Capital: Montevideo
Currency: Uruguayan Peso (UYU)
Borders: Argentina 579 km, Brazil 985 km
Uruguay is the second smallest South American country after Suriname
and can be found located on the central eastern coast of the
continent. To the north, Uruguay borders Brazil and to the west,
Argentina. The vast Rio de la Plata estuary forms a large border in
the south, whilst the 660 km of Uruguay’s coastline faces the
Atlantic Ocean. Uruguay's other large rivers include the Rio
Uruguay, which runs the length of the Argentina border, and the
massive Rio Negro, which cuts through the centre of the country from
east to west. The terrain is comprised of large areas of gently
rolling hills and a fertile, verdant coastal plain. Three quarters
of the Uruguay landscape is grassy land, ideal for the raising of
cattle and sheep. The highest point within Uruguay is Cerro Catedral
at a height of 514m. Uruguay's wildlife is relatively scarce
although areas of forest along the Rio Negro and Rio Uruguay are
still relatively rich with interesting fauna.
Montevideo is the largest in Uruguay and is the
economic hub of the nation. The Portuguese once played a part in
Uruguay's complicated history and their colonial legacy still
survives although it was the Spanish that built Montevideo. The
official language is Spanish, with a Portuguese combination of
Spanish in places. The official unit of currency is the Uruguayan
Peso.
The workforce can be broken into the following: 70% service, 16%
industry and 14% agriculture. The main industries of Uruguay include
food processing, electrical machinery, transportation equipment,
petroleum products, textiles, chemicals and beverages. Agricultural
products include rice, wheat, corn, and barley. Livestock ranching
is big business in Uruguay and has helped this nation to possess one
of the highest standards of living in South America. Uruguay boasts
3,000 km of railways and 52,297 km of roads.
The climate of Uruguay is temperate, similar to the Pampas region in
Argentina. The average rainfall equates to 950mm. The same Pampero
winds that affect the Pampas also blow across Uruguay. These violent
winds wreak much havoc in their path. Due to the country's absence
of large mountain ranges, Uruguay is subject to vulnerable and rapid
changes in weather and droughts and floods are not uncommon. The
highest recorded temperature in Montevideo was 43°C. |
