Country name:

conventional long form: Oriental Republic of Uruguay

conventional short form: Uruguay

local long form: Republica Oriental del Uruguay

local short form: Uruguay

Location: Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Argentina and Brazil

Geographic coordinates: 33 00 S, 56 00 W

Map references: South America

Area: total: 176,215 sq km

country comparison to the world: 90

land: 175,015 sq km water: 1,200 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than the state of Washington

Land boundaries: total: 1,648 km

border countries: Argentina 580 km, Brazil 1,068 km Coastline: 660 km

Climate: warm temperate; freezing temperatures almost unknown

Terrain: mostly rolling plains and low hills; fertile coastal lowland

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Cerro Catedral 514 m

Natural resources: arable land, hydropower, minor minerals, fish Land use: arable land: 7.77% permanent crops: 0.24% other: 91.99% (2005)

Irrigated land: 2,100 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards: seasonally high winds (the pampero is a chilly and occasional violent wind that blows north from the Argentine pampas), droughts, floods; because of the absence of mountains, which act as weather barriers, all locations are particularly vulnerable to rapid changes from weather fronts

Government type: constitutional republic

Capital: name: Montevideo

geographic coordinates: 34 53 S, 56 11 W

time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions: 19 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Artigas, Canelones, Cerro Largo, Colonia, Durazno, Flores, Florida, Lavalleja, Maldonado, Montevideo, Paysandu, Rio Negro, Rivera, Rocha, Salto, San Jose, Soriano, Tacuarembo, Treinta y Tres

Independence: 25 August 1825 (from Brazil)

National holiday: Independence Day, 25 August (1825)

Constitution: 27 November 1966; effective 15 February 1967; suspended 27 June 1973; revised 26 November 1989 and 7 January 1997

Legal system: based on Spanish civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Population: 3,510,386 (July 2010 est.)

country comparison to the world: 131

Age structure: 0-14 years: 22.4% (male 397,942/female 385,253) 15-64 years: 64.3% (male 1,115,963/female 1,129,478) 65 years and over: 13.3% (male 187,176/female 278,570) (2010 est.)

Median age: total: 33.7 years male: 32.3 years female: 35.1 years (2010 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.447% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 157

Airports: 58 (2010) country comparison to the world: 82

Airports - with paved runways: total: 9 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2010)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 49 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 20 under 914 m: 26 (2010)

Pipelines: gas 226 km; oil 155 km (2009)

Railways: total: 1,641 km (1,200 km operational) country comparison to the world: 79 standard gauge: 1,641 km 1.435-m gauge (2010)

Roadways: total: 77,732 km country comparison to the world: 63 paved: 7,743 km unpaved: 69,989 km (2010)

Waterways: 1,600 km (2010) country comparison to the world: 52

Merchant marine: total: 18 country comparison to the world: 101 by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 2, chemical tanker 4, passenger/cargo 7, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 9 (Argentina 2, Denmark 1, Greece 1, Spain 5) registered in other countries: 1 (Liberia 1) (2010)

Ports and terminals: Montevideo

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