View source for Uruguay

{{Short description|Country in South America}}
{{About|the country}}
{{Pp-move}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2025}}
{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = Oriental Republic of Uruguay
| common_name            = Uruguay
| native_name            = {{native name|es|República Oriental del Uruguay}}
| image_flag             = Flag of Uruguay.svg
| flag_type              = [[Flag of Uruguay|Flag]]{{efn|Uruguay has three official flags. They are the National Pavilion, which has a higher status and is the flag shown here, the [[Artigas flag]], and the [[flag of the Treinta y Tres]]}}
| image_coat             = Coat of arms of Uruguay.svg
| national_motto         = Libertad o Muerte (Spanish)<br />"Freedom or Death"
| national_anthem        = Himno Nacional del Uruguay (Spanish)<br />"[[National Anthem of Uruguay]]"{{parabr}}{{center|[[File:United_States_Navy_Band_-_National_Anthem_of_Uruguay_(complete).ogg]]}}
| other_symbol           = [[File: Sol de Mayo-Bandera de Uruguay.svg|90x90px|alt=Sol de Mayo]]
| other_symbol_type      = [[Sun of May|Sol de Mayo]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Crow|first=John A. |title=The Epic of Latin America|edition=4th|publisher=University of California Press|place=Berkeley |year=1992|isbn=978-0-520-07723-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/epicoflatinameri00crow|page=457|quote=In the meantime, while the crowd assembled in the plaza continued to shout its demands at the cabildo, the sun suddenly broke through the overhanging clouds and clothed the scene in brilliant light. The people looked upward with one accord and took it as a favorable omen for their cause. This was the origin of the ″sun of May″ which has appeared in the center of the Argentine flag and on the Argentine coat of arms ever since.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Kopka|first=Deborah|title=Central & South America|publisher=Lorenz Educational Press|place=Dayton, OH|year=2011|isbn=978-1-4291-2251-1|page=5|quote=The sun's features are those of [[Inti]], the [[Inca]]n sun god. The sun commemorates the appearance of the Sun through cloudy skies on May 25, 1810, during the first mass demonstration in favor of independence.}}</ref><br />{{small|(Sun of May)}}
| image_map              = URY orthographic.svg
| map_width              = 220px
| map_caption            = {{map caption |location_color=dark green |region=South America |region_color=none }}
| capital                = [[Montevideo]]
| coordinates            = {{Coord|34|53|S|56|10|W|type:city}}
| largest_city           = capital
| official_languages     = {{hlist|[[Rioplatense Spanish|Spanish|Portuguese]]{{efn|Spanish has never been proclaimed the official language of Uruguay by either constitution or any decree. However, it is ''[[de facto]]'' official in all forms of government and society.}}|[[Uruguayan Sign Language]]{{efn|It has ''[[de jure]]'' official status as of 2001.<ref>{{cite act |type=Ley |index=N° 17378 |date=25 July 2001 |legislature= El Senado y la Cámara Representantes de República Oriental del Uruguay reunidos en Asamblea General |title=Personas con Discapacidad. Lengua de Señas Uruguaya |trans-title=Disabled Persons. Uruguayan Sign Language – Law No. 17378 |url=https://www.impo.com.uy/bases/leyes/17378-2001  |url-status=live |language=es |access-date=30 May 2022 |archive-date=20 May 2022 |author=((IMPO)) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520104508/https://www.impo.com.uy/bases/leyes/17378-2001 }}</ref><ref name=LSU>{{Cite journal|last1=Meyers|first1=Stephen|last2=Lockwood|first2=Elizabeth|date=2014-12-06|title=The Tale of Two Civil Societies: Comparing disability rights movements in Nicaragua and Uruguay|url=https://dsq-sds.org/article/view/3845|journal=Disability Studies Quarterly|language=en|volume=34|issue=4|doi=10.18061/dsq.v34i4.3845|issn=2159-8371|doi-access=free|access-date=30 May 2022|archive-date=27 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220627084811/https://dsq-sds.org/article/view/3845|url-status=live}}</ref>}}}}
| ethnic_groups          = {{unbulleted list
|86.0% [[White people|White]]{{efn|group=note|name=|Self-identified primary ethnic-racial ancestry. Total adds up to more than 100% as people were allowed to choose more than one ancestral racial group}}
|10.4% [[Afro-Uruguayans|Black]]
|6.3% [[Indigenous peoples in Uruguay|Indigenous]]
|0.7% [[East Asian people|East Asian]]
|6.3% other<ref>{{cite web |title= Ascendencia étnico-racial principal, por categoría, según departamento - Censo 2023 |url= https://www.gub.uy/instituto-nacional-estadistica/comunicacion/publicaciones/anuario-estadistico-nacional-2024-volumen-n-101/21-informacion-censal-2 |work=2024|publisher=Instituto Nacional de Estadística |page=|language=es|accessdate= 21 January 2025}}</ref>
}}
| ethnic_groups_year     = 2023
| ethnic_groups_ref      = <ref>{{cite web |title= Ascendencia étnico-racial principal, por categoría, según departamento - Censo 2023 |url= https://www.gub.uy/instituto-nacional-estadistica/comunicacion/publicaciones/anuario-estadistico-nacional-2024-volumen-n-101/21-informacion-censal-2 |work=2024|publisher=Instituto Nacional de Estadística |page=|language=es|accessdate= 21 January 2025}}</ref>
| religion               = {{unbulleted list
|
* 53.9% [[Irreligion in Uruguay|Irreligious]]
* 39.3% [[Christianity]]
* 1.2% other
}}
| religion_ref           = <ref>{{cite web | title=Encuesta Latinobarómetro 2024 |url=https://www.latinobarometro.org/odajds/}}</ref>
| demonym                = [[Uruguayans|Uruguayan]]
| government_type        = [[Presidential system|Unitary presidential republic]]
| leader_title1          = [[President of Uruguay|President]]
| leader_name1           = [[Yamandú Orsi]]
| leader_title2          = [[Vice President of Uruguay|Vice President]]
| leader_name2           = [[Carolina Cosse]]
| legislature            = [[General Assembly of Uruguay|General Assembly]]
| upper_house            = [[Senate of Uruguay|Senate]]
| lower_house            = [[Chamber of Representatives of Uruguay|Chamber of Representatives]]
| sovereignty_type       = Independence
| sovereignty_note       = from [[Empire of Brazil|Brazil]]{{efn|group=note|name=|Initially established in 1813 as the ''Província Oriental'', part of the [[United Provinces of Rio de la Plata]], from 1815 to 1817 it was part of the [[Federal League (1815–1820)|Federal League]], after which it was invaded and later annexed (in 1821) by [[Kingdom of Brazil|Brazil]], which ruled it as the [[Cisplatina Province]] until it declared independence from Brazil and adhesion to the United Provinces, which did not come to fruition.}}
| established_event1     = [[Thirty-Three Orientals#Campaign|Declared]]
| established_date1      = 25 August 1825
| established_event2     = [[Preliminary Peace Convention (1828)|Recognized]]
| established_date2      = 27 August 1828
| established_event3     = {{nowrap|[[Constitution of Uruguay|Current constitution]]}}
| established_date3      = 15 February 1967
| established_event4     = 
| established_date4      = 
| area_km2               = 176,215
| area_footnote          = <ref name="Factbook">{{Cite CIA World Factbook|country=Uruguay|access-date=22 June 2023|year=2011}}</ref>
| area_rank              = 89th
| area_sq_mi             = 68,037
| percent_water          = 1.5
| population_census      = 3,499,451<ref name="Uruguay Presidencia">{{Cite web |title=Censo Nacional 2023 contabilizó 3.499.451 habitantes en Uruguay |url=https://www.gub.uy/presidencia/comunicacion/noticias/censo-nacional-2023-contabilizo-3499451-habitantes-uruguay |access-date=2024-10-12 |website=Uruguay Presidencia |language=es }}</ref>
| population_census_year = 2023
| population_census_rank = 132nd
| population_density_km2 = 19.5
| population_density_sq_mi = 48.3
| population_density_rank = 206th
| GDP_PPP                = {{increase}} $107.946 billion<ref name="IMFWEO.UY">{{cite web |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2024/April/weo-report?c=111,&s=NGDPD,PPPGDP,NGDPDPC,PPPPC,&sy=2022&ey=2027&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1 |title=Report for Selected Countries and Subjects: April 2024|publisher=[[International Monetary Fund]]|website=imf.org}}</ref>
| GDP_PPP_year           = 2024
| GDP_PPP_rank           = 98th
| GDP_PPP_per_capita     = {{increase}} $36,014<ref name="IMFWEO.UY" />
| GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 59th
| GDP_nominal            = {{increase}} $82.605 billion<ref name="IMFWEO.UY" />
| GDP_nominal_year       = 2024
| GDP_nominal_rank       = 77th
| GDP_nominal_per_capita = {{increase}} $23,088<ref name="IMFWEO.UY" />
| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 49th
| Gini                   = 40.6 <!--number only-->
| Gini_year              = 2022
| Gini_change            = decrease <!--increase/decrease/steady-->
| Gini_ref               = <ref name="gini-index">{{cite web|url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI?locations=UY|title=GINI index|publisher=World Bank|access-date=15 July 2024|archive-date=10 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161110043725/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI?locations=UY|url-status=live}}</ref>
| Gini_rank              = 
| HDI                    = 0.862 <!--number only-->
| HDI_year               = 2023<!-- Please use the year to which the data refers, not the publication year-->
| HDI_change             = increase <!--increase/decrease/steady-->
| HDI_ref                = <ref name="HDI">{{Cite web |date=6 May 2025 |title=Human Development Report 2025 |url=https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2025reporten.pdf|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250506051232/https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2025reporten.pdf |archive-date=6 May 2025 |access-date=6 May 2025 |publisher=[[United Nations Development Programme]] |language=en}}</ref>
| HDI_rank               = 48th
| currency               = [[Uruguayan peso]]
| currency_code          = UYU
| time_zone              = [[Uruguay Time|UYT]]
| utc_offset             = −03:00
| date_format            = dd/mm/yyyy
| drives_on              = right
| calling_code           = [[Telephone numbers in Uruguay|+598]]
| iso3166code            = 
| cctld                  = [[.uy]]
| religion_year          = 2024
| today                  = 
}}

'''Uruguay''',{{efn|{{IPAc-en|audio=en-us-Uruguay-1.ogg|ˈ|jʊər|ə|ɡ|w|aɪ}}<ref>{{cite book|title=Longman pronunciation dictionary|first=John C.|last=Wells|publisher=Longman|location=Harlow, England|year=1990|isbn=0-582-05383-8|page=755}} entry "Uruguay"</ref> {{respell|YOOR|ə|gwy}}, {{IPA|es|uɾuˈɣwaj|lang|ES-pe - Uruguay.ogg}}; [[Uruguayan Portuguese|Portuguese]]: ''Uruguai''}} officially the '''Oriental Republic of Uruguay''',{{efn|{{langx|es|República Oriental del Uruguay}}}} is a country in [[South America]]. It shares borders with [[Argentina]] to its west and southwest and [[Brazil]] to its north and northeast, while bordering the [[Río de la Plata]] to the south and the [[Atlantic Ocean]] to the southeast. It is part of the [[Southern Cone]] region of [[South America]]. Uruguay covers an area of approximately {{convert|176,215|km2|sqmi|sp=us}}.<ref name="Uruguay Presidencia"/> It has a population of almost 3.5 million people, of whom nearly 2 million live in [[Montevideo metropolitan area|the metropolitan area]] of its capital and [[List of cities in Uruguay|largest city]], [[Montevideo]].

The area that became Uruguay was first inhabited by groups of [[hunter gatherer]]s 13,000 years ago.<ref name="archivo.presidencia.gub.uy">{{cite web |title=Hace 13.000 años cazadores-recolectores exploraron y colonizaron planicie del río Cuareim |trans-title=13,000 years ago, hunter-gatherers explored and colonized the Cuareim River plain |url=http://archivo.presidencia.gub.uy/sci/noticias/2010/09/2010092601.htm |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140318014413/http://archivo.presidencia.gub.uy/sci/noticias/2010/09/2010092601.htm |archive-date=18 March 2014 |access-date=17 May 2021 |website=archivo.presidencia.gub.uy |language=es}}</ref> The first European explorer to reach the region was [[Juan Díaz de Solís]] in 1516, but the area was colonized later than its neighbors. At the time of [[Spanish colonization of the Americas|European arrival]], the [[Charrúa]] were the predominant tribe, alongside other groups such as the [[Guaraní people|Guaraní]] and the [[Chaná people|Chaná]]. However, none of these groups were socially or politically organized, which contributed to their decline.<ref>{{Cite web |title=¿Por qué ya no hay indígenas en Uruguay? |url=https://www.elobservador.com.uy/nota/-por-que-ya-no-hay-indigenas-en-uruguay--20139201690 |access-date=2025-01-11 |website=El Observador |language=es-UY}}</ref> Amid territorial disputes, the Portuguese established [[Colonia del Sacramento|Colônia do Sacramento]] in 1680, and the Spanish founded [[Montevideo]] as a military stronghold. Uruguay secured its independence between 1811 and 1828, following a four-way struggle involving Portugal, Spain, and later the [[United Provinces of the Río de la Plata]] and the [[Empire of Brazil]]. In 1830, the country enacted its [[Constitution of Uruguay|constitution]] and was formally established as an independent state.<ref name="loc-102">{{cite book |last1=Jacob |first1=Raúl |url=http://countrystudies.us/uruguay/10.htm |title=Uruguay: A Country Study |last2=Weinstein |first2=Martin |date=1992 |publisher=Federal Research Division, Library of Congress Country Studies |isbn=978-0-8444-0737-1 |editor1=Rex A. Hudson |edition=2nd |location=Washington DC |pages=[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.31822015230782&seq=57 17–19] |chapter=Modern Uruguay, 1875–1903: Militarism 1875–90 |access-date=23 February 2011 |editor2=Sandra W. Meditz |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430025448/http://countrystudies.us/uruguay/10.htm |archive-date=30 April 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>

During the early years following its independence, Uruguay remained subject to foreign influence and intervention, along with a series of internal conflicts and political turmoil.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Facal Santiago |first=Silvia |url=https://journals.openedition.org/alhim/1412#ftn3 |title=Recorriendo el largo camino de la integración: los judíos alemanes en Uruguay |date=21 September 2007 |publisher=Amérique Latine Histoire et Mémoire. Les Cahiers ALHIM. |trans-title=Traversing the long road of integration: German Jews in Uruguay}}</ref> From the second half of the 19th century, the country saw significant [[Immigration to Uruguay|waves of European migration]]—mainly from [[Spanish Uruguayans|Spain]], [[Italian Uruguayans|Italy]], and [[French Uruguayans|France]]—which greatly influenced its [[Demographics of Uruguay|demographics]] and laid the foundation for modern-day [[Culture of Uruguay|Uruguayan culture and society]]. National politics were dominated by two political parties: the [[Colorado Party (Uruguay)|Colorado Party]] and the [[National Party (Uruguay)|National Party]], which clashed in several civil wars during the 19th century and are collectively known as the 'Traditional Parties'.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barreiro |first=Julio |year=1993 |title=El sistema de partidos políticos en Uruguay |trans-title=The political party system in Uruguay |url=https://corteidh.or.cr/tablas/7300.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250207103422/https://corteidh.or.cr/tablas/7300.pdf |archive-date=Feb 7, 2025 |website=Inter-American Court of Human Rights |language=es |format=PDF}}</ref> In the early 20th century, a series of pioneering economic, labor, and socialreforms that laid the foundations of an advanced [[welfare state]]. Combined with a period of sustained political stability, these developments earned the country the reputation of being the “Switzerland of the Americas.”<ref>{{Cite news |date=1951-01-03 |title=URUGUAY A HAVEN FOR REFUGEE SUMS; Gold Flows to 'Switzerland of Americas' Since Korean War – Foreign Trade Booms |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1951/01/03/archives/uruguay-a-haven-for-refugee-sums-gold-flows-to-switzerland-of.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170811145157/http://www.nytimes.com/1951/01/03/archives/uruguay-a-haven-for-refugee-sums-gold-flows-to-switzerland-of.html |archive-date=11 August 2017 |access-date=2024-05-05 |work=The New York Times |page=75 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> A series of [[Financial crisis|economic crises]] and the fight against [[Far-left politics|far-left]] [[urban guerrilla warfare]] in the late 1960s and early 1970s culminated in the [[1973 Uruguayan coup d'état|1973 ''coup d'état'']], which established a [[Civic-military dictatorship of Uruguay|civic-military dictatorship]] until 1985.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-12-27 |orig-date=30 November 1984 |title=Back to Democracy in Uruguay |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1984/12/01/back-to-democracy-in-uruguay/768ffe9f-4cf0-4741-ad4c-0a593e3bce6b/ |access-date=2024-05-05 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Pastor |first=José Manuel Azcona |url=https://archive.org/details/possibleparadise0000azco |title=Possible Paradises: Basque Emigration to Latin America. |publisher=University of Nevada Press |year=2004 |isbn=9780874174441 |location=Reno, Nevada |pages=232}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Inmigrantes {{!}} 1811-2011 |url=http://www.1811-2011.edu.uy/B1/content/inmigrantes?page=show |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240718144550/http://www.1811-2011.edu.uy/B1/content/inmigrantes?page=show |archive-date=18 July 2024 |access-date=2025-01-15 |website=www.1811-2011.edu.uy |language=es |url-status=dead }}</ref> Uruguay is today a [[Democratic republic|democratic]] [[Republic|constitutional republic]], with a president who serves as both [[head of state]] and [[head of government]].

Uruguay is highly ranked in international measurements of democracy, government transparency, economic freedom, social progress, [[List of countries by income equality|income equality]], [[per capita income]], innovation, and infrastructure.<ref name="photos.state.gov">{{cite web |date=June 2013 |title=Uruguay Rankings |url=https://photos.state.gov/libraries/uruguay/19452/pdfs/UruguaysRankingsJune2013.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201223606/http://photos.state.gov/libraries/uruguay/19452/pdfs/UruguaysRankingsJune2013.pdf |archive-date=1 February 2017 |access-date=21 April 2017 |via=Embassy of the United States of America}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=29 February 2024 |title=Spartacus Gay Travel Index |url=https://spartacus.gayguide.travel/gaytravelindex.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170914015257/http://www.spartacusworld.com/gaytravelindex.pdf |archive-date=14 September 2017 |access-date=3 September 2020 |website=spartacus.gayguide.travel |at=No. 8, p. 2}}</ref> It is classified as a [[World Bank high-income economy|high-income economy]] and has [[Cannabis in Uruguay|fully legalized cannabis]]—the first country in the world to do so—as well as [[Same-sex marriage in Uruguay|same-sex marriage]], [[Abortion in Uruguay|abortion]] and [[Euthanasia in Uruguay|euthanasia]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-10-16 |title=In a regional first, Uruguay passes a law allowing euthanasia |url=https://apnews.com/article/uruguay-euthanasia-law-076a2f4d2ba5ce990e65ac4dd4798d49 |access-date=2025-11-17 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-10-16 |title=Uruguay legalises euthanasia |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7v8336zmvro |access-date=2025-11-17 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en-GB}}</ref> Uruguay is also a founding member of the [[United Nations]], the [[Organization of American States|OAS]], and [[Mercosur]].

== Etymology ==<!--linked-->
The country of ''Uruguay'' takes its name from the [[Uruguay River|Río Uruguay]] in the [[Indigenous peoples in Uruguay|Indigenous]] [[Guarani languages|Guaraní]] language. There are several interpretations, including "bird-river" ("the river of the ''[[Spot-winged wood quail|uru]]''", via [[Charruan languages|Charruan]], ''{{lang|gn|urú}}'' being a [[common noun]] for any wild fowl).<ref>{{cite book|title=Revista Del Río de La Plata|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mOexAAAAIAAJ|year=1971|page=285|quote=The word itself, 'Uruguay', is clearly derived from the Guaraní, probably by way of the tribal dialect of the [[Charrúa]]s [...] from ''uru'' (a generic designation of wild fowl)|access-date=23 October 2015|archive-date=3 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203010230/https://books.google.com/books?id=mOexAAAAIAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Nordenskiöld|first=Erland|author-link=Erland Nordenskiöld|title=Deductions suggested by the geographical distribution of some post-Columbian words used by the Indians of S. America|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oaguAAAAYAAJ|year=1979|publisher=AMS Press|isbn=978-0-404-15145-4|page=27|quote=In Paraguay the Guaraní Indians call a fowl ''{{lang|gn|uruguaçú}}''. The [[Cainguá]] in Misiones only say ''{{lang|gn|urú}}''. [...] A few Guaraní-speakiug Indians who call a hen ''{{lang|gn|uruguasu}}'' and a cock ''{{lang|gn|tacareo}}''. ''{{lang|gn|Uruguaçu}}'' means "the big ''{{lang|gn|uru}}''".|access-date=23 October 2015|archive-date=3 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203010230/https://books.google.com/books?id=oaguAAAAYAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> The name could also refer to a river snail called ''{{lang|gn|uruguá}}'' (''[[Pomella (gastropod)|Pomella]] megastoma'') that was plentiful across its shores.<ref>{{cite news |title=Presentan tesis del nombre Uruguay |trans-title=Thesis on the name Uruguay presented |url=http://www.elpais.com.uy/101008/pciuda-520474/informe/presentan-tesis-del-nombre-uruguay/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314100414/http://www.elpais.com.uy/101008/pciuda-520474/informe/presentan-tesis-del-nombre-uruguay/ |archive-date=14 March 2012 |access-date=21 November 2014 |work=El País |language=es}}</ref>

One of the most popular interpretations of the name was proposed by the renowned Uruguayan poet [[Juan Zorrilla de San Martín]], "the river of painted birds";<ref>{{cite news|date=14 March 2012|title=Presentan tesis del nombre Uruguay|work= Diario El País |department=Montevideo, Uruguay|url=http://www.elpais.com.uy/101008/pciuda-520474/informe/presentan-tesis-del-nombre-uruguay/|access-date=17 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314100414/http://www.elpais.com.uy/101008/pciuda-520474/informe/presentan-tesis-del-nombre-uruguay/|archive-date=14 March 2012}}</ref> this interpretation, although dubious, still holds an important cultural significance in the country.<ref>{{cite web |title=Uruguay, el país de los pájaros pintados despierta la pasión por mirar |trans-title=Uruguay, the land of the painted birds, awakens the passion for watching |url=https://www.gub.uy/ministerio-turismo/comunicacion/noticias/uruguay-pais-pajaros-pintados-despierta-pasion-mirar |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210517192540/https://www.gub.uy/ministerio-turismo/comunicacion/noticias/uruguay-pais-pajaros-pintados-despierta-pasion-mirar |archive-date=17 May 2021 |access-date=17 May 2021 |website=Ministerio de Turismo |language=es}}</ref>

In Spanish colonial times and for some time thereafter, Uruguay and some neighboring territories were called ''{{lang|es|[[Banda Oriental]] [del Uruguay]}}'' ("Eastern Bank [of the Uruguay River]"), then for a few years the ''{{lang|es|[[Provincia Oriental]]}}'' ("Eastern Province").

Since its independence, the country has been known as "''{{lang|es|República Oriental del Uruguay}}''", which literally translates to "''Republic East of the Uruguay'' [River]". However, it is officially translated either as the "''Oriental Republic of Uruguay''"<ref>{{cite web |author=Central Intelligence Agency |title=Uruguay |work=The World Factbook |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |location=Langley, Virginia |year=2016 |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/uruguay/ |access-date=1 January 2017 |archive-date=16 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211216123435/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/uruguay/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="britannica">{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/620116/Uruguay|title=Uruguay|access-date=2 September 2008|year=2008|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|archive-date=12 June 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080612043021/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/620116/Uruguay|url-status=live}}</ref> or the "''Eastern Republic of Uruguay''".<ref>"Eastern Republic of Uruguay" is the official name used in many United Nations publications in English, e.g. {{cite book|title=Treaty Series|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_4bp3hF2DfMC&pg=RA1-PA118|year=1991|publisher=UN Publications|isbn=978-92-1-900187-9|access-date=23 October 2015|archive-date=3 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203010230/https://books.google.com/books?id=_4bp3hF2DfMC&pg=RA1-PA118|url-status=live}} & in some formal UK documents, e.g. {{cite book|title=Agreement Between the European Community and the Eastern Republic of Uruguay|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_34BywAACAAJ|year=1974|publisher=[[H.M. Stationery Office]]|access-date=23 October 2015|archive-date=13 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513050932/https://books.google.com/books?id=_34BywAACAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>

== History ==
{{Main|History of Uruguay}}

[[File:Los últimos Charrúas. Senaca, Vaimaca-Piru, Guyunusa y Tacuabe.JPG|thumb|left|Monument to the last four [[Charrúa]], the indigenous people of Uruguay]]

=== Prehistory ===
Human presence in the region now known as Uruguay dates back approximately 13,000 years, with evidence of [[hunter-gatherer]] communities.<ref name="archivo.presidencia.gub.uy"/><ref>{{Cite web |last=Jean-Louis |first=Lawrence |date=2025-05-07 |title=Countries: Uruguay |url=https://lawrencejeanlouis.medium.com/countries-uruguay-57bf9e209555 |access-date=2025-05-21 |website=Medium |language=en}}</ref> It is estimated that at the time of the first contact with Europeans in the 16th century, there were about 9,000 [[Charrúa]] and 6,000 [[Chaná people|Chaná]] and some [[Guaraní people|Guaraní]] island settlements.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/uruguay00jerm |url-access=registration |quote=uruguay by leslie jermyn. |title=Uruguay |first=Leslie |last=Jermyn |date=1 October 1998 |publisher=Marshall Cavendish |isbn=9780761408734 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

There is an extensive archeological collection of man-made [[tumulus|tumuli]] known as "''[[Cerritos de Indios]]''" in the eastern part of the country, some of them dating back to 5,000 years ago. Very little is known about the people who built them as they left no written record, but evidence has been found in place of indigenous agriculture and of extinct [[Native American dogs|indigenous]] woolly dogs.<ref>{{cite journal |last=López Mazz |first=José M. |date=2001 |title=Las estructuras tumulares (cerritos) del litoral atlantico uruguayo |trans-title=The mound structures (cerritos) of the Uruguayan Atlantic coast |url=https://www.mna.gub.uy/innovaportal/file/20809/1/lopez_mazz_j._m._2001._las_estructuras_tumulares_cerritos_del_litoral_atlantico_uruguayo..pdf |url-status=live |journal=Latin American Antiquity |language=Spanish |volume=12 |pages=231–255 |doi=10.2307/971631 |issn=1045-6635 |jstor=971631 |s2cid=163375789 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210517194512/https://www.mna.gub.uy/innovaportal/file/20809/1/lopez_mazz_j._m._2001._las_estructuras_tumulares_cerritos_del_litoral_atlantico_uruguayo..pdf |archive-date=17 May 2021 |access-date=17 May 2021 |number=3}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Mutton, 1859 |url=https://www.pagosasun.com/premium/theconversation/stories/mutton-an-indigenous-woolly-dog-died-in-1859-new-analysis-confirms-precolonial-lineage-of%2C79538 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Extinct Woolly Dog Analyzed in Collaborative Study {{!}} AMNH |url=https://www.amnh.org/explore/news-blogs/extinct-woolly-dog |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250419060626/https://www.amnh.org/explore/news-blogs/extinct-woolly-dog |archive-date=19 April 2025 |access-date=2025-05-21 |website=American Museum of Natural History |language=en-US |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Colonial rule ===
[[File:PortugueseMuseum-Colonia4 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|The [[Portuguese Empire|Portuguese]] established [[Colonia del Sacramento|Colonia do Sacramento]] in 1680.]]
The [[Portuguese discoveries|Portuguese were]] the first Europeans to enter the region of present-day Uruguay in 1512.<ref name=Spate>{{cite book|author=Oskar Hermann Khristian Spate|title=The Spanish Lake|publisher=Canberra: ANU E Press, 2004|page=37|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JH9SIogNd3sC&q=San+Matias|isbn=9781920942168|date=1 November 2004|access-date=30 September 2020|archive-date=11 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201211030451/https://books.google.com/books?id=JH9SIogNd3sC&q=San+Matias|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last = Bethell |first = Leslie |title = The Cambridge History of Latin America, Volume 1, Colonial Latin America |publisher = Cambridge University Press |year = 1984 |location = Cambridge |page = 257 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=_w0kAPYQ5xMC&q=1511 |isbn = 9780521232234 |access-date = 7 October 2020 |archive-date = 11 December 2020 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201211002802/https://books.google.com/books?id=_w0kAPYQ5xMC&q=1511 |url-status = live }}</ref> The [[Spanish Empire|Spanish]] arrived in present-day Uruguay in 1515 but were the first to set foot in the area, claiming it for the crown.<ref name="dept-state">{{cite web|author=Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs|title=Background Note: Uruguay|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2091.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170122194621/https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2091.htm|archive-date=22 January 2017|access-date=23 February 2011|publisher=US Department of State}}</ref> The indigenous peoples' fierce resistance to [[Spanish colonization of the Americas|conquest]], combined with the absence of valuable resources, limited European settlement in the region during the 16th and 17th centuries.<ref name="dept-state"/> Uruguay then became a zone of contention between the Spanish and Portuguese empires. In 1603, the Spanish began introducing cattle, which became a source of regional wealth. The first permanent Spanish settlement was founded in 1624 at [[Villa Soriano|Soriano]] on the [[Río Negro (Uruguay)|Río Negro]]. In 1680, the Portuguese built a fort at [[Colonia del Sacramento]].<ref>The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Colonia del Sacramento". Encyclopædia Britannica, 9 Mar. 2006, https://www.britannica.com/place/Colonia-del-Sacramento. Accessed 21 May 2025</ref>

[[Montevideo]], the current capital of Uruguay, was founded by the Spanish in 1726 as a military stronghold.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Uruguay - The World Factbook |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/about/archives/2023/countries/uruguay/ |access-date=2025-05-21 |website=www.cia.gov}}</ref> Its natural harbor soon developed into a commercial area competing with [[Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata|Río de la Plata]]'s capital, [[Buenos Aires]].<ref name="dept-state"/><ref name=":1" /> Uruguay's early 19th-century history was shaped by ongoing fights for dominance in the [[La Plata Basin|Platine region]]<ref name="dept-state"/> between British, Spanish, Portuguese, and other colonial forces. In 1806 and 1807, the [[British invasions of the Río de la Plata|British army attempted to seize Buenos Aires and Montevideo]] as part of the [[Napoleonic Wars]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=The British Invasion of the River Plate 1806-1807 - Casemate Publishers US |url=https://www.casematepublishers.com/9781781590669/the-british-invasion-of-the-river-plate-1806-1807/ |access-date=2025-05-21 |website=Casemate Publishers |language=en-US}}</ref> Montevideo was occupied by British forces from February to September 1807.<ref name=":2" />

=== Independence struggle ===
{{Further|Banda Oriental|Liga Federal|Cisplatina}}
[[File:Juan Manuel Blanes - El Juramento de los Treinta y Tres Orientales.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|In 1825, ''The oath of the [[Thirty-Three Orientals]]'' set in motion the process in which Uruguay gained independence from the [[Empire of Brazil]].]]
[[File:El Altar de la Patria.png|thumb|[[National personification]] of Uruguay by [[Juan Manuel Blanes]]]]
In 1811, [[José Gervasio Artigas]], who became Uruguay's national hero, launched a successful revolt against the [[Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata|Spanish authorities]], defeating them on 18 May at the [[Battle of Las Piedras (1811)|Battle of Las Piedras]].<ref name="dept-state"/> In 1813, the new government in Buenos Aires convened a constituent assembly where Artigas emerged as a champion of federalism, demanding political and economic autonomy for each area and the [[Banda Oriental]] in particular.<ref name="loc-3" /> The assembly refused to seat the delegates from the Banda Oriental; however, Buenos Aires pursued a system based on unitary centralism.<ref name="loc-3">{{csref |country=uruguay|section=The Struggle for Independence 1811–30|last1=Jacob |first1=Raúl |last2=Weinstein |first2=Martin |pd=no}} pp. [https://countrystudies.us/uruguay/7.htm 8]–[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.31822015230782&seq=48 11]</ref>

As a result, Artigas broke with Buenos Aires and besieged Montevideo, taking the city in early 1815.<ref name="loc-3"/> Once the troops from Buenos Aires had withdrawn, the Banda Oriental appointed its first autonomous government.<ref name="loc-3"/> Artigas organized the [[Liga Federal|Federal League]] under his protection, consisting of six provinces, five of which later became part of Argentina.<ref name="loc-3"/>

In 1816, 10,000 Portuguese troops invaded the Banda Oriental from Brazil; they took Montevideo in January 1817.<ref name="loc-3"/> After nearly four more years of struggle, the [[United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves|Portuguese Kingdom of Brazil]] annexed the ''Banda Oriental'' as a province under the name of "[[Cisplatina]]".<ref name="loc-3"/> The [[Empire of Brazil|Brazilian Empire]] became independent of Portugal in 1822. In response to the annexation, the [[Thirty-Three Orientals]], led by [[Juan Antonio Lavalleja]], declared independence on 25 August 1825, supported by the [[United Provinces of the Río de la Plata]] (present-day Argentina).<ref name="dept-state"/> This led to the 500-day-long [[Cisplatine War]]. Neither side gained the upper hand, and in 1828, the [[Treaty of Montevideo (1828)|Treaty of Montevideo]], fostered by the United Kingdom through the diplomatic efforts of [[John Ponsonby, 1st Viscount Ponsonby|Viscount John Ponsonby]], gave birth to Uruguay as an independent state. 25 August is celebrated as Independence Day, a [[Public holidays in Uruguay|national holiday]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.elobservador.com.uy/google-homenajea-uruguay-el-dia-la-independencia-n231109 |title=Google homenajea a Uruguay |date=25 August 2012 |work=[[El Observador (Uruguay)|El Observador]] |access-date=23 August 2018 |language=es-uy |archive-date=23 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180823210735/https://www.elobservador.com.uy/google-homenajea-uruguay-el-dia-la-independencia-n231109 |url-status=live }}</ref> The nation's [[Constitution of Uruguay|first constitution]] was adopted on 18 July 1830.<ref name="dept-state"/>

=== 19th century ===
{{see also|Uruguayan Civil War|Uruguayan War}}
At the time of independence, Uruguay had an estimated population of just under 75,000.<ref name="loc-5"/> The political scene in Uruguay became split between two parties: the conservative ''[[National Party (Uruguay)|Blancos]]'' (Whites), headed by the second President [[Manuel Oribe]], representing the agricultural interests of the countryside, and the liberal ''[[Colorado Party (Uruguay)|Colorados]]'' (Reds), led by the first President [[Fructuoso Rivera]], representing the business interests of Montevideo. The Uruguayan parties received support from warring political factions in neighboring [[Argentina]], which became involved in Uruguayan affairs.

The ''Colorados'' favored the exiled Argentine liberal [[Unitarian Party|Unitarios]], many of whom had taken refuge in Montevideo, while the Blanco president Manuel Oribe was a close friend of the Argentine ruler [[Manuel de Rosas]]. On 15 June 1838, an army led by the Colorado leader Rivera overthrew President Oribe, who fled to Argentina.<ref name="loc-5"/> Rivera declared war on Rosas in 1839. The conflict would last 13 years and become known as the [[Uruguayan Civil War|Guerra Grande]] (the Great War).<ref name="loc-5">{{cite web |url=http://countrystudies.us/uruguay/5.htm |title=BEGINNINGS OF INDEPENDENT LIFE, 1830–52&nbsp;– Uruguay |publisher=Library of Congress Country Studies |access-date=2011-02-23 |archive-date=2011-04-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430025513/http://countrystudies.us/uruguay/5.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> In 1843, an Argentine army overran Uruguay on Oribe's behalf but failed to take the capital. The [[Uruguayan Civil War#The Great Siege|siege of Montevideo]] began in February 1843 and lasted nine years.<ref name="loc-6" /> The besieged Uruguayans called on resident foreigners for help, which led to a French and an Italian legion being formed, the latter led by the exiled [[Giuseppe Garibaldi]].<ref name="loc-6">{{csref |country=uruguay |section=The Great War, 1843–52 |last1=Jacob |first1=Raúl |last2=Weinstein |first2=Martin |pd=no}} pp. [http://countrystudies.us/uruguay/6.htm 13–14] {{webarchive |date=30 April 2011 |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430025441/http://countrystudies.us/uruguay/6.htm}}</ref>
[[File:Battle of Sarandi, Juan Manuel Blanes.jpg|thumb|In 1825, in the [[Battle of Sarandí]], Uruguayan troops first defeated the [[Empire of Brazil|Brazilian Empire]].]]
[[File:Boceto para la Jura de la Constitución de 1830.jpg|thumb|On 18 July 1830, Uruguay proclaimed its [[Constitution of Uruguay of 1830|first Constitution]], a significant event that marked the end of the independence process.]]
In 1845, Britain and France intervened against Rosas to restore commerce to normal levels in the region. Their efforts proved ineffective, and by 1849, tired of the war, both withdrew after signing a treaty favorable to Rosas.<ref name="loc-6"/> It appeared that Montevideo would finally fall when an uprising against Rosas, led by [[Justo José de Urquiza]], governor of Argentina's [[Entre Ríos Province]], began. The Brazilian intervention in May 1851 on behalf of the ''Colorados'', combined with the uprising, changed the situation, and Oribe was defeated. The siege of Montevideo was lifted, and the ''Guerra Grande'' finally came to an end.<ref name="loc-6"/> Montevideo rewarded Brazil's support by signing treaties that confirmed Brazil's right to intervene in Uruguay's internal affairs.<ref name="loc-6"/>

In accordance with the 1851 treaties, Brazil intervened militarily in Uruguay as often as it deemed necessary.<ref name="loc-7"/> In 1865, the [[Treaty of the Triple Alliance|Triple Alliance]] was formed by the [[emperor of Brazil]], the [[president of Argentina]], and the Colorado general [[Venancio Flores]], the Uruguayan head of government whom they both had helped to gain power. The Triple Alliance declared war on the Paraguayan leader [[Francisco Solano López]].<ref name="loc-7"/> The resulting [[Paraguayan War]] ended with the invasion of Paraguay and its defeat by the armies of the three countries. Montevideo was used as a supply station by the Brazilian navy, and it experienced a period of prosperity and relative calm during the war.<ref name="loc-7">{{cite web |url=http://countrystudies.us/uruguay/7.htm |title=THE STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL, 1852–75 – Uruguay |publisher=Library of Congress Country Studies |access-date=23 February 2011 |archive-date=30 April 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430025431/http://countrystudies.us/uruguay/7.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>

The first railway line was assembled in Uruguay in 1867, and a branch consisting of a horse-drawn train was opened. The present-day [[State Railways Administration of Uruguay]] maintains {{convert|2900|km|abbr=on}} of extendable railway network.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Uruguay-Railway |url=https://www.trade.gov/market-intelligence/uruguay-railway |access-date=2022-12-23 |website=www.trade.gov |date=27 February 2020 |language=en |archive-date=23 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221223032347/https://www.trade.gov/market-intelligence/uruguay-railway |url-status=live }}</ref>

The constitutional government of General [[Lorenzo Batlle y Grau]] (1868–72) suppressed the [[Revolution of the Lances]] by the [[National Party (Uruguay)|Blancos]].<ref name="loc-9"/> After two years of struggle, a peace agreement was signed in 1872 that gave the Blancos a share in the emoluments and functions of government through control of four of the [[departments of Uruguay]].<ref name="loc-9">{{cite web|url=http://countrystudies.us/uruguay/9.htm|title=Caudillos and Political Stability – Uruguay|publisher=Library of Congress Country Studies|access-date=23 February 2011|archive-date=30 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430025503/http://countrystudies.us/uruguay/9.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> This establishment of the policy of co-participation represented the search for a new formula of compromise based on the coexistence of the party in power and the opposition party.<ref name="loc-9" /> Despite this agreement, the Colorado rule was threatened by the failed [[Tricolor Revolution]] in 1875 and the Revolution of the [[Quebracho, Uruguay|Quebracho]] in 1886.

The Colorado effort to reduce Blancos to only three departments caused a Blanco uprising of 1897, which ended with creating 16 departments, of which the Blancos now had control over six. Blancos were given ⅓ seats in Congress.<ref>{{cite book |last=Lewis |first=Paul H. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LAvw-YXm4TsC&q=co-participation+uruguay&pg=PA85 |title=Authoritarian Regimes in Latin America: Dictators, Despots, and Tyrants |date=1 January 2006 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=9780742537392 |via=Google Books}}</ref> This division of power lasted until President [[Jose Batlle y Ordonez]] instituted his political reforms, which caused the last uprising by Blancos in 1904 that ended with the [[Battle of Masoller]] and the death of Blanco leader [[Aparicio Saravia]].

Between 1875 and 1890, the military became the center of power.<ref name="loc-10" /> During this authoritarian period, the government took steps toward the organization of the country as a modern state, encouraging its economic and social transformation. Pressure groups (consisting mainly of businessmen, ''[[hacendado]]s'', and industrialists) were organized and had a strong influence on the government.<ref name="loc-10" /> A transition period (1886–90) followed, during which politicians began recovering lost ground, and some civilian participation in government occurred.<ref name="loc-10">{{cite web|url=http://countrystudies.us/uruguay/10.htm|title=MODERN URUGUAY, 1875–1903 – Uruguay|publisher=Library of Congress Country Studies|access-date=23 February 2011|archive-date=30 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430025448/http://countrystudies.us/uruguay/10.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> After the [[Uruguayan Civil War|Guerra Grande]], there was a sharp rise in the number of immigrants, primarily from Italy and Spain. By 1879, the total population of the country was over 438,500.<ref name="loc-8" /> The economy reflected a steep upswing (if demonstrated graphically, above all other related economic determinants) in livestock raising and exports.<ref name="loc-8" /> Montevideo became a major financial center of the region and an [[entrepôt]] for goods from Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.<ref name="loc-8">{{cite web|url=http://countrystudies.us/uruguay/8.htm|title=Evolution of the Economy and Society – Uruguay|publisher=Library of Congress Country Studies|access-date=23 February 2011|archive-date=30 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430025434/http://countrystudies.us/uruguay/8.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== 20th century ===
[[File:Palaciosalvouruguay.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Palacio Salvo]], built in [[Montevideo]] from 1925 to 1928, was once the [[List of tallest buildings in Latin America|tallest building in Latin America]].]]
The Colorado leader [[José Batlle y Ordóñez]] was elected president in 1903.<ref name="loc-12">{{cite web|url=http://countrystudies.us/uruguay/12.htm|title=THE NEW COUNTRY, 1903–33 – Uruguay|publisher=Library of Congress Country Studies|access-date=23 February 2011|archive-date=30 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430025506/http://countrystudies.us/uruguay/12.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> The following year, the Blancos led a rural revolt, and eight bloody months of fighting ensued before their leader, [[Aparicio Saravia]], was killed in battle. Government forces emerged victorious, leading to the end of the co-participation politics that had begun in 1872.<ref name="loc-12"/> [[José Batlle y Ordóñez|Batlle]] had two terms (1903–07 and 1911–15) during which he instituted major reforms, such as a welfare program, government participation in the economy, and a plural executive.<ref name="dept-state"/>

[[Gabriel Terra]] became president in March 1931. His inauguration coincided with the effects of the [[Great Depression]],<ref name="loc-14"/> and the social climate became tense as a result of the lack of jobs. There were confrontations in which police and leftists died.<ref name="loc-14"/> In 1933, Terra organized a coup d'état, dissolving the General Assembly and governing by decree.<ref name="loc-14"/> A new constitution was promulgated in 1934, transferring powers to the president.<ref name="loc-14"/> In general, the Terra government weakened or neutralized economic nationalism and social reform.<ref name="loc-14">{{csref|country=uruguay|section=The Conservative Adjustment, 1931–43|last1=Jacob |first1=Raúl |last2=Weinstein |first2=Martin |pd=no}} pp. [http://countrystudies.us/uruguay/14.htm 27–33] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429204151/http://countrystudies.us/uruguay/14.htm|date=29 April 2011}}</ref>

In 1938, general elections were held, and Terra's brother-in-law, General [[Alfredo Baldomir]], was elected president. Under pressure from organized labor and the National Party, Baldomir advocated free elections, freedom of the press, and a new constitution.<ref name="loc-15"/> Although Baldomir declared Uruguay neutral in 1939, British warships and the German ship {{ship|German cruiser|Admiral Graf Spee||2}} fought [[Battle of the River Plate|a battle]] not far off Uruguay's coast.<ref name="loc-15"/> The ''Admiral Graf Spee'' took refuge in [[Montevideo]], claiming sanctuary in a neutral port, but was later ordered out.<ref name="loc-15">{{csref|country=uruguay|section=Baldomir and the End of Dictatorship|last1=Jacob |first1=Raúl |last2=Weinstein |first2=Martin |pd=no}} pp. [http://countrystudies.us/uruguay/15.htm 31–33] {{webarchive|date=30 April 2011 |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430025438/http://countrystudies.us/uruguay/15.htm}}</ref>

[[File:Admiral Graf Spee Flames.jpg|thumb|left|The sinking of the German cruiser [[German cruiser Admiral Graf Spee|''Admiral Graf Spee'']] is the most known event occurring in [[Uruguay during World War II]].]]
In 1945, Uruguay formally signed the [[Declaration by United Nations|Declaration by the United Nations]] and entered [[World War II]], leading the country to declare war on [[Nazi Germany|Germany]] and [[Empire of Japan|Japan]]. Following the end of the war, it became a founding member of the [[United Nations]].

An armed group of [[Marxism–Leninism|Marxist–Leninist]] urban guerrillas, known as the [[Tupamaros]], emerged in the 1960s, engaging in activities such as bank robbery, kidnapping, and assassination, in addition to attempting an overthrow of the government.<ref>{{Cite news |date=11 August 1970 |title=Kidnapped U.S. Official Found Slain in Uruguay |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/08/11/archives/kidnapped-us-official-found-slain-in-uruguay-body-of-abducted-us.html |access-date=19 October 2024 |work=The New York Times |page=1}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Schrader |first=Stuart |date=10 August 2020 |title=From Police Reform to Police Repression: 50 Years after an Assassination |url=https://nacla.org/uruguay-police-killing-anniversary |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=NACLA |language=en}}</ref>

=== Civic-military dictatorship ===
[[File:Museo de la Memoria - 2022 03.jpg|thumb|Garments worn by prisoners during the dictatorship, exhibited at the [[Museo de la Memoria (Uruguay)|Museum of Memory]]]]

President [[Jorge Pacheco Areco|Jorge Pacheco]] declared a state of emergency in 1968, followed by a further suspension of civil liberties in 1972. In 1973, amid increasing economic and political turmoil, the armed forces, asked by President [[Juan María Bordaberry]], disbanded Parliament and established a [[Civic-military dictatorship of Uruguay|civilian-military regime]].<ref name="dept-state"/> The [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]]-backed campaign of political repression and state terror involving intelligence operations and assassination of opponents was called [[Operation Condor]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dinges |first1=John |title=Operation Condor |url=http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/chile/operation-condor.htm |website=latinamericanstudies.org |publisher=Columbia University |access-date=6 July 2018 |archive-date=22 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180722031734/http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/chile/operation-condor.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Marcetic |first1=Branco |title=The CIA's Secret Global War Against the Left |url=https://jacobin.com/2020/11/operation-condor-cia-latin-america-repression-torture |access-date=22 June 2023 |publisher=Jacobin |date=30 November 2020 |archive-date=22 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230622185604/https://jacobin.com/2020/11/operation-condor-cia-latin-america-repression-torture |url-status=live }}</ref>

According to one source, around 180 Uruguayans are known to have been killed and disappeared, with thousands more illegally detained and tortured during the 12-year civil-military rule from 1973 to 1985.<ref>{{cite news|title=New find in Uruguay 'missing' dig|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/4494286.stm|work=BBC News|access-date=4 February 2011|date=3 December 2005|archive-date=11 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511151500/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/4494286.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> Most were killed in Argentina and other neighboring countries, with 36 of them having been killed in Uruguay.<ref>{{cite news|title=Uruguay dig finds 'disappeared'.|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4485288.stm|work=BBC News|access-date=4 February 2011|date=30 November 2005|archive-date=4 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110504081010/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4485288.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> According to Edy Kaufman (cited by David Altman<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/288427223|title=Direct Democracy Worldwide|last=Altman|first=David|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2010|isbn=978-1107427099}}</ref>), Uruguay at the time had the highest per capita number of political prisoners in the world. "Kaufman, who spoke at the U.S. Congressional Hearings of 1976 on behalf of [[Amnesty International]], estimated that one in every five Uruguayans went into exile, one in fifty were detained, and one in five hundred went to prison (most of them tortured)." Social spending was reduced, and many state-owned companies were privatized. However, the economy did not improve and deteriorated after 1980; the [[gross domestic product]] (GDP) fell by 20%, and unemployment rose to 17%. The state intervened by trying to bail out failing companies and banks.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jacob |first1=Raúl |last2=Weinstein |first2=Martin |editor1=Rex A. Hudson |editor2=Sandra W. Meditz |title=Uruguay: A country study |pages=44–46 |date=1992 |publisher=Federal Research Division, Library of Congress |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.31822015230782&seq=84 |isbn=978-0-8444-0737-1 |edition=2nd |chapter=The military Government 1973–80: The Military's Economic Record}}</ref>{{rp|45}}

=== Return to democracy (1984–present) ===
[[File:Batlle1.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Former Uruguayan president [[Jorge Batlle]] with former U.S. president [[George H. W. Bush]] in 2003]]

A new constitution, drafted by the military, was rejected in a November 1980 referendum.<ref name="dept-state"/> Following the referendum, the armed forces announced a plan for the return to civilian rule, and national elections were held in 1984.<ref name="dept-state"/> [[Colorado Party (Uruguay)|Colorado Party]] leader [[Julio María Sanguinetti]] won the presidency and served from 1985 to 1990. The first Sanguinetti administration implemented economic reforms and consolidated democracy following the country's years under military rule.<ref name="dept-state"/> The National Party's [[Luis Alberto Lacalle]] won the 1989 presidential election, and a referendum endorsed amnesty for human rights abusers. Sanguinetti was then reelected in 1994.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1229362.stm|title=Uruguay timeline|work=BBC News|access-date=27 April 2011|date=12 April 2011|archive-date=27 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110527054941/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1229362.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> Both presidents continued the economic structural reforms initiated after the reinstatement of democracy.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gillespie |first=Charles G. |date=1987 |title=From Authoritarian Crises to Democratic Transitions |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0023879100037092 |journal=Latin American Research Review |volume=22 |issue=3 |pages=165–184 |doi=10.1017/s0023879100037092 |issn=0023-8791}}</ref>

The 1999 national elections were held under a new electoral system established by a 1996 constitutional amendment.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Uruguay (04/02) |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/outofdate/bgn/uruguay/20690.htm |access-date=2024-10-20 |website=U.S. Department of State |at=History}}</ref> Colorado Party candidate [[Jorge Batlle]], aided by the support of the National Party, defeated [[Broad Front (Uruguay)|Broad Front]] candidate [[Tabaré Vázquez]]. The formal coalition ended in November 2002, when the Blancos withdrew their ministers from the cabinet,<ref name="dept-state" /> although the Blancos continued to support the Colorados on most issues. Low commodity prices and economic difficulties in Uruguay's main export markets (starting in Brazil with the devaluation of the [[Brazilian real|real]], then in [[Argentine economic crisis (1999–2002)|Argentina in 2002]]) caused a severe recession; the economy contracted by 11%, unemployment climbed to 21%, and the percentage of Uruguayans in poverty rose to over 30%.<ref name="cong-r">{{cite web |last=Meyer |first=Peter J. |date=4 January 2010 |title=Uruguay: Political and Economic Conditions and U.S. Relations |url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R40909.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100208201408/http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R40909.pdf |archive-date=8 February 2010 |access-date=24 February 2011 |publisher=Congressional Research Service}}</ref>

In 2004, Uruguayans elected [[Tabaré Vázquez]] as president while giving the Broad Front a majority in both houses of Parliament.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/01/world/americas/uruguays-left-makes-history-by-winning-presidential-vote.html|title=Uruguay's Left Makes History by Winning Presidential Vote|newspaper=The New York Times|date=November 2004|last1=Rohter|first1=Larry|access-date=2 April 2021|archive-date=23 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210323130246/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/01/world/americas/uruguays-left-makes-history-by-winning-presidential-vote.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Vázquez stuck to economic orthodoxy. As commodity prices soared and the economy recovered from the recession, he tripled foreign investment, cut poverty and unemployment, cut [[Government debt|public debt]] from 79% of GDP to 60%, and kept inflation steady.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2009/10/22/the-mystery-behind-mujicas-mask|title=The mystery behind Mujica's mask|date=22 October 2009|newspaper=The Economist|access-date=24 February 2011|archive-date=3 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110203013432/http://www.economist.com/node/14700728|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2009, [[José Mujica]], a former left-wing guerrilla leader (Tupamaros) who spent almost 15 years in prison during the country's military rule, emerged as the new president as the Broad Front won the election for a second time.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Barrionuevo |first1=Alexei |date=29 November 2009 |title=Leftist Wins Uruguay Presidential Vote |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/30/world/americas/30uruguay.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414133233/https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/30/world/americas/30uruguay.html |archive-date=14 April 2021 |access-date=2 April 2021 |newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Piette |first=Candace |date=30 November 2009 |title=Uruguay elects José Mujica as president, polls show |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8385092.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110208000831/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8385092.stm |archive-date=8 February 2011 |access-date=24 February 2011 |work=BBC News}}</ref> [[Abortion in Uruguay|Abortion]] was legalized in 2012,<ref>{{Cite news |date=17 October 2012 |title=Uruguay legalises abortion |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-19986107 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170513024044/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-19986107 |archive-date=13 May 2017 |access-date=2 April 2021 |work=BBC News}}</ref> followed by [[Same-sex marriage in Uruguay|same-sex marriage]]<ref>{{Cite news |date=5 August 2013 |title=Same-sex marriage bill comes into force in Uruguay |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-23571197 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210408183713/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-23571197 |archive-date=8 April 2021 |access-date=2 April 2021 |work=BBC News}}</ref> and [[Legality of cannabis in Uruguay|cannabis]] in the following year,<ref>{{Cite news |date=3 April 2019 |title=Uruguay: The world's marijuana pioneer |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-47785648 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210401152212/https://www.bbc.com/news/business-47785648 |archive-date=1 April 2021 |access-date=2 April 2021 |work=BBC News}}</ref> making Uruguay the first country in the modern era to legalize cannabis.

In 2014, Tabaré Vázquez was elected to a non-consecutive second presidential term, which began on 1 March 2015.<ref>{{Cite news|url = https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-30268862 |title = Tabare Vazquez wins Uruguay's run-off election|work = BBC News |date = December 2014|access-date = 2 April 2021|archive-date = 14 April 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210414080118/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-30268862 |url-status = live}}</ref> In 2020, after 15 years of left-wing rule, he was succeeded by [[Luis Alberto Lacalle Pou]], a member of the conservative [[National Party (Uruguay)|National Party]], as the 42nd President of Uruguay.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.france24.com/en/20200301-uruguay-s-new-center-right-president-sworn-in |title = Uruguay's new center-right president sworn in |date = March 2020|access-date = 2 April 2021 |archive-date = 14 April 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210414044459/https://www.france24.com/en/20200301-uruguay-s-new-center-right-president-sworn-in |url-status = live}}</ref> On 1 March 2025, [[Yamandú Orsi|Yamandu Orsi]] took office as Uruguay's new president, as the left-wing coalition of the Broad Front returned to power after a five-year interruption.<ref>{{cite news |title=Uruguay's new leftist president takes office |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/uruguay-s-new-leftist-president-takes-office/7994077.html |work=Voice of America |date=2 March 2025 |language=en}}</ref>

== Geography ==
{{Main|Geography of Uruguay}}

{{See also|Geology of Uruguay}}

[[File:Territorio Marítimo Uruguayo - Mapa Oficial.jpg|thumb|Map of Uruguay; including its [[Departments of Uruguay|19 departments]], [[territorial sea]], [[exclusive economic zone]] and [[extended continental shelf]]]]

With {{convert|176214|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}} of continental land and {{convert|125436|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}} of [[territorial waters]],<ref name="encifras">{{cite web|language=es |publisher=National Institute of Statistics |title=Uruguay in Numbers |url=http://www.ine.gub.uy/biblioteca/uruguayencifras2006/Territorio%20y%20medio%20ambiente.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113231013/http://www.ine.gub.uy/biblioteca/uruguayencifras2006/Territorio%20y%20medio%20ambiente.pdf |archive-date=13 November 2013}}</ref> Uruguay is the second-smallest sovereign nation in South America (after [[Suriname]]) and the third smallest territory ([[French Guiana]] is the smallest).<ref name="CIA">{{cite web |author=Central Intelligence Agency |title=Uruguay |work=The World Factbook |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |location=Langley, Virginia |year=2016 |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/uruguay/ |access-date=1 January 2017}}</ref> The landscape features mostly rolling plains and low hill ranges (''cuchillas'') with a fertile coastal lowland.<ref name="CIA" /> Uruguay has {{convert|660|km|mi|0|sp=us|abbr=on}} of [[Coastline paradox|coastline]].<ref name=CIA/> The highest point in the country is the [[Cerro Catedral (Uruguay)|Cerro Catedral]], whose peak reaches {{convert|514|m|ft|0|sp=us|abbr=on}} [[Above mean sea level|AMSL]] in the ''Sierra Carapé'' hill range. To the southwest is the [[Río de la Plata]], the estuary of the Uruguay River (the river which forms the country's western border).

A dense fluvial network covers the country, consisting of four river basins, or deltas: the [[Río de la Plata Basin]], the [[Uruguay River]], the [[Lagoa Mirim|Laguna Merín]], and the Río Negro. The major internal river is the [[Río Negro (Uruguay)|Río Negro]] ("Black River"), dammed in 1945, resulting in the formation of the artificial [[Rincón del Bonete Lake]] in the heart of Uruguay. Several lagoons are found along the Atlantic coast.

Montevideo is the southernmost national capital in the Americas and the third most southerly in the world (after [[Canberra]] and [[Wellington]]). Uruguay is the only country in South America situated entirely south of the [[Tropic of Capricorn]], and is the southernmost sovereign state in the world [[list of countries by northernmost point|when ordered by northernmost point of latitude]]. There are ten [[List of national parks of Uruguay|national parks in Uruguay]]: Five in the wetland areas of the east, three in the central hill country, and one in the west along the Rio Uruguay. Uruguay is home to the [[Uruguayan savanna]] terrestrial ecoregion.<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">{{cite journal |last1=Dinerstein |first1=Eric |last2=Olson |first2=David |last3=Joshi |first3=Anup |last4=Vynne |first4=Carly |last5=Burgess |first5=Neil D. |last6=Wikramanayake |first6=Eric |last7=Hahn |first7=Nathan |last8=Palminteri |first8=Suzanne |last9=Hedao |first9=Prashant |last10=Noss |first10=Reed |last11=Hansen |first11=Matt |last12=Locke |first12=Harvey |last13=Ellis |first13=Erle C |last14=Jones |first14=Benjamin |last15=Barber |first15=Charles Victor |display-authors=1 |year=2017 |title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm |journal=BioScience |volume=67 |issue=6 |pages=534–545 |doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014 |issn=0006-3568 |pmc=5451287 |pmid=28608869 |doi-access=free |last16=Hayes |first16=Randy |last17=Kormos |first17=Cyril |last18=Martin |first18=Vance |last19=Crist |first19=Eileen |last20=Sechrest |first20=Wes |last21=Price |first21=Lori |last22=Baillie |first22=Jonathan E. M. |last23=Weeden |first23=Don |last24=Suckling |first24=Kierán |last25=Davis |first25=Crystal |last26=Sizer |first26=Nigel |last27=Moore |first27=Rebecca |last28=Thau |first28=David |last29=Birch |first29=Tanya |last30=Potapov |first30=Peter |last31=Turubanova |first31=Svetlana |last32=Tyukavina |first32=Alexandra |last33=de Souza |first33=Nadia |last34=Pintea |first34=Lilian |last35=Brito |first35=José C. |last36=Llewellyn |first36=Othman A. |last37=Miller |first37=Anthony G. |last38=Patzelt |first38=Annette |last39=Ghazanfar |first39=Shahina A. |last40=Timberlake |first40=Jonathan |last41=Klöser |first41=Heinz |last42=Shennan-Farpón |first42=Yara |last43=Kindt |first43=Roeland |last44=Lillesø |first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow |last45=van Breugel |first45=Paulo |last46=Graudal |first46=Lars |last47=Voge |first47=Maianna |last48=Al-Shammari |first48=Khalaf F. |last49=Saleem |first49=Muhammad}}</ref> The country had a 2019 [[Forest Landscape Integrity Index]] mean score of 3.61/10, ranking it 147th globally out of 172 countries.<ref name="FLII-Supplementary">{{cite journal |last1=Grantham |first1=H. S. |last2=Duncan |first2=A. |last3=Evans |first3=T. D. |last4=Jones |first4=K. R. |last5=Beyer |first5=H. L. |last6=Schuster |first6=R. |last7=Walston |first7=J. |last8=Ray |first8=J. C. |last9=Robinson |first9=J. G. |last10=Callow |first10=M. |last11=Clements |first11=T. |last12=Costa |first12=H. M. |last13=DeGemmis |first13=A. |last14=Elsen |first14=P. R. |last15=Ervin |first15=J. |display-authors=1 |year=2020 |title=Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity – Supplementary Material |journal=Nature Communications |volume=11 |issue=1 |page=5978 |bibcode=2020NatCo..11.5978G |doi=10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3 |issn=2041-1723 |pmc=7723057 |pmid=33293507 |doi-access=free |last16=Franco |first16=P. |last17=Goldman |first17=E. |last18=Goetz |first18=S. |last19=Hansen |first19=A. |last20=Hofsvang |first20=E. |last21=Jantz |first21=P. |last22=Jupiter |first22=S. |last23=Kang |first23=A. |last24=Langhammer |first24=P. |last25=Laurance |first25=W. F. |last26=Lieberman |first26=S. |last27=Linkie |first27=M. |last28=Malhi |first28=Y. |last29=Maxwell |first29=S. |last30=Mendez |first30=M. |last31=Mittermeier |first31=R. |last32=Murray |first32=N. J. |last33=Possingham |first33=H. |last34=Radachowsky |first34=J. |last35=Saatchi |first35=S. |last36=Samper |first36=C. |last37=Silverman |first37=J. |last38=Shapiro |first38=A. |last39=Strassburg |first39=B. |last40=Stevens |first40=T. |last41=Stokes |first41=E. |last42=Taylor |first42=R. |last43=Tear |first43=T. |last44=Tizard |first44=R. |last45=Venter |first45=O. |last46=Visconti |first46=P. |last47=Wang |first47=S. |last48=Watson |first48=J. E. M.}}</ref>

=== Climate ===
{{Main|Climate of Uruguay}}

[[File:Koppen-Geiger Map URY present.svg|thumb|Köppen–Geiger climate classification map for Uruguay]]
Located entirely within the southern temperate zone, Uruguay has a climate that is relatively mild and fairly uniform nationwide.<ref name="loc-27"/> According to the [[Köppen climate classification]], most of the country has a [[humid subtropical climate]] (Cfa). Only in some spots of the Atlantic Coast and at the summit of the highest hills of the [[Cuchilla Grande]] the climate is [[oceanic climate|oceanic]] (Cfb).

The country experiences four seasons, with summer from December to March and winter from June to September. Seasonal variations are pronounced, but extremes in temperature are rare.<ref name="loc-27"/> Summers are tempered by winds off the Atlantic, and severe cold in winter is unknown.<ref name="loc-27" /><ref>{{EB1911|wstitle=Uruguay}}</ref> Although it never gets too cold, frosts occur every year during the winter months, and precipitation such as sleet and hail occur almost every winter, but snow is very rare; it does occur every couple of years at higher elevations, but almost always without accumulation. As would be expected with its abundance of water, high humidity and fog are common.<ref name="loc-27">{{cite web|url=http://countrystudies.us/uruguay/27.htm|title=Climate – Uruguay|publisher=Library of Congress Country Studies|access-date=23 February 2011|archive-date=30 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430025510/http://countrystudies.us/uruguay/27.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

The absence of mountains, which act as weather barriers, makes all locations vulnerable to high winds and rapid changes in weather as fronts or storms sweep across the country.<ref name="loc-27"/> These storms can be strong; they can bring [[squall]]s, [[hail]], and sometimes even [[tornado]]es.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Quinones |first=Nelson |date=16 April 2016 |title=Tornado kills 4, injures hundreds in Uruguay |url=https://www.cnn.com/2016/04/16/americas/uruguay-tornado/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231014112935/https://www.cnn.com/2016/04/16/americas/uruguay-tornado/index.html |archive-date=14 October 2023 |access-date=2022-11-08 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref> The country experiences [[extratropical cyclone]]s but no tropical cyclones, due to the fact that the [[Atlantic Ocean|South Atlantic Ocean]] is rarely warm enough for their development. Both summer and winter weather may vary from day to day with the passing of storm fronts, where a hot northerly wind may occasionally be followed by a cold wind ([[Pampero (wind)|pampero]]) from the Argentine [[Pampas]].<ref name="britannica"/>

Even though both temperature and precipitation are quite uniform nationwide, there are considerable differences across the territory. The average annual temperature of the country is {{convert|17.5|C|F}}, ranging from {{convert|16|C|F}} in the southeast to {{convert|19|C|F}} in the northwest.<ref name="inumet.gub.uy">{{Cite web |title=Características climáticas {{!}} Inumet |trans-title=Climatic Characteristics {{!}} Inumet |url=https://www.inumet.gub.uy/clima/estadisticas-climatologicas/caracteristicas-climaticas |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221108135502/https://www.inumet.gub.uy/clima/estadisticas-climatologicas/caracteristicas-climaticas |archive-date=8 November 2022 |access-date=2022-11-08 |website=www.inumet.gub.uy}}</ref> Winter temperatures range from a daily average of {{convert|11|C|F}} in the south to {{convert|14|C|F}} in the north, while summer average daily temperatures range from {{convert|21|C|F}} in the southeast to {{convert|25|C|F}} in the northwest.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Climatología estacional {{!}} Inumet |url=https://www.inumet.gub.uy/clima/climatologia-estacional |access-date=2022-11-08 |website=www.inumet.gub.uy |archive-date=8 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221108135504/https://www.inumet.gub.uy/clima/climatologia-estacional |url-status=live }}</ref> The southeast is considerably cooler than the rest of the country, especially during spring, when the ocean with cold water after the winter cools down the temperature of the air and brings more humidity to that region. However, the south of the country receives less precipitation than the north. For example, Montevideo receives approximately {{convert|1100|mm|in|sp=us|abbr=on}} of precipitation per year, while the city of Rivera in the northeast receives {{convert|1600|mm|in|sp=us|abbr=on}}.<ref name="inumet.gub.uy"/> The heaviest precipitation occurs during the autumn months, although more frequent rainy spells occur in winter.<ref name="britannica"/> But periods of drought or excessive rain can occur anytime during the year.

National extreme temperatures at sea level are {{convert|44|C|F}} in [[Paysandú]] city (20 January 1943) and [[Florida, Uruguay|Florida]] city (14 January 2022)<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-01-14 |title=Ola de calor: Florida registró un récord histórico de temperatura |trans-title=Heat wave: Florida recorded a historic temperature record |url=https://ladiaria.com.uy/politica/articulo/2022/1/ola-de-calor-florida-registro-un-record-historico-de-temperatura/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220114235000/https://ladiaria.com.uy/politica/articulo/2022/1/ola-de-calor-florida-registro-un-record-historico-de-temperatura/ |archive-date=14 January 2022 |access-date=2022-11-08 |website=la diaria |language=es-UY}}</ref> and {{convert|−11.0|C|F}} in [[Melo, Uruguay|Melo]] city (14 June 1967).<ref>[http://www.rau.edu.uy/uruguay/geografia/records.txt RECORDS METEOROLOGICOS EN EL URUGUAY — Boletín Meteorológico Mensual – Dirección Nacional de Meteorología] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150609015041/http://www.rau.edu.uy/uruguay/geografia/records.txt |date=9 June 2015 }}. None. Retrieved on 25 June 2012.</ref>

== Government and politics ==
{{Main|Politics of Uruguay}}

=== Government ===
{{Multiple image
| direction         = horizontal
| align             = right
| caption_align     = center
| total_width       = 260
| image1            = Yamandú Orsi 2025.jpg
| caption1          = [[Yamandú Orsi]]<br />[[President of Uruguay|President]]
| image2            = Intendenta de Montevideo Carolina Cosse (cropped).jpg
| caption2          = [[Carolina Cosse]]<br />[[Vice President of Uruguay|Vice President]]
}}
{{Multiple image
| image1            = Edificio Independencia (4853568317) (cropped).jpg
| caption1          = [[Executive Tower, Montevideo|Executive Tower]], official workplace of the president of the Republic
| image2            = Palacio Legislativo--.JPG
| caption2          = The [[Legislative Palace of Uruguay|Legislative Palace]], inaugurated in 1925, is the seat of the General Assembly.
| image3            = Fachada del Palacio Piria con detalles de la fina construccion.JPG
| caption3          = [[Palacio Piria]], seat of the Supreme Court
| direction         = vertical
| total_width       = 250
}}

Uruguay is a [[representative democracy|representative democratic]] republic with a [[presidential system]].<ref name="biz-guide" /> The Uruguayan Constitution establishes a [[separation of powers]] intended to provide a system of [[checks and balances]] and members of government are elected for a five-year term by a [[universal suffrage]] system.<ref name="biz-guide" /> Uruguay is a [[unitary state]]: justice, education, health, security, foreign policy and defense are all administered nationwide.<ref name="biz-guide">{{cite web|url=http://www.uruguayxxi.gub.uy/innovaportal/file/528/1/business_guide_uruguay_xxi_-_november_2009.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501084128/http://www.uruguayxxi.gub.uy/innovaportal/file/528/1/business_guide_uruguay_xxi_-_november_2009.pdf|archive-date=1 May 2011|title=Business Guide|publisher=Uruguay XXI|access-date=25 February 2011}}</ref>

The Executive branch is exercised by the [[President of Uruguay|president of the Republic]] who serves both as [[head of state]] and [[head of government]], along with a [[Cabinet of Uruguay|Council of Ministers]] of 14 [[List of ministries of Uruguay|members]].<ref name="biz-guide" /> Together with the [[Vice President of Uruguay|Vice President]], the President is elected through a direct popular vote for a five-year term, with no possibility of immediate re-election. Each party presents a single presidential ticket—determined through primary elections—and the winning ticket must receive an absolute majority of votes.<ref name=":02">{{Cite book |last=Korzeniak |first=José |title=Primer curso de Derecho Público |publisher=Fundación de Cultura Universitaria |year=2001 |isbn=9974203775 |edition=3rd |location=Montevideo |pages=443–450 |language=es}}</ref>

The Legislative branch is constituted by the [[General Assembly of Uruguay|General Assembly]], a [[bicameral legislature]] made up of the [[Chamber of Deputies of Uruguay|Chamber of Representatives]] and the [[Senate of Uruguay|Chamber of Senators]]. The former consists of 99 members representing the 19 departments, elected for a five-year term based on proportional representation, while the latter comprises 31 members—30 elected for five-year terms by proportional representation—and the Vice President, who presides over the chamber and has the right to vote.<ref name="biz-guide" /> Parliamentary elections are held jointly with the presidential election in a general vote.<ref name=":02" />

The Judicial branch is headed by the [[Supreme Court of Uruguay|Supreme Court]], whose members—known as “Ministers”—are appointed by the [[General Assembly of Uruguay|General Assembly]] with a two-thirds majority and serve ten-year terms or until reaching the age of 70.<ref name=":03">{{Cite web |title=Uruguay's Constitution of 1966, Reinstated in 1985, with Amendments through 2004 |url=https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Uruguay_2004.pdf?lang=en}}</ref> The Court functions as the highest appellate body and the court of last resort, while also reviewing the constitutionality of laws.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ley N° 15750 |url=https://www.impo.com.uy/bases/leyes/15750-1985/53 |access-date=2024-04-16 |website=www.impo.com.uy}}</ref> Below it are the Courts of Appeals—each composed of three members—and the Lawyer Judges and the Justices of the Peace, the latter two being single-member courts, with all appointed by the Supreme Court.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Juzgados y tribunales |url=https://www.poderjudicial.gub.uy/institucional/juzgados-y-tribunales.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250719031309/https://www.poderjudicial.gub.uy/institucional/juzgados-y-tribunales.html |archive-date=2025-07-19 |access-date=2025-09-19 |website=www.poderjudicial.gub.uy |language=es-ES}}</ref>

Uruguay adopted its [[Constitution of Uruguay#Sixth Constitution (1967–1997)|current constitution]] in 1967, with the most recent reform occurring in [[Constitution of Uruguay of 1997|1997]].<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/details.jsp?id=7541|title=Uruguay: The Uruguayan Constitution|via=www.wipo.int|language=en|access-date=10 May 2017|archive-date=23 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923194400/http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/details.jsp?id=7541|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Uruguay_2004.pdf?lang=en|title=Uruguay's Constitution of 1966, Reinstated in 1985, with Amendments through 2004|date=28 March 2017|website=constituteproject.org|access-date=10 May 2017|archive-date=24 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170924001523/https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Uruguay_2004.pdf?lang=en|url-status=live}}</ref> Drawing on Switzerland and its use of the initiative, the Uruguayan Constitution allows citizens to propose bills, call for referendums to repeal laws, and submit constitutional reform proposals, which are ultimately decided in a nationwide referendum.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Democracia directa en Uruguay |url=https://www.elobservador.com.uy/nota/democracia-directa-en-uruguay-20218155040 |access-date=2025-09-19 |website=El Observador |language=es-UY}}</ref>

For most of Uruguay's history, the country was characterized by a two-party system between the [[Colorado Party (Uruguay)|Colorado]] and [[National Party (Uruguay)|National]] parties, although the former held power for longer periods.<ref>{{Cite book|title=A History of Organized Labor in Uruguay and Paraguay|last=Alexander|first=Robert|publisher=Praeger|year=2005|isbn=978-0275977450}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Verdesio|first=Gustavo|date=1 June 2010|title=EL DÍA DE LA INDEPENDENCIA O DOSCIENTOS AÑOS DE INCERTIDUMBRE: LA INDECIDIBILIDAD DE UNA FECHA EN EL URUGUAY POST-INDEPENDENCIA.|journal=Revista de Critica Literaria Latinoamericana, 2010|volume=36|issue=71|pages=75–99|issn=0252-8843}}</ref> At certain times, Uruguay has had periods of collegial executive governance. The earlier period, under the [[National Council of Administration]] (1919–1933), was a diarchic system in which the Council shared executive power with the President and Cabinet.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Buquet |first=Daniel |url=http://www.scielo.edu.uy/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1688-499X2018000100019 |title=Construyendo un equilibrio democrático: La reforma constitucional de Uruguay en 1917 |last2=Moraes |first2=Juan Andrés |publisher=Revista Uruguaya de Ciencia Política |year=2018 |volume=27 |location=Montevideo |trans-title=Building a Democratic Balance: Uruguay’s 1917 Constitutional Reform}}</ref> The later period, under the [[National Council of Government (Uruguay)|National Council of Government]] (1952–1967), authority was largely concentrated in the Council itself, which acted as the sole executive body.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Creación y evolución histórica |url=https://www.gub.uy/presidencia/institucional/creacion-evolucion-historica |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250707130705/https://www.gub.uy/presidencia/institucional/creacion-evolucion-historica |archive-date=2025-07-07 |access-date=2025-09-19 |website=Presidencia Uruguay |language=es}}</ref>

In 2024, Uruguay was classified as a "full democracy" by [[The Economist]]’s [[The Economist Democracy Index|Democracy Index]], ranking 15th globally and first in Latin America.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-03-28 |title=Uruguay’s Democracy: A Model for Stability in Latin America |url=https://hir.harvard.edu/uruguays-democracy-a-model-for-stability-in-latin-america/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250813011451/https://hir.harvard.edu/uruguays-democracy-a-model-for-stability-in-latin-america/ |archive-date=2025-08-13 |access-date=2025-09-19 |website=Harvard International Review |language=en}}</ref> [[Latinobarómetro]] surveys consistently place the country among the highest in terms of public support for democracy and satisfaction with it.<ref>{{cite news |date=2 December 2010 |title=The democratic routine |url=https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2010/12/02/the-democratic-routine |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110127105647/http://www.economist.com/node/17627929 |archive-date=27 January 2011 |access-date=23 February 2011 |newspaper=The Economist}}</ref> Moreover, according to the 2023 [[V-Dem Democracy indices|V-Dem Democracy Indices]], Uruguay ranked 31st in the world for electoral democracy and 2nd globally—behind Switzerland—for citizen-initiated direct democracy.<ref name="vdem_dataset">{{cite journal |first8=Michael |last8=Bernhard |first9=Agnes |last9=Cornell |first10=M. Steven |last10=Fish |first11=Lisa |last11=Gastaldi |first12=Haakon |last12=Gjerløw |first13=Adam |last13=Glynn |first14=Allen |last14=Hicken |first15=Garry |last15=Hindle |first16=Nina |last16=Ilchenko |first17=Joshua |last17=Krusell |first18=Anna |last18=Lührmann |first19=Seraphine F. |last19=Maerz |first20=Kyle L. |last20=Marquardt |first21=Kelly |last21=McMann |first22=Valeriya |last22=Mechkova |first23=Juraj |last23=Medzihorsky |first24=Pamela |last24=Paxton |first25=Daniel |last25=Pemstein |first26=Josefine |last26=Pernes |first27=Johannes |last27=von Römer |first28=Brigitte |last28=Seim |first29=Rachel |last29=Sigman |first30=Svend-Erik |last30=Skaaning |first31=Jeffrey |last31=Staton |first32=Aksel |last32=Sundström |first33=Eitan |last33=Tzelgov |author34=Yi-ting Wang |first35=Tore |last35=Wig |first36=Steven |last36=Wilson |first37=Daniel |last37=Ziblatt |title=V-Dem [Country–Year/Country–Date] Dataset v11.1 |journal=Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Project |url=https://doi.org/10.23696/vdemds21 |doi=10.23696/vdemds21 |last1=Coppedge |first1=Michael |last2=Gerring |first2=John |last3=Knutsen |first3=Carl Henrik |last4=Lindberg |first4=Staffan I. |last5=Teorell |first5=Jan |last6=Alizada |first6=Nazifa |last7=Altman |first7=David |date=2021 |display-authors=7 |archive-date=7 August 2023 |access-date=20 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230807060439/https://www.v-dem.net/data/dataset-archive/ |url-status=dead }}.</ref>

=== Administrative divisions ===
{{Main|Departments of Uruguay}}

[[File:Uruguay, administrative divisions - es - colored.svg|thumb|Uruguay is divided into [[Departments of Uruguay|19 departments]].]]
Uruguay is divided into 19 [[Department (administrative division)|departments]] whose local administrations replicate the division of the executive and legislative powers.<ref name="biz-guide"/> Each department elects its own authorities through a [[Universal suffrage|universal suffrage system]].<ref name="biz-guide"/> The departmental executive authority resides in a superintendent and the legislative authority in a departmental board.<ref name="biz-guide"/>

{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!rowspan=2|Department
!rowspan=2|Capital
!colspan=2|Area
!rowspan=2|Population (2023 census)<ref name="pop-ine">{{cite web|url=http://www.ine.gub.uy/censos2011/index.html |title=Censos 2011 – Instituto Nacional de Estadistica |publisher=Instituto Nacional de Estadística |access-date=13 January 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112153208/http://www.ine.gub.uy/censos2011/index.html |archive-date=12 January 2012}}</ref>
|-
!km<sup>2</sup>
!sq mi
|-
|[[Artigas Department|Artigas]]||[[Artigas, Uruguay|Artigas]]
|{{convert|11928|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|align=right|77,487
|-
|[[Canelones Department|Canelones]]||[[Canelones, Uruguay|Canelones]]
|{{convert|4536|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|align=right|608,956
|-
|[[Cerro Largo Department|Cerro Largo]]||[[Melo, Uruguay|Melo]]
|{{convert|13648|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|align=right|91,025
|-
|[[Colonia Department|Colonia]]||[[Colonia del Sacramento]]
|{{convert|6106|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|align=right|135,797
|-
|[[Durazno Department|Durazno]]||[[Durazno]]
|{{convert|11643|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|align=right|62,011
|-
|[[Flores Department|Flores]]||[[Trinidad, Uruguay|Trinidad]]
|{{convert|5144|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|align=right|26,271
|-
|[[Florida Department|Florida]]||[[Florida, Uruguay|Florida]]
|{{convert|10417|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|align=right|70,325
|-
|[[Lavalleja Department|Lavalleja]]||[[Minas, Uruguay|Minas]]
|{{convert|10016|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|align=right|59,175
|-
|[[Maldonado Department|Maldonado]]||[[Maldonado, Uruguay|Maldonado]]
|{{convert|4793|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|align=right|212,951
|-
|[[Montevideo Department|Montevideo]]||[[Montevideo]]
|{{convert|530|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|align=right|1,302,954
|-
|[[Paysandú Department|Paysandú]]||[[Paysandú]]
|{{convert|13922|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|align=right|121,843
|-
|[[Río Negro Department|Río Negro]]||[[Fray Bentos]]
|{{convert|9282|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|align=right|57,334
|-
|[[Rivera Department|Rivera]]||[[Rivera]]
|{{convert|9370|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|align=right|109,300
|-
|[[Rocha Department|Rocha]]||[[Rocha, Uruguay|Rocha]]
|{{convert|10551|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|align=right|80,707
|-
|[[Salto Department|Salto]]||[[Salto, Uruguay|Salto]]
|{{convert|14163|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|align=right|136,197
|-
|[[San José Department|San José]]||[[San José de Mayo]]
|{{convert|4992|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|align=right|119,714
|-
|[[Soriano Department|Soriano]]||[[Mercedes, Uruguay|Mercedes]]
|{{convert|9008|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|align=right|83,685
|-
|[[Tacuarembó Department|Tacuarembó]]||[[Tacuarembó]]
|{{convert|15438|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|align=right|96,013
|-
|[[Treinta y Tres Department|Treinta y Tres]]||[[Treinta y Tres]]
|{{convert|9529|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|align=right|47,706
|- style="background:#eee;"
|'''Total'''{{NoteTag|Total does not include the {{Convert|1199|km2|abbr=on}} artificial lakes of the Rio Negro.<ref>{{citation|author1=((Unidades Geoestadísticas (UGeo) – Uruguay)) |author2=((División Servicios Técnicos, Unidad de Cartografía)) |chapter=Definiciones geoestadísticas utilizadas en el del Censo de 2004 Fase I; y del Censo de 2011 |page=2 |url=https://www.gub.uy/instituto-nacional-estadistica/datos-y-estadisticas/estadisticas/mapas-unidades-geoestadisticas-2004 |publisher=Instituto Nacional de Estadística |language=es |date=2011 |title=Mapas de Unidades Geoestadísticas 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113202553/http://www.ine.gub.uy/mapas/definiciones%20para%20web.pdf |url-status=live |archive-date=13 November 2013}}. [https://www5.ine.gub.uy/documents/Cartograf%C3%ADa/Mapas%20de%20Unidades%20Geoestad%C3%ADsticas/2004/definiciones%20para%20web.pdf (Direct PDF file download)]</ref>}}||—
|{{convert|175016|km2|sqmi|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|align=right|3,499,451
|}

=== Foreign relations ===
{{Main|Foreign relations of Uruguay}}

[[File:Sede Del Mercosur 02.jpg|thumb|The seat and parliament of [[Mercosur]] are located in Montevideo.]]
The country's foreign policy is directed by the [[Ministry of Foreign Relations (Uruguay)|Ministry of Foreign Relations]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cometidos |url=https://www.gub.uy/ministerio-relaciones-exteriores/institucional/cometidos |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240406201028/https://www.gub.uy/ministerio-relaciones-exteriores/institucional/cometidos |archive-date=6 April 2024 |access-date=2024-05-05 |website=Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores |language=es }}</ref> Uruguay has traditionally had strong political and cultural ties with its neighboring countries and with Europe, and its international relations have been guided by the principles of non-intervention and multilateralism.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bizzozero Revelez |first=Lincoln |title=Uruguay y los procesos de integración regional: Trayectoria, cambios y debates |publisher=Civitas - Revista de Ciências Sociais |year=2010 |location=Porto Alegre |pages=105 |language=es |trans-title=Uruguay and regional integration processes: Trajectory, changes and debates |issn=1519-6089}}</ref> The country is a founding member of international organizations such as the [[United Nations]], the [[Organization of American States]], the [[Mercosur|Southern Common Market]], and the [[Latin American Integration Association]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Políticas e historia |url=https://uy.usembassy.gov/es/our-relationship-es/policy-history-es/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107071600/https://uy.usembassy.gov/es/our-relationship-es/policy-history-es/ |archive-date=7 November 2023 |access-date=2024-05-05 |website=Embajada de Estados Unidos en Uruguay |language=es-ES |url-status=live }}</ref> The headquarters of the latter two are located in its capital [[Montevideo]], for which the role of the city has been compared to that of [[Brussels]] in Europe.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Google Earth Montevideo Map |url=http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/map/google_map_Montevideo.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150328173823/http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/map/google_map_Montevideo.htm |archive-date=28 March 2015 |access-date=5 March 2015 |publisher=One World – Nations Online Project}}</ref>
[[File:04.07.2023 - Fotografia oficial dos chefes de delegação dos países membros, Bolívia, Estados Associados e Convidados Especiais (53022344737).jpg|left|thumb|Uruguayan President [[Luis Lacalle Pou]] (second from right) at the summit of [[Mercosur]] Heads of State in 2023]]
Uruguay has two uncontested boundary disputes with Brazil, over [[Isla Brasilera]] and the {{convert|235|sqkm|abbr=on}} Invernada River region near [[Masoller]]. The two countries disagree on which tributary represents the legitimate source of the [[Quaraí River|Quaraí/Cuareim River]], which would define the border in the latter disputed section, according to the [[1851 Boundary Treaty (Brazil–Uruguay)|1851 border treaty]] between the two countries.<ref name="CIA" /> The disputed areas remain ''de facto'' under Brazilian control, with little to no actual effort by Uruguay to assert its claims. Both countries have friendly diplomatic relations and strong economic ties.

Uruguay is also a founding member of [[The Forum of Small States (FOSS)]], a voluntary and informal grouping at the UN.<ref name="singaporebook">{{Cite book |title=50 Years of Singapore and the United Nations |publisher=World Scientific |year=2015 |isbn=978-981-4713-03-0}}</ref> The country has friendly relations with the United States since its transition back to democracy.<ref name="cong-r" /> Commercial ties between both countries have expanded with the signing of a bilateral investment treaty in 2004 and a [[Trade and Investment Framework Agreement]] in January 2007.<ref name="cong-r" /> The United States and Uruguay have also cooperated on military matters, with both countries playing significant roles in the [[United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti]].<ref name="cong-r" /> In 2017, Uruguay signed the UN [[treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVI-9&chapter=26&clang=_en |title=Chapter XXVI: Disarmament&nbsp;– No. 9 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons |publisher=United Nations Treaty Collection |date=7 July 2017 |access-date=15 August 2019 |archive-date=6 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190806220546/https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVI-9&chapter=26&clang=_en |url-status=live }}</ref> It also rejoined the [[Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance]] (TIAR or "Rio Pact") in 2020.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://theglobalamericans.org/2020/03/uruguay-returns-to-the-inter-american-treaty-of-reciprocal-assistance/|title = Uruguay returns to the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance|date = 19 March 2020|access-date = 6 April 2021|archive-date = 14 April 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210414074602/https://theglobalamericans.org/2020/03/uruguay-returns-to-the-inter-american-treaty-of-reciprocal-assistance/|url-status = live}}</ref>

=== Military ===
{{Main|Military of Uruguay}}

{{Multiple image
| direction         = vertical
| caption_align     = center
| image1            = R.O.C Marine Corps M41A3 Walker Bulldog front view.jpg
| caption1          = Uruguayan Army [[M41 Walker Bulldog]] light tank monument
| image2            = Formación A-37B Fuerza Aérea Uruguaya.jpg
| caption2          = Two [[Cessna A-37 Dragonfly]] of the [[Uruguayan Air Force|Air Force]] during a flypast
}}

The [[Armed Forces of Uruguay|Uruguayan Armed Forces]] are constitutionally subordinate to the president of the Republic, through the minister of defense.<ref name="dept-state" /> Armed forces personnel number about 18,000 for the Army,<ref>{{Cite news |date=2015-10-22 |title=Para Jefe del Ejército, número de efectivos está en "nivel crítico" |trans-title=For the Army Chief, the number of personnel is at a "critical level" |url=https://www.elpais.com.uy/informacion/para-jefe-del-ejercito-numero-de-efectivos-esta-en-nivel-critico |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231210105836/https://www.elpais.com.uy/informacion/para-jefe-del-ejercito-numero-de-efectivos-esta-en-nivel-critico |archive-date=10 December 2023 |access-date=2024-05-05 |work=Diario El País |language=en}}</ref> 6,000 for the [[National Navy of Uruguay|Navy]], and 3,000 for the [[Uruguayan Air Force|Air Force]].<ref name="dept-state" /> Enlistment is voluntary in peacetime, but the government has the authority to conscript in emergencies.<ref name="CIA" />

Uruguay ranks first in the world on a per capita basis for its contributions to the [[United Nations peacekeeping]] forces, with 2,513 soldiers and officers in 10 UN [[peacekeeping]] missions.<ref name="dept-state"/> As of February 2010, Uruguay had 1,136 military personnel deployed to Haiti in support of [[MINUSTAH]] and 1,360 deployed in support of [[MONUC]] in the Congo.<ref name="dept-state"/> In December 2010, Uruguayan Major General Gloodtdofsky, was appointed Chief Military Observer and head of the [[United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.mercopress.com/2010/12/23/uruguayan-major-general-appointed-head-of-un-mission-in-india-and-pakistan|title=Uruguayan Major General appointed head of UN mission in India and Pakistan|date=23 December 2010|publisher=MercoPress|access-date=23 February 2011|archive-date=28 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101228135451/http://en.mercopress.com/2010/12/23/uruguayan-major-general-appointed-head-of-un-mission-in-india-and-pakistan|url-status=live}}</ref>

Since May 2009, homosexuals have been allowed to serve in the military after the defense minister signed a decree stating that military recruitment policy would no longer discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation.<ref>[https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/13/uruguay-to-lift-ban-on-ga_n_203004.html Uruguay To Lift Ban On Gays In The Military] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304035552/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/13/uruguay-to-lift-ban-on-ga_n_203004.html|date=4 March 2016}}. Huffingtonpost.com (13 May 2009). Retrieved on 25 June 2012.</ref> In the fiscal year 2010, the United States provided Uruguay with $1.7&nbsp;million in military assistance, including $1&nbsp;million in [[Foreign Military Financing]] and $480,000 in [[International Military Education and Training]].<ref name="cong-r" />
{{clear}}

== Economy ==
{{Main|Economy of Uruguay}}

[[File:GDP per capita development of Uruguay.svg|thumb|GDP per capita development since 1900]]
[[File:World Trade Center Montevideo.jpg|thumb|[[World Trade Center Montevideo]]]]
In 1991, the country experienced an increase in strikes to obtain wage compensation to offset inflation and to oppose the privatizations desired by the government of Luis Alberto Lacalle. A general strike was called in 1992, and the privatization policy was widely rejected by the referendum.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Molano |first=Walter |date=August 1997 |title=The Political Economy of Privatization: Uruguay's Attempt to Divest Administration Nacional de Telecomunicaciones del Uruguay (ANTEL) |url=https://bvrie.bcu.gub.uy/local/File/JAE/1997/Molano.pdf |journal=Banco Central del Uruguay |publication-place=New York |pages=2, 12}}</ref> In 1994 and 1995, Uruguay faced economic difficulties caused by the liberalization of foreign trade, which increased the trade deficit.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=16 March 1995 |title=Uruguayan Trade Deficit Hits Record High in 1994 |url=https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=12836&context=notisur#:~:text=economy%20resulting%20from%20a%20drop%20in%20Argentine,Argentina%20will%20likely%20decline%2C%20and%20because%20the |journal=Latin American Data Base |issn=1060-4189 |via=University of New Mexico UNM Digital Repository}}</ref> The Montevideo Gas Company and the Pluna airline were turned over to the private sector, but the pace of privatization slowed down in 1996. Uruguay experienced a major economic and financial crisis between 1999 and 2002, principally a [[spillover effect]] from the [[Argentine economic crisis (1999–2002)|economic problems of Argentina]].<ref name="cong-r"/> The economy contracted by 11%, and unemployment climbed to 14–21%.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=March 2001 |title=Uruguay: Recent Economic Developments |url=https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/scr/2001/cr0147.pdf#:~:text=The%20Uruguayan%20economy%20is%20gradually%20emerging%20from,with%20the%20effects%20of%20the%20Mexico%20crisis. |journal=International Monetary Fund |publication-place=Washington, D.C. |issue=1 |page=4}}</ref><ref name="cong-r"/>

In 2004, the Batlle government signed a three-year $1.1&nbsp;billion stand-by arrangement with the [[International Monetary Fund]] (IMF), committing the country to a substantial [[primary surplus|primary fiscal surplus]], low inflation, considerable reductions in external debt, and several [[structural reforms]] designed to improve competitiveness and attract [[foreign direct investment|foreign investment]].<ref name="cong-r"/> Uruguay terminated the agreement in 2006 following the early repayment of its debt but maintained a number of the policy commitments.<ref name="cong-r"/> Vázquez, who assumed the government in March 2005, created the [[Ministry of Social Development (Uruguay)|Ministry of Social Development]] and sought to reduce the country's poverty rate with a $240&nbsp;million National Plan to Address the Social Emergency (PANES), which provided a monthly [[conditional cash transfer]] of approximately $75 to over 100,000 households in extreme poverty. In exchange, those receiving the benefits were required to participate in community work, ensure that their children attended school daily, and have regular health check-ups.<ref name="cong-r" />

Following the 2001 Argentine credit default, prices in the Uruguayan economy made a variety of services, including information technology and architectural expertise, once too expensive in many foreign markets, exportable.<ref>{{cite news|last=Stewart|first=Diego|date=May 2005|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BEK/is_5_13/ai_n13699159|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120716005156/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BEK/is_5_13/ai_n13699159|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 July 2012|title=Building out: Uruguay exports architectural services to India and Latin America|work=Latin Trade|access-date=11 August 2007}}</ref> The [[Broad Front (Uruguay)|Frente Amplio]] government, while continuing payments on Uruguay's external debt,<ref>{{cite web |title=Uruguay's Frente Amplio: From Revolution to Dilution |url=http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=13102 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080224211625/http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=13102 |archive-date=24 February 2008}}</ref> also undertook an emergency plan to attack the widespread problems of poverty and unemployment.<ref name="BBC-profile">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/country_profiles/1229360.stm|title=Uruguay Country Profile|date=26 October 2010|work=BBC News|access-date=23 February 2011|archive-date=24 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110224045926/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/country_profiles/1229360.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> The economy grew at an annual rate of 6.7% during the 2004–2008 period.<ref name="wb-ub">{{cite web|url=http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/LACEXT/URUGUAYEXTN/0,,contentMDK:22256166~pagePK:1497618~piPK:217854~theSitePK:331609,00.html|title=Uruguay Brief|publisher=World Bank|access-date=25 February 2011|archive-date=30 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430160609/http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/LACEXT/URUGUAYEXTN/0,,contentMDK:22256166~pagePK:1497618~piPK:217854~theSitePK:331609,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Uruguay's export markets have been diversified to reduce dependency on Argentina and Brazil.<ref name="wb-ub"/> Poverty was reduced from 33% in 2002 to 21.7% in July 2008, while extreme poverty dropped from 3.3% to 1.7%.<ref name="wb-ub"/>

Between 2007 and 2009, Uruguay was the only country in the Americas that did not technically experience a recession (two consecutive downward quarters).<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2018/03/28/uruguays-record-setting-economic-growth-streak|title=Uruguay's record-setting economic growth streak|date=28 March 2018|newspaper=The Economist|access-date=27 October 2019|issn=0013-0613|archive-date=2 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191002070254/https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2018/03/28/uruguays-record-setting-economic-growth-streak|url-status=live}}</ref> Unemployment reached a record low of 5.4% in December 2010 before rising to 6.1% in January 2011.<ref>{{cite news|url = https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-30/uruguay-rate-rise-strong-signal-bergara-lorenzo-say-1-.html|title = Uruguay Rate Rise 'Strong Signal,' Bergara, Lorenzo Say|agency = Reuters|date = 31 March 2011|access-date = 29 April 2011|archive-date = 23 June 2011|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110623231648/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-30/uruguay-rate-rise-strong-signal-bergara-lorenzo-say-1-.html|url-status = live}}</ref> While unemployment is still at a low level, the IMF observed a rise in inflationary pressures,<ref name="mp-imf-2010"/> and Uruguay's GDP expanded by 10.4% for the first half of 2010.<ref>{{cite news|last=Faries |first=Bill |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-15/uruguay-s-gdp-rose-10-4-in-second-quarter-from-year-before-on-transport.html |title=Uruguay's GDP Rose 10.4% in Second quarter From Year Before on Transport |publisher=Bloomberg |date=15 September 2010 |access-date=2 December 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429102429/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-15/uruguay-s-gdp-rose-10-4-in-second-quarter-from-year-before-on-transport.html |archive-date=29 April 2011}}</ref> According to IMF estimates, Uruguay was probably to achieve growth in real GDP of between 8% and 8.5% in 2010, followed by 5% growth in 2011 and 4% in subsequent years.<ref name="mp-imf-2010">{{cite web|url=http://en.mercopress.com/2010/12/17/imf-anticipates-soft-landing-of-uruguay-s-economy-in-next-two-years|title=IMF anticipates 'soft-landing' of Uruguay's economy in next two years|date=17 December 2010|publisher=MercoPress|access-date=23 February 2011|archive-date=28 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101228142103/http://en.mercopress.com/2010/12/17/imf-anticipates-soft-landing-of-uruguay-s-economy-in-next-two-years|url-status=live}}</ref> Gross [[public sector debt]] contracted in the second quarter of 2010, after five consecutive periods of sustained increase, reaching $21.885 billion US dollars, equivalent to 59.5% of the GDP.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.mercopress.com/2010/10/04/uruguay-s-debt-gdp-ratio-down-after-five-quarters-running-increases|title=Uruguay's debt/GDP ratio down after five quarters running increases|publisher=MercoPress|access-date=23 February 2011|archive-date=24 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101224072246/http://en.mercopress.com/2010/10/04/uruguay-s-debt-gdp-ratio-down-after-five-quarters-running-increases|url-status=live}}</ref>

Uruguay was ranked 68th in the [[Global Innovation Index]] in 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GII Innovation Ecosystems & Data Explorer 2025 |url=https://www.wipo.int/gii-ranking/en/uruguay |access-date=2025-10-16 |website=WIPO}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Dutta |first1=Soumitra |url=https://www.wipo.int/web-publications/global-innovation-index-2025/en/index.html |title=Global Innovation Index 2025: Innovation at a Crossroads |last2=Lanvin |first2=Bruno |publisher=[[World Intellectual Property Organization]] |year=2025 |isbn=978-92-805-3797-0 |page=19 |language=en |doi=10.34667/tind.58864 |access-date=2025-10-17}}</ref>The number of union members has quadrupled since 2003, rising from 110,000 to more than 400,000 in 2015 for a working population of 1.5 million.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Rico |first=Salina |date=February 2022 |title=Uruguay 2021 Investment Climate Statement |url=https://www.ccuruguayusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Uruguay-2021-Investment-Climate-Statement-FINAL-2021-.pdf |journal=Cámara de Comercio Uruguay Estados Unidos |at=11. Labor Policies and Practices}}</ref> According to the [[International Trade Union Confederation]], Uruguay has "ratified all eight core ILO labour Conventions".<ref>{{Cite journal |date=April 2012 |title=Internationally Recognised Core Labour Standards In Uruguay |url=https://www.ituc-csi.org/IMG/pdf/final_uruguay_tpr.pdf |journal=International Trade Union Confederation |page=1}}</ref> The growth, use, and sale of [[cannabis (drug)|cannabis]] were legalized on 11 December 2013,<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-25328656 "Uruguay becomes first nation to legalise marijuana trade"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180428152829/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-25328656 |date=28 April 2018 }}, BBC, 11 December 2013</ref> by former president José "Pepe" Mujica, making Uruguay the first country in the world to fully legalize marijuana. The law was voted on at the Uruguayan Senate on the same date with 16 votes to approve it and 13 against.

=== Agriculture ===
{{Main|Agriculture in Uruguay}}

[[File:Viña en Otoño.jpg|thumb|Vineyards in Uruguay]]
In 2010, Uruguay's export-oriented agricultural sector contributed to 9.3% of the GDP and employed 13% of the workforce.<ref name=CIA/> Official statistics from Uruguay's Agriculture and Livestock Ministry indicate that meat and sheep farming in Uruguay occupies 59.6% of the land. The percentage further increases to 82.4% when cattle breeding is linked to other farm activities such as dairy, forage, and rotation with crops such as rice.<ref name="mp-aigri">{{cite web|url=http://en.mercopress.com/2007/07/30/uruguay-has-3-8-cattle-per-capita-highest-in-the-world|title=Uruguay has 3.8 cattle per capita, highest in the world|date=30 July 2007|publisher=MercoPress|access-date=24 February 2011|archive-date=24 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101224190530/http://en.mercopress.com/2007/07/30/uruguay-has-3-8-cattle-per-capita-highest-in-the-world|url-status=live}}</ref>

According to [[FAOSTAT]], Uruguay is one of the world's largest producers of [[soybeans]] (9th), [[Scoured wool|wool]] (12th), [[horse meat]] (14th), [[beeswax]] (14th), and [[quinces]] (17th). Most farms (25,500 out of 39,120) are family-managed; beef and wool represent the main activities and main source of income for 65% of them, followed by vegetable farming at 12%, dairy farming at 11%, [[Pig|hogs]] at 2%, and poultry also at 2%.<ref name="mp-aigri"/> Beef is the main export commodity of the country, totaling over US$1&nbsp;billion in 2006.<ref name="mp-aigri"/>

In 2007, Uruguay had cattle herds totalling 12&nbsp;million head, making it the country with the highest number of cattle per capita at 3.8.<ref name="mp-aigri"/> However, 54% is in the hands of 11% of farmers, who have a minimum of 500 head. At the other extreme, 38% of farmers exploit small lots and have herds averaging below one hundred head.<ref name="mp-aigri"/>

=== Tourism ===
{{main|Tourism in Uruguay}}

[[File:Punta del este3.jpg|alt=|thumb|[[Punta del Este]] is one of the main tourist destinations in the [[Southern Cone]].]]
The tourism industry in Uruguay is an important part of its economy. In 2012, the sector was estimated to account for 97,000 jobs and (directly and indirectly) 9% of GDP.<ref name="uruguayxxi.gub.uy">{{cite web |url=http://www.uruguayxxi.gub.uy/invest/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2014/09/Tourism-Sector-Uruguay-XXI-2014.pdf |title=Uruguay XXI |publisher=Uruguay XXI |access-date=18 July 2018 |archive-date=7 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170907170401/http://www.uruguayxxi.gub.uy/invest/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2014/09/Tourism-Sector-Uruguay-XXI-2014.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Uruguay is the Latin American country that receives the most tourists in relation to its population. In 2023, 3.8&nbsp;million tourists entered Uruguay, of which the majority were [[Argentines]] and [[Brazilians]], followed by [[Chileans]], [[Paraguayans]], [[Americans]] and [[Europeans]] of various nationalities.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Uruguay recibió más de tres millones ochocientos mil turistas en el 2023 |trans-title=Uruguay received more than three million eight hundred thousand tourists in 2023 |url=https://www.gub.uy/ministerio-turismo/comunicacion/noticias/uruguay-recibio-tres-millones-ochocientos-mil-turistas-2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240117222359/https://www.gub.uy/ministerio-turismo/comunicacion/noticias/uruguay-recibio-tres-millones-ochocientos-mil-turistas-2023 |archive-date=2024-01-17 |access-date=2024-05-09 |website=Ministerio de Turismo |language=es}}</ref>
[[File:Colo do sac 1.jpg|thumb|The old town of [[Colonia del Sacramento]] was declared a [[UNESCO World heritage site|UNESCO World Heritage Site]].]]Cultural experiences in Uruguay include exploring the country's colonial heritage, as found in [[Colonia del Sacramento]]. Historical monuments include [[Torres García Museum]] and [[Estadio Centenario]]. One of the main natural attractions in Uruguay is [[Punta del Este]]<nowiki/>is situated on a small peninsula off the southeast coast of Uruguay. Its beaches are divided into Mansa, or tame (river) side and Brava, or rugged (ocean) side. Punta del Este adjoins the city of [[Maldonado, Uruguay|Maldonado]], while to its northeast along the coast are found the smaller resorts of [[La Barra]] and [[José Ignacio, Uruguay|José Ignacio]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/09/travel/09next.html|title=José Ignacio, an Uruguayan Resort Town That's Chic, but So Far Not Famous|first=Paola|last=Singer|work=The New York Times |date=6 November 2008|via=NYTimes.com|access-date=17 September 2017|archive-date=19 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180719024354/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/09/travel/09next.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Another beautiful place to visit in Uruguay is [[Cabo Polonio]], a seaside resort located in the municipality of Castillos, in the Rocha Department of Uruguay. This seaside resort is part of Cabo Polonio National Park, a protected natural area. It lies a short distance from the resort town of Valizas and features three small islands off its coast, known as the Torres Islands: Isla Rasa, Isla Encantada, and El Islote.

=== Transportation ===
{{Main|Transport in Uruguay}}

[[File:Вид на монтевидеоский порт.jpg|thumb|[[Port of Montevideo]]]]
[[File:Aeropuerto carrasco.jpg|thumb|[[Carrasco International Airport]], Montevideo]]
The [[Port of Montevideo]] is one of the major [[Container port|container terminal port]]; it handles over 1.1&nbsp;million containers annually.<ref name="mp-port">{{cite web|url=http://en.mercopress.com/2009/10/14/montevideo-port-becomes-most-advanced-container-terminal-in-south-america|title=Montevideo port becomes most advanced container terminal in South America|date=14 October 2009|publisher=MercoPress|access-date=25 February 2011|archive-date=3 January 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110103100910/http://en.mercopress.com/2009/10/14/montevideo-port-becomes-most-advanced-container-terminal-in-south-america|url-status=live}}</ref> Its quay can handle {{convert|14|m|ft|adj=mid|sp=us|[[Draft (hull)|draft]]}} vessels. Nine [[Straddle carrier|straddle cranes]] allow for 80 to 100 movements per hour.<ref name="mp-port" /> The port of [[Nueva Palmira]] is a major regional merchandise transfer point and houses both private and government-run terminals.<ref name="urxxi-log">{{cite web|url=http://www.uruguayxxi.gub.uy/innovaportal/v/134/2/innova.front/logistics_infrastructure_and_communications|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501084057/http://www.uruguayxxi.gub.uy/innovaportal/v/134/2/innova.front/logistics_infrastructure_and_communications|archive-date=1 May 2011|title=Logistics, infrastructure and communications|publisher=Uruguay XXI|access-date=25 February 2011}}</ref>

==== Air ====
[[Carrasco Airport|Carrasco International Airport]] was initially inaugurated in 1947, and in 2009, Puerta del Sur, the airport owner and operator, commissioned [[Rafael Viñoly]] Architects to expand and modernize the existing facilities with a spacious new passenger terminal with an investment of $165&nbsp;million.<ref name="airport">{{cite web|url=http://www.aic.com.uy/en/informacion-general.php|title=General Information|publisher=Aeropuerto de Carrasco|access-date=25 February 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110319234758/http://www.aic.com.uy/en/informacion-general.php|archive-date=19 March 2011}}</ref><ref name="mp-air">{{cite web|url=http://en.mercopress.com/2010/02/08/new-carrasco-terminal-among-the-most-beautiful-airports-in-the-world|title=New Carrasco terminal among the "most beautiful airports in the world"|date=8 February 2010|publisher=MercoPress|access-date=25 February 2011|archive-date=26 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101226165648/http://en.mercopress.com/2010/02/08/new-carrasco-terminal-among-the-most-beautiful-airports-in-the-world|url-status=live}}</ref> The airport can handle up to 4.5&nbsp;million users per year.<ref name="airport" /> [[PLUNA]] was the [[flag carrier]] of Uruguay and was headquartered in [[Carrasco, Montevideo|Carrasco]].<ref>{{cite web |date=8 September 2009 |title=Pluna: reunión de conciliación entre el Estado y Leadgate |trans-title=Pluna: conciliation meeting between the State and Leadgate |url=http://www.espectador.com/1v4_contenido.php?id=131484&sts=1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130821024221/http://www.espectador.com/1v4_contenido.php?id=131484&sts=1 |archive-date=21 August 2013 |access-date=9 July 2010 |work=[[Espectador.com]]}} "La reunión estaba fijada en la sede de Pluna en Carrasco,"</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://flypluna.com/cat/en/offices-and-call-centre-41.html |title=Offices and call centre |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120722142114/http://www.flypluna.com/cat/en/offices-and-call-centre-41.html |archive-date=22 July 2012 | work=PLUNA |access-date=13 May 2010}}</ref>

The [[Laguna del Sauce Airport|Punta del Este International Airport]], located {{convert|15|km|mi|sp=us}} from [[Punta del Este]] in the [[Maldonado Department]], is the second busiest air terminal in Uruguay, built by the Uruguayan architect [[Carlos Ott]]. It was inaugurated in 1997.<ref name="urxxi-log" />

==== Land ====
The [[Administración de Ferrocarriles del Estado]] is the autonomous agency in charge of rail transport and the maintenance of the [[Rail transport in Uruguay|railroad network]]. Uruguay has about {{convert|1200|km|mi|abbr=on}} of operational railroad track.<ref name="CIA" /> Until 1947, about 90% of the railroad system was British-owned.<ref name="ur-rw">{{cite web|url=http://www.olauruguay.com/2010/03/14/uruguay%E2%80%99s-railroad-makes-a-comeback|title=Uruguay's Railroad Makes a Comeback|publisher=Ola Uruguay Real Estate and Investments|access-date=25 February 2011|archive-date=29 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100329064902/http://www.olauruguay.com/2010/03/14/uruguay%E2%80%99s-railroad-makes-a-comeback|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1949, the government nationalized the railways, along with the electric trams and the [[Montevideo Waterworks Company]].<ref name="ur-rw" /> However, in 1985, the "National Transport Plan" suggested passenger trains were too costly to repair and maintain.<ref name="ur-rw" /> Cargo trains would continue, but bus transportation became the "economic" alternative for travellers.<ref name="ur-rw" /> Passenger service was then discontinued in 1988.<ref name="ur-rw" /> However, rail passenger commuter service into Montevideo was restarted in 1993, and now comprises three suburban lines.
[[File:Aeropuerto Punta del Este.png|thumb|[[Capitán de Corbeta Carlos A. Curbelo International Airport|Punta del Este International Airport]]]]
[[Road surface|Surfaced]] roads connect Montevideo to the other urban centers in the country, the main highways leading to the border and neighboring cities. Numerous unpaved roads connect farms and small towns. Overland trade has increased markedly since [[Mercosur]] (Southern Common Market) was formed in the 1990s and again in the later 2000s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://geoportal.mtop.gub.uy/visualizador/|title=Geoportal MTOP|website=geoportal.mtop.gub.uy|access-date=14 August 2018|archive-date=14 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180814135057/http://geoportal.mtop.gub.uy/visualizador/|url-status=live}}</ref> Most of the country's domestic freight and passenger service is by road rather than rail. The country has several international bus services<ref>{{cite web|url=http://viajeros.com.uy/|title=Viajeros!|website=viajeros.com.uy|access-date=14 August 2018|archive-date=14 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180814135058/http://viajeros.com.uy/|url-status=live}}</ref> connecting the capital and frontier localities to neighboring countries.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalogodatos.gub.uy/showcase/omnibus-interior|title=Omnibus Interior – Catálogo de Datos Abiertos|website=catalogodatos.gub.uy|access-date=14 August 2018|archive-date=14 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180814165928/https://catalogodatos.gub.uy/showcase/omnibus-interior|url-status=live}}</ref> These include 17 destinations in Argentina,{{NoteTag|Namely [[Bell Ville]], Buenos Aires, [[Concepción del Uruguay]], [[Concordia, Entre Ríos]], [[Córdoba, Argentina|Córdoba]], [[Gualeguaychú, Entre Ríos|Gualeguaychú]], [[Mendoza, Argentina|Mendoza]], [[Paraná, Entre Ríos|Paraná]], [[Río Cuarto, Córdoba|Rio Cuarto]], [[Rosario]], [[San Francisco, Córdoba|San Francisco]], [[San Luis, Argentina|San Luis]], [[Santa Fe, Argentina|Santa Fe]], [[Tigre, Buenos Aires|Tigre]], [[Venado Tuerto]], [[Villa María, Córdoba|Villa María]], and [[Villa Mercedes, San Luis|Villa Mercedes]]}} 12 destinations in Brazil,{{NoteTag|Namely [[Camboriú]], [[Curitiba]], [[Florianópolis]], [[Jaguarão]], [[Joinville]], [[Pelotas]], [[Porto Alegre]], [[Quaraí]], [[São Gabriel, Rio Grande do Sul|São Gabriel]], São Paulo, [[Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul|Santa Maria]], and [[Santana do Livramento]]{{pb}}(Santana do Livramento has open borders with the Uruguayan city of [[Rivera]]. There are no physical barriers or immigration checkpoints inhibiting movement between or within the two contiguous cities, despite each one belonging to separate national jurisdictions.)}} and the capital cities of Chile and [[Paraguay]].<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.trescruces.com.uy/horarios-destinos/ |title = Horarios y Destinos |website = www.trescruces.com.uy |date = November 2016 |access-date = 14 August 2018 |archive-date = 14 August 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180814135157/https://www.trescruces.com.uy/horarios-destinos/ |url-status = live }}</ref>

=== Telecommunications ===
{{Main|Communications in Uruguay}}

The telecommunications industry is more developed than in most other Latin American countries, being the first country in the Americas to achieve complete digital telephone coverage in 1997. The system is government-owned, and there have been controversial proposals to partially privatize it since the 1990s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1992/10/02/Uruguay-privatization-scheme-jolted-by-opposition/8141717998400/|title=Uruguay privatization scheme jolted by opposition|website=UPI|language=en|access-date=13 January 2019|archive-date=14 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190114044556/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1992/10/02/Uruguay-privatization-scheme-jolted-by-opposition/8141717998400/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The mobile phone market is shared by the state-owned [[ANTEL]] and two private companies, [[Movistar]] and [[Claro Americas|Claro]]. The ANTEL has the largest market share at 49% of Uruguay's mobile lines.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Popov |first=Andrey |date=November 2023 |title=Mobile Network Experience Report |url=https://www.opensignal.com/reports/2023/11/uruguay/mobile-network-experience |access-date=19 October 2024 |website=Opensignal}}</ref> ANTEL has launched a commercial [[5G|5G network]] in April 2019<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tomás |first=Juan Pedro |date=2024-05-31 |title=Antel reaches 300 5G sites in Uruguay, targets 500 by 2025 |url=https://www.rcrwireless.com/20240531/5g/antel-reaches-300-5g-sites-uruguay-targets-500-2025 |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=RCR Wireless News |language=en-US}}</ref> with still continual development.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Srikapardhi |date=5 August 2023 |title=Antel Continues Expansion of 5G Network to More Areas |url=https://telecomtalk.info/uruguays-antel-continues-expansion-of-5g-rollout/845917/ |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=TelecomTalk |language=en-US}}</ref> While Movistar and Claro have only 30% and 21% of the market share, respectively.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-10 |title=Uruguay Telecommunications |url=https://www.trade.gov/market-intelligence/uruguay-telecommunications |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=International Trade Administration |language=en}}</ref> The [[Google Search]] engine accounted for 95% of total [[search engine]] market share in 2023–2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Search Engine Market Share Uruguay |url=https://gs.statcounter.com/search-engine-market-share/all/uruguay |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=StatCounter Global Stats |language=en}}</ref>

=== Energy ===
In 2010, the Ministry of Energy, Mining and Industry of Uruguay approved Decree 354 on the Promotion of Renewable Energies.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Energy system of Uruguay |url=https://www.iea.org/countries/uruguay |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=International Energy Agency |language=en-GB}}</ref> In 2021, Uruguay had, in terms of installed renewable electricity, 1,538 MW in hydropower, 1,514 MW in wind power (35th largest in the world), 258 MW in solar power (66th largest in the world), and 423 MW in biomass.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lebedys |first1=Arvydas |last2=Akande |first2=Dennis |last3=Coënt |first3=Nicolas |last4=Elhassan |first4=Nazik |last5=Escamilla |first5=Gerardo |last6=Arkhipova |first6=Iana |last7=Whiteman |first7=Adrian |date=2022 |title=Renewable Energy Statistics 2022 |url=https://www.irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/Agency/Publication/2022/Apr/IRENA_RE_Capacity_Statistics_2022.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/Agency/Publication/2022/Apr/IRENA_RE_Capacity_Statistics_2022.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |access-date=5 August 2022 |publisher=International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) |location=Abu Dhabi |pages=7, 15, 22, 33 |language=en, fr, es}}

* For: hydropower, p. 7; wind, p. 15; solar, p. 22; biomass, p. 33</ref> In 2023, 98% of Uruguay's electricity comes from [[renewable energy]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Meadows |first=Sam |date=2023-12-27 |title=Uruguay's green power revolution: rapid shift to wind shows the world how it's done |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/dec/27/uruguays-green-power-revolution-rapid-shift-to-wind-shows-the-world-how-its-done |access-date=2024-10-19 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> The dramatic shift, taking less than ten years and without government funding, lowered electricity costs and slashed the country's [[carbon footprint]].<ref>{{Cite news|title = Uruguay makes dramatic shift to nearly 95% electricity from clean energy|url = https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/dec/03/uruguay-makes-dramatic-shift-to-nearly-95-clean-energy|newspaper = The Guardian|date = 3 December 2015|access-date = 18 February 2016|issn = 0261-3077|language = en-GB|first = Jonathan|last = Watts|archive-date = 6 March 2017|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170306042438/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/dec/03/uruguay-makes-dramatic-shift-to-nearly-95-clean-energy|url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title = Uruguay is now generating 95% of its electricity from renewable energy|url = http://qz.com/566773/uruguay-is-now-generating-95-of-its-electricity-from-renewable-energy/|website = Quartz|access-date = 18 February 2016|language = en-US|first = Sarah|last = Todd| date=6 December 2015 |archive-date = 8 February 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160208131943/http://qz.com/566773/uruguay-is-now-generating-95-of-its-electricity-from-renewable-energy/|url-status = live}}</ref> Most of the electricity comes from hydroelectric facilities and wind parks. Uruguay no longer imports electricity.<ref name="FionaMcDonald">{{cite web |title=Uruguay has shifted to getting 95% of its electricity from renewables in less than 10 years |url=http://www.sciencealert.com/uruguay-has-shifted-to-getting-95-of-its-electricity-from-clean-energy-sources-in-less-than-10-years |website=ScienceAlert |access-date=18 February 2016 |first=Fiona |last=MacDonald |date=4 December 2015 |archive-date=16 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216163621/http://www.sciencealert.com/uruguay-has-shifted-to-getting-95-of-its-electricity-from-clean-energy-sources-in-less-than-10-years |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2022, 49% of the country's total [[Greenhouse gas emissions|carbon dioxide emissions]] came from the burning of [[diesel fuel]], followed by [[gasoline]], with a 25% share.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Uruguay logra más de 90% de energías renovables en la matriz eléctrica en un contexto de más de tres años de sequía |trans-title=Uruguay achieves over 90% renewable energy in its electricity matrix amid more than three years of drought |url=https://www.gub.uy/ministerio-industria-energia-mineria/comunicacion/noticias/uruguay-logra-90-energias-renovables-matriz-electrica-contexto-tres-anos |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=Ministerio de Industria, Energía y Minería |language=es}}</ref>

== Demographics ==
{{See also|Demographics of Uruguay|Uruguayans}}
{{Pie chart
| thumb = right
| caption = Racial groups in Uruguay (2023 census)<ref>{{cite web |title=Ascendencia étnico-racial principal, por categoría, según departamento - Censo 2023 |trans-title=Main ethnic-racial ancestry, by category, according to department - 2023 Census |url=https://www.gub.uy/instituto-nacional-estadistica/comunicacion/publicaciones/anuario-estadistico-nacional-2024-volumen-n-101/21-informacion-censal-2 |accessdate=16 September 2025 |work=2024 |publisher=Instituto Nacional de Estadística |page= |language=es}}</ref>
| label1 = [[White Latin Americans|Whites]]
| value1 = 86.0
| color1 = #FBC5A7
| label2 = [[Afro-Uruguayan|Blacks]]
| value2 = 10.4
| color2 = #62402F
| label3 = [[Indigenous peoples in Uruguay|Indigenous]]
| value3 = 6.3
| color3 = #BE7343
| label4 = [[Asian Latin American|East Asians]]
| value4 = 0.7
| color4 = #E8BF88
| label5 = Other/none
| value5 = 6.3
| color5 = Lightgray
}}

Uruguayans are of predominantly [[European ethnic groups|European origin]], with 86.0% of the population claiming "white" as their dominant ancestry self-identified in the [[2023 Uruguay census|2023 census]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Ascendencia étnico-racial principal, por categoría, según departamento - Censo 2023 |trans-title=Main ethnic-racial ancestry, by category, according to department - 2023 Census |url=https://www.gub.uy/instituto-nacional-estadistica/comunicacion/publicaciones/anuario-estadistico-nacional-2024-volumen-n-101/21-informacion-censal-2 |accessdate=22 January 2025 |work=2024 |publisher=Instituto Nacional de Estadística |page= |language=es}}</ref> a decrease from 87.7% over the 2011 census.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www5.ine.gub.uy/documents/Demograf%C3%ADayEESS/PDF/Demograf%C3%ADa/Atlas_fasciculo_2_Afrouruguayos.pdf|title= ATLAS SOCIODEMOGRÁFICO Y DE LA DEL URUGUAY|website=ine.gub.uy|accessdate=22 January 2025}}</ref>
Most Uruguayans of European ancestry are descendants of 19th and 20th century immigrants from Spain,<ref name="dept-state"/> and to a lesser degree Germany, Italy, France, and Britain.<ref name="britannica"/> Earlier settlers had migrated from Argentina.<ref name="britannica"/> People of [[African descent]] make up around five percent of the total.<ref name="britannica"/> There are also important communities of [[Japanese people|Japanese]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Genta Dorado|first=Gustavo|title=La Colectividad Japonesa en Uruguay|date=March 1993|language=es|publisher=Ediciones de la Crítica|location=[[Montevideo]]|oclc=30613716|pages=43–46}}</ref> Overall, the ethnic composition is similar to neighboring Argentine provinces as well as Southern Brazil.<ref name="pmid19639555">{{Cite journal | last1 = Lins | first1 = T. C. | last2 = Vieira | first2 = R. G. | last3 = Abreu | first3 = B. S. | last4 = Grattapaglia | first4 = D. | last5 = Pereira | first5 = R. W. | title = Genetic composition of Brazilian population samples based on a set of twenty-eight ancestry informative SNPs | doi = 10.1002/ajhb.20976 | journal = [[American Journal of Human Biology]] | volume = 22 | issue = 2 | pages = 187–192 | date = March–April 2009 | pmid = 19639555 | s2cid = 205301927 | url = https://repositorio.ucb.br:9443/jspui/handle/123456789/7489 | access-date = 7 October 2020 | archive-date = 20 October 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201020004142/https://repositorio.ucb.br:9443/jspui/handle/123456789/7489 | url-status = live | doi-access = free }}</ref>

From 1963 to 1985, an estimated 320,000 Uruguayans emigrated.<ref name="loc-30">{{cite web|url=http://countrystudies.us/uruguay/30.htm|title=Population – Uruguay|publisher=Library of Congress Country Studies|access-date=23 February 2011|archive-date=30 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430025459/http://countrystudies.us/uruguay/30.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> The most popular destinations for Uruguayan emigrants are Argentina, followed by the United States, Australia, Canada, Spain, Brazil, Italy, France and Portugal.<ref name="loc-30"/> In 2009, for the first time in 44 years, the country saw an overall positive influx when comparing immigration to emigration. 3,825 residence permits were awarded in 2009, compared with 1,216 in 2005.<ref name="bbc-secret"/> 50% of new legal residents come from Argentina and Brazil. A migration law passed in 2008 gives immigrants the same rights and opportunities that nationals have, with the requisite of proving a monthly income of $650.<ref name="bbc-secret">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11397130|title=Uruguay: South America's best-kept secret?|date=3 October 2010|work=BBC News|access-date=24 February 2011|archive-date=9 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110409000445/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11397130|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Montevideo metropolitan area|Metropolitan Montevideo]] is the only large city, with around 1.9&nbsp;million inhabitants, or more than half the country's total population. The rest of the urban population lives in about 30 towns.<ref name="dept-state" /> Uruguay's rate of population growth is much lower than in other Latin American countries.<ref name="britannica"/> Its median age is 35.3 years, higher than the global average<ref name="dept-state"/> due to its low birth rate, high life expectancy, and relatively high rate of emigration among younger people. A quarter of the population is less than 15 years old, and about a sixth are aged 60 and older.<ref name="britannica"/> In 2017, the average [[total fertility rate]] (TFR) across Uruguay was 1.70 children born per woman, below the replacement rate of 2.1. It remains considerably below the high of 5.76 children born per woman in 1882.<ref>{{citation|url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman?year=1880&time=1800..2015&country=URY|title=Total Fertility Rate around the world over the last centuries|author=Max Roser|date=2014|work=[[Our World in Data]], [[Gapminder Foundation]]|access-date=6 May 2019|archive-date=14 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231014112301/https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman?year=1880&time=1800..2015&country=URY|url-status=live}}</ref> A 2017 [[Inter-American Development Bank|IADB]] report on labor conditions for Latin American nations ranked Uruguay as the region's leader overall in all but one subindexes, including gender, age, income, formality, and labor participation.<ref>{{cite web|title=Better Jobs|url=https://mejorestrabajos.iadb.org/en|publisher=IADB|access-date=9 November 2017|archive-date=10 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171110114343/https://mejorestrabajos.iadb.org/en|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Largest cities ===
{{Largest cities
| country = Uruguay
| stat_ref = {{cite web |url=http://www.citypopulation.de/Uruguay.html |title=Uruguay |website=citypopulation.de |access-date=17 August 2021 }}
| div_name = Department

|city_1 = Montevideo
|div_1 = Montevideo Department{{!}}Montevideo
|pop_1 = 1,304,687
|img_1 = Piscinas Trouville.jpg

|city_2 = Salto, Uruguay{{!}}Salto
|div_2 = Salto Department{{!}}Salto
|pop_2 = 104,011
|img_2 = Palacio de Oficinas Públicas 1.jpg

|city_3 = Ciudad de la Costa
|div_3 = Canelones Department{{!}}Canelones
|pop_3 = 95,176
|img_3 = Puente americas canelones.jpg

|city_4 = Paysandú
|div_4 = Paysandú Department{{!}}Paysandú
|pop_4 = 76,412
|img_4 = Basílica bajo el sol de la tarde.JPG

|city_5 = Las Piedras, Uruguay{{!}}Las Piedras
|div_5 = Canelones Department{{!}}Canelones
|pop_5 = 71,258

|city_6 = Rivera
|div_6 = Rivera Department{{!}}Rivera
|pop_6 = 64,465

|city_7 = Maldonado, Uruguay{{!}}Maldonado
|div_7 = Maldonado Department{{!}}Maldonado
|pop_7 = 62,590

|city_8 = Tacuarembó
|div_8 = Tacuarembó Department{{!}}Tacuarembó
|pop_8 = 54,755

|city_9 = Melo, Uruguay{{!}}Melo
|div_9 = Cerro Largo Department{{!}}Cerro Largo
|pop_9 = 51,830

|city_10 = Mercedes, Uruguay{{!}}Mercedes
|div_10 = Soriano Department{{!}}Soriano
|pop_10 = 41,974

|city_11 = Artigas, Uruguay{{!}}Artigas
|div_11 = Artigas Department{{!}}Artigas
|pop_11 = 40,657

|city_12 = Minas, Uruguay{{!}}Minas
|div_12 = Lavalleja
|pop_12 = 38,446

|city_13 = San José de Mayo
|div_13 = San José Department{{!}}San José
|pop_13 = 36,743

|city_14 = Durazno
|div_14 = Durazno Department{{!}}Durazno
|pop_14 = 34,368

|city_15 = Florida, Uruguay{{!}}Florida
|div_15 = Florida Department{{!}}Florida
|pop_15 = 33,639

|city_16 = Barros Blancos
|div_16 = Canelones Department{{!}}Canelones
|pop_16 = 31,650

|city_17 = Ciudad del Plata
|div_17 = San José Department{{!}}San José
|pop_17 = 31,145

|city_18 = San Carlos, Uruguay{{!}}San Carlos
|div_18 = Maldonado Department{{!}}Maldonado
|pop_18 = 27,471

|city_19 = Colonia del Sacramento
|div_19 = Colonia Department{{!}}Colonia
|pop_19 = 26,231

|city_20 = Pando, Uruguay{{!}}Pando
|div_20 = Canelones Department{{!}}Canelones
|pop_20 = 25,947

}}

{{clear}}

=== Language ===
{{Main|Uruguayan Spanish|Rioplatense Spanish}}

[[Spanish language|Spanish]] is the de facto [[national language]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-07-29 |title=Proponen establecer por ley que el idioma oficial de Uruguay es el español |trans-title=They propose establishing by law that the official language of Uruguay is Spanish |url=https://www.sarandi690.com.uy/2020/07/29/proponen-establecer-por-ley-que-el-idioma-oficial-de-uruguay-es-el-espanol/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231115021514/https://www.sarandi690.com.uy/2020/07/29/proponen-establecer-por-ley-que-el-idioma-oficial-de-uruguay-es-el-espanol/ |archive-date=15 November 2023 |access-date=2023-11-15 |website=Radio Sarandí 690 AM |language=es}}</ref> [[Uruguayan Spanish]], as a variant of ''[[Rioplatense Spanish|Rioplatense]]'', employs both {{lang|es|[[voseo]]}} and {{lang|es|[[yeísmo]]}} (with {{IPA|[ʃ]}} or {{IPA|[ʒ]}}) and has a great influence of the [[Italian language]] and its different dialects since it incorporates ''[[lunfardo]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cervantes.es/imagenes/file/biblioteca/situacion_espanol/uruguay_situacion_espanol.pdf |title=Particularities of the Spanish language in Uruguay |access-date=15 November 2023 |archive-date=15 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231115014121/https://www.cervantes.es/imagenes/file/biblioteca/situacion_espanol/uruguay_situacion_espanol.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> In the border areas with Brazil in the northeast of the country, [[Uruguayan Portuguese]] is spoken, which consists of a mixture of Spanish with [[Brazilian Portuguese]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hacia el portuñol "patrimonio inmaterial de la humanidad" {{!}} Comisión Coordinadora del Interior |url=https://www.cci.edu.uy/node/95 |access-date=2023-11-15 |website=www.cci.edu.uy |archive-date=15 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231115014139/https://www.cci.edu.uy/node/95 |url-status=live }}</ref> It is a dialect without formally defined orthography and without any official recognition.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fernandez |first=Freddy |date=2006-09-01 |title=Portuñol de Rivera pasó de estigma a riqueza lingüística |trans-title=Portuñol of Rivera went from stigma to linguistic wealth |url=http://www.elpais.com.uy/ProDig/Uruguayos/06/03/16/esp_urugud_206659.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060901223003/http://www.elpais.com.uy/ProDig/Uruguayos/06/03/16/esp_urugud_206659.asp |archive-date=1 September 2006 |access-date=2023-11-15 |work=Diario El País |department=Uruguayos}}</ref> [[English language|English]] is the most widely known foreign language among the Uruguayan people.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-07-22 |title=56% de los uruguayos tienen conocimientos de inglés, aunque solo 13,6% tiene certificación oficial |url=https://ladiaria.com.uy/educacion/articulo/2020/7/56-de-los-uruguayos-tienen-conocimientos-de-ingles-aunque-solo-136-tiene-certificacion-oficial/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522074234/https://ladiaria.com.uy/educacion/articulo/2020/7/56-de-los-uruguayos-tienen-conocimientos-de-ingles-aunque-solo-136-tiene-certificacion-oficial/ |archive-date=2022-05-22 |access-date=2023-11-15 |website=la diaria |language=es-UY}}</ref>

As few [[Indigenous peoples in Uruguay|indigenous people]] exist in the population, no indigenous languages are thought to remain in active use in the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.org/show_country.asp?name=UY|title=Ethnologue report for Uruguay|publisher=Ethnologue.org|access-date=2 December 2010|archive-date=7 July 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100707075945/http://www.ethnologue.org/show_country.asp?name=UY|url-status=live}}</ref> Another spoken dialect was the [[Colonia Valdense#Language|Patois]], which is an [[Occitan language|Occitan]] dialect. The dialect was spoken mainly in the [[Colonia Department]], where the first pilgrims settled, in the city called [[La Paz, Colonia|La Paz]]. There are still written tracts of the language in the Waldensians Library (Biblioteca Valdense) in the town of [[Colonia Valdense]], [[Colonia Department]]. Patois speakers arrived to Uruguay from the [[Piedmont]]. Originally, they were Vaudois who become [[Waldensians]], giving their name to the city Colonia Valdense, which translated from the Spanish to mean "Waldensian Colony".<ref>{{cite book |url=http://dedicaciontotal.udelar.edu.uy/adjuntos/produccion/742_academicas__academicaarchivo.pdf |title=Etnicidad y Lenguaje – La aculturación socio lingüística de los inmigrantes italianos en Montevideo |author=Graciela Barrios |publisher=Departamento de Publicaciones de la Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación Universidad de la República |date=2008 |access-date=21 April 2017 |archive-date=12 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112203153/http://dedicaciontotal.udelar.edu.uy/adjuntos/produccion/742_academicas__academicaarchivo.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2001, [[Uruguayan Sign Language|Uruguayan Sign Language (LSU)]] was recognized as an official language of Uruguay under Law 17.378.<ref name=LSU />

=== Religion ===
{{Main|Religion in Uruguay}}

[[File:Iglesia de San Carlos 1.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[San Carlos Borromeo, San Carlos|Church of Saint Charles Borromeo]] in [[San Carlos, Uruguay|San Carlos]] is one of the oldest churches in Uruguay.]]

[[Christianity]] is the largest religion in Uruguay. The country has no official religion; church and state are officially separated,<ref name="dept-state"/> and [[religious freedom]] is guaranteed. A 2008 survey by the INE of Uruguay showed [[Catholic Church|Catholic Christianity]] as the main religion, with 45.7–81.4%<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://cdn.britannica.com/13/185113-050-AAF2D01C/World-Data-religious-affiliation-pie-chart-Uruguay.jpg |title=Religious Affiliation (2006) |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=21 July 2022 |archive-date=7 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107161452/https://cdn.britannica.com/13/185113-050-AAF2D01C/World-Data-religious-affiliation-pie-chart-Uruguay.jpg |url-status=live }}</ref> of the population; 9.0% are non-Catholic Christians, 0.6% are [[Animists]] or [[Umbanda|Umbandists]] (an [[Afro-Brazilian]] religion), and 0.4% are Jewish. 30.1% reported believing in a god, but not belonging to any religion, while 14% were [[atheist]]s or agnostics.<ref name="ine-rel">{{cite web|url=http://www.ine.gub.uy/anda/ddibrowser/?id=11&section=variable&varid=V157 |title=Encuesta Continua de Hogares 2008 – Religion |publisher=Instituto Nacional de Estadística |access-date=2 December 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101114015256/http://www.ine.gub.uy/anda/ddibrowser/?id=11&section=variable&varid=V157 |archive-date=14 November 2010}}</ref> Among the sizeable [[Armenians in Uruguay|Armenian]] community in Montevideo, the dominant religion is Christianity, specifically [[Armenian Apostolic]].<ref>{{cite web|first=David |last=Zenian |date= 1 January 1992 |url=http://www.agbu.org/publications/article.asp?A_ID=533 |title=The Airwaves of Montevideo: An Armenian Community Forum
|publisher=Armenian General Benevolent Union |access-date=2 December 2010 |url-status=dead  |website=AGBU News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101116205137/http://agbu.org/publications/article.asp?A_ID=533 |archive-date=16 November 2010}}</ref>

Political observers consider Uruguay the most secular country in the Americas.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.morris.umn.edu/academic/laas/Uruguay.html|title=UMM &#124; Latin American Area Studies – Countries|publisher=Morris.umn.edu|date=27 August 2009|access-date=26 June 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100714153604/http://www.morris.umn.edu/academic/laas/Uruguay.html|archive-date=14 July 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> Uruguay's secularization began with the relatively minor role of the church in the colonial era, compared with other parts of the [[Spanish Empire]]. The small numbers of Uruguay's indigenous peoples and their resistance to proselytism reduced the influence of the ecclesiastical authorities.<ref name="rel-cs"/>

After independence, [[Anti-clericalism|anti-clerical]] ideas spread to Uruguay, particularly from France, further eroding the influence of the church.<ref name=government>{{cite web|title=Explore Uruguay – About Uruguay Government|url=http://www.explore-uruguay.com/uruguay-government.html|publisher=Explore Uruguay|access-date=23 March 2011|archive-date=14 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110314184032/http://www.explore-uruguay.com/uruguay-government.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1837, civil marriage was recognized, and in 1861, the state took over the running of public cemeteries. In 1907, divorce was legalized, and in 1909, all religious instruction was banned from state schools.<ref name="rel-cs"/> Under the influence of the [[Colorado Party (Uruguay)|Colorado]] politician [[José Batlle y Ordóñez]] (1903–1911), complete [[separation of church and state]] was introduced with the new [[Constitution of Uruguay|constitution of 1917]].<ref name="rel-cs">{{cite web|url=http://countrystudies.us/uruguay/43.htm|title=Religion – Uruguay|publisher=Library of Congress Country Studies|access-date=23 February 2011|archive-date=30 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430025445/http://countrystudies.us/uruguay/43.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Uruguay's capital has [[List of synagogues in Uruguay|12 synagogues]] and a community of 20,000 Jews as of 2011. With a peak of 50,000 during the mid-1960s, Uruguay has the world's highest rate of [[aliyah]] as a percentage of the Jewish population.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://forward.com/articles/135932/touring-montevideo-s-jewish-quarters/|title=Touring Montevideo's Jewish Quarters|date=8 March 2011 |publisher=Forward.com|access-date=13 November 2017|archive-date=26 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171126185534/http://forward.com/articles/135932/touring-montevideo-s-jewish-quarters/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Education ===
{{Main|Education in Uruguay}}

[[File:Facultad de Medicina, Montevideo 25.jpg|thumb|Faculty of Medicine of the [[University of the Republic (Uruguay)|University of the Republic]], founded 1849|alt=]]
[[Education in Uruguay]] is [[secularism|secular]], [[Free education|free]], and [[Compulsory education|compulsory]] for 14 years, starting at the age of 4.<ref name="UNASEP">{{cite web |title=Invest in Uruguay — Unidad de Apoyo al Sector Privado |url=http://www.conuruyork.org/Comercial/Invest%20in%20Uruguay%20-%20UnASeP%20.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303174825/http://www.conuruyork.org/Comercial/Invest%20in%20Uruguay%20-%20UnASeP%20.pdf |archive-date=3 March 2016 |access-date=25 June 2012 |page=24}}</ref><ref name="iadb"/> The system is divided into six levels of education: early childhood (3–5 years), primary (6–11 years), basic secondary (12–14 years), upper secondary (15–17 years), higher education (18 and up), and postgraduate education.<ref name="iadb">[http://www.iadb.org/document.cfm?id=35521105 Uruguay, Secondary and technical education and teacher training support program] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118151726/https://idbdocs.iadb.org/wsdocs/getdocument.aspx?docnum=35521105 |date=18 January 2021 }} [[Inter-American Development Bank]] (pp. 7–8)</ref> Public education is managed by three main institutions: the [[Ministry of Education and Culture (Uruguay)|Ministry of Education and Culture]], which coordinates national policies; the [[National Administration of Public Education]], responsible for early childhood through secondary education; and the [[University of the Republic (Uruguay)|University of the Republic]], which oversees higher education as the nation’s leading institution.<ref name="iadb" /> 

The country maintains an adult literacy rate approaching 100% and ranks high at the regional level in standardized assessments, including [[Programme for International Student Assessment|PISA]].<ref name="UNASEP" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Uruguay mejoró niveles de desempeño en ciencias y lectura, según evaluación PISA 2022 |url=https://www.gub.uy/presidencia/comunicacion/noticias/uruguay-mejoro-niveles-desempeno-ciencias-lectura-segun-evaluacion-pisa-2022 |access-date=2025-09-18 |website=Presidencia Uruguay |language=es}}</ref> In 2023, the government invested 4.9% of GDP in education.<ref>{{Cite web |title=5.4.2 El gasto público en educación |url=https://www.gub.uy/ministerio-economia-finanzas/comunicacion/publicaciones/exposicion-motivos-rc-2023/54-educacion-cultura/542-gasto-publico |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241114015618/https://www.gub.uy/ministerio-economia-finanzas/comunicacion/publicaciones/exposicion-motivos-rc-2023/54-educacion-cultura/542-gasto-publico |archive-date=2024-11-14 |access-date=2025-09-18 |website=Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas |language=es}}</ref>

Uruguay is part of the [[One Laptop per Child]] project, and in 2009 it became the first country in the world to provide a laptop for every primary school student as part of the [[Plan Ceibal]].<ref>{{cite web |date=18 October 2009 |title=Uruguay becomes first nation to provide a laptop for every primary school student |url=https://www.engadget.com/2009/10/18/uruguay-becomes-first-nation-to-provide-a-laptop-for-every-prima/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101224212144/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/18/uruguay-becomes-first-nation-to-provide-a-laptop-for-every-prima/ |archive-date=24 December 2010 |access-date=2 December 2010 |publisher=Engadget}}</ref><ref name="olpc-bbc">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8309583.stm|title=Laptop for every pupil in Uruguay|date=16 October 2009|work=BBC News|access-date=23 February 2011|first=Verónica|last=Psetizki|archive-date=16 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110216061841/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8309583.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> Over the 2007–2009 period, 362,000 pupils and 18,000 teachers were involved in the scheme; around 70% of the laptops were given to children who did not have computers at home.<ref name="olpc-bbc" /> The OLPC project represents less than 5% of the country's education budget.<ref name="olpc-bbc" />

== Culture ==
{{Main|Culture of Uruguay}}

Uruguayan culture is [[Culture of Europe|predominantly European]].<ref name="britannica"/> The tradition of the [[gaucho]] has been an important element in the art and folklore of both Uruguay and Argentina.<ref name="britannica"/>

=== Visual arts ===
{{clear}}
[[File:Facultad de Arquitectura, Montevideo 38.jpg|thumb|The School of Architecture in Montevideo]]
[[File:Casapueblo.jpg|thumb|A "livable sculpture", [[Carlos Páez Vilaró]]'s [[Casapueblo]] was his home, hotel and museum.]]
Abstract painter and sculptor [[Carlos Páez Vilaró]] was a prominent Uruguayan artist. He drew from both [[Timbuktu]] and [[Mykonos]] to create his best-known work: his home, hotel and [[atelier]] [[Casapueblo]] near [[Punta del Este]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Beccacece |first=Hugo |date=2024-09-16 |title=From the archive: inside the wonky home of artist Carlos Páez Vilaró |url=https://www.worldofinteriors.com/story/carlos-paez-vilaro-home-argentina |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=The World Of Interiors |language=en-GB}}</ref> The 19th-century painter [[Juan Manuel Blanes]], whose works depict historical events,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-10-03 |title=Datos biográficos |trans-title=Biographical data |url=https://blanes.montevideo.gub.uy/coleccion/juan-manuel-blanes/datos-biograficos |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=Museo de Bellas Artes Juan Manuel Blanes |language=es}}</ref> was the first Uruguayan artist to gain widespread recognition. The [[Post-Impressionist]] painter [[Pedro Figari]] did pastel studies in Montevideo and the countryside.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pedro Figari |url=https://www.oas.org/artsoftheamericas/pedro-figari |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=Arts of the Americas}}</ref> Most of the paintings were part of the abstract trend, not [[mural]]ism.<ref>{{Citation |last1=Martínez-Carazo |first1=Eva-María |title=The Abstraction, the Unknown Part of Uruguayan Contemporary Muralism |date=2021 |work=Cultural and Creative Mural Spaces |pages=69–81 |editor-last=Santamarina-Campos |editor-first=Virginia |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-3-030-53106-5_5 |access-date=2024-10-19 |place=Cham |publisher=Springer International Publishing |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-53106-5_5 |isbn=978-3-030-53105-8 |last2=Santamarina-Campos |first2=Virginia |last3=De-Miguel-Molina |first3=María |editor2-last=Martínez-Carazo |editor2-first=Eva-María |editor3-last=de Miguel Molina |editor3-first=María|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Uruguay has many [[art museum]]s, most of which are in Montevideo, such as the [[Museo Torres García|Torres García Museum]] and the Gurvich Museum.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Moraiti |first=Laura |date=2020-07-13 |title=Visit Uruguay through the art of Torres-Garcia |url=https://www.lifeofcolourproducts.com/blogs/around-the-world/visit-uruguay-through-the-art-of-torres-garcia |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=Life of Colour |language=en}}</ref> The Torres García Museum was dedicated in honor of the Uruguayan artist [[Joaquín Torres-García]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Museo Torres Garcia (Torres García Museum) in Montevideo, Uruguay |url=https://www.gpsmycity.com/attractions/museo-torres-garcia-(torres-garcia-museum)-33495.html |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=GPSmyCity |language=en}}</ref>

=== Music ===
{{Main|Music of Uruguay}}

[[File:Tango dancers in Montevideo.png|thumb|Tango dancers in Montevideo]]

{{listen
|filename =
|title = La cumparsita
|description = It is among the most famous and recognizable tangos of all time.
|format = [[Ogg]]
}}

[[File:Murgas (Vazquez, Marzo 2005 -2).jpg|thumb|[[Murga]] singers at the Carnival]]

<!-- From Encyclopedia Britannica. Rewrite? -->The folk and popular music of Uruguay shares its [[gaucho]] roots with [[Argentina]] and the [[tango (music)|tango]].<ref name="britannica"/> One of the most famous tangos, "[[La cumparsita]]" (1917), was written by the Uruguayan composer [[Gerardo Matos Rodríguez]].<ref name="britannica"/> The [[candombe]] is a folk dance performed at [[Carnival]], especially [[Uruguayan Carnival]], mainly by Uruguayans of African ancestry.<ref name="britannica"/> The guitar is the preferred musical instrument, and in a popular traditional contest called the ''payada'', two singers, each with a guitar, take turns improvising verses to the same tune.<ref name="britannica"/> Folk music is called [[Music of Uruguay#Canto popular|''canto popular'']] and includes some guitar players and singers such as [[Los Olimareños]], and [[Numa Moraes]].

There are numerous radio stations and musical events of rock music and the Caribbean genres.<ref name="britannica" /> Early classical music in Uruguay showed Spanish and Italian influence, but since the 20th century, a number of composers of classical music, including [[Eduardo Fabini]], [[Héctor Tosar]], and [[Eduardo Gilardoni]], have made use of Latin American musical idioms more.<ref name="britannica" /> There are two symphony orchestras in [[Montevideo]], OSSODRE and Filarmonica de Montevideo. Some of the well-known classical musicians are pianists [[Alberto Reyes|Albert]] [[Enrique Graf]]; guitarists [[Eduardo Fernández (guitarist)|Eduardo Fernandez]] and [[Marco Sartor]]; and singers [[Erwin Schrott]].<!-- From Encyclopedia Britannica. Rewrite? -->

[[Tango]] has especially affected Uruguayan culture during the 20th century, particularly the 1930s and 1940s with Uruguayan singers such as [[Julio Sosa]] from [[Las Piedras, Uruguay|Las Piedras]].<ref name="UNESCO">{{cite news|url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hy8EQ1hEp3BVG-vnlwrClzXfpA7A |title=Argentina, Uruguay bury hatchet to snatch tango honor |last=Termine |first=Laura |date=30 September 2009 |access-date=2 April 2010 |location=Buenos Aires |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091011083629/https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hy8EQ1hEp3BVG-vnlwrClzXfpA7A |archive-date=11 October 2009}}</ref> When tango singer [[Carlos Gardel]] was 29 years old, he changed his nationality to be Uruguayan, saying he was born in [[Tacuarembó]].<ref>[[Carlos Gardel]] was born in France:<br />{{bull}}{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/lifemusictimesof00coll |url-access=registration |page=[https://archive.org/details/lifemusictimesof00coll/page/5 5] |title=The Life, Music, and Times of Carlos Gardel |first=Simon |last=Collier |publisher=University of Pittsburgh Press |year=1986 |isbn=0-8229-8498-9 }}<br />{{bull}}{{cite book |first1=Julián |last1=Barsky |first2=Osvaldo |last2=Barsky |title=Gardel: La biografía |publisher=Taurus |year=2004 |isbn=9870400132 |language=es}}<br />{{bull}}{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZVfIus_mXzAC&pg=PA31 |page=31 |title=La sonrisa de Gardel: Biografía, mito y ficción |first=Jorge |last=Ruffinelli |author-link=Jorge Ruffinelli |publisher=Ediciones Trilce |year=2004 |isbn=9974323568 |language=es |access-date=23 October 2015 |archive-date=17 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617125233/https://books.google.com/books?id=ZVfIus_mXzAC&pg=PA31 |url-status=live }}<br />{{bull}}Bocaz, Luis (March 1986). [http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0006/000684/068421eo.pdf "Tango Time"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180824175539/http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0006/000684/068421eo.pdf |date=24 August 2018 }}, UNESCO ''Courier'', p. 11.</ref> Nevertheless, a Carlos Gardel museum was established in 1999 in [[Valle Edén]], near Tacuarembó.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://english.uruguay.com/uruguay_detail_675_carlos_gardel_museum.html |title=Carlos Gardel Museum |publisher=Uruguay.com |access-date=31 August 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131213114233/http://english.uruguay.com/uruguay_detail_675_carlos_gardel_museum.html |archive-date=13 December 2013}}</ref>

[[Rock and roll]] was first introduced into Uruguay with the arrival of [[the Beatles]] and other British bands in the early 1960s. A wave of bands appeared in Montevideo, including [[Los Shakers]], [[Los Iracundos]], [[Los Moonlights]], and [[Los Malditos]], of which all became major figures in the so-called [[Uruguayan Invasion]] of Argentina.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://open.salon.com/blog/jeanette_d/2009/10/03/are_you_ready_for_the_uruguayan_invasion |title=Are You Ready For the Uruguayan Invasion? |work=Salon |date=5 October 2009 |access-date=27 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091011050622/http://open.salon.com/blog/jeanette_d/2009/10/03/are_you_ready_for_the_uruguayan_invasion |archive-date=11 October 2009}}</ref> Popular Uruguayan rock bands include [[La Vela Puerca]], [[El Cuarteto de Nos]], and [[Cursi]]. In 2004, the Uruguayan musician and actor [[Jorge Drexler]] won an Academy Award for composing the song "[[Al otro lado del río]]" from the movie ''[[The Motorcycle Diaries (film)|The Motorcycle Diaries]]'', which narrated the life of [[Che Guevara]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Prada |first=Paulo |date=2005-03-02 |title=A Tone-Deaf Oscar Snubbed the Best Song Winner |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-mar-02-oe-prada2-story.html |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Literature ===
{{Main|Uruguayan literature}}

<!-- From Encyclopedia Britannica. Rewrite? -->[[File:José Enrique Rodó.jpg|thumb|upright|José Enrique Rodó]]
[[José Enrique Rodó]] (1871–1917), a modernist, is considered Uruguay's most significant literary figure.<ref name="britannica"/> His book, ''Ariel'' (1900), deals with the need to maintain [[spirituality|spiritual]] values while pursuing material and technical progress.<ref name="britannica"/> It also stresses resisting cultural dominance by Europe and the United States.<ref name="britannica"/> Notable amongst Latin American playwrights is [[Florencio Sánchez]] (1875–1910), who wrote plays about contemporary social problems that are still performed today.<ref name="britannica"/>

From about the same period came the romantic poetry of [[Juan Zorrilla de San Martín]] (1855–1931), who wrote epic poems about [[History of Uruguay|Uruguayan history]]. Also notable are [[Juana de Ibarbourou]] (1895–1979), [[Delmira Agustini]] (1866–1914), [[Idea Vilariño]] (1920–2009), and the short stories of [[Horacio Quiroga]] and [[Juan José Morosoli]] (1899–1959).<ref name="britannica"/> The psychological stories of [[Juan Carlos Onetti]] (such as "No Man's Land" and "The Shipyard") have earned widespread critical praise, as have the writings of [[Mario Benedetti]].<ref name="britannica"/>

Uruguay's best-known contemporary writer is [[Eduardo Galeano]], author of ''Las venas abiertas de América Latina'' (1971; "[[Open Veins of Latin America]]") and the trilogy ''Memoria del fuego'' (1982–87; "Memory of Fire").<ref name="britannica"/> Other modern Uruguayan writers include [[Sylvia Lago]], [[Jorge Majfud]], and [[Jesús Moraes]].<ref name="britannica"/>
<!-- From Encyclopedia Britannica. Rewrite? -->

=== Media ===
The [[Reporters Without Borders]] worldwide press freedom index has ranked Uruguay as 19th of 180 reported countries in 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://rsf.org/en/ranking_table|title=2019 World Press Freedom Index|website=RSF|language=en|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-date=24 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160424043201/https://rsf.org/en/ranking_table|url-status=live}}</ref> Freedom of speech and media are guaranteed by the constitution, with qualifications for inciting violence or "insulting the nation".<ref name="BBC-profile"/> Uruguay's freedom of the press was severely curtailed during the years of military dictatorship. On his first day in office in March 1985, Sanguinetti reestablished complete freedom of the press.<ref name="loc-80" /> Consequently, Montevideo's newspapers expanded their circulations.<ref name="loc-80">{{cite web|url=http://countrystudies.us/uruguay/80.htm|title=The Media – Uruguay|publisher=Library of Congress Country Studies|access-date=23 February 2011|archive-date=30 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430025454/http://countrystudies.us/uruguay/80.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Uruguayans have access to more than 100 private daily and weekly newspapers, more than 100 radio stations, and some 20 terrestrial television channels, and cable TV is widely available.<ref name="BBC-profile" />

State-run [[List of radio stations in Uruguay|radio]] and [[Television in Uruguay|TV]] are operated by the official broadcasting service [[SODRE]].<ref name="BBC-profile" /> Some newspapers are owned by, or linked to, the main political parties.<ref name="BBC-profile" /> ''[[El Día (Uruguay)|El Día]]'' was the nation's most prestigious paper until its demise in the early 1990s, founded in 1886 by the Colorado party leader and (later) president [[José Batlle y Ordóñez]]. {{Lang|es|[[El País (Uruguay)|El País]]}}, the paper of the rival Blanco Party, has the largest circulation.<ref name="britannica" /> ''[[Búsqueda]]'' serves as a forum for political and economic analysis.<ref name="loc-80" /> Although it sells only about 16,000 copies a week, its estimated readership exceeds 50,000.<ref name="loc-80" />

=== Cuisine ===
{{Main|Uruguayan cuisine}}

{{Unreferenced section|date=July 2025}}
Uruguayan cuisine culture comes mostly from the European cuisine culture. Most of the Uruguayan dishes are from Spain, France, Italy, and Brazil, the result of immigration caused by past wars in Europe. Daily meals vary between meats, pasta of all types, rice, sweet desserts and others, with meat being the principal dish due to Uruguay being one of the world's largest producers of meat in quality.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

Typical dishes include: "[[asado]] uruguayo" (big grill or barbecue of all types of meat), roasted lamb, [[Chivito (sandwich)|chivito]] (sandwich containing thin grilled beef, lettuce, tomatoes, fried egg, ham, olives and others, and served with French fries), [[milanesa]] (a kind of fried breaded beef), tortellini, spaghetti, gnocchi, ravioli, rice and vegetables.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

One of the most consumed spreads in Uruguay is [[dulce de leche]] (a caramel confection from Latin America prepared by slowly heating sugar and milk). The most typical sweet is [[afajor]], which is a small cake, filled with dulce de leche and covered with chocolate or [[meringue]]. Other typical desserts include the [[pastafrola]] (a type of cake filled with quince jelly) and [[chajá]] (meringue, sponge cake, whipped cream and fruits, typically peaches and strawberries are added). [[Mate (drink)|Mate]], an [[Herbal tea|herbal drink]], is the most typical beverage in Uruguay.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

=== Sports ===
{{Main|Sport in Uruguay}}

[[File:Estadio centenario 2.JPG|thumb|[[Centenario Stadium]]]]
[[File:Uruguay fans Russia 2018.jpg|thumb|Uruguay supporters at the [[2018 FIFA World Cup]] in Russia]]
[[Soccer]] is the most popular sport in Uruguay. The first international match outside the [[British Isles]] was played between Uruguay and [[Argentina]] in Montevideo in July 1902.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesa/argurures.html|title=ARGENTINA-URUGUAY Matches 1902–2009|first=Héctor Darío|last=Pelayes|date=24 September 2010|access-date=27 April 2011|archive-date=5 January 2019|website=[[RSSSF]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190105020111/http://www.rsssf.com/tablesa/argurures.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Soccer was introduced to Uruguay by English sailors and workers in the 19th century alongside [[Rugby union|rugby]] and [[cricket]].  Uruguay won gold at the [[Football at the 1924 Summer Olympics|1924 Paris Olympic Games]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197020/overview.html |title=Paris, 1924 |publisher=FIFA |access-date=27 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100615203810/http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament%3D512/edition%3D197020/overview.html |archive-date=15 June 2010 }}</ref> and again in [[Football at the 1928 Summer Olympics|1928]] in Amsterdam.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197029/overview.html |title=Amsterdam, 1928 |publisher=FIFA |access-date=27 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100615204240/http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament%3D512/edition%3D197029/overview.html |archive-date=15 June 2010 }}</ref> Its [[Uruguay national football team|national football team]] has won the [[FIFA World Cup]] on two occasions. Uruguay won the [[1930 FIFA World Cup|inaugural tournament]] on home soil in 1930 and again in 1950, [[Uruguay v Brazil (1950 FIFA World Cup)|famously defeating]] home favorites [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]] in the final match.<ref name="givefb" /> Uruguay has won the [[Copa América]] (an international tournament for South American nations and guests) 15 times, one less than Argentina, the last one in 2011. Uruguay has by far the smallest population of any country that has won a World Cup.<ref name="givefb">{{cite web |last=Shail |first=Mark |date=6 July 2010 |url=http://www.givemefootball.com/world-cup/uruguay-10-fascinating-facts |title=Uruguay: 10 fascinating facts – The smallest country to win the World Cup have big ambitions again |website= Give Me Football |access-date=23 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427051641/http://www.givemefootball.com/world-cup/uruguay-10-fascinating-facts |archive-date=27 April 2011}}</ref> Despite their early success, they missed three World Cups in four attempts from 1994 to 2006.<ref name="givefb" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sissoko |first=Moussa |date=2024-03-22 |title=Fanvip |url=https://fanvip.space |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=fanvip.space |language=en}}</ref> Uruguay reached the semifinal for the first time in 40 years in the [[2010 FIFA World Cup]]. [[Diego Forlán]] was presented with the [[Golden Ball (FIFA)|Golden Ball]] award as the best player of the 2010 tournament.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8804708.stm|title=World Cup 2010: Diego Forlan collects Golden Ball award|date=11 July 2010|work=BBC Sport|access-date=23 February 2011|archive-date=4 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130404190438/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8804708.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> Uruguay exported 1,414 soccer players during the 2000s, almost as many players as Brazil and Argentina.<ref name="pl-exp">{{cite web |date=6 January 2011 |title=Uruguay "exported" 1.414 football players in the last decade |url=http://en.mercopress.com/2011/01/06/uruguay-exported-1.414-football-players-in-the-last-decade |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110110170957/http://en.mercopress.com/2011/01/06/uruguay-exported-1.414-football-players-in-the-last-decade |archive-date=10 January 2011 |access-date=23 February 2011 |publisher=MercoPress}}</ref> In 2010, the Uruguayan government enacted measures intended to retain players in the country.<ref name="pl-exp" /> There are two Montevideo-based soccer clubs, [[Club Nacional de Football|Nacional]] and [[Peñarol]]; they have won three Intercontinental Cups each. When the two clubs play each other, it is known as [[Uruguayan Clásico]].<ref>{{cite news |date=27 November 2005 |title=Uruguay se parte en dos |trans-title=Uruguay divides into two |work=[[El País (Uruguay)|El País]]  |url=http://historico.elpais.com.uy/05/11/27/pdepor_187281.asp |access-date=11 October 2022 |language=es |archive-date=28 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141028233409/http://historico.elpais.com.uy/05/11/27/pdepor_187281.asp |url-status=live }}</ref> In the rankings for June 2012, Uruguay was ranked the second best team in the world, according to the [[FIFA]] world rankings, their highest ever point in soccer history, falling short of the first spot to the [[Spain men's national football team|Spain national soccer team]].<ref>[https://www.fifa.com/worldranking/rankingtable/index.html?intcmp=fifacom_hp_module_ranking The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking – Ranking Table] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141027044652/http://www.fifa.com/worldranking/rankingtable/index.html?intcmp=fifacom_hp_module_ranking|date=27 October 2014}}. FIFA.com. Retrieved on 25 June 2012.</ref>

Another popular sport is basketball.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.explore-uruguay.com/uruguay-sports.html#.WaO8SNFpzct |title= Top Uruguay Sports |date= 28 August 2017 |author= Explore Uruguay |access-date= 28 August 2017 |archive-date= 28 August 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170828144113/http://www.explore-uruguay.com/uruguay-sports.html#.WaO8SNFpzct |url-status= live| language=es}}</ref> Its [[Uruguay national basketball team|national team]] qualified for the [[Basketball World Cup]] seven times, more often than other countries in South America, except [[Brazil national basketball team|Brazil]] and [[Argentina national basketball team|Argentina]]. Uruguay hosted the official [[Basketball World Cup]] for the [[1967 FIBA World Championship]] and the official [[Americas Basketball Championship]] in 1988 and 1997, and is a host of the [[2017 FIBA AmeriCup]].

== See also ==
* [[Outline of Uruguay]]
* [[Index of Uruguay-related articles]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}
{{NoteFoot}}
{{reflist|group=note}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
{{Refbegin}}
* Andrew, G. R. (2010). ''Blackness in the White Nation: A History of Afro-Uruguay'', The University of North Carolina Press
* Behnke, A. (2009). ''Uruguay in Pictures'', Twenty First Century Books
* Box, B. (2011). ''Footprint Focus: Uruguay'', Footprint Travel Guides
* Burford, T. (2010). ''Bradt Travel Guide: Uruguay'', Bradt Travel Guides
* Canel, E. (2010). ''Barrio Democracy in Latin America: Participatory Decentralization and Community Activism in Montevideo'', The Pennsylvania State University Press
* Clark, G. (2008). ''Custom Guide: Uruguay'', Lonely Planet
* Jawad, H. (2009). ''Four Weeks in Montevideo: The Story of World Cup 1930'', Seventeen Media
* Lessa, F. and Druliolle, V. (eds.) (2011). ''The Memory of State Terrorism in the Southern Cone: Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay'', Palgrave Macmillan
* Mool, M (2009). ''Budget Guide: Buenos Aires and Montevideo'', Cybertours-X Verlag
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
{{Library resources box}}
* [https://www.ifs.du.edu/ifs/frm_CountryProfile.aspx?Country=UY Key Development Forecasts for Uruguay] from [[International Futures]]

=== Government ===
* [https://uruguay.uy/en Uruguay] – Official website of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay
* [https://www.gub.uy Government] – Official website of the Government of Uruguay
* [https://www.gub.uy/presidencia Presidency] – official website of the president of Uruguay
* [https://www.parlamento.gub.uy General Assembly]&nbsp;– official website of the General Assembly of Uruguay
* [https://parlamento.gub.uy/camarasycomisiones/senadores Senate] – official website of the Senate of Uruguay
* [https://www.parlamento.gub.uy/palacio3/index1280.asp?e=0&w=1366 Chamber of Representatives] – official website of the Chamber of Representatives of Uruguay
* [https://www.gub.uy/instituto-nacional-estadistica Statistics] – official website of the National Statistics Institute

=== History ===
* [https://www.1811-2011.edu.uy/B1 Uruguay (1811–2011)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240718101448/http://www.1811-2011.edu.uy/B1/ |date=18 July 2024 }} – website describes Uruguay in this period 
* [http://www.guiadelmundo.org.uy/cd/countries/ury/History.html "History"] – Uruguayan history at Guía del Mundo

=== Tourism ===
* [https://uruguay.uy/en/visit Visit Uruguay] – Uruguay's official tourism portal

=== Maps ===
* {{Wikiatlas}}
* {{OSM relation|287072}}

{{Uruguay topics}}

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