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| Introduction | Uruguay |
| Background: | A violent Marxist urban guerrilla movement, the Tupamaros, launched in the late 1960s, led Uruguay's president to agree to military control of his administration in 1973. By yearend, the rebels had been crushed, but the military continued to expand its hold throughout the government. Civilian rule was not restored until 1985. Uruguay's political and labor conditions are among the freest on the continent. |
| People | Uruguay |
| Population: | 3,399,237 (July 2004 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 23.5% (male 406,500; female 392,497) 15-64 years: 63.4% (male 1,066,464; female 1,087,100) 65 years and over: 13.1% (male 182,654; female 264,022) (2004 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 32.2 years male: 30.7 years female: 33.7 years (2004 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 0.51% (2004 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 14.44 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Death rate: | 9.07 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | -0.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 12.31 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 13.67 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 75.92 years male: 72.71 years female: 79.24 years (2004 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 1.96 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.3% (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 6,300 (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | less than 500 (2001 est.) |
| Nationality: | noun: Uruguayan(s) adjective: Uruguayan |
| Ethnic groups: | white 88%, mestizo 8%, black 4%, Amerindian, practically nonexistent |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic 66% (less than half of the adult population attends church regularly), Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, nonprofessing or other 31% |
| Languages: | Spanish, Portunol, or Brazilero (Portuguese-Spanish mix on the Brazilian frontier) |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: 97.6% female: 98.4% (2003 est.) |
| Government | Uruguay |
| Country name: | conventional long form: Oriental Republic of Uruguay conventional short form: Uruguay local short form: Uruguay former: Banda Oriental, Cisplatine Province local long form: Republica Oriental del Uruguay |
| Government type: | constitutional republic |
| Capital: | Montevideo |
| Administrative divisions: | 19 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Artigas, Canelones, Cerro Largo, Colonia, Durazno, Flores, Florida, Lavalleja, Maldonado, Montevideo, Paysandu, Rio Negro, Rivera, Rocha, Salto, San Jose, Soriano, Tacuarembo, Treinta y Tres |
| Independence: | 25 August 1825 (from Brazil) |
| National holiday: | Independence Day, 25 August (1825) |
| Constitution: | 27 November 1966, effective February 1967, suspended 27 June 1973, new constitution rejected by referendum 30 November 1980; two constitutional reforms approved by plebiscite 26 November 1989 and 7 January 1997 |
| Legal system: | based on Spanish civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal and compulsory |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: President Jorge BATLLE Ibanez (since 1 March 2000) and Vice President Luis HIERRO (since 1 March 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Jorge BATLLE Ibanez (since 1 March 2000) and Vice President Luis HIERRO (since 1 March 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president with parliamentary approval elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for five-year terms; election last held 31 October 2004 (next to be held October 2009) election results: Tabare VAZQUEZ elected president; percent of vote - Tabare VAZQUEZ 50.7%, Jorge LARRANAGA 34.1%, Guillermo STIRLING 10.3%; note - VAZQUEZ will take office on 1 March 2005 |
| Legislative branch: | bicameral General Assembly or Asamblea General consists of Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (30 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and Chamber of Representatives or Camara de Representantes (99 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: Chamber of Senators - last held 31 October 1999 (next to be held October 2004); Chamber of Representatives - last held 31 October 1999 (next to be held October 2004) election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Encuentro Progresista 12, Colorado Party 10, Blanco 7, New Sector/Space Coalition 1; Chamber of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Encuentro Progresista 40, Colorado Party 33, Blanco 22, New Sector/Space Coalition 4 |
| Judicial branch: | Supreme Court (judges are nominated by the president and elected for 10-year terms by the General Assembly) |
| Political parties and leaders: | Colorado Party [Jorge BATLLE Ibanez]; National Party or Blanco [Luis Alberto LACALLE Herrera]; New Sector/Space Coalition or Nuevo Espacio [Rafael MICHELINI]; Progressive Encounter/Broad Front Coalition or Encuentro Progresista/Frente Amplio [Tabare VAZQUEZ] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | NA |
| International organization participation: | FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMISET, UNMOGIP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Hugo FERNANDEZ-FAINGOLD consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York FAX: [1] (202) 331-8142 telephone: [1] (202) 331-1313 through 1316 chancery: 1913 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20006 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Martin J. SILVERSTEIN embassy: Lauro Muller 1776, Montevideo 11200 mailing address: APO AA 34035 telephone: [598] (2) 418-7777 FAX: [598] (2) 418-8611 |
| Flag description: | nine equal horizontal stripes of white (top and bottom) alternating with blue; there is a white square in the upper hoist-side corner with a yellow sun bearing a human face known as the Sun of May and 16 rays alternately triangular and wavy |
| Communications | Uruguay |
| Telephones - main lines in use: | 946,500 (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular: | 652,000 (2002) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: fully digitalized domestic: most modern facilities concentrated in Montevideo; new nationwide microwave radio relay network international: country code - 598; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2002) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | AM 91, FM 149, shortwave 7 (2001) |
| Radios: | 1.97 million (1997) |
| Television broadcast stations: | 23 (2002) |
| Televisions: | 782,000 (1997) |
| Internet country code: | .uy |
| Internet hosts: | 87,630 (2003) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 14 (2001) |
| Internet users: | 400,000 (2002) |
| Transportation | Uruguay |
| Railways: | total: 2,073 km standard gauge: 2,073 km 1.435-m gauge note: 461 km have been taken out of service and 460 km are in partial use (2003) |
| Highways: | total: 8,983 km paved: 8,081 km unpaved: 902 km (1999 est.) |
| Waterways: | 1,600 km (2002) |
| Pipelines: | gas 192 km (2004) |
| Ports and harbors: | Colonia, Fray Bentos, Juan La Caze, La Paloma, Montevideo, Nueva Palmira, Paysandu, Punta del Este, Piriapolis |
| Merchant marine: | total: 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 10,918 GRT/10,342 DWT registered in other countries: 6 (2003 est.) foreign-owned: Argentina 4, Greece 1 by type: chemical tanker 1, container 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1 |
| Airports: | 64 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways: | total: 14 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 50 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 17 under 914 m: 31 (2004 est.) |
| Military | Uruguay |
| Military branches: | Army, Navy (includes Naval Air Arm, Marines, Maritime Prefecture in wartime), Air Force |
| Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 838,195 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 677,315 (2004 est.) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $217.9 million (2003) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 2% (2003) |
| Transnational Issues | Uruguay |
| Disputes - international: | uncontested dispute with Brazil over certain islands in the Quarai/Cuareim and Invernada streams and the resulting tripoint with Argentina |
| This page was last updated on 16 December, 2004 |
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