]! ^! Montevideo, founded by the Spanish in 1726 as a military stronghold, soon took advantage of its natural harbor to became an important commercial center. Annexed by Brazil as a separate province in 1821, Uruguay declared its independence four years later and secured its freedom in 1828 after a three-year struggle. The administrations of President BATLLE in the early 20th century established widespread political, social, and economic reforms. A violent Marxist urban guerrilla movement, the Tupamaros, launched in the late 1960s, led Uruguay's president to agree to military control of his administration in 1973. By yearend, the rebels had been crushed, but the military continued to expand its hold throughout the government. Civilian rule was not restored until 1985. Uruguay's political and labor conditions are among the freest on the continent. 
]" ^" Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Argentina and Brazil ^# 33 00 S, 56 00 W ^$ South America ^% `! 176,220 sq km `" 173,620 sq km `# 2,600 sq km ^& slightly smaller than the state of Washington ^' `! 1,564 km `U Argentina 579 km, Brazil 985 km ^( 660 km ^) `$ 12 nm `H 24 nm `I 200 nm `J 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation ^* warm temperate; freezing temperatures almost unknown ^+ mostly rolling plains and low hills; fertile coastal lowland ^, `% Atlantic Ocean 0 m `& Cerro Catedral 514 m ^- arable land, hydropower, minor minerals, fisheries ^. `' 7.43% `( 0.23% `) 92.34% (2001) ^/ 1,800 sq km (1998 est.) ^0 seasonally high winds (the pampero is a chilly and occasional violent wind which blows north from the Argentine pampas), droughts, floods; because of the absence of mountains, which act as weather barriers, all locations are particularly vulnerable to rapid changes from weather fronts ^1 water pollution from meat packing/tannery industry; inadequate solid/hazardous waste disposal _J `K Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands `L Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation ^2 second-smallest South American country (after Suriname); most of the low-lying landscape (three-quarters of the country) is grassland, ideal for cattle and sheep raising 
]# ^3 3,415,920 (July 2005 est.) ^4 `* 23.2% (male 403,041/female 389,427) `+ 63.6% (male 1,076,960/female 1,095,833) `, 13.2% (male 183,877/female 266,782) (2005 est.) ^5 `! 32.46 years `- 31.02 years `. 33.95 years (2005 est.) ^6 0.47% (2005 est.) ^7 14.09 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^8 9.06 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^9 -0.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^: `/ 1.04 male(s)/female `0 1.04 male(s)/female `+ 0.98 male(s)/female `, 0.69 male(s)/female `1 0.95 male(s)/female (2005 est.) ^; `! 11.95 deaths/1,000 live births `- 13.27 deaths/1,000 live births `. 10.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) ^< `1 76.13 years `- 72.92 years `. 79.45 years (2005 est.) ^= 1.91 children born/woman (2005 est.) ^> 0.3% (2001 est.) ^? 6,000 (2001 est.) ^@ less than 500 (2003 est.) ^A `2 Uruguayan(s) `3 Uruguayan ^B white 88%, mestizo 8%, black 4%, Amerindian (practically nonexistent) ^C Roman Catholic 66% (less than half of the adult population attends church regularly), Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, nonprofessing or other 31% ^D Spanish, Portunol, or Brazilero (Portuguese-Spanish mix on the Brazilian frontier) ^E `M age 15 and over can read and write `1 98% `- 97.6% `. 98.4% (2003 est.) 
]$ ^F `4 Oriental Republic of Uruguay `5 Uruguay `V Republica Oriental del Uruguay `W Uruguay `X Banda Oriental, Cisplatine Province ^H constitutional republic ^I Montevideo ^J 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 ^K 25 August 1825 (from Brazil) ^L Independence Day, 25 August (1825) ^M 27 November 1966, effective February 1967; suspended 27 June 1973, new constitution rejected by referendum 30 November 1980; two constitutional reforms approved by plebiscite 26 November 1989 and 7 January 1997 ^N based on Spanish civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction ^O 18 years of age; universal and compulsory ^P `6 President Tabare VAZQUEZ (since 1 March 2005) and Vice President Rodolfo NIN NOVA (since 1 March 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government `7 President Tabare VAZQUEZ (since 1 March 2005) and Vice President Rodolfo NIN NOVA (since 1 March 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government `8 Council of Ministers appointed by the president with parliamentary approval `9 president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for five-year terms; election last held 31 October 2004 (next to be held October 2009) `: Tabare VAZQUEZ elected president; percent of vote - Tabare VAZQUEZ 50.5%, Jorge LARRANAGA 35.1%, Guillermo STIRLING 10.3% ^Q bicameral General Assembly or Asamblea General consists of Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (30 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and Chamber of Representatives or Camara de Representantes (99 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) `9 Chamber of Senators - last held 31 October 2004 (next to be held October 2009); Chamber of Representatives - last held 31 October 2004 (next to be held October 2009) `: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - EP-FA 16, Blanco 11, Colorado Party 3; Chamber of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - EP-FA 52, Blanco 36, Colorado Party 10, Independent Party 1 ^R Supreme Court (judges are nominated by the president and elected for 10-year terms by the General Assembly) ^S Colorado Party [Jorge BATLLE Ibanez]; National Party or Blanco [Luis Alberto LACALLE Herrera]; New Sector/Space Coalition (Nuevo Espacio) [Rafael MICHELINI]; Progressive Encounter/Broad Front Coalition (Encuentro Progresista/Frente Amplio) or EP-FA [Tabare VAZQUEZ]; Independent Party (Partido Independiente) [leader NA] ^T Agrupacion UTE (powerful state worker's union), Rural Association of Uruguay (rancher's association), Uruguayan Construction League, Chamber of Uruguayan Industries (manufacturer's association), Chemist and Pharmaceutical Association (professional organization), Architect's Society of Uruguay (professional organization), the Catholic Church, students ^U CSN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM (observer), OAS, ONUB, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMOGIP, UNMOT, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO ^V `N Ambassador Carlos GIANELLI Derois `O 1913 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20006 `P [1] (202) 331-1313 through 1316 `Q [1] (202) 331-8142 `R Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York `g San Juan (Puerto Rico) ^W `N Ambassador Martin J. SILVERSTEIN `Z Lauro Muller 1776, Montevideo 11200 `[ APO AA 34035 `P [598] (2) 418-7777 `Q [598] (2) 418-8611 ^X 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 
]% ^Y Uruguay's well-to-do economy is characterized by an export-oriented agricultural sector, a well-educated workforce, and high levels of social spending. After averaging growth of 5% annually during 1996-98, in 1999-2002 the economy suffered a major downturn, stemming largely from the spillover effects of the economic problems of its large neighbors, Argentina and Brazil. For instance, in 2001-02 massive withdrawals by Argentina of dollars deposited in Uruguayan banks led to a plunge in the Uruguyan peso and a massive rise in unemployment. Total GDP in these four years dropped by nearly 20%, with 2002 the worst year due to the serious banking crisis. Unemployment rose to nearly 20% in 2002, inflation surged, and the burden of external debt doubled. Cooperation with the IMF limited the damage. The debt swap with private creditors carried out in 2003, which extended the maturity dates on nearly half of Uruguay's $11.3 billion in public debt, substantially alleviated the country's amortization burden in the coming years and restored public confidence. The economy grew about 10% in 2004 as a result of high commodity prices for Uruguayan exports, the weakness of the dollar against the euro, growth in the region, low international interest rates, and greater export competitiveness. ^Z $49.27 billion (2004 est.) ^[ 10.2% (2004 est.) ^\ purchasing power parity - $14,500 (2004 est.) ^] `; 7.9% `< 27.4% `= 64.8% (2004 est.) ^^ 1.56 million (2004 est.) ^_ agriculture 14%, industry 16%, services 70% ^` 13% (2004 est.) ^a 21% of households (2003) _! `> 3.7% `? 25.8% (1997) _d 44.8 (1999) _" 7.6% (2004 est.) _P 9.6% of GDP (2004 est.) _# `@ $3.332 billion `A $3.787 billion, including capital expenditures of $193 million (2004 est.) _$ rice, wheat, corn, barley; livestock; fish _% food processing, electrical machinery, transportation equipment, petroleum products, textiles, chemicals, beverages _& 22% (2004 est.) _' 8.536 billion kWh (2003) _( 5.878 billion kWh (2003) _) 954 million kWh (2003) _* 434.2 million kWh (2003) _+ 0 bbl/day (2001 est.) _, 41,500 bbl/day (2001 est.) _- NA _. NA _S 0 cu m (2003 est.) _T 64.5 million cu m (2003 est.) _U 0 cu m (2003 est.) _V 65 million cu m (2003 est.) _X $181.8 million (2004 est.) _/ $2.2 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.) _0 meat, rice, leather products, wool, fish, dairy products _1 US 17.3%, Brazil 16%, Germany 6.3%, Argentina 6.2%, Mexico 4.2% (2004) _2 $2.071 billion f.o.b. (2003) _3 machinery, chemicals, road vehicles, crude petroleum _4 Argentina 19.5%, Brazil 19%, Paraguay 12.9%, US 9.2%, China 6% (2004) _Y $2.362 billion (2004 est.) _5 $12.8 billion (March 2004) _6 NA _7 Uruguayan peso (UYU) _8 Uruguayan pesos per US dollar - 28.704 (2004), 28.209 (2003), 21.257 (2002), 13.319 (2001), 12.1 (2000) _9 calendar year 
]& _: 946,500 (2002) _; 652,000 (2002) _< `B fully digitalized `C most modern facilities concentrated in Montevideo; new nationwide microwave radio relay network `D country code - 598; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2002) _= AM 91, FM 149, shortwave 7 (2001) _> 23 (2002) _? .uy _@ 87,630 (2003) _A 400,000 (2002) 
]' _e `! 2,073 km `b 2,073 km 1.435-m gauge note: 461 km have been taken out of service and 460 km are in partial use (2004) _B `! 8,983 km `E 8,081 km `F 902 km (1999 est.) _b 1,600 km (2002) _[ gas 192 km (2004) _C Montevideo _K `! 11 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 10,918 GRT/10,342 DWT by type: cargo 1, chemical tanker 1, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 1 `S 4 (Argentina 3, Greece 1) `\ 8 (2005) _D 64 (2004 est.) _E `! 14 `G 1 `^ 5 `_ 6 `T 2 (2004 est.) _L `! 50 `^ 2 `_ 17 `T 31 (2004 est.) 
]( _F Army, Navy (includes Naval Air Arm, Marines, Maritime Prefecture in wartime), Air Force _M 18 years of age for voluntary and compulsory military service (2001) _] males age 18-49: 764,408 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 637,445 (2005 est.) _N $257.5 million (2004) _O 2% (2004) 
]) _H uncontested dispute with Brazil over certain islands in the Quarai/Cuareim and Invernada streams and the resulting tripoint with Argentina 