Colorado)
- 29%, Liber SEREGNI Mosquera (Broad Front) 20%
- Chamber of Senators:
- last held 26 November 1989 (next to be held NA November 1994); results -
- Blanco 40%, Colorado 30%, Broad Front 23% New Space 7%; seats - (30 total)
- Blanco 12, Colorado 9, Broad Front 7, New Space 2
- Chamber of Representatives:
- last held NA November 1989 (next to be held NA November 1994); results -
- Blanco 39%, Colorado 30%, Broad Front 22%, New Space 8%, other 1%; seats -
- (99 total) number of seats by party NA
- Executive branch:
- president, vice president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
-
-
-
- @end display
-
- @node Government (Uruguay 2. usage)
- @section Government (Uruguay 2. usage)
-
- @display
-
- Legislative branch:
- bicameral General Assembly (Asamblea General) consists of an upper chamber
- or Chamber of Senators (Camara de Senadores) and a lower chamber or Chamber
- of Representatives (Camera de Representantes)
- Judicial branch:
- Supreme Court
- Leaders:
- Chief of State and Head of Government:
- President Luis Alberto LACALLE (since 1 March 1990); Vice President Gonzalo
- AGUIRRE Ramirez (since 1 March 1990)
- Member of:
- AG (observer), CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
- ICC, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO
- (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, MERCOSUR, NAM (observer), OAS,
- OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMOGIP, UNOMOZ, UNTAC,
- UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
- Diplomatic representation in US:
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Eduardo MACGILLYCUDDY
- chancery:
- 1918 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20006
- telephone:
- telephone (202) 331-1313 through 1316
- consulates general:
- Los Angeles, Miami, and New York,
- consulate:
- New Orleans
- US diplomatic representation:
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Richard C. BROWN
- embassy:
- Lauro Muller 1776, Montevideo
- mailing address:
- APO AA 34035
- telephone:
- [598] (2) 23-60-61 or 48-77-77
- FAX:
- [598] (2) 48-86-11
- Flag:
- nine equal horizontal stripes of white (top and bottom) alternating with
- blue; there is a white square in the upper hoist-side corner with a yellow
- sun bearing a human face known as the Sun of May and 16 rays alternately
- triangular and wavy
-
-
-
- @end display
-
- @node Economy (Uruguay)
- @section Economy (Uruguay)
-
- @display
-
- Overview:
- Uruguay is a small economy with favorable climate, good soils, and solid
- hydropower potential. Economic development has been held back by excessive
- government regulation of economic detail and 50% to 130% inflation. After
- several years of sluggish growth, real GDP jumped by about 8% in 1992. The
- rise is attributable mainly to an increase in Argentine demand for Uruguayan
- exports, particularly agricultural products and electricity. In a major step
- toward greater regional economic cooperation, Uruguay in 1991 had joined
- Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay in forming the Southern Cone Common Market
- (Mercosur). A referendum in December 1992 overturned key portions of
- landmark privatization legislation, dealing a serious blow to President
- LACALLE's broad economic reform plan.
- National product:
- GDP - exchange rate conversion - $9.8 billion (1992 est.)
- National product real growth rate:
- 8% (1992 est.)
- National product per capita:
- $3,100 (1992 est.)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices):
- 58% (1992 est.)
- Unemployment rate:
- 9% (1992 est.)
- Budget:
- revenues $2.9 billion; expenditures $3.0 billion, including capital
- expenditures of $388 million (1991)
- Exports:
- $1.7 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
- commodities:
- hides and leather goods 17%, beef 10%, wool 9%, fish 7%, rice 4%
- partners:
- Argentina, Brazil, US, Germany
- Imports:
- $1.7 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
- commodities:
- crude oil, fuels, and lubricants, metals, machinery, transportation
- equipment, industrial chemicals
- partners:
- Brazil 23%, Argentina 17%, US 10%, EC 27.1% (1990)
- External debt:
- $4.1 billion (1991)
- Industrial production:
- growth rate -1.4% (1990), accounts for almost 25% of GDP
- Electricity:
- 2,168,000 kW capacity; 5,960 million kWh produced, 1,900 kWh per capita
- (1992)
- Industries:
- meat processing, wool and hides, sugar, textiles, footwear, leather apparel,
- tires, cement, fishing, petroleum refining, wine
- Agriculture:
- large areas devoted to livestock grazing; wheat, rice, corn, sorghum;
- self-sufficient in most basic foodstuffs
- Economic aid:
- US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $105 million; Western (non-US)
- countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $420 million;
- Communist countries (1970-89), $69 million
- Currency:
- 1 new Uruguayan peso (N$Ur) = 100 centesimos
-
-
-
- @end display
-
- @node Economy (Uruguay 2. usage)
- @section Economy (Uruguay 2. usage)
-
- @display
-
- Exchange rates:
- new Uruguayan pesos (N$Ur) per US$1 - 3,457.5 (December 1992), 3,026.9
- (1992), 2,489 (1991), 1,594 (1990), 805 (1989), 451 (1988), 281 (1987)
- Fiscal year:
- calendar year
-
-
-
- @end display
-
- @node Communications (Uruguay)
- @section Communications (Uruguay)
-
- @display
-
- Railroads:
- 3,000 km, all 1.435-meter (standard) gauge and government owned
- Highways:
- 49,900 km total; 6,700 km paved, 3,000 km gravel, 40,200 km earth
- Inland waterways:
- 1,600 km; used by coastal and shallow-draft river craft
- Ports:
- Montevideo, Punta del Este, Colonia
- Merchant marine:
- 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 84,797 GRT/132,296 DWT; includes 1
- cargo, 2 container, 1 oil tanker
- Airports:
- total:
- 88
- usable:
- 81
- with permanent-surface runways:
- 16
- with runways over 3,659 m:
- 0
- with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
- 2
- with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
- 14
- Telecommunications:
- most modern facilities concentrated in Montevideo; new nationwide microwave
- network; 337,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 99 AM, no FM, 26 TV, 9
- shortwave; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations
-
-
-
- @end display
-
- @node Defense Forces (Uruguay)
- @section Defense Forces (Uruguay)
-
- @display
-
- Branches:
- Army, Navy (including Naval Air Arm, Coast Guard, Marines), Air Force,
- Grenadier Guards, Police
- Manpower availability:
- males age 15-49 755,667; fit for military service 613,585 (1993 est.); no
- conscription
- Defense expenditures:
- exchange rate conversion - $216 million, 2.3% of GDP (1991 est.)
-
-
-
- @end display
-