Uruguay, whose official name is República Oriental del Uruguay,
is a sovereign country in South America, located in the eastern part
of the Southern Cone. Its capital and most populated city is
Montevideo. It borders to the northeast with Brazil—state of Río
Grande del Sur—, to the west and southwest with Argentina—provinces
of Corrientes, Entre Ríos and Buenos Aires, and the Autonomous City
of Buenos Aires (separated by the Río de la Plata)—and has coasts in
the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers 176,215 km² and is the
second smallest country in South America, after Suriname. According
to data from the last INE census in 2011, the population of Uruguay
is 3,286,314 inhabitants, placing it in tenth position among the
twelve South American countries.
It is a presidential country
subdivided into nineteen departments and 125 municipalities. The
capital and most populated city of the country is Montevideo, with
1.3 million inhabitants, whose metropolitan area is around two
million, which represents 56.3% of the national total. It is a
founding member of the United Nations, of Mercosur, of the OAS
and of the G77, and is part of other international organizations.
The current Uruguayan territory was known during the colonial
era as Banda Oriental, and included the territory of the so-called
Eastern Missions, which were later taken over by the government of
Brazil and became part of the current Brazilian state of Rio Grande
do Sul. On August 27, 1828, the Preliminary Peace Convention was
signed, which established the creation of an independent state,
although without an official name. The name of the new state given
in its first Constitution was "Estado Oriental del Uruguay",
changing the same to the current one in the Constitutional Reform of
1918.
It has a temperate climate with an average temperature
of 17.5 °C, with January being the warmest month, with an average of
22.6 °C, and July the coldest month, with an average of 10.6 °C.
Rainfall is abundant and varies from almost 1000 mm per year in the
south to 1500 mm in the north, on the border with Brazil.
Precipitation also has seasonal variations, with the autumn and
spring months being the ones with the most abundant rainfall. .
The main economic resources are agriculture, forestry and
livestock. Mineral and energy resources are scarce, and the main
industries are paper, cardboard, cement and oil refining.
According to the United Nations, it is the country in Latin America
with the highest level of literacy. According to the organization
Transparency International, Uruguay occupies 21st place on the list
of countries with the lowest Corruption Perception Index, being the
second best placed in America. , behind Canada, which occupies 11th
place. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) says that it is
the third country in Latin America (after Chile and Argentina) with
the highest Human Development Index (HDI) and 54th in the world.
According to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the
Caribbean (ECLAC), it is one of the countries in the region with a
more equitable income distribution, with a Gini Coefficient of 0.39.
. It is also the fourth country in Latin America (after Cuba, Costa
Rica and Chile) with the highest life expectancy. In 2018, it is the
third country in Latin America (after Panama and Chile) with the
highest GDP (PPP) per capita.
The Latinobarómetro
Corporation, in a study carried out in 2008, places it as the most
peaceful country in Latin America. In addition, according to the
American magazine International Living, it is the best in Latin
America to live in. This same publication claims that it is among
the twenty safest countries in the world, while the British
publication The Economist places it among the twenty most
democratic, being the only South American country considered by said
index as a "full democracy."
Colonia del Sacramento: city founded by the
Portuguese in 1680, located on the Uruguay River facing Buenos Aires,
which maintains much of its architecture and bucolic appearance
unchanged.
Punta del Este: place where the international jet set
meets every summer for more than 50 years. A privileged coast on the
Atlantic Ocean and a lot of nature in its natural state, together with
5-star hotels.
Piriápolis: is a city and resort in the department of
Maldonado, located one hour and forty minutes from Montevideo and twenty
minutes from Punta del Este. It was the first spa in the country,
founded by Francisco Piria.
Punta del Diablo: a fishing village near
the border with Brazil, which welcomes tourism that seeks the most
rugged coast and the roughest sea.
La Paloma: is one of the main spas
on the Atlantic coast of Uruguay, located 240 km from Montevideo. Its
beaches, with an extension of approximately 20 km, constitute one of the
main tourist attractions in the country.
La Pedrera: 230 km from
Montevideo. It has beautiful beaches and a spectacular panoramic view.
It is characterized by preserving a rugged landscape and where its
beaches are known for their beauty and the strength of the sea, typical
of the Rochense coasts.
Barra de Valizas: a town that fills you with
infinite stars, cold bonfire nights and exotic music from places of
wonder. Amazement that does not stop appearing every day and of course
every night. Sun, endless ocean. Limited Valizas for some since many of
the houses do not have electricity.
Hot springs: natural hot springs
in the north of the country offer an alternative for tourism and health
throughout the year.
Almirón Hot Springs: in the department of
Paysandú.
Termas del Arapey: in the department of Salto.
Termas
del Daymán: in the department of Salto.
Guaviyú Hot Springs: in the
department of Paysandú.
Salto Grande Hot Springs: in the department
of Salto.
San Nicanor Hot Springs: in the department of Salto.
Estancias: cattle ranches where in addition to enjoying a "asado con
cuero" you can see the descendants of the true "gauchos" doing farm
chores.
Boca del Cufré: a small resort located in the department of
San José (100 km from Montevideo). The beaches correspond to the Río de
la Plata, and it is characterized as an ideal place to rest since the
rugged and little-urbanized landscape makes it "Cufré" a heavenly place
to make the most of your desire to rest.
The spa has a stream
suitable for navigation and water sports, it also has camping and
numerous farms for rent.
To get to Boca del Cufré, you have to go to
kilometer 100 of route 1 (one) where the city of Ecilda Paullier is
located, and from there turn 17 km along a road that leads through a
picturesque landscape of pine trees. , eucalyptus trees and dunes
directly on the banks of the river.
Atlántida: a seaside resort in
the department of Canelones, located on the Atlantic coast, only 45 km
from Montevideo, the country's capital.
In 2013, Montevideo was
for the second time the Ibero-American Capital of Culture. Various
cultural shows were held throughout the year.
the matte
Although the infusion known as "mate" is taken in different ways in
Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and southern Brazil, it is in Uruguay where
its presence can be seen at all times and in all places. It is very
common to see a Uruguayan family walking through the city with their
mate, and it cannot be missing in any gathering of people of any age.
The "yerba mate", that is, the leaves with which the infusion is
prepared, is considered a staple item. This yerba is placed in the mate
(this is the name of the drink and the container where it is drunk). The
gourd used to make the container is dried, deseeded, and cut
appropriately. To sip the mate, a bombilla is used, a silver or other
noble metal artifact, built as a straw or straw, with a filter of the
same material in the part that remains submerged in the yerba. The last
element is the thermos, a container where hot water is transported to
serve the mate.
Unlike Argentina, where mate is usually drunk
with milk or sugar, or Paraguay, where it is served cold as a
refreshment, in Uruguay it is drunk bitter and very hot.
Virtually all Europeans can enter without a visa for 90 days.
Electronic entry gates have also been available at more popular border
crossings since 2019. You don't get a stamp in your passport there, but
only at the counters that are also available.
By plane
The
capital's airport in Montevideo has been expanded and has a
state-of-the-art terminal. Direct flights from Europe are currently only
available from Madrid or via Miami with a connecting flight. There are
good connections to other South American cities and above all to Buenos
Aires (partly departures every half hour).
A cheap alternative is
to fly to Buenos Aires and from there by ship or overland to Uruguay.
By train
Unfortunately, it is not possible to travel to Uruguay
by train, as there are only a few dilapidated inner-Uruguayan train
connections that are mainly used to transport goods.
By bus
Buses serve Uruguay and especially the capital Montevideo and Punta del
Este from Argentina and Brazil.
In the street
From Brazil
there are numerous border crossings from the state of Río Grande do Sul
to Uruguay. There are three bridges over the Río Uruguay from Argentina.
Attention: Because of a diplomatic conflict between the two countries
around a paper factory, the bridges are often blocked by demonstrators!
Either arrive via Buenos Aires or Brazil or ask about the current
situation in Argentina on site!
By boat
Montevideo and Colonia
can be reached by ferry Buquebus from Buenos Aires. This is particularly
advantageous if you have only booked a flight to Buenos Aires and want
to continue to Uruguay. If you don't have a car with you, you can also
take a passenger boat from the Argentinian city of Tigre to Carmelo,
which is highly recommended because of the charming islands. The company
Colonia Express offers combined tickets from Buenos Aires via Colonia
(ship) to Montevideo. The journey takes a good five hours in total, and
there is no time to take another look at Colonia. Faster (a good two
hours), but also a bit more expensive, is the direct ferry connection
from Buquebus.
By taxi
In Montevideo you can find black and yellow taxis, as
well as white and yellow models that were introduced in 2011 and will
gradually replace the former. The price of the fare is approximately 1
dollar to start the trip, plus 3 cents for every 100 meters traveled.
By bus
Buses from neighboring countries arrive at the Tres
Cruces terminal in Montevideo . A bus service from Colonia del
Sacramento complements the ferry crossing the Río de La Plata from
Buenos Aires.
By car
The road network has been modernizing
for about 10 years, making land transport faster and safer.
By
train
Since 1993, regular passenger trains have been running between
Montevideo and 25 de Agosto (Florida department). In 2002 the services
were increased by adding trains to Progreso (halfway between Montevideo
and 25 de Agosto).
Since March 1, 2003 passenger trains depart
and arrive from a new terminal station 500 meters north of Montevideo
Central Station , which has been closed ever since. This meant a loss of
more than 100,000 passengers for train services. For more information
visit this website: Group of Passengers in defense of the Central
Station .
In December 2005, passenger service to Empalme Olmos
via Pando was restored.
In January 2007, a daily train was
extended from 25 de Agosto to San José (two on Saturdays) and from
January 2008 another train continues to Florida, 109 km from Montevideo.
The schedules can be consulted at http://www.afe.com.uy .
Passenger trains run on Sundays in summer, but not in winter except for
special services.
The State Railroad Administration also runs
special trains for certain events to or from San José, Florida, Durazno,
Cerro Colorado, Minas and between Treinta y Tres and Rio Branco.
Between 1993 and 2000 a regular passenger service circulated between
Tacuarembó and Rivera.
From the Beer Festival in the city of Paysandú, to the
Rural Exhibition of El Prado, passing through the Carnival, where you
can listen and dance to Candombe, a rhythm that was born in Uruguay with
African roots.
On the other hand, there is the National Spring
Festival that takes place on the second weekend of October in the city
of Dolores, Department of Soriano, and that every year brings together a
massive presence of visitors from different parts of the country and the
region. .
Spanish (español) is the de facto official language and is spoken by
all residents of Uruguay. Even in tourist centers it is advisable to
have a basic vocabulary of Spanish words, as even English is not widely
spoken.
Latin American Spanish sometimes differs significantly
from Castilian Spanish and can take some getting used to if you are only
familiar with European school Spanish. The Spanish variant of Uruguay
shows many similarities with that of Argentina and, due to the history
of settlement and immigration, has certain influences from Italian,
Portuguese and Galician in terms of vocabulary, pronunciation and
intonation. It sounds softer, gentler, and more melodic, which is also
true of Latin American Spanish in general. Furthermore, not a few
Uruguayans know Portuguese (estimates speak of up to around a quarter of
the population, a good 800,000 people), especially in the north, be it
simply because of the proximity to Brazil (tourist, cultural, economic
relations between the two countries), because they have learned at
school or are of Portuguese-Brazilian descent or even have it as their
mother tongue. Furthermore, there are mixed variants of español and
português, which are called portuñol, in northern Uruguay and southern
Brazil, especially in the border area. Uruguayan Portuguese, on the
other hand, is closer to Brazilian than to European.
However,
anyone who speaks one of these two major Ibero-Romance languages will
hardly have any major communication difficulties during their trip.
In November 2021, one euro was worth almost 50 pesos.
The best
place to shop is in one of the five malls, such as B. Montevideo
Shopping, Shopping Tres Cruzes or Shopping Punta Carretas, where it is
also safe. The city center, on the other hand, is still a bit run down
after the last crisis and many shops are empty.
Although
marijuana has been legalized, it is not freely available. Locals have to
be entered in a "pothead file" in order to be able to purchase their
smoking substance in pharmacies.
The kitchen is very influenced by the agrarian structure. Beef in any
form is very common. Vegetarians will sometimes have a hard time getting
meatless diets. The preparation is often on the grill. Otherwise, the
kitchen is characterized by Spanish and Italian influences.
A
cutlery charge is often required, which is reflected in the bill as
"cubiertos". That's why there are also some bars that write at the
entrance ("No se cobran cubiertos!") to advertise themselves. It's best
to just ask: "Se cobran cubiertos?".
Chivito is the national
dish. Similar to a hamburger, a bun is topped with a slice of fried
meat, mozzarella, sliced tomato, mayonnaise, olives, cooked ham, and
hard-boiled eggs or a fried egg. It can also be served "al plato",
without a bun, on a plate. French fries are eaten as a side dish.
Chajá is a typical dessert of Uruguayan gastronomy. It was invented on
April 27, 1927 by Orlando Castellano, owner of the Las Familias pastry
shop in the city of Paysandú. It owes its name to the chajá, a bird that
lives in the central and southern areas of South America and that is
found mainly in the department of Paysandú. The ingredients of the
dessert are merengue (meringue), bizcochuelo (sponge cake), double cream
and characteristic fruits such as peach and strawberry. There are also
variants with dulce de leche (a cream made from milk, sugar and vanilla)
or chocolate.
Going out is one of the favorite pastimes of young people at the weekend. The motto is: "See and be seen". A lot of value is placed on appearance and a certain machismo is widespread. As in southern Europe, nightlife starts relatively late. The nightlife takes place mainly in the old town, the "Ciudad vieja" and in the discotheques and bars distributed throughout the city. You don't need to show up in the dance halls before one o'clock in the morning, because that's when they're still closed, even during the week.
The Uruguayans are very fond of tents. Everywhere in the country you
will find campsites with the associated infrastructure (showers,
toilets...). Because of the hot summers, the pitches are planted with
trees, so you can pitch your tent in the shade. You pay between four and
ten euros per night and person, depending on how popular the place you
are visiting is. Earplugs should be part of the basic equipment along
with the tent, sleeping bag and sleeping mat, as there are cicadas that
make noise like circular saws and can make it hard to fall asleep.
Wild camping is not allowed, but will not be prosecuted. If you are
actually caught by the police, the officers will at most politely ask
you to take down the tent. It is more problematic to find suitable
places to camp on the way, as there are fences on both sides of
practically all roads, behind which the cow pastures begin. But there
are fearless people who set up their tent right next to the road (if
only two or three cars pass by all night - no problem) or seek to be
close to the cattle, which is usually not a problem. By the way: Bulls
(meaning male cattle) are generally not dangerous in South America. The
question "why not?" answer Latin Americans with the surprised question
why they are in Europe.
There are two main universities in Uruguay: the Universidad de la Republica and the Universidad Catolica. Attending school and attending secondary schools and universities is free of charge in public institutions. However, there are a large number of private educational institutions that are subject to a fee. However, Uruguay's education system is good overall and means that only about four percent of the population is illiterate, i.e. less than in many industrialized countries.
The international dialing code for Uruguay is +598. Country internet domain .uy
Uruguay is generally considered a safe travel destination.
Nevertheless, you should watch out for your belongings, especially in
tourist areas and larger cities, where there are also some pickpockets.
As a European, you should avoid some parts of Montevideo, as you can be
mugged there even in daylight. Uruguayans are permitted to purchase
firearms up to a certain caliber.
The districts with a large
number of corrugated iron shacks, such as B. Cerro Norte, La Paloma or
Casabo, one should, if at all, only be accompanied by locals. The center
of the city and the old town are quite safe by South American standards.
Handbags or valuables should not be left in the passenger seat.
Uruguayans always say there are no dangerous animals in the country.
Then, when it comes to snakes, it's, "yes, there are some really
poisonous snakes, but otherwise there aren't any other dangerous animals
in the country." When it comes to spiders, it's, "yes, a there are a few
really venomous snakes and spiders, but otherwise there are no other
dangerous animals in the country.” And then, when it comes to the
cougars and maned wolves… In fact, cars in Montevideo are far more
dangerous than the wildlife. You simply shouldn't do gymnastics in
sandals and shorts through high grass and bushes, then you won't be
bitten.
There are no particular health risks in Uruguay. Medical care is
good, especially in the cities.
The emergency numbers are 911 and
999.
In the past few decades, the first-name form has become commonplace - even with strangers.
In colonial times the territory was known as Banda Oriental. This
name comes from its geographical location, being the easternmost domain
of Spain on the American continent. During the first years of the
independence struggle, it was called the Eastern Province, forming part
of the Federal League and later of the United Provinces of the Río de la
Plata. During the Luso-Brazilian Invasion (1816-1828) it was officially
called Cisplatina Province.
When the draft of the first
Constitution was drafted in 1830, the name "State of Montevideo" was
suggested for the new independent nation. During the discussion of the
project, the names "Northern Argentine State" and "Eastern State of the
Río de la Río" were also proposed. Plata" or "Eastern State of Uruguay",
finally after a vote in the assembly the name of Eastern State of
Uruguay was approved, in geographical reference to the Uruguay River.
Finally, in the Constitutional Reform of 1918, the official name was
modified by that of the Eastern Republic of Uruguay, a name that had
already been used de facto for a few decades.
Currently the most
common name is simply Uruguay, there are several theories about the
meaning and origin of the word:
Uru Country River or Uru River. It is
the version of the Spanish naturalist Félix de Azara. The "urú quail"
or, simply urú, is a bird of the odontophorid family - or New World
quail - that lives in the jungles of the upper basin of the Uruguay
River, located in the northeast of Argentina and the south. of Brazil,
in the region of the Jesuit Missions. In this way, the literal
translation of Guaraní would be: urú; gua, "of"; and y, "water", water -
river - of the urú. The Uruguayan poet, singer and composer Aníbal
Sampayo ascribes.
River of snails. This interpretation arises from
dividing the word in Uruguay, "caracol" or "sea snail", and y, "water or
river", and has several sources. This idea was supported independently
by the Jesuits Nicolás Durán Mastrilli and Antonio Ruiz de Montoya, who
had a deep knowledge of the Guaraní language, and then, at the end of
the 18th century, the engineer José María Cabrer, who accompanied Félix
de Azara in some of his travels through the Río de la Plata region, the
Misiones and Paraguay. Research from 2010, from the National Museum of
Natural History, also supports this thesis. Irene Cocchi and Rosario
Gutiérrez, authors of the book "In the country of snails, Uruguay", also
subscribe to this theory. The indigenous people, original inhabitants of
the region, would be referring to a species of mollusk that is abundant
in the Uruguay River, the Asolene megastoma—a gastropod belonging to the
ampularidae family. The indigenous people used these snails as food and
also in some rituals. The large quantities found in indigenous burials
would demonstrate the importance that snails had for the ancient
inhabitants of this region.
River of birds. It is a very similar
version to the first. The affix uru would designate “bird”—urubú,
urutaú, jaburú—and guay “water or river.” The Pampean version with a
guttural tone of "uhay" or "vahy" or even "hy" - Ayuhy, Iyuhy, Paraguay,
Queguay, Iraí, Piraí, Ivahy - over time would have transformed the
geographical designative.
River of painted birds. A poetic
interpretation of Juan Zorrilla de San Martín.
Historically, the
correct demonym to refer to the inhabitants of the republic is
orientales, but it has gradually fallen into disuse, having been
replaced in most uses by Uruguayans.
The first humans arrived in what is currently Uruguayan territory
14,000 years ago, based on archaeological discoveries in the department
of Artigas that, due to their antiquity, led to reconsidering the date
of the arrival of man to the American continent.
The oldest
artificial constructions in the region are the more than 3,000 Indian
hills that date back up to 5,000 years old distributed throughout the
east of the country. Archaeological investigations have found evidence
in the hills of pet dogs, as well as agriculture. of corn, beans and
pumpkins, a practice that was previously considered unknown to the
prehistoric inhabitants of Uruguay.
The inhabitants of Uruguay at
the time of the Spanish conquest were mainly the Charrúas, among whom
the Guenoas-Minuanes, the Bohanes and the Chaná are distinguished. There
is controversy over the existence of another group known as the
Arachanes due to the lack of historical records. . There was also the
Yaros people who belonged to the Yés mixed or acculturated with the
Charrúas. Contrary to what has been the dominant opinion during much of
the 19th and 20th centuries, recent archaeological and ethnohistorical
research has revealed that the settlement of Uruguayan territory by the
Charrúas largely occurred after the European conquest. More precisely,
it occurred between the end of the 17th century and the beginning of the
18th century, and was due to their expulsion from the territories of the
current Argentine provinces of Santa Fe and Entre Ríos where they had
their main residence, as part of the great offensive against the peoples
indigenous people unleashed by the Spanish colonizers after the
Guaranític War. It is accepted, however, that some portion of Uruguayan
territory, such as part of the current department of Colonia, had a
Uruguayan presence before this migration. The Minuan ethnic group, on
the other hand, would have been the most populous and widespread in
Uruguayan territory, even after the displacement of the Charrúas.
Simultaneously, the Guaraní, originally from the territories of the
Jesuit missions, both during their existence and even more so after
their dissolution, fled to nearby regions, including Uruguayan
territory. They brought with them their European knowledge transmitted
through their contact with the Society of Jesus in the aforementioned
Missions, giving rise to the main Amerindian cultural heritage in the
Uruguayan interior, especially in what has to do with practices related
to the breeding of animals, gastronomy, and other customs.
The first European settlement in the then called Banda Oriental was
the Spanish San Lázaro, founded by Sebastián Gaboto on the eastern bank
of the Río de la Plata at the beginning of 1527. A few weeks later, the
Spanish under Gaboto founded a second fort in the mouth of the San
Salvador River, which receives its European name from the name of the
San Salvador Fort. Such establishments were short-lived.
In
January 1680, the Portuguese occupied the southern part of the Banda
Oriental—violating the Treaty of Tordesillas—founding the Colonia do
Santíssimo Sacramento, in front of the city of Buenos Aires. On November
22, 1723, Field Master Manuel de Freytas Fonseca founded the Montevieu
fort. On January 22, 1724, the Spanish from Buenos Aires displaced the
Portuguese, who founded the city of Río Grande in 1737, Porto Alegre in
1742, and the Santa Teresa Fortress in 1762 in Rocha in the north of the
Banda Oriental.
After evicting the Portuguese in 1723, Montevideo
was officially founded on December 24, 1726 by the Spanish captain Bruno
Mauricio de Zabala, called "Iron Arm", commissioned by the authorities
established in Buenos Aires. The new foundation was initially named Fort
San José, and then San Felipe and Santiago, although the place was known
in ancient times by the Spanish as Montevideu. There are several
theories about the origin of the nomenclature of Montevideo: one
hypothesis states that it could derive from the term "monte vide eu"
used by someone who first saw the hill existing on its coasts. Another
widely accepted origin would be that of the territorial census in its
origins; At the time, the position where Montevideo is located was
called: “Monte VI de E a O”—Mount sixth from East to West. At that time
Spain only had Montevideo, its surroundings and the departments of San
José, Flores, Canelones and Maldonado. 90% of the Banda Oriental
remained Portuguese since 1680. The Portuguese established relations
with the Chaná nation and introduced Africans from Bantu nations—from
the kingdoms of Benguela, Ngola and Kongo among others—to Colonia and
later to Montevideo as slaves.
The Spanish settled in 1726, when
the second founding of Montevideo took place, due to the advance of
Portuguese troops into the current Uruguayan territory and the founding
of cities by them. The city of Montevideo was founded with military and
commercial objectives, being an important military plaza of the Spanish
colonial dominions in the south during the 18th century and the main
port of the Río de la Plata estuary. The importance of Montevideo as a
port of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata earned it confrontations
with Buenos Aires, capital of the viceroyalty, on several occasions.
On November 22, 1749, the king of Spain appointed José Joaquín de
Viana as the first governor of Montevideo. He arrived at the Río de la
Plata on the ship Nuestra Señora de la Concepción on February 3, 1751,
landing in Buenos Aires, where he swore the position of first Governor
before Captain General Andonaegui and took possession of it in a solemn
session held by the Cabildo. Montevidean will celebrate on March 14. The
Government of Montevideo included the territories that went from the
mouth of the Cufré stream, in the west, to the Pan de Azúcar hill, in
the east, arriving in the north from the sources of the San José and
Santa Lucía rivers, following the line from Cuchilla Grande to Ojosmín
hill, which is located in the current department of Flores. In terms of
the national political subdivision of the present, it corresponds to the
current departments of Montevideo, Canelones and part of those of San
José, Flores, Florida, Lavalleja and Maldonado.
The first viceroy
of the Río de la Plata, Pedro de Cevallos—or Zevallos—reconquered
Montevideo and the Santa Teresa Fortress as well as the island of Santa
Catarina. Finally, in 1777, Cevallos himself, named viceroy of the
recently created Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, definitively
conquered the Colony, a conquest that was endorsed by the treaty of San
Ildefonso.
In 1763 the city of San Carlos in Maldonado was
founded with Portuguese by Cevallos. In 1798 and between 1806 and 1807
the English Invasions occurred. Troops from Montevideo and Buenos Aires
together repel the attacks of the English fleet—the first commanded by
Commodore Home Riggs Popham and the second by Admiral Charles
Stirling—coming to conquer the territories of Plata.
During the May Revolution of 1810—started in Buenos Aires—and the
revolutionary uprising in the provinces of Plata, the city of Montevideo
remained faithful to the Spanish authorities, although much of the rural
interior and smaller cities did not. At the beginning of its formation,
the leader José Gervasio Artigas stands out, whose intention was to
create in the Eastern Province the nucleus of a confederation that would
encompass the entire United Provinces of the Río de la Plata. Artigas
titled himself protector of free peoples, bringing together under his
military command the Banda Oriental—mostly present-day Uruguay—and the
current Argentine provinces of Entre Ríos, Misiones, Corrientes, Santa
Fe and, briefly, Córdoba. He also intended to integrate the Eastern
Missions—which Artigas declared part of the Eastern Province—and the
Republic of Paraguay. In 1815 Artigas called a meeting of a congress of
those provinces—the Congress of the East—in Arroyo de la China,
currently Concepción del Uruguay in Entre Ríos, to try to solve their
problems with the government of Buenos Aires. During the
Portuguese-Brazilian invasion Artigas focused his operations from the
Purification Camp.
During his brief period as leader and ruler of
the Banda Oriental, Artigas promoted the implementation of an advanced
social development program that included a reform of agrarian
structures, through the Provisional Regulation of 1815, which
established a distribution of lands. with social sense under the slogan
that "the unhappiest are the most privileged." Within this category,
said regulation mentions black people, zambos and poor widows with
children, among others. Other development projects include the founding
of the first public library, the customs regulations to promote national
production, and the first attempt to establish a public school. This
process comes to an end with the invasion of the Portuguese through
Brazil. In 1816 the Banda Oriental fell under the power of the United
Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarve. In 1821 the Cisplatin
Congress decided to incorporate the territory into Portugal with the
name of Cisplatin Province. In 1825 there was a revolution known as the
emancipatory feat of the Thirty-Three Orientals, immediately followed by
the Brazilian War, between the Empire and the United Provinces of the
Río de la Plata. This concluded with the constitution of the Eastern
State of Uruguay in 1828 after the Preliminary Peace Convention was
signed.
Since Independence, Uruguay attempted to join the Western world
through the expulsion of one of the surviving indigenous peoples, known
as the Charrúas, to keep their lands. On April 11, 1831, General
Fructuoso Rivera was president and minister During the war of General
Manuel Oribe, the Salsipuestas Massacre took place in which nearly
thirty Charrúas died, the most important of a series of battles with the
native peoples, which resulted in the emigration of many Charrúas to
Brazil and Argentina. . This battle was the corollary of a war that
preceded the arrival of the Spanish to the Río de la Plata, between the
Charrúa and the Guaranític nations, the latter protected by General
Rivera.
The first forty years of the new country witnessed great
political instability. The continuous clashes between whites and reds
gave rise to the so-called Great War and the long siege of Montevideo,
with the country divided between two rival governments, and which
witnessed serious interference in its internal affairs by Argentina and
Brazil. That war was followed by a series of coups d'état and
revolutions, which led Uruguay to participate in the long and costly War
of the Triple Alliance against Paraguay. Only after the Revolution of
the Lances, in 1872, did a stage of more peaceful resolution of
political situations begin, although small civil wars continued to occur
until 1904. In 1870 Spain recognized the independence of Uruguay when
the Treaty of Recognition, Peace and Peace was signed. Friendship
between the Eastern Republic of Uruguay and the Kingdom of Spain.
At the end of the 19th century the country had completed its
organization and during the Batllista era—led by the president at that
time, José Batlle y Ordóñez—it consolidated its democracy and reached
high levels of well-being, comparable to Europeans. Due to this, Uruguay
began to be known internationally as "the Switzerland of America."
Uruguay was one of the first countries to establish by law the right to
divorce - 1907 - and one of the first countries in the world to
establish the right of women's suffrage. In addition, it was the second
nation in the world that, following the postulates of José Pedro Varela,
established by law a free, compulsory and secular educational system
-1877-.
There was an economic boom due to the consequences of the
First World War, when the industrialization of the country began, where
for years European manufactured products stopped being imported and they
began to be manufactured in the national territory. This resulted in one
of the lowest unemployment rates. Other achievements were added to all
this; the tallest building in Latin America in 1928 —Palacio Salvo—, the
excellent infrastructure, health and education with levels higher than
those of European countries and many countries in developing Latin
America, its public university, the largest stadium in the world
—Estadio Centenario—, state public services—electricity, telephones,
gas, trams, railways, running water, among others—, a Uruguayan peso
that tended to appreciate against the dollar, new public institutions,
the triumph in the soccer championships in the Games Olympics—Paris 1924
and Amsterdam 1928—and the World Cups of 1930—whose headquarters were
the city of Montevideo—and 1950, in Brazil—called Maracanazo—, feats
that contributed to perpetuating the myth of Uruguay's “golden age.”
During the period between 1940-1944, which was the year Uruguay
entered World War II, the economy was excessively dependent on foreign
capital. One of Uruguay's problems was that it depended 100% on energy
that came from abroad and therefore most of the benefits obtained
returned without giving any benefit to the country. For this reason, the
growth and evolution of Uruguay were greatly diminished, since the
outflow of capital did not help national investment.
At the end of the 19th century, the driving force behind Uruguay's
growth, like that of many other Latin American countries, was exports.
The fundamental difference between Uruguay and the others is that it did
not depend excessively on a single destination country.
Around
the turn of the century—1900—the main goods that Uruguay exported were
wool with 42% of the total percentage and, secondly, frozen meat with
24%. With these two goods alone, Uruguay reached 66% of exports, giving
special importance to the agricultural sector. These products were
especially directed to three markets: Belgium, France and Argentina,
although they did not represent 70% of total exports. With World War I,
exports to these three countries decreased and the so-called other
countries gained more weight. In 1912, exports to other countries were
30% and after 5 years they rose to 70%.
The fact that its export
market was broader was an advantage for the Uruguayan economy since it
did not strictly depend on a few countries that imported its products,
and it was not vulnerable to changes in demand in these markets. The
Uruguayan economy concentrated all its efforts and investments in the
production of these two primary products, which were exported with some
success since they were scarce in countries, especially European, that
were dedicated to the production of manufactured products. Uruguayan
livestock farming acquired a greater weight in the country's economy,
due to the technological advances of the time. New methods were
introduced that increased the productivity of livestock, such as the
breeding method, since in terms of land area, this was smaller compared
to neighboring Argentina, which was also one of the largest meat
exporting countries. Although the star product of the Uruguayan economy
was wool - 46% -, meat exports increased thanks to the use of
refrigerators, which allowed meat to be better preserved, and to
improvements in navigation and transportation techniques that helped
travel long distance.
The new production characteristics led to a
radical change in agricultural structures, giving way to capitalist
farms oriented to the market, and not simple internal consumption, but
the organization of the land did not produce lasting economic
development in the country. The large ranchers were subject to the
interests of foreign capitalists, English among many, who had strong
control over production. In the particular case of Uruguay, there is
talk of extensive growth, in which the use of land was increased and
more labor was incorporated without looking for alternatives to the lack
of natural resources, as a consequence of the exploitation of the land.
After the era of exports, where Uruguay experienced a period of
economic prosperity, international events arrived that shook not only
Uruguay's economy, but also the global economy. These external impacts
are: World War I and II and the US Great Depression of 1929; All of them
are events external to Uruguay but that impacted its economy.
As
already mentioned, the engine of Uruguay's economy was the export
sector. With the war events of its trading partners, Uruguay lost part
of its demand for products from abroad and this was reflected in a
decline in its growth. During this period that would last until the
early 1950s, Uruguay was at the expense of what was happening in the
rest of the world and this is observed with the fluctuations of its GDP
pc—up if there are no important events, and down if relevant events
occur. Therefore, until the implementation of the ISI measures – Import
Substitution Industrialization – towards the beginning of the 1950s,
Uruguay was at the expense of the international situation.
In
1950, the ideas arrived in Latin America to stop being economies based
on the primary sector and begin to produce themselves the manufactures
that until then they had imported or ISI. In Uruguay, due to its limited
geographical expansion and the restriction this represented in
developing a powerful internal market, industrialization measures had
less impact than in neighboring countries.
Some ISI measures did
become real: the Central Government took sides and promoted numerous
companies and an attempt was made to import more capital goods than
other types to change the economic system. But, as has been mentioned,
for Uruguay it is not at all clear that the ISI measures were important
enough for a change in the production model to occur. On the other hand,
the public deficit that would begin here would have consequences later.
The political and social unrest in Uruguay at this time also did not
help its economy take off.
Around 1955, an economic crisis began that also affected political institutions. During the 1960s there was a continuous process of social and economic deterioration with a notable increase in agitation among left-wing union sectors. Simultaneously, the activity of about ten revolutionary groups was recorded, among which the "Tupamaros" stood out, who leaned towards urban guerrilla warfare. At the same time, during the 60s and 70s far-right organizations acted, such as the Juventud Uruguaya de Pie (JUP) and the Tupamaros Hunting Command (CCT), known as the Death Squadron. The Armed Forces used the deterioration that devastated the country to their advantage, gradually assuming prominence. These events led, ten years later, to a coup d'état that established a civil-military dictatorship.
On June 27, 1973, the then president, Juan María Bordaberry,
dissolved parliament with the support of the Armed Forces and months
later created a Council of State with legislative functions,
administrative control and in charge of projecting a constitutional
reform "that reaffirms the republican-democratic principles", restricts
freedom of expression of thought and empowers the Armed Forces. and
police to ensure the uninterrupted provision of public services.
The coup d'état of June 1973 and its resulting Council of State was
immediately resisted by a large part of the citizens and by the workers
grouped in the National Workers Convention (CNT), as well as by the
Student Movement, mainly represented by the Federation of University
Students (FEUU) of the University of the Republic, who carried out a
15-day general strike, the longest in history so far.
The Armed
Forces detained left-wing leaders and other citizens without political
position, accusing them of sedition during the entire time that the
military dictatorship lasted, that is, until 1985, as well as (for brief
periods) well-known leaders of traditional political parties such as
Jorge Batlle Ibáñez and Luis Alberto Lacalle de Herrera, who would later
become Presidents of the Republic with the return to democracy, among
others.
The members of "left-wing" parties were held almost
completely incommunicado and suffered physical and psychological torture
(later verified by organizations such as the International Red Cross).
Nearly a hundred political prisoners died in Uruguayan prisons and
another 140 people remain missing.
The media was censored or
banned, the trade union movement destroyed and tons of books burned
after the works of some writers were banned. People registered as
opponents of the regime are excluded from public administration and
education.
In 1976, at the end of his constitutional mandate,
Bordaberry, convinced that the political chaos that the country had
experienced was the responsibility of its political system, proposed to
the Board of Commanders in Chief of the Armed Forces a reform of the
country's institutional system. eliminating political parties and
replacing them with "currents of opinion" in a corporatist system, an
idea that is not shared by the military. The disagreements between
Bordaberry and the military generated the political crisis of June 1976,
which culminated in the dismissal of the president and the interim
appointment of Alberto Demicheli to occupy the first magistracy.
Demicheli, who until then had served as president of the Council of
State, assumes the presidency of the Republic on July 12. As the first
measures of his government, he proceeded to sign Institutional Acts 1
and 2, by which he suspended "until further pronouncement" the call for
general elections (scheduled for November of that same year) and the
"Council of the Nation" was created. . Regarding economic policy,
Demicheli ratified the National Development Plan created in 1972 during
the Bordaberry government. The applied economic policy sought a radical
reformulation of the bases of the country's economic functioning, a new
alliance between the military and the technobureaucracy, aimed at the
transformation of the productive structures of foreign trade, income
distribution, demand and relative prices, in a framework of broad
liberalization and opening of the economy. Finally, on September 1 of
the same year, Demichelli delegates the presidency to Aparicio Méndez
(former Minister of Public Health), who takes over for a period of five
years.
The Minister of Economy and Finance, Alejandro Végh
Villegas, seeks to promote the financial sector and foreign investment.
Social spending is reduced and many state companies are privatized.
However, the economy did not improve and deteriorated after 1980, GDP
fell by 20% and unemployment rose to 17%. The State intervenes trying to
rescue bankrupt companies and banks.
On November 30, 1980, citizens rejected the constitutional reform
project proposed by the dictatorial regime, beginning a slow process of
political opening. On September 1, 1981, General Gregorio Álvarez
assumed the presidency, and in 1984 he called elections, although with
citizens and political parties banned. After taking place that same
year, the Colorado Party emerged triumphant. During the first days of
1985, Álvarez left command in the hands of the President of the Supreme
Court of Justice in office, Rafael Addiego Bruno, and finally, on March
1, 1985, the government returned to civilians with the assumption of
Julio María Sanguinetti as President.
In February and March 1985,
the majority political parties agreed to vote on an amnesty law that
extinguished political, common and military crimes related to them,
committed after January 1, 1962. Authors and co-authors were exempt from
the amnesty. of completed crimes of intentional homicide, in which
regard only the review of the sentences by civil courts was ordered.
Police and military officials who had committed crimes involving
inhuman, cruel or degrading treatment or the detention of people who
later disappeared, or who had covered up such conduct, were expressly
excluded.
Law 15,848 on the Expiration of the Punitive Claims of
the State (popularly known as the "law of impunity" or "law of
expiration"), which covered all members of the Armed Forces accused of
human rights violations between 1973 and 1985. , was approved by
parliament in December 1986. In the following years, a campaign to
collect signatures was carried out to promote a referendum to annul it.
On April 16, 1989, after more than 25% of Uruguayan citizens authorized
the referendum with their signature, it was carried out, with a triumph
of the so-called "yellow vote" (for the color of the ballot). , which
ratified the law, with a margin of 57% against 43% with respect to the
"green vote", for its annulment. The victory of the "yellow vote" meant
not annulling the expiration law, and maintaining the amnesty for crimes
committed during the military government.
In the November 1989
elections, Luis Alberto Lacalle (of the National Party) was elected. In
1994 Sanguinetti was elected for the second time.
In 1996, a
constitutional reform was put for citizens' consideration that
established internal elections and runoff elections for the first time;
This reform is approved by a narrow margin in the plebiscite. Thus, in
1999 Jorge Batlle (of the Colorado Party) triumphed, as a result of this
new system.
In July 2002, in one of the hottest moments of the banking crisis,
the senator of the Frente Amplio, Alberto Couriel, was in charge of the
interpellation of the then minister Alberto Bensión, in which all the
members of the Frente Amplio and a few of the National Party formally
asked him to resign from office. This did not happen, but Rodríguez
Batlle was removed.
In mid-July, the rejection of the National
Party, until then an ally of the Batlle government, towards the economic
policy that was being carried out was made public. It was then that,
together with the Frente Amplio, they again asked for Bensión's
resignation and this time they had better luck. Bensión left office on
August 20 and Alejandro Atchugarry took office, who was then serving as
senator for the Colorado Party. Atchugarry, who had just suffered the
loss of his wife after a long illness, was reluctant to take up the
position. However, Batlle found in him what he was looking for, a
minister who was more political than technical. Batlle put the senator
in a compromising situation, and told him that if he did not take over
as minister, he should resign from the presidency and Luis Hierro López
would have to take the reins of the country. Finally, Atchugarry
accepted the position, telling him "I would like you." I love and
respect him like a father... Well, children do not say no to their
parents." At the time of Atchugarry's inauguration, Rosario Medero, the
white representative on the board of directors of the Central Bank,
resigned at the request of his political sector.
On July 30, the
bank holiday was declared. The Batlle government excused itself by
saying that it was an express request from the IMF to proceed with the
liquidation of the Peirano group banks. This decision aimed to stop the
flight of deposits that the Uruguayan financial market had been
suffering since 2001, since many Argentine savers turned to their
savings in Uruguay when they found themselves unable to withdraw money
in their country. The ATMs ran out of money, and the exchange houses
sold the dollar for 38 pesos and bought it for 24. The bank holiday
ended on Monday, August 5.
The night of July 31 resulted in the
first looting of a supermarket near the Legislative Palace. On August 1,
a wave of these phenomena occurred that shook the city of Montevideo.
There were more than thirty, and this time they happened in marginal
areas. Many merchants expressed their willingness not to reopen their
shops the next day for fear of being looted. The Minister of the
Interior, Guillermo Stirling, tried to reassure the population by
announcing a reinforcement of police surveillance for future occasions.
On August 2 there was no looting, however, a wave of rumors invaded the
city. It was rumored that a horde of people was heading towards the
center of Montevideo, looting everything in their path. Merchants closed
their doors instantly and the city center was left desolate. A strong
police operation was launched and the Air Force flew over the capital
using helicopters in search of the horde of looters that never arrived
and perhaps never existed.
While chaos reigned in the country, in
the United States Isaac Alfie commanded the delegation that Batlle had
sent to form a working group with delegates from the US government,
since Horst Köhler, director of the IMF, had given the order not to lend
him a dollar. more to Uruguay. Finally, the United States agreed with
Uruguay on a bridge loan of $1.5 billion to capitalize state banks. That
was the beginning of the end of the country's economic crisis.
In
November, the National Party decided to remove ministers Antonio
Mercader, Álvaro Alonso, Carlos Cat, Sergio Abreu and Jaime Trobo from
their positions in Batlle's government, as they wanted to separate
themselves from him.
The 2002 crisis left devastating figures for
the country. Such is the case of the suicide rate, which increased by
12.6%, meaning that two Uruguayans committed suicide per day and many
cases of self-elimination attempts were recorded.
As a direct
economic consequence of this crisis, the real salary had a sharp fall,
reaching its floor between 2003 and 2004 with a loss of 22% compared to
the year 2000. For its part, the unemployment rate rose to a maximum in
2002 it was 17%, rising 3 and a half percentage points compared to the
time he took office.53 Towards the end of his government, unemployment
rates reversed their trend, reaching figures lower than those at the
time of his inauguration. On the contrary, the fall suffered by real
wages could not be reversed, being in 2005 some 18.6 percentage points
below the figures for 2000.
In the 2004 presidential elections, the socialist and oncologist
Tabaré Vázquez, candidate for the leftist Encuentro Progresista-Frente
Amplio-Nueva Mayoría coalition, was elected with 50.6% of the votes,
achieving victory in the first round and achieving a parliament with
absolute majorities. Tabaré Vázquez belonged to the Uruguayan Socialist
Party for more than 25 years, he disaffiliated from it in December 2008
due to philosophical discrepancies in his position regarding the
decriminalization of abortion, however, without ceasing to continue
being a person of deep socialist ideals. In the 2005 municipal
elections, the National Party won ten mayoralties, the EP-FA-NM won
eight, and the Colorado Party won one.
In the legislative
elections of October 2009, the Frente Amplio once again achieved the
parliamentary majority with 48% of the total votes (counting blank and
annulled votes), while the National Party came second with 29.4%. Third
Colorado Party obtaining 17.5%. The Frente Amplio vote did not achieve
an absolute majority of the total votes cast, including blank and
annulled votes, so the presidential election was defined on November 29,
2009 through a runoff between the leftist José Mujica of the Frente
Amplio and the rightist former president Luis Alberto Lacalle Herrera of
the National Party. José “Pepe” Mujica was elected president of Uruguay
and successor to Tabaré Vázquez. The Frente Amplio formula obtained
52.4% of the votes, while the other candidate, the former white
president Luis Alberto Lacalle (1990-1995), achieved 43.5%, according to
the results of the Electoral Court. Around 4% of the votes were blank or
annulled. In the first round on October 25, Mujica, of the ruling
left-wing Frente Amplio party, and Lacalle, of the National Party, had
received the most votes (48% and 29.1% respectively), but neither
achieved a majority. In his inauguration speech, held on March 1, 2010,
Mujica reaffirmed the need for the country to have state policies. He
also proposed the elimination of destitution and the reduction of
poverty by 50% as a primary objective of his administration.
In the
2010 departmental elections, the National Party obtained twelve
mayoralties (regained three, lost one), the Broad Front obtained five
(lost four, conquered one) and the Colorado Party obtained two (gained
one more). In the 2014 Uruguayan general elections, Tabaré Vázquez was
again elected in the second round with 56.62% of the votes.
As a result of the victory of the conservative National Party in the second round of the 2019 presidential elections, in 2020, Tabaré Vázquez was succeeded by the center-right Luis Alberto Lacalle Pou, after 15 years of left-wing governments, as the 42nd President of Uruguay .
It has a total land area of 176,215 km², of which 175,015 km² is the
total sum of the departments, 1,200 km² includes the sum of the
artificial lakes of the Negro River, 105 km² of the islands of the
Uruguay River and 16,799 km² of jurisdictional waters (Uruguay River, La
Plata River and Merín Lagoon). Until August 2016, the territorial sea
area was 125,057 km² (see Extreme points of Uruguay). On August 30,
2016, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea confirmed to
Uruguay the new extension of the continental shelf, so the country grows
83,000 km² towards the sea and has more maritime territory than land. .
From then on, the total area of Uruguayan territory covers 384,272 km².
Answered limits
Uruguay maintains two border disputes with Brazil
regarding the territories known as Isla Brasilera and Rincón de Artigas,
in the department of Artigas, which occupy an area of 237 km².
The Uruguayan relief is characterized by its low altitude, divided
into two large structural areas: the penallanuras and the plains. It
represents a transition zone between the Pampas plain and the Brazilian
shield.
Although the average height of 140 m s. n. m. can be
considered low, the relief does not correspond to a typical plain, given
the almost constant presence of blades and saws; This type of relief is
called peneplain. The elevations are associated with two systems: the
Haedo blade, north of the Negro River, and the Grande blade, south of
it. From these two systems, blades of smaller size and elevation are
released.
From the Cuchilla de Haedo arise the Negra and Santa
Ana blades that serve as the limit between Uruguay and Brazil, the
Hospital blade a little further south and between the Negro and
Tacuarembó rivers; To the west extend the Belén, Daymán and Queguay
blades. Geologically, this system is mainly composed of basalts and
sandstone. Its hills usually have a flattened shape.
The Cuchilla
Grande system is made up of the Cuchilla Grande itself, which runs from
north to south. As an extension of it to the north is the Dionisio
blade, between the Olimar and Tacuarí rivers. The blade of Cerro Partido
extends to the east between the Cebollatí River and the India Muerta
stream. The Carapé mountain range forms the southern end of the system
and has the three highest hills in the country: Cerro Catedral, Cerro de
las Ánimas and Cerro Pan de Azúcar. As an extension of the Carapé
mountain range, the Carbonera blade extends, parallel to the Atlantic
coast. Towards the west, there is the Grande del Durazno blade, between
the Negro and Yi rivers. In the same direction, further south, the
Grande Inferior blade reaches the plains near the mouth of the Uruguay
River, detaching from it the Santa Lucía blades, the Mahoma mountain
ranges, the Bizcocho blade and the Colonia blade. . This system is
mainly composed of granites and its hills usually have a rounded shape
at their summit.
The highest point is the Cathedral, located in
the Department of Maldonado, with 514 meters. Other notable elevations
are the Cerro de las Ánimas and the Sugar Loaf in Maldonado, the
Arequita in Lavalleja, the Montevideo hill with its historical fortress
and from which the name of the city is supposedly derived, and the
Batoví, near the Iporá spa, in Tacuarembó.
The plains or plains
generally have soil formed by sedimentation and very fertile. They are
mainly found on the coast of the Uruguay River, the coast of the Río de
la Plata and the Atlantic coast, the latter extending to the Merin
lagoon and the basins of the Olimar and Cebollatí rivers.
The rivers and streams of Uruguay form an extensive and dense network
that irrigates the entire territory. All river currents flow into the
Atlantic Ocean. These currents tend to have a slight slope, which makes
them slow and looped currents, which favors sediment deposits in their
beds. Given the irregularity of rainfall in the region, floods often
occur in times of excess rain, some of them serious.
Although
most of the country's territory is occupied by grasslands, most of the
indigenous forest is concentrated on the banks of the water channels.
The importance of this forest is given that it stops the erosion of the
riverside soil, prevents excessive evaporation and dams the riverbeds.
There are also important underground water deposits, with the north
of the country being part of the Guaraní aquifer; Other important
aquifers are Raigón, in the south of the country, Mercedes, in the west,
and Chuy, in the east of the territory.
Most of the territory is
located within the Río de la Plata basin, while the rest of the
territory is part of the Merin lagoon basin and a series of small water
channels that flow directly into the Atlantic Ocean. For a better study
of surface water resources, the Uruguayan State divides the territory
into three hydrological regions: the Uruguay River, the Merin Lagoon and
the Río de la Plata and the maritime front.
The hydrographic
region of the Uruguay River is the part of the basin of said river that
is within Uruguayan territory. It has an approximate area of 113,600 km²
and represents 64% of the country's land area. Of that area, more than
half, 68,200 km², corresponds to the Negro River basin.
The
hydrographic region of the Río de la Plata and the maritime front is
comprised of the basins of rivers and streams that flow into the
aforementioned river, except for the Uruguay River and its tributaries,
and into the Atlantic Ocean. It has an area of 34,899 km², representing
20% of the territorial area of Uruguay.
The hydrographic region
of Laguna Merín is made up of the part of the basin of the same name
that is within Uruguayan territory and extends over 27,892 km², which is
equivalent to 16% of the territory.
The Uruguay River, in addition to being the longest in the country, serves as the border with the Argentine Republic and has great economic importance, given that the plains that surround it are highly fertile. It is home to the Salto Grande dam, upstream from the cities of Salto (Uruguay) and Concordia (Argentina), commissioned on June 21, 1979 and which provides most of the country's electrical energy. The dam's reservoir has generated an artificial lake of 783 km², with a length of 140 km, a width of 9 km and a volume of 5500 hm³. The river basin has a total area of approximately 339,000 km², of which 113,600 km² (just over 33%) are within Uruguayan territory. In this region, the main tributaries of the Uruguay River are the Cuareim, Arapey, Dayman, Queguay, Negro and San Salvador rivers. It is also important as a communication route, since it is navigable to the city of Concepción del Uruguay and by shallow draft ships to the cities of Concordia and Salto.
The Negro River basin occupies more than half of the territory of the
Uruguay River basin that belongs to this country, with an area of 68,214
km². The Negro River is the most important tributary of the Uruguay
River, with a length of 850 km and an average flow of 520 m³/s. It
serves as a boundary for several departments: Cerro Largo, Rivera,
Tacuarembó, Río Negro, Flores and Soriano. Its main tributaries are the
Tacuarembó River and the Yi River.
The Negro River has great
economic importance, since in addition to being an important source of
water for irrigation and human and animal consumption, it has three dams
for the generation of electrical energy: Rincón del Bonete dam, with an
installed power of 152 MW at a voltage of kV, the Rincón de Baygorria
dam, with a power of 108 MW and a voltage of 150 kV and the Constitución
or Palmar dam, with a power of 333 MW and a voltage of 500 kV. This
represents just over a third of Uruguay's total hydroelectric energy.
It is made up of a series of rivers and streams of medium or short
length, which flow directly into the Río de la Plata or the Atlantic
Ocean. This region occupies 20% of the country's continental territory.
Within this region, the Santa Lucía River appears with special
importance, from which water is extracted for purification in Aguas
Corrientes, a facility that supplies 1,700,000 people in Montevideo and
several towns in the department of Canelones.
Mainly towards the
east of this region, the water courses usually flow into coastal
lagoons, which have communication with the Río de la Plata or the ocean.
The Cisne and Sauce lagoons are used for water purification. The Sauce
lagoon supplies up to 300,000 people in the summer season, including the
cities of Maldonado, Punta del Este, San Carlos, Piriápolis, Pan de
Azúcar and several other smaller towns.
It is a basin that covers part of the Uruguayan territory and Brazil. In Uruguay it occupies 27,892 km², just over half of its total surface area. Its main tributary is the Cebollatí River. Many of the rivers and streams that make up this basin pass through the plain that surrounds the lagoon, forming estuaries and extensive marshes, which makes possible the cultivation of rice, which is widespread in the area. To prevent the seasonality of rainfall from affecting this crop, several dams have been built, among which the India Muerta dam stands out.
The flora of Uruguay is defined as the around 2,500 plant species
distributed in 150 families, whether native or foreign, that exist in
that country. 75% of the territory is grassland, and the native forests,
together with the palmares, cover 752,000 ha (4.3% of the country's
surface).
The existence of differentiated zones of species
throughout the territory is determined, mainly, by the existence or not
of artificial irrigation, the lack of which causes natural grassland to
predominate in most of the Uruguayan territory. On the other hand, large
plant species can be found in ravines, mountains, river banks and areas
surrounding them.
Uruguay has the largest group of ombúes in the
world, located in Laguna de Castillos. Also noteworthy is the enormous
palm grove of the Butiá capitata species that covers a large part of the
department of Rocha, being the southernmost group of palm trees in the
world, with hundreds of thousands of specimens distributed over tens of
km².
Among the exotic species introduced into the territory, the
eucalyptus (introduced in the 19th century), the pine, the araucaria,
the oak, the holy cedar, the weeping willow, the birch, the carob, the
rosemary, the hibiscus, the ficus, cactus, ivy, tacuara, fruit trees
(citrus, guava, apple, fig, etc.), vines, palm trees, Platanus hispanica
(for the ornamentation of cities), reeds, climbing plants, cane sugar,
among others.
The native fauna of Uruguay is characterized by a large number of aquatic and terrestrial birds, as well as mammals and reptiles. However, human presence has endangered various animal species, partly due to the destruction of their natural habitat or due to poaching.
The birdlife of Uruguay consists of around four hundred and fifty
species, twenty-four of which are globally threatened and five are
introduced.
Within the group of plumage birds, the large hen and
the chiricote or small crepe stand out, two of the best-known species in
the country. Also common are the Pardirallus, or red and blue beaked
hen, and the spotted one. The red-legged donkey and the green-legged
donkey are also equally important, as are smaller species such as the
yellow-breasted donkey, the spotted or blackish-winged donkey, and
finally the painted donkey.
The Tero is spread throughout the
territory and is characterized by its speed and its song, from which it
receives the common name of "Teru-Teru". On the other hand, the rhea is
in a stable proportion and in recent years its meat has been sold in
foreign markets, so breeding of this species has been extended under
special conditions.
The cardinal present throughout the American
continent, and other species such as the Argentine parrot, the parrot,
the furnarius rufus, the capercaillie, the black-necked swan, the duck,
the heron, the gull, as well as the pelican, the benteveo , the gray
crow, the crane, the mountain eagle, and the swallow that lives in the
summer months, are birds present throughout the Uruguayan territory, as
is the Chajá.
It is believed that there are more than 200 species of reptiles in
the country, most of them harmless to humans; Venomous snakes are found
in the north, in the departments of Artigas, Rivera, Salto and
Tacuarembó, and in the mountain areas in the south.
Multiple
reptiles stand out, including several species of lizards such as the
overo lizard, turtles such as the morrocoyo, and snakes such as the
cross viper or yarará. The alligator is distributed in the north of
Uruguay, especially in the department of Artigas on the coast of the
Cuareim River and its tributaries; Being in danger, there is captive
breeding in the Cerro Pan de Azúcar reserve.
The batrachian fauna is rich, drawing attention to the great giant toad, the Creole frog, the escuerzo, and several small species, including some endemic ones.
The fauna of terrestrial mammals of Uruguay includes 77 species grouped into 7 orders and 24 families. Of them, approximately 40 live in the Eastern Wetlands in Rocha. On the other hand, there is certainty of the extinction of at least four species of this group in Uruguay. They are: the large anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), the jaguar (Felis onca), the collared peccary (Tayassu tajacu) and the swamp deer (Blastoceros dichotomus). The latter was seen for the last time in Rocha in 1957, precisely in the marshes that surround the Potrerillo de Santa Teresa.
As for aquatic animals, Uruguay has considerable diversity due to its
extensive ocean coast on the Atlantic, its mighty rivers, and a series
of natural and artificial lakes. The sea lion lives on the beaches of
Punta del Este, for example, which feeds on fish and represents a threat
to fishermen in the area. During the southern winter, that is, from June
to September, it is possible to find some whales, and even penguins, on
the coast of Montevideo. Uruguay has the second largest colony of sea
lions in the world. Most of them are found on the island of Lobos, near
Punta del Este. There are mainly two species of sea lions, Arctophoca
australis, commonly known as "two-haired sea lion" and Otaria
flavescens, whose common name is "one-haired sea lion" or "South
American sea lion." There are also whales and dolphins.
The fish
of Uruguay can be divided into two large groups, both with a notable
number of species, freshwater and saltwater fish.
Many species
are exploited for sport from the coasts, while others support an
industry linked to their sexual reproduction. Among the many species in
this group, a good number of shark species particularly stand out.
Freshwater fish can be distinguished into several subgroups:
Fish
from the Uruguay River. Possibly the best known are dorado and catfish.
Fish from the Río de la Plata. Of the species in this group, one of the
most popular among sport fishermen is the silverside.
Fish from
inland fresh waters. Uruguay is an international destination for sport
fishermen who search, especially, for the gigantic tarariras, captured
in lentic river environments of the eastern interior.
It is also
known among aquarists around the world for its various ornamental
species, many of them endemic, from the Cichlidae and Rivulidae
families.
There are four species that are considered pests, for which hunting
is authorized:
The wild boar, also called "boar pig"; It is not
native to Uruguay and was introduced into the country by Aarón de
Anchorena (Anchorena Park), during his stay. Since there was no control
over its breeding, it spread throughout the territory, particularly in
the mountain areas. It is persecuted, since during the sheep breeding
season, it attacks them.
The hare, an introduced species, also causes
damage to crops.
The sparrow, which is not native to Uruguay, was
introduced by some Chinese immigrants to the territory. Since it did not
have natural predators to control its reproduction, it multiplied and
dispersed throughout the national territory. Hunting is allowed.
The
parrot, with the introduction of the eucalyptus with very smooth bark,
which some of its predators cannot climb, became a pest, wreaking havoc
on crops.
Borders with Argentina
The border between Argentina and Uruguay is
a line of 887 km, marked by the Uruguay and La Plata rivers (392 km).97
It begins on a triple Uruguay-Argentina-Brazil border, at the mouth of
the Cuareim River with the Uruguay River. . The river course of this
continues, passing to the west of the Uruguayan departments of Artigas,
Salto, Paysandú, Río Negro, Soriano and Colonia of the Argentine
provinces of Corrientes, Entre Ríos and Buenos Aires, until it flows
into the Río de la Plata .
Borders with Brazil
The border
between the Eastern Republic of Uruguay and the Federative Republic of
Brazil is a strip of land located south of the Brazilian state of Rio
Grande do Sul, and extends for 1068 km, from the
Brazil-Argentina-Uruguay triple border, to the north, to the mouth of
the Chuy stream, the southernmost point of Brazil. In total, the border
has 608.4 km of rivers and canals, 140.1 km of lagoons, 57.6 km of
conventional lines and 262 km of watershed.
The climate in Uruguay is temperate and humid, with warm summers,
cool winters, and more or less homogeneous rainfall throughout the year.
Uruguay is the only country in South America that is located entirely in
the temperate zone. The absence of important orographic systems
contributes to the fact that spatial variations in temperature,
precipitation and other parameters are not so high. The average annual
temperature is approximately 17 °C.
In Uruguay, where both
maritime and continental influences are noticeable, the rainfall
distribution presents a double rainy season, and is distributed between
spring-summer and autumn, with a maximum peak in autumn and a secondary
maximum in spring.
Due to its latitude, between 30°S and 35°S,
the four seasons are clearly differentiated by temperature. Although the
climate of Uruguay tends to be standardized or averaged, there is a
clear difference between the north and south of the territory. The area
located in the extreme northwest of the country (Artigas, Salto, Rivera)
is considerably warmer with an average of between 18-19 °C and an
average rainfall of about 1400 mm per year (the area in the extreme
north has a typical behavior "temperate subtropical"). The south and
east (Montevideo, Maldonado, Rocha, Lavalleja) on the other hand are
cooler with an average of around 16 °C and 1000 mm per year (these areas
have characteristics more similar to the "maritime temperate").
Low landforms predominate in Uruguay (the average height of the
territory is less than 150 meters), so the climate is determined by
latitude and the influence of the sea currents of the Atlantic Ocean.
The warm Brazil current increases the temperature of the Atlantic from
late January to early May; The cold current of the Malvinas Islands
cools its waters from June to September. The effect of both determines
an average sea temperature at surface level (Punta del Este) between 8
°C and 23 °C depending on the time of year. From February to April, the
ocean temperature is very pleasant and generally significantly different
from that recorded from June to the end of December, although there is
important interannual variation during the summer.
The cold is
generally quite humid, very windy with cloudy days, the heat is not too
dry, rather humid and heavy in the south and drier in the north.
Snow has been present in the southern and central areas of the country,
however the most common are meteorological frosts, which mainly affect
the central-southern and central-northern areas of the country. As an
example of the climatic variability of Uruguay, in the 31 days of the
month of July, 25 days of frost can be recorded, as in the city of
Florida, 34.1° S 56.2° W, at 54 m above. n. m. (meters above sea level),
just 90 km from Montevideo, (this happened in July 2007) or only 6 days
(in July 2006), this shows a great variation between years in the cold
season. Summer, unlike winter, is more uniform. The La Niña phenomenon
(2007) causes a uniformly cold winter and prolonged droughts (Florida,
recorded average for July 2007 6.8 °C), while the El Niño phenomenon
causes rain and mild winters (Florida, recorded average July 2006 13.1
°C).
Uruguay's climate is conducive to livestock production from
natural pastures. It generally has a marked seasonality, with a very
important peak in spring, due to an optimal combination of humidity and
temperature, and a very marked deficit in winter to cover nutritional
needs, due to the impact on the quality and volume of the forage. due to
meteorological frosts. The southern and eastern zone, with maritime
characteristics, has a more favorable forage production cycle than the
central and northern region.
Strong seasonal winds (the pampero is a cold and occasionally violent wind that blows from the Argentine pampas), droughts, torrential rains; Due to the absence of mountains, which act as climate barriers, all locations are particularly vulnerable to rapid changes in the climate front. Winds of up to 200 km/h can be observed with a variable frequency of between 30 and 45 years, 120 km/h is a more frequent speed even every 2 or 5 years.
Climate change in Uruguay refers to the effects of climate change in
Uruguay. As a result of the increase in global temperatures, it is
expected that in Uruguay there will be a temperature increase of 3 °C by
2100 and an increase in precipitation. The increase in precipitation in
2018 caused an economic cost between Uruguay and Argentina estimated at
US$2.5 billion, according to the World Meteorological Organization.
The largest amount of Uruguay's emissions come from food production
and transportation. Globally, Uruguay contributes only 0.05% of
greenhouse gas emissions. In 2017, Uruguay committed to implementing 106
measures against climate change. climate through the Nationally
Determined Contribution (NDC). Some of these measures include reducing
emissions in the food production and livestock production sector,
increasing the area of native forest and reinforcing the role of
peatlands and grasslands as carbon sinks. This CDN is in the review
process in 2020, with the aim of presenting a more ambitious goal in
2022.
At the national level, on May 20, 2009, the National System
for Response to Climate Change and Variability (SNRCC) was created by
Decree 238/09.109. The SNRCC produces monitoring and verification
reports on environmental policies, including the Determined Contribution
to National level (CDN).
In 2015, the law was passed that would
lead to the creation in 2016 of the National Secretariat of Environment,
Water and Climate Change. This Secretariat is in charge of coordinating
public policies on water, environment and climate change. The
Secretariat participates together with other actors in the National
Environmental System (SNA). At the international level, Uruguay is part
of the Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Agreement and the Doha Amendment. The
private sector in Uruguay has committed to at least 15 actions to
mitigate the effects of climate change, according to the NAZCA portal.
Uruguay is also a member of the International Renewable Energy Agency.
Territorial sea. According to the United Nations Convention on the
Law of the Sea (ratified by Uruguay on December 10, 1992), every State
has the right to establish the width of its territorial sea up to a
limit that does not exceed 12 nautical miles, measured by from baselines
determined in accordance with the same Convention.
Exclusive economic
zone or area located beyond the territorial sea and adjacent to it,
subject to the specific legal regime established in the Convention.
Uruguay has claimed the 200 nautical miles counted from the baselines
from which the width of the territorial sea is measured. The Uruguayan
exclusive economic zone has an area of 132,286 km².
Continental
shelf, natural extension of the continent. According to the Convention,
the continental shelf extends along the entire length of the natural
extension of the territory to the outer edge of the continental margin,
or up to a distance of 200 nautical miles counted from the baselines
from which measures the width of the territorial sea. The fixed points
that constitute the line of the outer limit of the continental shelf on
the seabed must be located at a distance not exceeding 350 nautical
miles counted from the baselines from which the width of the territorial
sea is measured. or 100 nautical miles counted from the isobath of 2500
meters, which is a line that joins depths of 2500 meters. On August 25,
2009, Uruguay presented a request to a UN commission for recognition of
the 350 nautical miles of continental shelf. The claim was based on
depth and geophysical measurements carried out by the Uruguayan Navy to
determine the extent of the Uruguayan continental shelf. In August 2011
the UN commission studying the claim requested more scientific
information. On August 30, 2016, the Commission on the Limits of the
Continental Shelf (CLPC), a technical body created by the United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), communicated its
Recommendation on the establishment of the outer limit of the Uruguayan
continental shelf. . This Recommendation implies a territorial extension
for Uruguay of approximately 83,000 km², covering its entire continental
margin and enabling the country's last border to be established at 350
nautical miles.
Uruguay is a signatory country of the Antarctic Treaty with
consultative member status, which means that it has a voice and vote in
the treaty's consultative meetings. In its accession document, Uruguay
reserved the rights that correspond to it in Antarctica in accordance
with International Law.
The country has two scientific bases on
the Antarctic continent that are managed by the Uruguayan Antarctic
Institute.
The Artigas Antarctic Scientific Base (BCAA), founded
on December 22, 1984 on King George Island, is a permanent Antarctic
base belonging to Uruguay. It has 13 buildings and a population of 60
people in summer and 9 in winter. Various scientific activities are
carried out there.
The Ruperto Elichiribehety Antarctic Research
Station (ECARE), established on December 22, 1997 by the Uruguayan
Antarctic Institute on the Antarctic Peninsula, is a Uruguayan summer
scientific station in Antarctica. It functions as a support base for
various scientific activities.
By decree of February 18, 1952, the national symbols and their
hierarchical gradation, precedence and respect were established:
National pavilion
State Coat of Arms
National anthem
Flag of
Artigas
Flag of the Thirty-Three Orientals
National Cockade
Decree 435/007 established that the National Cockade is for free
use, while the cockade identified with the Flag of Artigas is for the
exclusive use of the Armed Forces and the one identified with the Flag
of the Thirty-Three Orientales is for the exclusive use of the National
Police.
The flag of Uruguay or National Flag is the most
important national symbol. It was adopted by the laws of December 16,
1828 and July 12, 1830. Its colors are white and blue, with the sun,
which occupies the canton, being gold. The arrangement of the nine
horizontal stripes that are distributed over the field represent the
first nine departments. The canton is occupied by the Sun of May, which
represents the Inca god Inti, symbol of the May Revolution.
The
National Shield of Uruguay is the one approved by the laws of March 19,
1829 and July 12, 1906 and the Decree of October 26, 1908. In accordance
with this last decree, the official model of the National Shield was
established, the one presented by Mr. Miguel Copetti.
Uruguay does not have any official language. The most spoken language
in the country is Spanish; Furthermore, Portuguese and Portuñol
Riverense, a dialect of Portuguese, are spoken as a minority in some
border regions, neither of which is recognized in the constitution.
Uruguayan Sign Language (USL) was also legally recognized as a language
of deaf people in 2001 by Law No. 17378. Although there is no
designation of a general official language in the Uruguayan
Constitution, in the legal-procedural field Spanish is the official
language for carrying out all procedural acts, and the assistance of an
interpreter is necessary in the event that a party in the judicial
process does not understand it.
Spanish has variants and
influences like all languages; emerging terms or expressions that
identify Uruguayans from each part of the country. The Spanish spoken in
Uruguay is a variant of River Plate Spanish, a dialect of Spanish spoken
in the area of the Río de la Plata basin, in Argentina and Uruguay and
other surrounding regions. Centered in the cities of Buenos Aires,
Montevideo and Rosario, the three most important population centers in
the region, it extends its cultural influence to geographically distant
regions, especially through the media, in which it is the standard
reading in both. countries.
In the past there used to be a good
group of people who spoke Italian or French as their first language, but
this has been lost over time and the cessation of European immigration
to America in recent decades. There is also a considerable minority who
speak Russian, Yiddish, Corsican, German, Guaraní, Lithuanian,
Portuguese and Plautdietsch.
In the border region with Brazil in
the department of Rocha and parts of the department of Maldonado, a
variant of River Plate Spanish is spoken that dispenses with voseo in
favor of tuteo, a particularity that is supposedly due to the Castilian
origin of its original population, although the variety of Portuguese
from southern Brazil, an archaic variety that uses the tuteo (and
dispenses with the voseo which is the rule in modern Portuguese), the
border influence can also be assumed.
There exists in the northern region of Uruguay a set of variants of Portuguese that receive the scientific name of "Portuguese Dialects of Uruguay." Its best-known variant is called Portuñol Riverense (no relation to Portuñol, the simple mixture of Portuguese and Spanish). . It is spoken on the border between Uruguay and Brazil, and more specifically in the area of the sister cities of Rivera and Santana do Livramento, as well as between the cities of Artigas and Quarai, and in Chuy and Chuí. Only Uruguayan citizens use such language.
In addition to Spanish, English is taught in public education
starting in the last school year (6th grade) in order to provide basic
notions and a basis for English studies that continue during secondary
education (although students with a good level of English they can take
a test to exempt language studies).
Portuguese is also taught in
some secondary education institutions.
French was taught from 1st
to 3rd grade in high school; Italian was taught in the 5th and 6th
grades of high school in the Humanistic and Law orientations
respectively.
The River Plate music par excellence is the tango (whose greatest
exponent is Carlos Gardel), and also the milonga. Uruguay also has music
such as candombe and the Uruguayan murga, which have their peak in the
carnival calls (in the case of candombe) and in the Carnival itself, in
the case of the murga.
Among the prominent musicians and singers
are Aníbal Sampayo, Alfredo Zitarrosa, Eduardo Mateo, Julio Sosa, José
Carbajal, Daniel Viglietti, Amalia de la Vega, Osiris Rodríguez
Castillos, Jaime Roos, Eduardo Darnauchans, Fernando Cabrera, the
brothers Hugo Fattoruso and Osvaldo Fattoruso (former members of Los
Shakers and Opa), the most important musician of his generation, Jorge
Drexler, Rubén Rada, Pablo Estramín, Gastón Ciarlo "Dino", Jorge
Lazaroff, Tabaré Arapí, Leo Maslíah, Mariana Ingold, Pablo Sciuto,
Quintín Cabrera , Gustavo Pena, Riki Musso and groups such as Los
Estómagos, El Kinto, Totem, La Chancha, Los Iracundos, Los Olimareños,
Los que Iban Cantando La Triple Nelson, La Tabaré Riverock Banda,
Traidores, Buitres After the Una, El Cuarteto de Nos, No Te Va Gustar,
La Vela Puerca, Once Tiros, Trotsky Vengarán, La Trampa, ReyToro, Cursi,
The Jetsons, Astroboy, Karibe con K, Sonora Borinquen, El Cubano de
América, Márama, Rombai, etc. Also Uruguayan are the author of the most
famous tango music in the world (La Cumparsita), Gerardo Matos
Rodríguez, Eduardo Fabini, nationalist composer of the first half of the
20th century, Héctor Tosar, composer, theorist and musical pedagogue;
the revolutionist of the cultured guitar playing technique, Abel
Carlevaro, the great murga and tango singer Washington Canario Luna,
among other great artists.
In Opera, the sopranos Rita Contino,
María José Siri and Luz del Alba Rubio stand out with international
careers. The mezzo sopranos: Raquel Pierotti and Graciela Lassner. The
tenors: Carlos Ventre, Edgardo Rocha, Gastón Rivero and Juan Carlos
Valls. The baritones: Erwin Schrott and Darío Solari. At the national
level, the sopranos stand out: Sandra Silvera, Sandra Scorza, Marianne
Cardoso. The mezzo sopranos: Rina Baffa and Mariella Nocetti. The
tenors: Gerardo Marandino. The baritones: Federico Sanguinetti, Marcelo
Otegui.
In contemporary art music, the activities of the Núcleo
Música Nueva de Montevideo, founded in 1966, stand out.
Uruguayan theater is one of the most important in Latin America. And it is the greatest artistic expression in the country. Currently Uruguay has more than 70 theaters, more than 30 in Montevideo, where works by national authors are presented, as well as universal theater adaptations.
The Carnival of Uruguay as a typical expression of Uruguayan popular culture, is characterized by being one of the longest in the world, with stages in many areas of the country and even has its own museum, the Carnival Museum where it is collected, among other things, its history. Candombe represents one of the most representative styles of the country. It was introduced by African slaves in colonial times and since then it has become very common in all corners of society, both among blacks and whites or other ethnic groups. . The famous calls, organized by the Afro-descendant community in Uruguay, are a parade of groups that celebrate with colors and drums, close to the carnival festival, with the rhythm of candombe. The Montevideo carnival festivities are the most extensive in the world, lasting 40 days, covering the entire month of February and eventually part of January and March. In addition to the parades (the aforementioned one of the calls, linked to Afro-descendants), and at least a general one, the festivities are characterized by a kind of street theater, with stages set up especially for the occasion (tablados), although in recent decades, growing commercialization and professionalization has led to the stages being set up in closed premises. There are several types of groups, the most popular being the murga.
From the academic tradition of painting by Juan Manuel Blanes,
considered the painter of the country, to the latest expressions of
young art, Uruguay has numerous notable artists and movements. Contact
with European avant-garde artists, as well as study scholarships abroad
awarded by different institutions, constitute the base heritage of
Uruguayan painting.
In which the constructivism of the teacher
Joaquín Torres García and his disciples, José Gurvich, Gonzalo Fonseca,
Julio U. Alpuy, Alceu Ribeiro and Edgardo Ribeiro, members of the Torres
García Workshop, stand out.
Within modern art, the Madí movement
with Carmelo Arden Quin, Rhod Rothfuss and Rodolfo Ian Uricchio.
Geometric artists such as José Pedro Costigliolo and María Freire emerge
from other aspects.
Other Uruguayan painters: Carlos Federico
Sáez, Pedro Figari, Alfredo De Simone, José Cuneo Perinetti, Rafael
Barradas, Guillermo Laborde, Petrona Viera, Carmelo de Arzadun, Ernesto
Laroche, Felipe Seade, Nelson Ramos, Clever Lara, Jorge Páez Vilaró,
among others .
The classical sculptures and monuments in squares and parks stand out, made by Juan Manuel Ferrari, José Belloni and José Luis Zorrilla de San Martín, among others. Of the contemporary sculptors, it is worth mentioning Germán Cabrera, Eduardo Yepes, Gonzalo Fonseca, Octavio Podesta, Águeda Dicancro, Mariví Ugolino and Ricardo Pascale, among others.
For decades, Uruguayan film production was characterized by its
scarcity of resources and its intermittency. During its history it had
moments when it was expected to take off, although it never fully
consolidated. For long periods there was no feature-length feature film,
such as between 1929 and 1936, 1959 and 1979, and 1983 and 1993.
Starting in the mid-'90s, there was a steady evolution in quantity and
quality in the production of feature films. feature films. Likewise,
since 2003 a stage of success and professionalization begins.
Universities created careers related to this industry, leading to the
training of future directors, screenwriters, etc. In recent years the
Uruguayan government has given incentives to filming and productions,
exempting them from taxes. Due to this, a large number of production
companies were created that, associated with foreign companies, produce
films and advertising shorts for the international market. In general,
it has been characterized by co-productions with other countries.
The birth of Uruguayan fiction cinema can be considered to occur in
1919 with Pervanche, directed by León Ibáñez, a film whose copies were
destroyed. However, the first Uruguayan documentary is from 1898:
Bicycle race at the Arroyo Seco velodrome by Félix Oliver.
In
subsequent years, the feature films Almas de la costa (1923) by Juan
Antonio Borges, The Little Hero of Arroyo del Oro (1929) by Carlos
Alonso, Radio Candelario (1938) by Rafael Jorge Abellá, with the
presence of Eduardo Depauli, stand out. Detective a contramano by Adolfo
Fabregat, Un vintén p'al Judas (1959) by Ugo Ulive (strictly speaking, a
medium-length film, currently lost), El Lugar del Humo (1979) by Eva
Landeck, and Mataron a Venancio Flores (1982) by Juan Carlos Rodríguez
Castro.
Starting in the '60s, a documentary film movement
emerged, in which filmmakers Mario Handler, Mario Jacob and Ugo Ulive
stand out.
The expansion stage that began in 1993 began with The
Almost True Story of Pepita the Gunslinger by Beatriz Flores Silva.
Among the main exponents of current Uruguayan cinema are Juan Pablo
Rebella and Pablo Stoll, who in 2005 won the Goya Award for the best
Spanish-speaking foreign film, and also the FIPRESCI award at the Cannes
Film Festival in 2004 with the film Whiskey . The Goya Award had already
been obtained by a Uruguayan in 2003, with the film The Last Train.
Other notable Uruguayan productions from this period are The Dirigible,
25 Watts, The Journey to the Sea, En la Puta Vida, The Vineyard, Otario,
A Way of Dancing, The Pope's Bath, Acne, Giant, Bad Day for Fishing,
among others. In these years, within the documentary genre, Apart from
Mario Handler stands out above all. Other documentaries worth mentioning
are Despite Treblinka by Gerardo Stawsky and Bad streak by Daniela
Speranza.
It is also worth highlighting César Charlone as
director of photography for the Brazilian film City of God, for which he
was nominated for an Oscar; and the actor Daniel Hendler, winner of
multiple awards such as the Silver Bear at the Berlin festival. We can
also mention Israel Adrián Caetano, famous director of shorts and films,
among which is Chronicle of a Fugue. Likewise, in February 2005, Jorge
Drexler was the first Uruguayan to receive an Oscar for best song in a
language other than English for the song Al Otro Lado del Río from the
film The Motorcycle Diaries based on the life of Che Guevara. Rodrigo
Plá won the Lion of the Future award at the 64th Venice Film Festival
(2007) for his feature film La Zona. Gabriela Guillermo, with her
medium-length film El Regalo, won an award for cinematographic quality
in France. Esteban Schroeder directed the film Matar a todos, in which
he revives the so-called Berríos case.
In 2011, 16 Uruguayan
films were released and of the 2.5 million spectators who attended movie
theaters, 142,461 saw national films, the most viewed being: Artigas -
La Redota, Reus, Manyas, Tres Millones, and La casa silent. On February
3, 2012, Selkirk, The Real Robison Crusoe directed by Walter Tournier,
was released. Also in 2012, 3, a film by Pablo Stoll, was released.
Uruguayan literature was born in the first decade of the 19th century
with Bartolomé Hidalgo, author of famous cielitos and creator of a
lyrical modality called "Gauchesca Poetry." This trend was later
cultivated by urban and enlightened authors who used the "gaucho
language" for their compositions, collecting scenes and idiosyncrasies
from rural areas in their works. Romildo Risso, El "Viejo Pancho",
Serafín J. García, Elías Regules, Antonio Lussich, Javier de Viana were
great followers of this trend, some of whom were united in the group
formed around the publication "El Fogón" founded by Orosmán Moratorio
and Alcides de María.
Another of the fathers of national
literature, but already with a neoclassical tendency, was Francisco
Acuña de Figueroa.
The romantics are represented in the work of
Adolfo Berro and Juan Zorrilla de San Martín. Three French poets were
born in Uruguay: the Count de Lautréamont, Jules Laforgue, and Jules
Supervielle.
In 1900, Julio Herrera y Reissig was the precursor
of Spanish-American modernist poetry. An important reference point is
also José Enrique Rodó. The poets Juana de Ibarbourou (also known as
Juana de América), María Eugenia Vaz Ferreira and Delmira Agustini stand
out during this time. Among the lyricists, Emilio Frugoni and Emilio
Oribe stand out. In narrative, Horacio Quiroga stands out with his
stories, especially his Tales of Love of Madness and Death, being
considered by many as the South American Poe. In theater, the master of
River Plate theater, Florencio Sánchez, stands out.
Among the
intellectual values produced in the second half of the 20th century,
Juan Carlos Onetti, Francisco Espínola, Felisberto Hernández, Juan José
Morosoli, the poet Idea Vilariño, Eduardo Galeano and Mario Benedetti
stand out. The writer and singer Osiris Rodríguez Castillos also stood
out with particular light.
Among the newest, whose work began to
be published at the end of the 20th century, stand out Mauricio
Rosencof, Leo Maslíah, Tomás de Mattos, Rafael Courtoisie, Mario Delgado
Aparaín, Roberto Echavarren, Fernando Butazzoni, Hugo Fontana, Marosa di
Giorgio, Hugo Burel and Mario Levrero among others. In the theater,
Jacobo Langsner has stood out since the mid-1960s and Antonio Larreta
since the eighties.
Philosophical activity in Uruguay began in 1838 with disputes between
non-Uruguayan residents in the press: the Argentine Juan Bautista
Alberdi and the director of the Colegio Oriental, at that time a
Spaniard. Its development will advance slowly, mixed between political
or intellectual discussions in general. Within the 19th century, among
others, the controversy between Mariano Soler, a Catholic, and Alfredo
Vázquez Acevedo, a positivist, stands out.
In the 20th century,
the two main names of Uruguayan philosophy appear, Carlos Vaz Ferreira
and Arturo Ardao.
Vaz Ferreira was born in Montevideo on October
15, 1872. He was the brother of the poet María Eugenia Vaz Ferreira. In
1897 he published "Expository Course on Elementary Psychology" and in
1898 another book on Formal Logic. His main work is "Living Logic"
(1910), in which he determined the errors that were committed in
discussions and in everyday life (fallacies, paralogisms). Since 1897 he
has also been a professor of Philosophy in Secondary Education, which
then depended on the University of the Republic. He would later found
the Faculty of Humanities and Sciences. He was Dean of this institution
and Rector of the University of the Republic.
Ardao studied at
this same university, receiving a Doctorate in Law and Social Sciences.
He continued linked to that house of studies, dedicating himself to
Philosophy and opening a new field in the study of the History of Ideas.
He was a member of the Central Board of Directors of the University. He
was Director of the Institute of Philosophy, and later Dean of the
Faculty of Humanities and Sciences. His main philosophical works (in
addition to those in the field of 'history of ideas') are "Philosophy of
the Spanish Language" and "Space and Intelligence".
Other
significant thinkers in the 20th century were Emilio Oribe, Mario
Sambarino and José Luis Rebellato.
Highlights include Juan Pivel Devoto, Alfredo Traversoni, Eduardo Acevedo, Francisco Bauzá, Isidoro de María, Alberto Zum Felde, María Schurmann, José Pedro Barrán, Washington Reyes Abadie, Mena Segarra, Lincoln Maiztegui Casas, Benjamín Nahum, Alfredo Castellanos, Setembrino Pereda, Lucía Room, among others.
The territory that currently includes Uruguay was populated, in the
past, by indigenous tribes who, after the arrival of European settlers,
were strongly threatened. The best-known ethnic groups are the Charrúas
- from whom the name has been inherited by those born in the country -,
the Guaraníes, the Chanás, the Guenoas, the Minuanes, the Bohanes and
the Yaros.
In the case of the Charrúa Indians, due to the total
and indiscriminate slaughter of this tribe, during the first presidency
of the Republic, of Fructuoso Rivera, it is not possible to establish
exactly to what extent current society and the Charrúa have something in
common. . With the exception of small utensils and human remains that
are preserved in museums in Montevideo, nothing remains of this human
group.
The Guaraní, on the other hand, who today live in almost
all of Paraguay and areas of northern Argentina and southern Bolivia,
left many evidence of their presence. To begin with, the name of Uruguay
(river of the "uru", a small bird that inhabited the area, or "Urugua",
river of snails), as well as the names of Paraguay or Taragüí (in the
Argentine province of Corrientes), are of Guarani origin. Numerous place
names in Uruguay, such as Tacuarembó, Iporá, Batoví, particularly
concentrated in the north of the country, are also of Guaraní origin.
Some names, such as the male given name, Tabaré, which is quite common
in the country (like the name of President Tabaré Vázquez), are also of
Guarani origin.
The chanás and the tapestry were reduced by the
Franciscan Order and converted to Catholicism. They are perhaps the only
two native ethnic groups with descendants in rural areas of the interior
of Uruguay, today. However, it is important to make it clear that
because many of them mixed with European settlers, their descent is
Creole and mestizo, as are their customs.
Through contact with
neighboring countries, that is, Argentina and Brazil, an important
cultural heritage was introduced. It is possible that between the tribes
there was a kind of contact and even organization and exchange of money
or raw materials.
When the Spanish and Portuguese settlers
arrived in this region of America, they found that the environment was
hostile, the humidity very high and the cold very strong. Faced with
such inclemencies and the hard task of hunting and construction carried
out by the nomadic and sedentary indigenous people, the Spanish had to
find out what the secret of so much resistance on the part of the
natives was. There they discovered a species of tree, which was grown in
southern Brazil and eastern Paraguay, and decided to carry out extensive
plantations of this plant, to which time and history have given a
privileged place in the region.
The stimulating and healing
effects of yerba mate (very similar to those of traditional tea) meant
that its use spread rapidly until reaching Uruguay and Argentina. The
Quechua Indians then adapted yerba mate and called it "mañana" (glass or
container) to the type of elongated gourd where the grass and hot water
are placed to drink what has been Spanishized as "mate."
In
Uruguay, unlike other countries in the region, the characteristic mate
is the cimarrón. It is served in a container shaped like an emptied
zucchini, which can be made from a fruit that is used for such purposes,
or made of wood. "Mate" is originally the name of a type of pumpkin. The
infusion takes its name from this hard, hollowed out, dried and cut
gourd that is the traditional container for the yerba (ground yerba
mate) with which the drink is prepared and consumed hot. The yerba mate
is placed inside the container, after "curing" it (that is, having
ensured that it has been moistened and achieved a color and state
conducive to its good use). The infusion is produced by adding hot water
with a thermos or kettle. It is sucked through a rod with a small grate
at the bottom, known locally as a tumba (a traditionally metallic straw,
usually made of silver, although there are also reed bulbs). The act of
serving mate is known as cebar.
The mate can also have variations
according to the consumer's taste. It is generally bitter, but it can
also be sweet (if sugar is added), cooked (boiled and served as tea),
with milk, fruit juice, with orange or lemon peel, etc. The mate that is
most consumed in the interior of Uruguay is the one served in a narrow
container, in the shape of a cookie, and hence its name: mate biscuit,
in Spanish.
The habit of drinking mate is a Uruguayan custom and
tradition, although it is not exclusive, as it also occurs in Argentina,
southern Brazil, Paraguay and small parts of Chile and Bolivia. What is
characteristic of the Uruguayan custom is its intensity and extension
among the population. By way of comparison, it is as important as tea to
the English or coffee to the Colombians. It is the national drink par
excellence and, although it is grown in Brazil and Paraguay, it is the
product most consumed by the population.
European heritage took place in the 20th century. Its influence was
reflected in the construction, construction methods, habits and, above
all, in gastronomy. The country was a welcoming setting for the
investments of wealthy German and French businessmen and for the
residence and work of many Spaniards and Italians who were fleeing the
poverty that devastated their countries. After the Second World War,
Uruguay was favored by the number of immigrants who entered the country
with the intention of working and living. With them, came their customs.
The Italians opened pizzerias, ice cream parlors and pasta
factories. The Spanish scallop, in Uruguay, is called "Milanesa",
because it was introduced by the Italians. The Spanish, and especially
the Galicians and Asturians, opened bakeries and butcher shops or modest
stores or bars. Galician confectionery doughs and pastries, empanadas
and pans, seafood and fresh fish were introduced. The Spanish omelette
gained some popularity, while the Andalusian pot, Catalan spices, rice
pudding and jams spread on a large scale.
The English introduced
the country's first footwear brand, Champion. The French dedicated
themselves to high business and baking and refining, while the Germans
opened beverage and food processing factories.
Other typical
products are dulce de leche and alfajor. Characteristic of the Río de la
Plata, they are part of the region's gastronomic heritage, along with
fried cakes.
The gastronomy of Uruguay is characterized by having certain
parallels with the gastronomy of Argentina and Rio Grande do Sul
(Brazil), differing, therefore, from much of Latin American cuisine.
This factor is due to a greater extent to the contribution that the
early arrival of immigrants of Spanish and Italian origin has made to
the country.
The production of beef and the extensive
exploitation of the dairy sector make Uruguayan gastronomy a meat
monopoly, predominating foods derived from livestock, among which are
rump meat, roast, ribs, achuras, chinchulines, the udder, the tongue and
the gizzard. Additionally, foods from pigs and sheep stand out, as well
as those obtained from other parts of the cow (see black pudding). In
this line, chorizos, sausages and different varieties of ham (cooked,
raw or smoked), shoulder, loin, bacon and bacon stand out.
The
production of the dairy industry is also representative, from which many
of the most basic ingredients of the national cuisine are obtained: lard
(or butter), double cream, chantilly cream (whipped milk or cream in
Spain). , dulce de leche, different types of cheese - cologne,
semi-hard, lean, mozzarella, sandwich, roquefort, ricotta, spreadable,
etc. -, yogurt, pasteurized whole or skim milk and powdered milk.
Bakery and confectionery products are also extremely varied. Some of
the varieties of bread produced in the country are known by the
following names: flute, baguette, cannon, Catalan bread, Marseillaise,
Porteño, turtle, Vienna bread, American bread, last or sandwich bread,
biscuit (navy/ malted/field/fat), mignon, grissini, croissants, doughs
or doughs, cookies (salty/sweet/filled/wafers), etc. Of note are the
alfajores, very varied, and the sponge cakes, a typical product in
Uruguayan culture, consumed especially at breakfast or snack time and at
gatherings with family or friends.
Grappamiel is an alcoholic drink originally from Uruguay and consists
of mixing grappa and honey. It is obtained from the distillate of pomace
and lees from the fermentation of grapes and then mixed with pure
natural honey from bees. Grapa with honey generally contains around 25%
alcohol.
Another drink, non-alcoholic and very similar to tea, is
mate. Although it is rare, it is possible to find "cocido mate" (the one
prepared following the tea process), mate with milk, or mate with a
pinch of honey and rum.
Currently there is a large Uruguayan wine
production. In the last 20 years, the country has aimed at quality
production given the impossibility of competing with wine produced in
large quantities in neighboring regions (such as Mendoza in Argentina).
A particularity of Uruguayan wine production, especially that marketed
internationally, is the use of the Tannat grape variety. Although there
are other countries where this variety is produced, including France
where it originates, most of the production comes from Uruguay.
The Uruguayan State is secular, with absolute freedom of religion.
The separation between the Uruguayan State and the Catholic Church was
established in the 1919 Constitution, under the influence of the radical
Colorado reformer José Batlle y Ordóñez (1903-1911), as a process of
secularization that had begun in 1861 with the secularization of
cemeteries and continued in 1877 with the approval of the Common
Education Decree Law drafted by José Pedro Varela that established the
non-compulsory nature of religious education in schools. The
Constitution and the law prohibit discrimination on religious grounds.
A survey conducted in 2008 by the National Institute of Statistics
of Uruguay presented Catholicism as the main religion, with 45.7% of the
population and 9.0% being non-Catholic Christians (Protestants,
Pentecostals, Evangelicals, Adventists, Baptists, Mormons, Jehovah's
Witnesses), 0.6% are animists or umbandists (an Afro-Brazilian
religion), and 0.4% are Jews. 30.1% declared they believed in a god, but
without belonging to any religion, while 14% were atheists or
agnostics.262 Among the Armenian community, considerable in Montevideo,
the predominant religion is Christianity, specifically the Armenian
Apostolic.
A study carried out in 2014 by the Latinobarómetro
Corporation highlights Uruguay as the most secular country in Latin
America, with 38% of atheists, agnostics or irreligious, compared to 41%
of Catholics, 8% of evangelicals and 13% of other beliefs. metaphysics.
In accordance with the aforementioned studies, various political
observers consider Uruguay the most secular country in the Americas. The
secularization of Uruguay began with the relatively minor role of the
church in the colonial era, compared to other parts of the Spanish
Empire. The small number of indigenous people in Uruguay and their
fierce resistance to proselytism reduced the influence of the
ecclesiastical authorities. There exists in society a broad climate of
tolerance towards different cults.
Uruguay has tourist destinations among which Punta del Este,
Montevideo, Colonia del Sacramento, Salto, Lavalleja and Rocha among
others stand out. Punta del Este is the most visited compared to the
other resorts, although tourists also look for other coastal
destinations such as Atlántida or Piriapolis, among others. The
Uruguayan government, in order to encourage tourism in Uruguay,
implemented the so-called "VAT Refund Program for Non-Resident Tourists"
that has been operating since 2009. This benefit will be made in the
purchase of national leather, knitwear, food products. , drinks or
crafts of national origin and that the tourist takes with him abroad,
refunding 85% of the VAT. The farms also stand out as tourist centers.
At the same time, the Uruguayan carnival is imposed to attract visitors
in the summer season, especially in Montevideo.
During the
2009-2010 season, 179 cruise ships arrived, accounting for 292,048
people disembarking, with a per capita expenditure of USD 61.05, for a
total of USD 17,830,909. During the 2010-2011 season, 171 cruises
followed, accounting for 278,627 people disembarked. In the 2011-2012
season, 225 cruise ships arrived in the country, an increase of 31.6%
compared to the previous year, 353,727 visitors disembarked, leaving USD
20,884,091 in foreign currency.
The Eastern Republic of Uruguay is a democratic and decentralized
unitary State of presidential character.
According to a report
published by the British magazine The Economist, Uruguay is considered
the most fully democratic country in South America, ranked 15th out of a
total of 167 nations, being the most democratic in Latin America. And,
furthermore, It is second in America - behind Canada - in the table of
countries with the lowest corruption perception index (prepared by the
Transparency International organization).
Its government is divided into three independent branches: Executive Branch, Legislative Branch and Judicial Branch. In addition, there are three autonomous public control bodies: the Electoral Court, the Administrative Litigation Court and the Court of Accounts of the Republic.
Executive power is exercised by the President of the Republic, acting
in agreement with the respective minister or ministers, or with the
Council of Ministers. The president is simultaneously head of State and
Government, and is elected together with the Vice President by popular
election. direct. The President has a mandate of 5 years without
immediate re-election until after the same period from the cessation of
his office. They are elected in the same candidacy presented by the
respective party. In the event that no candidate obtains an absolute
majority of the votes, a second round is held between the first two
majorities. In said vote, the candidate that obtains the simple majority
of the votes wins.
The President of the Republic appoints the
heads of the Ministries and may dismiss them. Likewise, the General
Assembly can dismiss Ministers by an absolute majority of votes.
Legislative power resides in the General Assembly, which consists of a Senate of thirty-one members (counting the president of the chamber, who is the vice president of the Republic) and a House of Representatives of 99 members. Elections for parliament are held on closed lists simultaneously with the presidential election (the vote is not applied for each candidate for deputy or senator but for a list presented by each political party). Deputies are elected by department, while senators are elected at the national level, both for five-year terms. Each of Uruguay's 19 departments is headed by a popularly elected mayor. The councilors of the Departmental Board act as legislative power at the departmental level.
The judicial branch is headed by the Supreme Court of Justice, whose members are appointed by the General Assembly by a two-thirds majority and whose terms last ten years or until they reach 70 years of age. The Supreme Court of Justice is the last instance of appeal and is also in charge of judging the constitutionality of laws. The judicial branch is also made up of Courts of Appeal, Legal Courts and Peace Courts.
The governments of each of the 19 departments are organized like the
central government, with two fundamental bodies: the Municipal Mayor
(Executive), and the Departmental Board (Legislative). They take care of
the domestic tasks of the department, transportation, care of the
cities, waste, public lighting, among other functions. They have their
own resources, in particular taxes levied on vehicles registered in the
department ("vehicle license") and the properties located there ("real
estate tax", lighting tax, sanitation tax, etc.).
The Mayor is
elected directly by the citizens registered in the civic registry of
that department, in elections that are held in 19 constituencies (one
for each department) on a date different from the national election (the
second Sunday of the following May).
The Departmental Boards are
unicameral organizations made up of 31 councilors. The political party
that obtains the simple majority of votes obtains 16 of the seats and
the rest is divided among the other parties in proportion to the votes
obtained.
The constitutional reform of 1997 institutionalized the
National Congress of Mayors, in order to coordinate the policies of the
Departmental Governments to allow them to agree among themselves, with
the Executive Branch or with other State bodies.
By Law No. 18567 of September 13, 2009, local entities called
municipalities were created, with bodies of five members. Its president
is called "mayor" and the other members are called "councillors." The
members are elected by direct vote of the citizens at the same time that
the Mayors and Departmental Boards are elected. By Law No. 18,653 of
March 15, 2010, 89 municipalities were defined, whose territory does not
cover the entire country.
The powers of these local bodies are
very limited and are fundamentally based on the delegation of functions
they receive from the respective departmental governments. The
municipalities do not have their own budget or officials, and their
resources are those assigned to them by the central government and the
departments.
The Armed Forces of Uruguay are constitutionally subordinate to the
president through the Minister of Defense. In 2003, Uruguay had more
than 2,500 soldiers in 12 peaceful missions of the United Nations. The
largest troops are in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Haiti.
There are 57 members of the armed forces in the Sinai Peninsula. The
armed forces of Uruguay are made up of the National Army, the National
Navy and the Uruguayan Air Force.
Peaceful missions are a major
source of extra money for soldiers' families, and many soldiers go from
mission to mission and don't spend much time with family.
Peace
Missions are not effective in achieving a peace agreement and since the
Korean War, until today, there is no news of any war resolved by the
military intervention of the United Nations peace corps.
The army is made up of about 18,000 troops organized into four
divisions. Its armored force consists of 15 Ti-67 Tiran, (T-55 battle
tanks captured by Israel in 1967 during the Six-Day War and modernized),
17 M24 Chaffee and 22 M41A1 Walker Bulldogs. In addition, 15 BMP-1
infantry fighting vehicles, 100 OT - 64 armored personnel carriers, 55
Thyssen Henschel - Cóndor, 24 M113A2, 15 EE-9 Cascavel, 18 EE-3 Jararaca
reconnaissance vehicles, 48 Vodniks 4x4 armored vehicles from from
Russia, and 147 Mowag Piranha.
The current assault rifle used by
the army is the FN FAL. An Iranian company (Moldex) put out a tender to
replace the FN FAL, but there is a UN embargo on arms imports from Iran.
Finally, the tender gave the winner to the Austrian Steyr AUG 5.56 mm
rifle of excellent quality, of which 3,500 units will be initially
acquired (in 2009), and then reach 20,000, equipping the entire force.
The National Navy is made up of about 5,000 troops and is structured
into four commands, the Fleet Command, the National Naval Prefecture,
the Directorate of Naval Material and the Directorate of Naval
Personnel.
The Navy includes the Naval Rifle Corps which consists
of four brigades and represents the marine infantry corps of Uruguay.
It has a Naval Aviation, whose base is located in the department of
Maldonado, on the shores of the Sauce lagoon, and its name is Aeronaval
Base No. 2 "Corvette Captain Carlos A. Curbelo", which gives it its
name. to the airport, which belongs to the National Navy, and is
currently concessioned by decision of the government in the 1990s, also
known as Laguna del Sauce International Airport, where the aerial means
for the task of Control of Jurisdictional Waters are located ( CAJ) and
search and rescue at sea (SAR).
The Naval Academy is located in
Carrasco, a neighborhood in the city of Montevideo. The training
consists of 4 years of study, embarking at the end of the last year on
board the training ship ROU 20 Captain Miranda for a period of
approximately one year. This trip serves as a practical experience for
future sailors who visit various ports around the world, while promoting
Uruguay as a tourist destination.
Uruguay has traditionally had strong political and cultural ties with
its nearby countries and Europe. The British diplomat Alfred
Mitchell-Innes was Minister of Uruguay in all the crucial years of The
Great War (1913-1919).
With globalization and regional economic
problems, its ties with the United States have strengthened. Uruguay is
a firm defender of constitutional democracy, political pluralism and
individual freedoms. Historically, international relations have been
guided by the principles of non-intervention, multilateralism, respect
for national sovereignty and trust in the law to resolve disputes.
Uruguay also reflects the international relations of its campaign to
seek export markets and foreign investment. It is a founding member of
MERCOSUR. In June 1991, MERCOSUR and the United States signed the Rose
Garden Agreement (also known as the "Four Plus One" Agreement). The
agreement was not operational until June 2001 when MERCOSUR invited the
US to examine the feasibility of market access negotiations. The first
US-MERCOSUR meeting was held on September 24, 2001, and resulted in the
creation of four working groups on industrial trade, electronic
commerce, agriculture, and investment.
Uruguay has an FTA with
Mexico and is a member of the Latin American Reserve Fund although it
does not belong to the Andean Integration System.
After
ambivalent positions by the Tabaré Vázquez government regarding the US
offer to sign an FTA, given the lack of complete support in the Frente
Amplio, the negotiations culminated with the signing of a Trade and
Investment Framework Agreement with the US.
Uruguay is a member
of the Rio Group, an association of Latin American states that deals
with multilateral security issues. Likewise, it is a member State of the
Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance. Uruguay's location
between Argentina and Brazil leads to close relations with these two
largest neighbors. One of the first proponents of the Initiative for the
Americas, Uruguay has actively participated in the process of periodic
follow-up to the Summits of the Americas, especially the Free Trade Area
of the Americas (FTAA).
Often considered a neutral country,
having a professional diplomatic corps, Uruguay is frequently called
upon to preside over international organizations. More recently, Uruguay
was selected to chair the FTAA and WTO agricultural committees and a
Uruguayan chairs the WTO General Assembly. Uruguay is also a member of
the Latin American Integration Association (ALADI), a trade association
based in Montevideo that includes 10 South American countries plus
Mexico and Cuba.
Uruguay along with Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay is a state party
and founder of Mercosur, Chile as the first associate member; and
Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, as recently associated states.
Mercosur began to function with its own legal personality on December
15, 1994, the date of entry into force of the Ouro Preto Protocol, with
Uruguay being part of the initial group of countries that They made up
this block.
Mercosur has legislative powers, through the issuance
of Decisions, Resolutions and Directives that are of mandatory
application for the Member States (articles 9, 15 and 20 of the Ouro
Preto Protocol).
In Uruguay there are different attitudes
regarding Mercosur from the different political parties. From right-wing
ranks, former president Luis Alberto Lacalle affirmed that Mercosur
should be limited to commercial relations. Antagonistically, the former
leftist president of Uruguay, José Mujica, stated on the day of his
inauguration as president that Mercosur must continue even more deeply,
in his own words, "until death do us part."
Mercosur has also
been harshly criticized since its inception. There are those who affirm
that, given the comparative size of Uruguay with respect to the other
Mercosur partners and considering the constant obstacles that products
from this country suffer when exporting to neighboring countries, that
the current configuration of Mercosur is not convenient for Uruguay. On
more than one occasion, the relationship between Uruguay and Mercosur
was at risk of breaking down; like when, for example, there was the
possibility of signing a Free Trade Agreement between Uruguay and the
United States.
Uruguay's economy is dominated by the export-oriented agricultural
sector, and by a developed industrial sector. After having grown by 5%
per year during the period of 1996-1998, the economy was strongly
affected by the economic recessions of Brazil and Argentina, and the
currency was devalued at the same time as the Argentine currency.
Uruguay is a member of Mercosur, and Montevideo is the headquarters.
After the crisis of 2002, the country began a prolonged phase of
economic growth at high rates, based mainly on exports of goods at high
prices.
Uruguay is an agro-exporting country, so agriculture:
rice, wheat, corn, sunflower, sorghum, barley, soy, sugar cane (Bella
Unión) and livestock (cattle, sheep) are the fundamental resources of
the economy. The main industries are refrigerators, dairy and
derivatives, textiles, paper and cardboard, fertilizers, alcohols,
cement and hydrocarbon refining.
Although mineral and energy
resources are scarce, there are large deposits of agates and amethysts
in the north of the country (department of Artigas), deposits of granite
and marble, and gold extraction in the locality of Minas de Corrales.
The search for diamonds and other minerals is also being studied.
It also highlights the services sector (financial, logistics,
transport, communications) as well as the booming information technology
industry, in particular the development of software and related
services. Uruguay is also the largest exporter of software in Latin
America per capita and the fourth in absolute terms, second only to
Mexico, Brazil and Argentina. In recent years, the forestry of
Eucalyptus grandis and Eucalyptus globulus has grown in importance, with
a view to the production of sawn wood and wood for the production of
cellulose pulp. Also, a plant belonging to Montes del Plata is under
construction, the result of the union of the companies Stora Enso and
Arauco, as well as there are others in the state of project. A cellulose
pulp mill belonging to the Finnish company UPM-Kymmene (formerly
Bothnia) is in operation, located on the Uruguay River, in the
department of Río Negro, near the capital of the same, Fray Bentos.
Another of the main economic revenues to the country is tourism: the
nation has a coastline on the Río de la Plata and the Atlantic Ocean
dotted with spas, among which stand out Punta del Este and Piriápolis,
of international fame. Agricultural, historical and thermal tourism is
important.
The number of union members has quadrupled since 2003,
from 110,000 to more than 400,000 in 2015 for a workforce of 1.5 million
workers. According to the International Trade Union Confederation,
Uruguay has become the most advanced country in the Americas in terms of
respect for "fundamental labor rights, in particular freedom of
association, the right to collective bargaining and the right to
strike." One of the effects of this high level of unionization was the
reduction of socio-economic inequalities.
After years of growth, in the period 1999-2002 the economy suffered a
significant recession, which derived mainly from the indirect effects of
the economic problems of its large neighbors, such as Argentina and
Brazil. The banking crisis was caused by the massive withdrawal of
Argentine citizens' assets from Uruguayan banks. Then with the
intervention of the IMF, Uruguay was able to face its problems,
including debt restructuring. The average growth in the five-year period
2004-2008 was 8% annually. The external debt as of December 31, 2014,
according to data from the CIA The World Factbook, reached 24.19 billion
dollars.
According to IMF estimates, in 2009 after the
international financial crisis, the economy grew at 0.6%. According to
the Central Bank, with the data processed in 2010, the economy grew in
2009 by 2.9% and in 2010 by 8.5%. Since 2013, there has been stagnation
in economic activity, with annual growth in decline: 5.1% (2013), 3.5%
(2014) and 1.5% in 2015.
The nominal GDP reached 53,790 million
dollars in 2015, while the (nominal) GDP per capita, corrected by
purchasing power parity, reached 21,500 dollars in 2015, becoming the
fourth economy in Latin America. after Argentina, Chile and Mexico. In
fact, if GDP per capita is considered at current prices, Uruguay would
lead in the region with 16,350 dollars per inhabitant, followed by Chile
and Argentina. Inflation or CPI was 8.7% in 2015.
GDP - Gross
Domestic Product (2022): 71.8 billion US$.
GDP - Per capita (2022):
US$20,795.
GDP - Growth rate (2022): 4.9%.
Inflation (2023):
4.1%.
External debt approx. (2023): 57,239 million US$.
Imports
(2022): US$10,941 million. (without oil and derivatives)
Exports
(2022): US$13,356 million.
Since its beginnings as a country, livestock farming was very
important for Uruguay. The production of meat and wool always remained
among the country's main areas of activity and export. There are
multiple breeding establishments for both cattle (Hereford, Aberdeen
Angus, and other breeds) and sheep (Corriedale, Australian Merino). The
old salting plants gave way in the 20th century to cold storage rooms,
from where Uruguayan beef goes to many different destinations around the
world.
Livestock farming is also important in terms of dairy
cattle. The sector has gone from supplying only local consumption from
traditional dairy farms to the situation in the 21st century in which
industrialized dairy products are an important export item. Uruguay
currently sells dairy products to European countries.
Sheep
production is concentrated in the north of the country, in the
departments of Artigas and Salto, although it is distributed to a lesser
extent in the rest of the country, while cattle are found throughout the
territory, with more predominance in the south. from the country.
Mineral production is not one of the country's outstanding sectors,
however you can find: agates and amethysts in the department of Artigas,
gold mines in Rivera, Treinta y Tres and Lavalleja, beryl in Colonia,
lead, zinc, barite and dolomites. in Lavalleja, (these last two can also
be found in Maldonado), iron in Rivera, Durazno, Florida and Treinta y
Tres, manganese in San José and Rivera, quartz and feldspars in Florida
(the latter is also found in Canelones), montmorillonite in Cerro Largo,
kaolin in Durazno, talc in Colonia and Lavalleja, ilmenite and peat in
Rocha, silt in Montevideo, San José and Maldonado, limestone in
Lavalleja, Paysandú and Treinta y Tres, clay in Montevideo, Durazno,
Maldonado, San José and Cannelloni and gypsum clay in Río Negro.
Likewise, in different parts of the country, granite, black granite,
sand, gypsum, boulders, marl, pyrite, ballast, crushed and raw
flagstone, diorite and granodiorite are extracted.
There was an
exploitation project, the first large open pit mining project in the
country, called the Aratirí project, for the extraction of iron in the
Cuchilla Grande area, in the departments of Treinta y Tres, Durazno and
Florida, near the town of Valentines.
Agriculture still contributes approximately 10% to the country's GDP
and is the main source of foreign currency, putting Uruguay in line with
other agricultural exporters such as Brazil, Canada and New Zealand.
Uruguay is a member of the Cairns Group of agricultural product
exporters.
In Uruguay, rainfed agriculture has relatively low
inputs of labor, technology and capital compared to its irrigated
agriculture (rice) and other countries, which results in comparatively
lower yields per hectare, except for rice. but it also opens the door
for Uruguay to market its products as "natural" or "ecological."
Campaigns such as "Natural Grass-Fed Uruguayan Meat" and "Natural
Uruguay" aim to establish Uruguay as a brand in the meat, wine and other
food products sector.
Some agricultural export crops in Uruguay
are wheat, barley, oats, soybeans, rice, corn, sorghum, sunflowers and
blueberries.
One of the traditional crops in this country is the
vine. This crop was introduced by Spanish colonizers in the mid-17th
century. Although traditionally there were vineyards planted throughout
the national territory, currently there are some areas of concentration
of vineyards and wineries such as the metropolitan area of Montevideo,
the surroundings of the city of Colonia and the city of Bella Unión.
Recently, an industry has emerged around tourism ranches that
capitalizes on the traditions or folklore associated with gaucho culture
and the remaining resources of the historic ranches from Uruguay's
golden era. One of the examples of this industry is tourism related to
the world of wine and restaurants. Given the historical importance of
this crop and the country's associational spirit, some wineries have
formed the Los Caminos del vino association, whose objective is to
promote wine tourism.
Uruguay does not have its own fossil fuel resources for energy
generation. The hydropower potential is relatively small. For this
reason, 60% of energy needs are imported. Especially this causes
dependence on oil imports. The government encourages the use of natural
gas, which is imported from Argentina.
Uruguay has three
hydroelectric dams on the Río Negro: Rincón del Bonete (1945), Baygorria
(1960) and Palmar (1982); and one in the Uruguay River, Salto Grande
(1979), the latter shared with Argentina. There are a variety of gas and
fuel oil plants, which are used as backup in the event of a lack of
water.
Electrical energy consumption in 1999 decreased, mainly
due to the recession. However, a further increase in consumption is
expected in the coming decades. It depends mainly on hydroelectric
plants. Further expansion of electricity production power from
hydroelectric plants is highly unlikely, as most rivers that can be
significantly dammed are already dammed. Added to this is the problem of
the frequent droughts that affect them.
In 2000, the first
experimental wind turbine was installed in the Sierra de los Caracoles,
and in 2007 the first commercial wind turbine was installed in
Maldonado. In 2016, 1000 MW of installed power was reached.
In
addition, new capacities are projected for the generation of energy with
natural gas, biomass, etc. In some of these aspects there are already
advances or pilot plans. Furthermore, the possibility of opting for
generation from an atomic reactor is under discussion.
Uruguay's
current network is integrated with that of Argentina to the west,
participating in the exports and imports of electrical energy. The
interconnection project with Brazil to the east is currently being
implemented, thus achieving diversification of energy supplies.
On the other hand, in recent years, hydrocarbon exploration campaigns
have been carried out both on land (onshore) and on the maritime
continental shelf (offshore), achieving important advances in knowledge
in this area.
Regarding freight transportation, it is done by trucks and railways. Regarding passengers, there are short-distance (less than 50 km) and long-distance (more than 50 km) bus lines which cover the main routes, concentrating on the most important cities. The passenger train lines that are concentrated in the capital were the only operational services until 2019, since then they have been suspended due to the reconstruction of the main line.
In 2020, Uruguay's road network had 67,781 km of roads, of which
7,977 km were paved. There are only duplicate roads that start from
Montevideo, towards Maldonado (125 km on Route 10), Colonia del
Sacramento (150 km on Route 1) and Rivera (a few km on Route 5),
according to the Ministry of Transportation and Public Works. They are
distributed over 176,215 km² of territory, which means one of the
highest rates of access to different parts of a region in Latin America.
The main characteristic is that most of the roads converge in the
capital, Montevideo. Currently, the construction project of a perimeter
ring (Route 102) that avoids crossing the city, linking the western
routes with the eastern ones, has been completed. In addition, there are
several important routes that run through the country, thus facilitating
transit between the interior departments without passing through the
capital, for example route 26 that connects Melo with Paysandú via
Tacuarembó.
Types of pavement on roads:
303 km of concrete
3164 km of asphalt layer
4220 km of bituminous treatment
1009 km
of tosca
The main roads, routes and highways of Uruguay are:
Route 1, Route 3, Route 5, Route 8, Route 9, Route 26, Route 101, Ruta
Interbalnearia, Avenida Italia and Avenida Giannattasio, they have good
maintenance and signage although there are sections in poor condition.
The secondary routes have variable condition, from very good to poor
quality.
The Uruguayan railway network has, in 2020, approximately 3073 km of
track, with a 100% homogeneous gauge of 1435 mm, and only 11 km of
double track and is one of the densest in the region (0.016 km/km² ). As
of 2020, only about 1,673 km of track are operational almost exclusively
for cargo transportation, and within these, only 118 km (as of 2019) for
passenger services. The rest of the branch is closed.
The
current state of both the railway network and the tractor fleet has
been, since the 1950s, in decline and in a rather precarious state. The
vast majority of the network is not only closed, but in some cases no
maintenance or reconstruction has been carried out for decades. As for
the fleet, all the material is imported and about 95% of the material is
second-hand that is in service, repaired, in poor condition or scrapped.
The Uruguayan railway system is not electrified. However, in recent
years the repair and reconstruction of some branches for cargo
transportation has been carried out. A 2015 project aims to reconstruct
a 273 km section of the 563 km of the Montevideo-Rivera trunk line that
is currently being executed for the transport of cellulose pulp from the
Finnish forestry company UPM-Kymmene, which includes the extension of
the track current double (11 km) to 26 km and the use of monoblock type
concrete sleepers and rails welded with cast steel, something that has
never happened before in the country. In 2020, the existing fleet at
that time was repaired and new material was purchased.
Since
March 1, 2003, passenger trains depart and arrive from a new, small
terminal station located 500 meters north of Montevideo Central Station,
which has remained closed since then. This meant a loss of more than
100,000 passengers for train services.
The AFE has been, since
1952, the current state administrator of the network and, since 2020, it
has been in charge of infrastructure maintenance. The circulation of
material from other companies and institutions is allowed and several
have their own wagons and locomotives (ANCAP, AUAR, CEFU, CUCP).
In Uruguay there are 242 airports or secondary aerodromes, of which
twelve have paved landing strips, the others being secondary aerodromes
or emergency runways with unpaved runways with light pavement. The two
most important are the Carrasco International Airport, located in the
Department of Canelones, within the metropolitan area of Montevideo, and
the Punta del Este International Airport, in the Department of
Maldonado.
The Carrasco International Airport was initially
inaugurated in 1947 and in 2009, Puerta del Sur, the owner and operator
of the airport, with an investment of $165 million, commissioned Rafael
Viñoly Architects to expand and modernize the existing facilities with a
new and spacious terminal. of passengers to increase capacity and
stimulate commercial growth and tourism in the region. In 2009, work on
the new terminal was completed. It was inaugurated on November 15, 2009
and began operations on December 29, 2009. The airport can handle up to
4.5 million users per year. London-based Frontier magazine named it one
of the top four airports in the world in its 27th edition. The old
facilities were left for air cargo service. The transformation of this
terminal into a southern South American connection center for cargo is
planned.
The Punta del Este International Airport, also known as
Laguna del Sauce Airport, is located 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) from the
city of Punta del Este, in the department of Maldonado, it is the second
busiest air terminal. of passengers in the country. The work of
Uruguayan architect Carlos Ott, the terminal was inaugurated in 1997 and
the runways were renovated through a private investment concession.
The main ports of Uruguay are located on the coasts of the Río de la Plata and the Uruguay River. The main cargo ports are Montevideo (11 kilotons and 888,000 TEU moved in 2016), Nueva Palmira (7.3 kilotons moved in 2016) and Fray Bentos (2.1 kilotons moved in 2016). As for marinas, Colonia del Sacramento, La Paloma, Piriápolis and Punta del Este stand out.
In Uruguay, freedom of the press is protected by the Constitution.
According to a study carried out by Reporters Without Borders in 2009,
the country occupies the 29th position in the world press freedom index
and first place among Latin American countries.
For every
thousand inhabitants, 293 newspapers circulate, there are 603 radio
receivers, 530 televisions and 278 telephone lines. Taking into account
a middle class family of 4 people, everyone would enjoy these goods.
According to 2005 estimates, there are 93 AM radio stations, 191 FM
stations, 7 shortwave stations and 62 television stations.
An
acceptance agreement was signed (2007) to adopt the European digital
television standard, unlike Brazil, which adopted the Japanese standard.
In December 2010, the Japanese-Brazilian standard was established as
final due to a geopolitical decision, framed in the interest of
deepening relations with the countries in the region that opted for this
standard.
In the metropolitan area of Montevideo there are 7
important over-the-air channels:
Channel 4 (since 1961) (private)
Channel 5 (since 1963) (public)
Channel 10 (since 1956) (private)
Teledoce (since 1962) (private)
TV Ciudad (air channel since 2015,
only on digital terrestrial television) (public)
Added to these
are the channels from the interior of the country and their repeaters,
as well as cable, satellite and IPTV television: DirecTV, Flow SAT, TDH
(it is an exclusive service of TCC, Channel 10 and the Equital network)
and Antel TV.
The Uruguayan telephone system has been 100% digital since 1997,
thanks to the improvement efforts of the state-owned monopoly
telecommunications company Antel. Uruguay was the first country in all
of America to have this status.
In Uruguay there are more than
one million landlines, 31.7 landlines per 100 inhabitants, which
constitutes the second highest density landline network in Latin America
after Costa Rica. This situation is mainly explained due to the greater
use of ADSL in Uruguayan homes. Half of the telephone system is located
in Montevideo. In 2007, the extra cost for calls between two locations
was eliminated, so a national long-distance call began to cost the same
as an urban one. The calculation value depends only on the time and day
of the call.
In June 2014, the number of cell phones reached
5,358,325 units (more than one device per inhabitant), or 159.2 mobile
services per 100 inhabitants, ranking 2nd in Latin America after Panama.
There are three companies that provide the service, one of them is
public ANTEL, formerly called Ancel, with 2,674,061 cell phones, and the
rest are the private Movistar with 1,854,385, and Claro with 829,879
cell phones.
Uruguay is the first country in Latin America with a
commercial operation in LTE technology, 4G Long Term Evolution mobile
telephony, fourth generation technology, which allows high capacity for
wireless broadband transmission. The service began to be provided in the
first half of December 2011, initially in Punta del Este and Maldonado,
and later extended to areas of Montevideo.
69.5% of Internet connections are mobile and 30.5% are fixed, adding
a total of 2,609,842 services as of June 2014. On that date, Uruguay
had 795,804 fixed broadband services, and 1,814,038 mobile broadband
services. ANTEL is the provider of 98% of fixed broadband services.
With a rate of 47.7 Internet users per 100 inhabitants, Uruguay
leads Latin America in being the country with the highest proportion of
Internet users. In an evaluation of 21 Latin American countries, Uruguay
has the highest combined penetration of fixed, mobile, and broadband
telephony, with an ICT (Information and Communication Technologies)
adoption rate of 5.42.
According to the Global Information
Technology Report 2012-2013, which also covers information and
communication technologies, Uruguay is third in Latin America in ICT,
with Chile ranking 34th worldwide, Panama ranking 46th and Uruguay
ranking 52nd.
In 2007 the country reached one million Internet
users.
Uruguay is an important exporter of software, and ranks first in
income from software and computer services per capita in Latin America.
In 2007 it exported 188 million dollars (0.58% of the 2008 GDP), in
which In 2011, Uruguay exported software for 250 million dollars.
According to the World Innovation Index, carried out by the World
Intellectual Property Organization, in 2022, Uruguay was ranked 64th in
innovation among 132 countries in the world; while in 2023 it ranked
63rd.
Investment in research has not been a characteristic of Uruguay; Most
of them are isolated efforts or those of a center such as the Clemente
Estable Biological Research Institute (IIBCE) and the University of the
Republic. The main research is in the area of medicine and mathematics.
Despite the above, in 1986 the Basic Sciences Development Program -
PEDECIBA - was created, the result of an agreement between the
University of the Republic, the Ministry of Education and Culture and
the United Nations Development Program - UNDP. — with the objective of
the repatriation of scientists and the beginning of master's degrees and
doctorates in basic sciences — which at that time included Biology,
Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics and Chemistry. The first director
of PEDECIBA was Dr. Roberto Caldeyro Barcia. Another recent milestone in
Uruguayan science is the installation of the Pasteur Institute of
Montevideo dependent on the Pasteur Institute of France. The director of
this institute is Dr. Guillermo Dighiero.
Several Uruguayan
scientists have stood out in the exercise of their profession, such as
the engineers Eladio Dieste – recognized worldwide for his use of what
he called reinforced ceramics – or the mathematician and engineer José
Luis Massera, recognized for the motto that bears his name. Another
prominent scientist is Clemente Estable, teacher and researcher in
biology and neurobiology. The Institute of Biological Research was named
in his honor.
88% of the Uruguayan population is of European ancestry, mainly
Spanish and Italian (more than half of the population has at least one
ancestor of Italian origin). Of them, 55,220 have Italian nationality or
are citizens born in Italy. In third place are the descendants of French
and Armenians. Mestizos represent 8% of the population and the
population of African descent 4%. Uruguay has a high level of literacy,
one of the highest in Latin America. The population growth rate is one
of the lowest in America and life expectancy is one of the highest. It
is estimated that there is an illiteracy rate of 1.6%, and that life
expectancy is around 77 years.
According to the results of the
2011 census, the population of Uruguay amounted to 3,286,314
inhabitants, with an average annual intercensal growth rate of 1.9‰
compared to the 2004 census. The low intercensal growth rate observed in
the period 1996- 2004 (3.2‰) is still lower than that recorded between
the 1985-1996 censuses of 6.4‰. This decrease corresponds to a
progressive decrease in the birth rate and in migratory changes.
The makeup and structure of the Uruguayan population distinguishes
it from the rest of Latin America. Uruguay was at least 30 years ahead
of the rest of the Latin American countries in the demographic
transition, the vast majority of which began this process in the 1950s
and 1960s. It has been estimated that in 1900, Uruguayan women They had
an average of 6 children, in 1950 this dropped to 3 and, in 2013, to
1.86 (according to the INE), already below the generational replacement
limit. At the same time, it stands out for being the country with the
largest long-lived population in Latin America, where the group aged 60
or over amounted to 17.7% in 2008. The changes in the birth rate are
also due to the large increase in life expectancy, which amounts to
76.91 years (73.24 for men, 80.20 for women). The degree of urbanization
is very high and reaches 96.1% of the population.
Since its independence in 1830, Uruguay has been a country of
emigrants, and it was also a receiving nation of immigrants, and
continues to be, although to a lesser extent than before, especially
Argentine, Brazilian, Peruvian, Venezuelan and Cuban citizens.
The main groups of immigrants who arrived at the port of Montevideo,
between 1850 and 1940, came mainly from Spain, especially from Galicia,
the Canary Islands, Andalusia, Asturias, the Basque Country and Aragon
(see Spanish immigration in Uruguay), and also in large numbers from
Italy, where they initially emigrated from Genoa, Liguria, and from
Piedmont, to later become generalized and receive immigrants from all
parts of Italy (see Italian immigration in Uruguay). Immigration
contributions from France were also important, especially from French
Basques, from Germany, and from Jews escaping the war - among them many
from Poland - Asian countries and Eastern Europe. The period during
which the country received the most foreigners was that of Franco's
regime, in Spain, and that of the wars in Europe. In 2001 there were
52,353 Spaniards residing in Uruguay, a figure that dropped to 40,720 in
2007, making the country the tenth in the world with the largest Spanish
population.
European immigration settled in Uruguay from the end
of the 19th century to the mid-1960s. From the perspective of
international migration, in the second half of the 20th century, Uruguay
began to consolidate itself as a country of emigration, either by
political or economic reasons, a phenomenon that has significantly
influenced population growth in recent decades. Emigration is mainly to
Europe, Argentina and the United States. Spain is the main destination
for Uruguayans within Europe, but they also emigrate to Italy, France
and Germany. During the 1970s there was also a significant migratory
flow to Australia.
According to CIA publications (The World
Factbook), the Uruguayan population is fundamentally of European origin,
making up 88% of the total, followed by mestizos (8%), and the
Afro-Uruguayan population (4%). Furthermore, this source maintains that
the indigenous population is practically non-existent. The successive
waves of migration that the country experienced have shaped the current
population, composed mainly of descendants of Spaniards, closely
followed by Italians and with a significant number of French, Germans,
Portuguese, British, Swiss, Russian, Polish, among others. The
population of Asian origin is very small.
However, recent
research affirms that 10% of the total population would have some
ancestor of Amerindian origin, mainly Charrúa or Guaraní.
Regarding emigration, many Spaniards who lived in Uruguay have returned
to their country of origin for various reasons, including the crisis
that affected the economy in 2002 and 2004.
Argentina, with
116,592 registered in 2010, is the country with the highest percentage
of Uruguayan residents abroad, representing 0.3% of the total population
(see Uruguayan immigration in Argentina). Other countries widely chosen
by Uruguayans to live and work are Spain, Italy, the United States,
Brazil, Canada, and those in Western Europe.
According to data
from the INE, 55,480 Uruguayans currently reside in Spain: 28,304 men
and 27,176 women, of which 24,363 have Spanish nationality. The
autonomous communities with the largest number of citizens of Uruguay
are Galicia, the Canary Islands, Catalonia, and the Basque Country. ,
Valencian Community, Madrid and Andalusia.
There are 17,954
Uruguayans residing in Catalonia, of which 6,000 have Spanish
nationality. In the Valencian Community there are 9,246, in the Balearic
Islands, 5,217, and in Andorra 250.
Uruguay had a white population of 87.7% in 2011, the Amerindian
population is considered non-existent. At the end of the 19th century
and the beginning of the 20th, waves of immigration from Europe
appeared, especially by Spaniards, Italians and French. In 1870 Colonia
Valdense was consolidated, which had already seen its birth in the late
50s and early 60s by Swiss immigrants.
Many Europeans, especially
from Spain and Germany, sought refuge in Uruguay after the military
victory of fascism in the Spanish Civil War, the subsequent military
dictatorship, and the rise of Nazi Germany. Among them, the Catalans
Margarita Xirgu, actress, and the architect Antoni Bonet i Castellana;
Enriqueta Compte y Riqué, Barcelona teacher; and illustrious families
from Catalonia, the Canary Islands, and Galicia, who made important
contributions to the economic, political and social development of the
country. The Batlle family, originally from Sitges, would produce four
presidents in Uruguay in three centuries. José Batlle y Ordóñez, son of
Lorenzo Batlle y Grau, separated the church from the State, modernized
the country and led it to a period of financial prosperity that earned
it the name of the "Switzerland of America."
The Pereira-Rossell
couple founded the public hospital that today bears their name, in
Montevideo. Emilio Reus, a Madrid businessman, invested a lot of capital
in the construction of new homes for commerce and residence. The painter
Joaquín Torres García, son of a Catalan father, was one of the most
important artistic icons of Uruguay—and Catalonia—throughout the 20th
century. There is also a Catalan House in Montevideo, where the Congress
of Catalans of the Republics of La Plata was held in 1936.
The
construction of an Italian hospital called Hospital Italiano Umberto I,
at the beginning of the last century, reveals the influence of the
Italian community in Montevideo. In the same way, the Galicians,
considered the largest group of immigrants, with 36,000 people, along
with the Asturians (there are currently 3,000 in Uruguay), founded the
"Casa de Galicia", with a medical and hospital service that cares for
patients. which, for the most part, are of that origin.
On the
other hand, the implementation of the Italian language as a mandatory
subject in the humanities baccalaureate educational plans, operational
since the 1940s, shows the influence that immigrants from this country
exerted on local culture and in other areas such as gastronomy. Also in
the gastronomic field, the influence of other cultures on the local one
stands out, such is the case of Catalan breads and spices, Galician
confectionery, or the use in confectionery of the French word chantilly,
to refer to cream.
Three great French writers of the 19th and
20th centuries were born in Uruguay: the Count of Lautréamont, Jules
Laforgue, and Jules Supervielle.
Finally, and in terms of
toponymy, many towns in the interior of Uruguay refer to the place of
origin of their founders. Examples of this are: New Berlin, Cardona,
Colonia Valdense, Nueva Helvecia (Swiss Colony), Toledo, among others.
Uruguay has a mixed health system (public and private). The Ministry
of Public Health (M.S.P.) is responsible for standardizing, evaluating
and supervising health care throughout the country, both for public and
private assistance. According to data from the Medical Union of Uruguay,
there were around 14,726 doctors active as of June 30, 2010, with a high
average density rate (4.46 doctors per thousand inhabitants).
According to the National Institute of Statistics of Uruguay, in 2006,
97.2% of the population residing in towns with 5,000 or more inhabitants
had some type of medical care, while 2.8% had a total absence of rights.
for your health care. This same study revealed that practically 46% of
the population is affiliated with a private medical care institution,
while 42% receives their health care through the Ministry of Public
Health or the Hospital de Clínicas (dependent on the University of the
Republic). Among the former, more than half (24.4%) also have a mobile
emergency service, while only 4.8% of public health users have this
service.
Human resources constitute one of the main favorable
points in health in Uruguay, since according to a report carried out in
2006 by the World Health Organization, the country is the second in
Latin America with the most doctors per inhabitant (3.65 per
inhabitant). per thousand inhabitants) after Cuba (5.91).
The
Ministry of Labor and Social Security, the Social Security Bank, the
Bank Retirement and Pension Fund are full members and participants of
the Inter-American Conference on Social Security (CISS).
Life expectancy at birth (est. 2019):
Total population: 77.91
years
Men: 74.12 years
Women: 81.84
Maternal mortality: 17
every 100,000 births (2019)
Infant mortality: 6.8 per 1000 (2019)
Mortality under 5 years of age: 2.3 per 1000 (2019)
Literacy: 98.7%
(2018)
Daily calorie consumption: 2862 per capita
Drinking
water: 98%
Uruguay is the only country in Latin America that has achieved almost
universal coverage of access to safe drinking water and adequate
sanitation, with high levels of quality of services. Drinking water is
within reach of 99% of the population throughout the country. Currently,
sanitation covers the majority of the population of Montevideo and is
expanding to the metropolitan area. It is in charge of O.S.E. except in
the department of Montevideo, where it is the responsibility of the
departmental administration.
In 2004, a constitutional appeal
against the privatization of running water services was approved. The
government's priority is to improve the efficiency of services and
expand access to sewage service (where applicable) in areas where
on-site sanitation is used.
Abortion has been discussed in the legislative chambers about ten times since the return to democracy. In 2002 the vote was frustrated in the Senate, in the previous discussions it never managed to get out of the parliamentary committees, in 2008 it was approved but the presidential veto stopped it because the special majority required to override the veto was not achieved. Various surveys show a large majority of Uruguayans (around 60%) in favor of the decriminalization of abortion. During 2012, a new Bill was presented, called the "Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy Law", which was approved by both Chambers in October of the same year. The Executive Branch promulgated the law on October 22 and issued a regulatory decree in the month of November. The Pregnancy Termination Law establishes that women have the right to terminate their pregnancy before twelve weeks of gestation, for which they must appear before a multidisciplinary Clinical Committee; After being informed of her rights and the consequences of her decision, the woman will have a period of five days to reflect. After this period, the pregnancy will be terminated by the medical organization that provides coverage. Uruguay is the first country in South America to decriminalize abortion and the second in Latin America (after Cuba).
During the first government of Tabaré Vázquez, Uruguay became one of
the first countries to establish the law that prohibits smoking in the
closed spaces of private establishments, and in all public
administration offices. The World Health Organization places the country
in fifth place in the world among countries that fight against smoking
and lung cancer.
Since the 1970s, cannabis use has not been
punished. In the government period that began in 2010, initiatives arose
from different political parties to achieve the decriminalization of the
cultivation of marijuana for self-consumption. On December 10, 2013, a
law regulating the cannabis market was approved. Production (which will
be controlled by the State), marketing, possession and recreational and
medicinal uses of marijuana, as well as uses for industrial purposes,
thus becoming the first country in the world to legalize the sale and
cultivation of marijuana fully.
Secularism, free and obligatory education are fundamental principles
of Uruguayan public education, as proclaimed by José Pedro Varela. The
population has access to free education from the first level of
kindergarten (Initial Education) to graduation from university. Public
education from the initial, primary, secondary and teacher training
levels is in charge of the National Public Education Administration
(ANEP). It is governed by the Central Board of Directors (CODICEN). The
panorama of Uruguayan educational services is completed with private
education institutions that range from preschool to university
education.
One of the most important educational achievements in
the country is the high literacy rate, which reached 97.7% in 2006
according to the I.N.E., with Uruguay standing out as one of the
countries with the highest literacy rate in Latin America.
In
Uruguay there are public (financed by the State) and private schools and
institutes. The first kindergarten in the country - and in South America
- was founded in 1892 by the Uruguayan-Catalan teacher Enriqueta Compte
y Riqué. On the other hand, primary education goes from 6 to 11 years
old and is mandatory. Public school students must wear a uniform that
represents the colors of the national flag: a white tunic and a blue
ribbon tied around the neck. However, in private schools the distinctive
uniform of each institution is used.
Secondary education
students, from 12 to 14 years old, and high school students (from 15 to
17 years old) who study in public institutes, in general, do not have to
wear a uniform, although a certain formality is required, while in the
Private companies do require a uniform. Finally, the high school in
Uruguay lasts three years: a common first year and two years where the
student takes orientations to their liking, that is, humanities,
sciences, biology or arts. The last year of high school, in turn, is
divided into options within the orientation chosen the previous year:
law, economics, engineering, architecture, medicine and agronomy.
In 2008 the government established the program "In the country of
Varela I can" whose objective was to educate adults to read and write,
achieving 8,000 graduates in just one year.
In 2007 the Uruguayan
government launched Plan Ceibal, an initiative taken from the OLPC
project. This plan allows each teacher and each student in public
schools to have a laptop with an Internet connection, completely free of
charge. In 2009, 366,000 computers had been delivered (to 350,000
children and 16,000 teachers). In August 2010, a new stage began, with
the beginning of the distribution of laptop computers, with more and
better features, to public secondary school students. By December 2011,
454,000 laptops had been delivered, approximately 320,000 to primary
school children, 120,000 to high school teenagers, and the rest to
teachers and professors.
In Uruguay, issues related to forced disappearances that occurred
during the military dictatorship have been increasingly discussed.
Although there are obstacles to carrying out trials, such as the Law of
the Expiration of the Punitive Claim of the State (Law of Expiration)
and even the lack of information due to the systematic concealment of
information during this regime, much progress has been made in recent
years. due to the different application of article 4 of the Expiry Law.
(This article enables the Executive Branch to decide in each case
whether or not it is covered by the Law, and accordingly the Justice
must act or archive the matter. During four periods of government, until
2005, it was systematically resolved that the matters be archived. , a
policy that was reversed since the government of President Tabaré
Vázquez.) In this way, trials were carried out in which the most
notorious authors of crimes committed during the military dictatorship
were convicted. In October 2009, days before the plebiscite for the
annulment of the law, in which 48% of the citizens voted to annul it
(the rest of the population did not vote since a negative vote was not
foreseen), there was a statement by the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ),
which declared the Expiry Law unconstitutional.
A prison that
functioned and was a reference of the Dictatorship was the Military
Detention Center Number 1, popularly known as Libertad Penitentiary,
because it was near the city of Libertad in the Department of San José
in Uruguay.
The Executive Branch has led the search for missing
persons and victims of the military dictatorship of the 1970s. In August
2000, the Commission for Peace was created, and in April 2003 the
current Secretariat of Human Rights for the Recent Past, which began
finally many long-postponed investigations and managed to find missing
persons. The tasks of said secretariat were to receive, analyze,
classify and compile information on the disappearances, with the joint
work of forensic specialists and anthropologists. Nowadays, with the
creation of the Group of Labor for Truth and Justice in 2015, these
tasks passed to this autonomous and independent body. In December 2006,
June 19 of each year was declared as a “commemorative date that these
episodes should never again occur among Uruguayans.”
It was also legislated starting in 2005 to cover the omission (noted in reports of the Human Rights Committee) to specifically criminalize torture and other illicit acts established by international law. Law No. 18,026, of November 2006, modified the Penal Code to create the category of "crimes", which it declared imprescriptible, and which defined as "the crimes within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court in accordance with the provisions in article 5 of the Rome Statute and also all those that, due to their extreme gravity, are governed by special laws, by this Code and the norms of international law insofar as they are applicable." The art. 22 criminalized the crime of torture.
In 2004, the first law against discrimination was approved and in
2007 the Concubinary Union was approved, which would come into force on
January 10, 2008, and which grants spouses with more than 5 years of
cohabitation most of the rights. of marriage. In 2009, Uruguay became
the first country in Latin America to legalize homoparental adoption.
The same year, the right to change identity in documentation for
transgender people over 18 years of age was recognized.
In 2008,
Uruguay signed a United Nations declaration calling for the global
decriminalization of homosexuality. In 2009, President Tabaré Vázquez,
opposed by military circles and part of the opposition, signed a decree
enabling the entry of homosexuals into the army.
In April 2013,
the equal marriage law, which allows marriage between people of the same
sex, was approved by a large majority in the House of Representatives.
Uruguay thus became the 12th country in the world to legislate same-sex
marriage, and the 2nd in Latin America, after Argentina did so in 2010.
According to the book "Afro-descendant Population and Ethnic-Racial Inequalities in Uruguay" this group represents 10.2% of the Uruguayan population. Between 1996 and 1997 the poverty gap between the Afro-white population was 20.6% and in 2007 it was 28.2%. 50% of Afro-Uruguayan children are in the most disadvantaged sector of society and only 3.2% are in the most advantaged. In the case of health coverage for children and adolescents, the research indicates that "racial inequalities are not recorded." Black children are more likely to spend at least part of their childhood in a single-parent home. In the 2009 presidential elections, several Afro-descendants ran for legislative positions but none of them were elected. Edgardo Ortuño, the first black deputy in Uruguayan history, was not reelected.
Domestic violence was converted into a criminal offense in 1995 and in 2002 a specific law against domestic violence was approved; the Domestic Violence Eradication Law. According to the "women in black" collective, every 9 days a woman or girl is murdered by her spouse or a family member.
Uruguay was a pioneer in this matter. The eight-hour law dates back
to 1915, and in its article 1 it establishes: «The effective work of
workers in factories, workshops, shipyards, quarries, earth construction
companies or in ports, [...] will not last more than eight hours." The
law also established that 48 hours of work should not be exceeded for
every six days of work. Also at the beginning of the 20th century, the
prohibition of work for minors under 13 years of age, the right to
strike, the protection of unions and protection of the unemployed. For
its part, domestic service in Uruguay is regulated and equated with all
other work activities. Retirees and pensioners have achieved several
rights through plebiscites, legal appeals and tax reforms promoted by
parliament.
The wage councils operated from 1985 to 1992, and
were reinstated in 2005. The national minimum wage as of January 2018 is
13,430 Uruguayan pesos, equivalent to about USD 470.
The sport with the most followers in Uruguay is soccer. Historically,
soccer has been a fundamental element in terms of the consolidation of
Uruguayan "nationality" and the international projection of the image of
Uruguay as a country, at the beginning of the 20th century. . "La
celeste" (historical nickname of the Uruguayan team, which comes from
the color of its shirt) dazzled Europe with its Olympic presentations
and earned the admiration and respect of the sporting universe, placing
South American football at the highest level of consideration. at a time
when said continent was still ignored on the international soccer map
(Uruguay in particular unknown on all maps, not just soccer maps).
Uruguay won two consecutive Gold medals in the Olympic Games (Paris 1924
and Amsterdam 1928), being for 80 years the only South American country
to occupy the top Olympic spot, an honor now shared with Argentina since
Beijing 2008 and Brazil since Rio de Janeiro 2016.
Between July
13 and 30, 1930, the first world soccer championship organized by FIFA
was held in Uruguay. In the final of the same Uruguay beat Argentina
4-2, winning their first world title.
Uruguay has, together with
Argentina, the first place in the number of America Cups, with 15,
followed by Brazil, with 9. In terms of world titles, it won the Soccer
World Cup on two occasions (in 1930 and 1950, The latter being a
historic sporting achievement and one of the most dramatic and
unforgettable moments in the history of football, the final of which has
since been known by the nickname "Maracanazo"). At the club level,
Nacional and Peñarol, the two main Uruguayan teams, have represented
Uruguay magnificently, obtaining between them eight Copa Libertadores
and six Intercontinental Cups, in addition to an outstanding list (in
quantity and quality) of international titles that have earned them They
allow them to occupy, until November 2006, the first and third positions
in the Conmebol Club Ranking (Peñarol 1094 pts., Boca Juniors 1023 pts.,
Nacional 960 pts.).
There are many Uruguayan players who are
part of Spanish, Italian, and other European and Asian leagues. Among
the most notable are Luis Suárez (historical scorer for the Uruguayan
team), Edison Cavani and Diego Forlán.
In 2011, the Uruguayan
team became champion of America for the fifteenth time (record), winning
the 2011 Copa América Argentina, winning the final against Paraguay 3-0
at the Monumental Stadium in Núñez.
Basketball is the second most popular sport in Uruguay, being very
popular especially in Montevideo, where in many neighborhoods of the
city there is at least one Club. The governing body of this sport in
Uruguay is the Uruguayan Basketball Federation, created in 1915 and a
member of FIBA since 1936. Among the most important achievements of the
Uruguayan basketball team are the obtaining of bronze medals in the
Olympic Games of 1952 and 1956, in Helsinki and Melbourne respectively,
as well as several South American championships and participation in Pan
American and world tournaments.
At the club level, the Uruguayan
Basketball League is the most important tournament of this sport in the
country, where the best teams compete for the title of Champion. Since
its creation, in 2003 as a replacement for the Federal Tournament, the
popularity of the sport at the national level has been steadily
increasing. Defensor Sporting is the dean of Uruguayan Basketball and
the most successful team, with 20 National Championships won (more than
double that of the second, Welcome with 9) and 2 South American
Championships. For its part, within the Uruguayan Basketball League,
Malvín is the most successful, with three conquests.
The 4 Group N Rally world championships stand out, achieved by the
Minuano Gustavo Trelles, in addition to the triumphs achieved by the
late Gonzalo Rodríguez in the categories prior to Formula 1.
Other sports that are very popular are tennis, rugby, handball and
rowing, which have recently gained more followers, as well as hockey,
and cycling, a discipline in which, at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games,
Milton Wynants won a silver medal, putting Uruguay back on the medal
table after 36 years.
Uruguay has also had an outstanding
participation in Basque Pelota, placing itself in fifth place in the
historical medal table of the Basque Pelota World Championship with 4
gold medals, 29 silver and 14 bronze. It organized the world
championships in 1955, 1966 and 1974, being the only country in South
America to host said tournament. Montevideo and Mexico are the only
cities in which the world championship was held three times.
The
Uruguayan delegation in the Olympic Games has won two gold medals in
soccer in 1924 and 1928. It has also won two silver and six bronze
medals in the disciplines of basketball, boxing, cycling and rowing.
As a result of the secular nature of the Uruguayan state, Christian
holidays (Holy Week and Christmas) officially receive other names
(Tourism Week and Family Day). However, except for Holy Week, they are
popularly known by their Christian name. The latter is variously called
Santa, Tourism, Criolla, or the Vuelta Ciclista.
In 1933, during
the dictatorship of Gabriel Terra, a dozen holidays were eliminated to
reverse the situation of the 1929 crisis. Among them, America's Day,
which commemorated the May Revolution every May 25 since 1834, was
eliminated.
January 1 New Year New Year Non-working day.
January 6 Epiphany Children's Day Unchangeable workday.
Moving date
Carnival Carnival Weekday. Monday and Tuesday of the seventh week before
Easter Sunday.
Mobile date Holy Week Workable Tourism Week. See
Calculation of the Easter date
April 19 Landing of the Thirty-Three
Easterners Landing of the Thirty-Three Easterners Removable workable.
May 1 International Workers' Day Workers' Day Non-working day.
May 18
Battle of Las Piedras Battle of Las Piedras Removable workable.
June
19 Birth of José Artigas Birth of José Artigas Workable immovable.
July 18 Swearing in of the Constitution Swearing in of the Constitution
Non-working day.
August 25 Declaration of Independence Declaration of
Independence Non-working day.
October 12 Columbus Day Removable
Workable Columbus Day.
November 2 All Souls' Day All Souls' Day
Unchangeable business day.
December 25 Christmas Family Day
Non-working day.
Notes:
All non-working holidays are
immutable.
In years in which there is a change of presidential
command (those ending in 0 or 5), March 1 is a non-working holiday.
The day of carrying out a national population and housing census, set by
the Executive Branch, will be a non-working holiday with double
remuneration if worked.
Holiday shift:
Starting in 1997, by
Law No. 16,805, working holidays become removable. If they coincide on
Saturday, Sunday or Monday, they will be observed on those days. If they
occur on Tuesday or Wednesday, they will be observed on the immediately
preceding Monday. If they occur on a Thursday or Friday, they will be
observed on the immediately following Monday. The Three Kings, Carnival
and Tourism Week holidays are excluded from the shift, which will
continue to be observed on the day of the week on which they occur,
whatever it may be.
Starting in 2002, by Law No. 17,414, June 19 and
November 2 are also excluded from the movement.
Only in 2011, and to
commemorate 200 years of the Battle of the Stones, by Law No. 18,748,
May 18 was not run.