Country Profile for Uruguay
Sunset at La Barra - Maldonado
Take 68,000 square miles (176,000 square kilometers) of the South American Continent between Brazil and Argentina, add 200 miles of beaches plus sand dunes then envision three-quarters of the total as grasslands with various types of livestock grazing and you have a topical overlay of Uruguay – the second smallest country in South America.
Set foot in the country for a day or more and you get a sneak preview of the bigger picture; a beautiful country with hard-working, down-to-earth people living life as they see fit whether it be in the larger cities (Montevideo, Salto, Paysandú), inland rural areas or coastal havens on the Atlantic ocean and Rio de la Plata (River of Silver in English). Uruguay Fast Facts & Figures
General Background
The majority of the population (approximately 80%) live in urban areas yet Uruguay also has an active farming community with cattle and sheep ranching a way of life in rural areas. Crops produced on farms in Uruguay include: rice, wheat, barley, corn, sorghum, sunflower seeds, oats, apples, and peaches. These crops account for approximately 40% of the country´s GDP (gross domestic product) with the remaining 60% from animal husbandry and automobile parts.
Cabo Polonio, Rocha Department, Uruguay.
Uruguay borders Argentina to the west, Brazil to the north and northeast and the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast. The Rio de la Plata is an estuary (or river depending on the source) that fronts Montevideo and other cities and towns on the western coast such as Colonia del Sacramento and extends into the Atlantic Ocean.
The climate of Uruguay is mild with no snowfall or distinct rainy season but winters can be chilly and summers uncomfortably hot, depending on your location in the country. Atlantic coast windstorms during the winter months June and July can blow gusts up to 60 miles per hour – also referred to as ‘Pamperos’ – that originate in the Argentine pampas and blow northward passing through Uruguay.
During the summer months January and February temperatures usually range from 25 to 35 degree C (77 – 95 F) but can be higher with oppressively high humidity, especially inland.
Government & Politics
Uruguay is governed by a presidential representative democratic republic. The president-elect is both the head of state and the head of government and serves a five-year term. The vice president is elected on the same ticket.
Legislative Palace in Montevideo
For the second consecutive time, a member of the Left-wing Frente Amplio (Broad Front in English) coalition won the presidency – Jose Mujica (elected March, 2010). The first was Tabaré Vázquez in 2004. The Broad Front coalition is comprised of socialists, former Tupamaros, communists, social democrats, Christian Democrats and others.
The Uruguayan Constitution allows citizens the right to protest, repeal laws and ammend the constitution. In the last 15 years public referendums have successfully accomplished the following: defend pensioner´s incomes and stop privatization of public utilities companies. Twice, referendums to allow prosecution of members of the military who violated human rights during the military regime (1973–1985) have failed.
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Can you explain more about the public referendum that allowed prosecution of members of the military who violated human rights during the military regime? When was this? My understanding is that both times this issue came up for referendum it was rejected by the majority vote. Thanks.
Hi Ann – apologies for the late reply. Thank you for the correction. The referendum allowing prosecution was challenged twice and both times did not get the required 50% of votes to become law (source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8316000.stm). Yet from my understanding and reading, the challenges to the law have set a precedent of sorts that can be used in a future case seeking prosection of a Dirty War criminal´s offenses.
Here is more background information on Uruguay from this article: Amnesty For Dictatorship Crimes Slowly Crumble
“After an intense campaign to gather signatures, civil society organisations and the leftist coalition of parties known as the Broad Front (Frente Amplio, now in government) were able to bring a referendum on overturning that law. That effort failed to earn the 50 percent of the votes required, as did a repeat attempt just last year.
Nevertheless, there are some gaps in the “expiration” law. It does allow investigations — though not official charges — in clarifying the events surround human rights violations. The amnesty does not protect civilians, it does not cover economic crimes, or crimes against children, and it leaves it up to the Executive Branch to decide whether a case is covered by the law or not. ”
Molly
Thanks for the clarification and additional info, Molly!