|
Country
|
Uruguay | 
Nicaragua |
|
Leader
|
|
President: Daniel Ortega
|
|
Population
|
3,324,460
| 5,788,531
|
|
Life Expectancy
|
76.610 years
| 72.450 years
|
|
Capital City
|
Montevideo
| Managua
|
|
Largest city
|
| Montevideo (population: 1,270,740) | Managua (population: 973,087) |
|
Human Development Index
|
0.859
| 0.699
|
| GDP per capita |
$15,800 US
| $3,300 US
|
|
Literacy Rate
|
98%
| 67.5%
|
|
Corruption Perception Index
|
6.9
| 2.5
|
|
Percentage of Women in Parliament
|
12.3%
| 18.5%
|
| Wealthiest Citizens |
|
|
| Unemployment Rate |
6.100%
| 7.400%
|
|
Death Penalty
|
Abolished
| Abolished
|
| |
|
Political System
|
constitutional republic
| republic
|
|
Independence date
|
25 August 1825 (from Brazil)
| 15 September 1821 (from Spain)
|
| Religions |
Roman Catholic 47.1%, non-Catholic Christians 11.1%, nondenominational 23.2%, Jewish 0.3%, atheist or agnostic 17.2%, other 1.1% (2006)
| Roman Catholic 58.5%, Evangelical 21.6%, Moravian 1.6%, Jehovah's Witness 0.9%, other 1.7%, none 15.7% (2005 census)
|
| Languages |
Spanish, Portunol, or Brazilero (Portuguese-Spanish mix on the Brazilian frontier)
| Spanish 97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8% (1995 census)
note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast
|
| Exports |
meat, rice, leather products, wool, fish, dairy products
| coffee, beef, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, sugar, gold, peanuts
|
| External Debt |
$15,900,000,000 $
| $5,228,000,000 US
|
| Exchange Rate |
Uruguayan pesos (UYU) per US dollar - 20.438 (2008 est.), 23.947 (2007), 24.048 (2006), 24.479 (2005), 28.704 (2004)
| gold cordobas (NIO) per US dollar - 19.374 (2008 est.), 18.457 (2007), 17.582 (2006), 16.733 (2005), 15.937 (2004)
|
| Military Budget as percentage of GDP |
0.900%
| 0.900%
|
| Beijing Olympics Medal Count |
|
|
| Location |
Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Argentina and Brazil
| Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras
|
| Area |
176,215 km sq
| 130,370 km sq
|
| Coastline |
660 km
| 910 km
|
| Climate |
warm temperate; freezing temperatures almost unknown
| tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands
|
|
|
|
