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The only inhabitants of Uruguay before European colonization of the area were various tribes of hunter gatherer native americans, the most well known being the [[Charrua Indians]], a small tribe driven south by the [[Guaraní Indians]] of [[Paraguay]].
The only inhabitants of Uruguay before European colonization of the area were various tribes of hunter gatherer native americans, the most well known being the [[Charrua Indians]], a small tribe driven south by the [[Guaraní Indians]] of [[Paraguay]].
The name "Uruguay" comes from [[Guaraní language|Guaraní]]. It has many possible meanings since Guaraní is a highly [[agglutinative]] language. Two of them are "river of the urus" (uru is a kind of bird) and "river of colorful or 'painted' chinchillas."
The name "Uruguay" comes from [[Guaraní language|Guaraní]]. It has many possible meanings since Guaraní is a highly [[agglutinative]] language. Two of them are "river of the urus" (uru is a kind of bird) and "river of colorful or 'painted' chinchillas."
[[Image:salvo_palacio.jpg|thumb|right|210px|''Plaza Independencia'', Independence Square,[[Montevideo]] host the tumb of Jose Artigas, former United Provinces of the River Plate leader,in front of the square the ''Palacio Salvo'' can be seen,Photography: http://www.stonek.com]]
[[Image:salvo_palacio.jpg|thumb|right|210px|The ''Plaza Independencia'' in Independence Square, [[Montevideo]], hosts the tomb of Jose Artigas, late leader of the United Provinces of the River Plate. In front of the square, the ''Palacio Salvo'' can be seen. Photography: http://www.stonek.com]]


The Spanish arrived in the territory of present-day Uruguay in 1516, but the Indians' fierce resistance to conquest, combined with the absence of gold and silver, limited settlement in the region during the 16th and 17th centuries. Uruguay became a zone of contention between the Spanish and the Portuguese empires. In 1603 the Spanish began to introduce cattle, which became a source of wealth in the region. The first permanent settlement on the territory of present-day Uruguay was founded by the Spanish in 1624 at [[Villa Soriano|Soriano]] on the [[Río Negro]]. In 1669-71, the Portuguese built a fort at [[Colonia del Sacramento]]. Spanish colonization increased as Spain sought to limit Portugal's expansion of Brazil's frontiers.
The Spanish arrived in the territory of present-day Uruguay in 1516, but the Indians' fierce resistance to conquest, combined with the absence of gold and silver, limited settlement in the region during the 16th and 17th centuries. Uruguay became a zone of contention between the Spanish and the Portuguese empires. In 1603 the Spanish began to introduce cattle, which became a source of wealth in the region. The first permanent settlement on the territory of present-day Uruguay was founded by the Spanish in 1624 at [[Villa Soriano|Soriano]] on the [[Río Negro]]. In 1669-71, the Portuguese built a fort at [[Colonia del Sacramento]]. Spanish colonization increased as Spain sought to limit Portugal's expansion of Brazil's frontiers.

Revision as of 06:34, 18 March 2007

File:Peatonal1057.jpg
MontevideoCapital of the country, A view of pedestrian street in the Ciudad Vieja, former spanish citadel
Eastern Republic of Uruguay
[República Oriental del Uruguay] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)
Motto: [Libertad o Muerte] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)  (Spanish)
"Liberty or Death"
Anthem: "Orientales, la Patria o la tumba"
Location of Uruguay
Capital
and largest city
 Montevideo
Official languagesSpanish
GovernmentRepublic
• President
Tabaré Vázquez
Rodolfo Nin Novoa
Independence 
from Brazil
• Declared
August 25 1825
• Recognised
August 28 1828
• Water (%)
1.5
Population
• 2006 estimate
3,323,906 (132nd)
• 2002 census
3,399,237
GDP (PPP)2005 estimate
• Total
$33.98 billion (96th)
• Per capita
$9,900 (88th)
HDI (2004)Increase 0.851
Error: Invalid HDI value (43rd)
CurrencyUruguayan Peso (UYU)
Time zoneUTC−3 (UST)
• Summer (DST)
UTC­-2 (UDST)
Calling code598
ISO 3166 codeUY
Internet TLD.uy

Uruguay, officially the Eastern Republic of Uruguay or the Republic East of the Uruguay (River) (Spanish: República Oriental del Uruguay; pron. IPA: [re'puβ̞lika oɾjen'tal del uɾu'ɰwaj]), is a nation located in the southeastern part of South America. It is bordered by Brazil to the northeast, the Uruguay River to the west, the estuary of the Río de la Plata (literally "River of the Silver", but commonly known in English as "River Plate") to the southwest, with Argentina on the other bank of both, and finally the South Atlantic Ocean to the southeast. About half of its people live in the capital and largest city, Montevideo, just 530 Km². The nation is the second smallest independent country in South America, larger only than Suriname (it is also larger than French Guiana, which is an overseas department of France). It is the most politically and economically stable and the second least corrupt country in Latin America (right after Chile).[1]

History

Main article: History of Uruguay

The only inhabitants of Uruguay before European colonization of the area were various tribes of hunter gatherer native americans, the most well known being the Charrua Indians, a small tribe driven south by the Guaraní Indians of Paraguay. The name "Uruguay" comes from Guaraní. It has many possible meanings since Guaraní is a highly agglutinative language. Two of them are "river of the urus" (uru is a kind of bird) and "river of colorful or 'painted' chinchillas."

File:Salvo palacio.jpg
The Plaza Independencia in Independence Square, Montevideo, hosts the tomb of Jose Artigas, late leader of the United Provinces of the River Plate. In front of the square, the Palacio Salvo can be seen. Photography: http://www.stonek.com

The Spanish arrived in the territory of present-day Uruguay in 1516, but the Indians' fierce resistance to conquest, combined with the absence of gold and silver, limited settlement in the region during the 16th and 17th centuries. Uruguay became a zone of contention between the Spanish and the Portuguese empires. In 1603 the Spanish began to introduce cattle, which became a source of wealth in the region. The first permanent settlement on the territory of present-day Uruguay was founded by the Spanish in 1624 at Soriano on the Río Negro. In 1669-71, the Portuguese built a fort at Colonia del Sacramento. Spanish colonization increased as Spain sought to limit Portugal's expansion of Brazil's frontiers.

The capital Montevideo was founded by the Spanish in the early 18th century as a military stronghold; its natural harbor soon developed into a commercial center competing with Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires. Uruguay's early 19th century history was shaped by ongoing fights between the British, Spanish, Portuguese, and colonial forces for dominance in the Argentina-Brazil-Uruguay region. In 1806 and 1807, the British army attempted to seize Buenos Aires as part of their war with Spain. As a result, at the beginning of 1807, Montevideo was occupied by a 10,000-strong British force who held it until the middle of the year when they left to attack Buenos Aires.

Rio de la Plata in 1603.
Uruguay's oldest church is in San Carlos.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Uruguay

Uruguay's politics takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Uruguay is both head of state and head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of the General Assembly of Uruguay. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.

For most of Uruguay's history, the Colorado and National parties have alternated in power. The elections of 2004, however, brought the Encuentro Progresista-Frente Amplio-Nueva Mayoría, a coalition of socialists, former Tupamaros, communists and social democrats among others to power with majorities in both houses of parliament and the election of President Tabaré Vázquez Rosas by an absolute majority.


The Reporters Without Borders worldwide press freedom index has ranked Uruguay as:

File:Drinking mate political act.jpg
Uruguayan Broad Front Political act, people drinking Yerba Mate,woman in the right hold a termo and a bag with what is left of the bizcochos (Pasttisserie),Photography: http://www.stonek.com
  • 57th of 168 reported countries in 2006 [2]

According to Freedom House, an American organisation that tracks global trends in political freedom Uruguay ranked number 27 in the world democracy ranking. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, Uruguay has an index of 7.96,located in the last position between the 28 countries considered to be Full Democracies in the world, the index looks at 60 indicators across five categories: Free elections, civil liberties, functioning government, political participation and political culture. [3]

Uruguay ranks number 26 in the world CPI (Corruption Perception Index) composed by Transparency International. [4]

Direct Democracy

File:Water Plesbicite flag uruguay.jpg
Campaigners for plesbiscite against privatization of water resources. The flag on the right reads 'The water.. belongs to all',Photography: http://www.stonek.com

The Uruguayan constitution allow citizens to challenge laws approved by the parliament by the use of a Referendum,or propose changes to the Constitution by the use of a Plebiscite. During the last 15 years the method has been used several times; to confirm an amnesty to members of the military who violated human rights during the military regime (1973-1985), stop privatization of public utilities companies (See Economy: Public Sector), defend pensioners income and protect water resources.(See picture on the right).

Administrative divisions

Main article: Departments of Uruguay

Uruguay consists of nineteen departments ([departamentos] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help), singular [''departamento] Error: {{Lang}}: text has malformed markup (help)):

Map of Uruguay
Department Area (km²) Population* Capital
Artigas 11,928 78,019 Artigas
Canelones 4,536 485,028 Canelones
Cerro Largo 13,648 86,564 Melo
Colonia 6,106 119,266 Colonia del Sacramento  
Durazno 11,643 58,859 Durazno
Flores 5,144 25,104 Trinidad
Florida 10,417 68,181 Florida
Lavalleja 10,016 60,925 Minas
Maldonado 4,793 140,192 Maldonado
Montevideo 530 1,326,064 Montevideo
Paysandú 13,922 113,244 Paysandú
Río Negro 9,282 53,989 Fray Bentos
Rivera 9,370 104,921 Rivera
Rocha 10,551 69,937 Rocha
Salto 14,163 123,120 Salto
San José 4,992 103,104 San José de Mayo
Soriano 9,008 84,563 Mercedes
Tacuarembó 15,438 90,489 Tacuarembó
Treinta y Tres   9,676 49,318 Treinta y Tres
* 2004

Geography

Satellite image of Uruguay.
Lighthouse at Colonia de Sacramento.
Main article: Geography of Uruguay

At 176.214 square kilometres of Continental Land and 142.199 square kilometres of jurisdictional waters and small river islands [5], Uruguay is the second smallest sovereign nation in South America (after Suriname) and the third smallest territory (French Guiana is the smallest). The landscape features mostly rolling plains and low hill ranges (cuchillas) with a fertile coastal lowland. A dense fluvial network covers the country, consisting of four river basins or deltas; the River Plate, the Uruguay River, Merin Lake and the Black River. The major internal river is the Black River or Río Negro. Several lagoons are found along the Atlantic coast. The highest point in the country is the Cerro Catedral at 513.66 meters (1,685 ft 3 in) in the 'Carape' mountain range. To the southwest is the Río de la Plata (River Plate), the estuary of the Uruguay River, which forms the western border, and the Paraná River, that does not run through Uruguay itself.

Borders:

Republic of Argentina: Uruguay River to the west and River Plate in the south.

Federative Republic of Brazil: Chuy Stream, 13 km, straight line (Chuy), 8.7 km. San Miguel Stream 13 km. Merim Lake, 280.1 km Yaguaron River, 142.4 km. Small Yaguaron River, 18.5 km. Mine's Stream 20.4 km, Acegua straight line 37.2 km. San Luis Stream 31.3 km. North Branch of the San Luis Stream 3.6 km. Straight line 8 km. 'Cañada' of the Cementery, 4 km. Straight lines 0.6 km, Santa Ana hill range SE, 168.5 km. Rivera-Libramento 4.8 km. Santa Ana hill range 20.8 km. Black hill range 41.3 km. Invernada Stream, 37.8 km. Cuareim River 313.4 km. [6]

Climate

Main article: Climate in Uruguay

The climate in Uruguay is temperate. Warm summers and cold winters. The predominantly gently undulating landscape is also somewhat vulnerable to rapid changes from weather fronts. It receives the periodic influence of the polar air. Without mountains in the zone that act of barrier, the air masses freely move by the territory, causing fast variations of the climate. The coolest month is June, while the warmest is January. The rainfall is equally distributed throughout the year, but tends to be a bit more frequent in the autumn months. There can be frequent thunderstorms in the summer.

File:IMG 1091.JPG
Playa Brava in Punta del Este, Uruguay

Enclaves and exclaves

Since 1984 Uruguay has an Antarctic base in King George Island in Antarctica, part of the South Shetland Islands archipelago, at 62°11′04″S 58°54′09″W / 62.18444°S 58.90250°W / -62.18444; -58.90250, some 100 km from the Antarctic peninsula itself.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Uruguay
Montevideo, Uruguay's capital.
Plaza Gomensoro in the Pocitos neighborhood of Montevideo.

Uruguay has a middle income economy, mainly dominated by the services sector, an export-oriented agricultural sector and an industrial sector, Uruguay relies heavily on trade, particularly in agricultural products, leaving the country particularly vulnerable to slumps in commodity prices and global economic slowdowns. After averaging growth of 5% annually in 1996-1998, in 1999-2001 the economy suffered from lower demand in Argentina and Brazil, which together account for nearly half of Uruguay's exports. Despite the severity of the trade shocks, Uruguay's financial indicators remained more stable than those of its neighbours, a reflection of its solid reputation among investors and its investment-grade sovereign bond rating — one of only two in South America.[citation needed] In recent years Uruguay has shifted most of its energy into developing the commercial use of IT technologies and has become an important exporter of software in Latin America[citation needed].

While some parts of the economy appeared to be resilient, the downturn had a quite a severe impact on Uruguayan citizens, with unemployment levels rising to more than 20%, real wages falling, the peso devalued, . These worsening economic conditions played a part in turning public opinion against the free market economic policies adopted by the previous administrations in the 1990s, leading to the popular rejection of proposals for privatization of the state petroleum company in 2003 and of the state water company in 2004. The newly elected Frente Amplio government, while pledging to continue payments on Uruguay's external debt,[citation needed] has also promised to undertake a Emergency Plan (See section:Social Problems Poverty and inequality) to attack the widespread problems of poverty and unemployment.[7]

Natural resources and agriculture

  • Cattle were introduced to Uruguay before its independence by Hernando Arias de Saveedra, the Spanish Governor of Buenos Aires in 1603. Beef exports in 2006 amounted around a 37% of Uruguayan exports. [8]
  • Wool is a traditional product exported mainly to China, followed by the UK and India. [9]
  • Rice.

Fine varieties are produced in the lowlands in the east of the country close to Merin Lake on the Uruguay-Brazil border. The national company Saman claims to be the main exporter in Latin America [10]. Countries it exports to include Brazil, Iran, Peru, South Africa, Chile, Senegal, Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, Ecuador, USA, Canada and China.

  • Mineral products, including gold, granite and quartz.
  • Wood, cork and derivative products.

Services

File:Pe port Sea wolfs Uruguay.jpg
Seals in the marina in Punta del Este
  • Tourism in Uruguay: (See category: Tourism in Uruguay) Several seaside resorts, including Punta del Este, regarded as a jet set destination in South America, is one but not the only attraction of Uruguay. International cruises call at Montevideo from October to March every year. Also, Uruguay hosts many year-round international conferences. (The original GATT Uruguay Round concerning trade was, as its name suggests, hosted in Uruguay). Montevideo is home to the headquarters (secretariat) of Mercosur, the Common Market of the South, whose full members are Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Venezuela, associate members Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
File:R2070 15b.jpg
Punta del Este Air view
  • Software and consulting. Uruguay's well-educated workforce and lower-than-international wages have put Uruguay on the IT map. Both local and international companies operate in the country, some of them with offices worldwide. A product named Genexus [11], originally created in Uruguay by a company called ArTech, is noteworthy. Other important developers and consultants include De Larrobla & Asociados [12] and Grupo Quanam [13]. Tata Consultancy Services has its headquarters for the Spanish speaking world in Uruguay. Many of these companies have established in Zona America Business and Technology Park, in the suburbs of Montevideo.

"With a population of only three million, Uruguay has rapidly become Latin America's outsourcing hub. In partnership with one of India's largest technology consulting firms, engineers in Montevideo work while their counterparts in Mumbai sleep." - The New York Times, Sep 22, 2006


  • Banking & Finance. Despite the recent downturn the banking sector is recovering, many private banks in Uruguay having operated without disruption during the 2002 crisis.
  • Port Services & Container terminal:

Public Sector (Energy, Finance, Transport, Utilities)

Main article: Public Services in Uruguay
  • Public Sector: The state in Uruguay has an important role in the economy, uruguay resisted the trend of privatization in Utilities and state owned enterprises in the region. Several Referendums supported the state being in control of the most important utilities and energy companies. Some of the companies have a full monopoly warranted by law (like landline telephony, water), others compete freely with private operators (Insurance, mobile telephony, Banks). Most of them are dominant in the local market. There is strong debate in the Uruguayan society about their role and future. Some of them made a contribution to the uruguay state treasury.

The most important state owned companies are:

Republica AFAP (Pension Fund), AFE (Uruguay) (railways), ANCAP (Energy), ANCO Mail, ANP Ports, ANTEL (Telecommunications: Telephony, Mobiles (ANCEL and Data ANTELDATA), BHU Mortgage Bank, BROU (Bank), BSE (Insurance), OSE (Water & Sewage), UTE (Electricity).

Those companies operate under public law, using the a legal entity defined in the Uruguayan Constitution called Ente Autonomo (Meaning Autonomic Entity).

The goverment also owns parts of other companies operating under private law like the National Airline Carrier PLUNA and others owned totally or partially by the CND National Develoment Corporation.

Industry

Main article: Industry of Uruguay
  • Milk and dairy products. Conaprole, National Cooperative of Milk Producers [14] is the main exporter of dairy food of Latin America (in 2006) among others national and international companies operating in the market. The area of the country dedicated to the dairy food is located mainly in the south west.
  • Tobacco and beverages, including some fine wines.
  • Leather and leather products.
  • Paper pulp, paper, cardboard and derivatives. A big pulp mill is due to start operating near the city of Fray Bentos , the pulpmill is owned by the Finnish group Metsa Botnia.
  • Textiles.
  • Fisheries
  • Ceramics, glass and glass products.
  • Electrical Machinery.
  • Transport Materials.

Agriculture

Main article: Agriculture of Uruguay

Agriculture played such an important part in Uruguayan history and national identity until the middle of the twentieth century that the entire country was then sometimes likened to a single huge estancia (agricultural estate) centred around Montevideo, where the wealth generated in the hinterland was spent, as its casco or administrative head. As another saying went, "Uruguay es la vaca y el puerto" ("Uruguay is the cow and the port").[citation needed]

A heartland of historic estancias: Estancia San Eugenio, Casupá, southern department of Florida.

Today, agriculture contributes roughly 10% to the country’s GDP and is still the main foreign exchange earner, putting Uruguay in line with other agricultural exporters like Brazil, Canada and New Zealand. Uruguay is a member of the Cairns Group of exporters of agricultural products. Uruguay’s agriculture has relatively low inputs of labour, technology and capital in comparison with other such countries, which results in comparatively lower yields per hectare but also opens the door for Uruguay to market its products as "natural" or "ecological."

Campaigns like “Uruguayan grass-fed beef” and “Uruguay Natural” aim to establish Uruguay as a premium brand in beef, wine and other food products.[citation needed]

Recently, an industry has developed around estancia tourism which capitalizes on the traditional or folkloristic connotations associated with gaucho culture and the remaining resources of Uruguay's historic estancias.

Demographics

Torre de las Telecomunicaciones (Antel Tower) in Montevideo.
Main article: Demographics of Uruguay

Uruguay is heavily populated by people of European origin. According to an study done in 1997, 94% of its population is of white European descent, Spaniards, followed closely by Italians, including numbers of British, Germans, French, Swiss, Russians, Portuguese, Poles, Bulgarians, Hungarians, Ukrainians, Lithuanians, Estonians, Latvians, Dutch, Belgians, Croatians, Greeks, Scandinavians, Irish, and Armenians.

Uruguay also characterizes for being the only country in the Americas where amerindians are non existent. The remaining 6% are of either African or Asian descent[16].

Many Swiss colonies such as Colonia Suiza, Colonia Valdense and Nueva Helvecia are founded in the department of Colonia del Sacramento. Also, there are towns founded by early British settlers, like Conchillas and Barker. A Russian colony called San Javier, is found in the department of Rio Negro. Also there are mennonites colonies in the department of Rio Negro and in the department of Canelones. One of them, called El Ombu, is famous by his well know Dulce de Leche "Claldy", and is located near the city of Young.

Uruguay has a literacy rate of 96.79% (1996 est) [17], it has a large urban middle class. During the 1970s and 1980s, an estimated 600,000 Uruguayans emigrated, principally to Spain, Italy, Argentina and Brazil. Other Uruguayans went to various countries in Europe, to the USA and Australia.

The birth rate is lower than neighboring countries Argentina (16.73 births/1000 population) [18]

Religion

Main article: Religion in Uruguay

Church and state are officially separated. Most Uruguayans adhere to the Roman Catholic faith (62%), with smaller Protestant (4%) and Jewish (3%), as well as a large nonprofessing group (31%).

Although the majority of Uruguayans do not actively practice a religion, they are nominally church members in the Catholic, Protestant and Jewish communities. Uruguayan life is what political observers consider Uruguay is the most secular country in the western and southern hemispheres.

Social Problems

Poverty and inequality

According to data published by the United Nations, the Gini index for Uruguay equals to 44.8 in 2003, where 100 stands for maximum inequality and 0 for even distribution of the wealth between the population. [19]

A recent Report compiled and published by the INE, National Statistic Institute [20] (Instituto Nacional de Estadistica) of Uruguay,used 2 indicators to estimate the number of people living in poverty in the country.

  • Indigence line: income of the family is not enough for the basic alimentation.
  • Poverty line: income of the family is not enough for alimentation, clothing, health and transport.

The numbers obtained depends according with the methodology used, the inform uses 3 different methods. According to the one proposed by the Regional Workshop about poverty measurement in 1996, which produces the highest values of all, the results for the first quarter of 2006 are:

Population below Indigence line: 3.01 %

Population below Poverty line: 33.56%

The reports shows the indicators are improving as the country is recovering from the last 2002 crisis, in 2004 poverty indicators reached an all time high. [21]

A new ministry of Social Development was created by the Broad Front Party (Frente Amplio) government leaded by Tabare Vazquez, and an Emergency Plan which targets the less favoured 200.000 Uruguayans.

Gender and Race inequality

The average income of women in 2002 in Uruguay was 71.9 % of the income of men for the same activity [22].

The average income of African heritage workers is 65% of that of those of European heritage. [23]

Settlement and precarious housing

Although rents in neighbourhoods not in high demand are not very expensive in Uruguay, it is usually required to have another property as a warranty for the contract, or leave a deposit which many can not afford. This first condition makes renting a property especially difficult for the least favoured sectors of the population. According to the INE 23, 3 % of the population lives in a place neither owned nor rented. Some of them are proper built houses, but others are precarious constructions built illegally in public or private empty land just outside the cities. Thus, whole new poor neighbourhoods have emerged in the last decades. They are called Asentamientos or more colloquially Cantegriles in ironic allusion to the fashionable Neighbourhood of Cantegril in ''Punta Del Este''. In minor scale the phenomena is similar to the favelas in Brazil, Villa Miseria in Argentina, or Barrios in Venezuela. Because Montevideo lacks the elevations of Rio or Caracas, the geographical segregation is horizontal, leaving the settlements not in the top of the mountains, visible from anywhere, but on the city border, and then it is possible to transit large parts of the city without noting them. Nevertheless, even in the better off areas of the cities, poor children and horse propelled chariots of people which make a living recycling garbage reminds Uruguayans of the inequalities in their society.

60% of the population in the settlements are living below the poverty line. They are the 14% of the Uruguayan population under the poverty line. The problem of the settlements is not only the bad quality of the construction and lack of access to services, but the geographic and social exclusion that they create. Avoiding the possibility to interact with people from different social and economic backgrounds.

The Uruguayan government, through the Ministerio de Vivienda (Ministry of Housing), the local governments and many NGO have several programs to provide decent housing and address the problem.

Crime & Public Safety

In 2005 there were 188 homicides in Uruguay, 9486 assaults and 1167 sexual crimes. [24]. However, Uruguay remains the country with the lowest crime rate in Latin America and one of the safest in the world, being its capital city, Montevideo, among the 30 safest cities in the world.

Health and Sanitation

The government of Uruguay has done much to improve its health conditions. Under the national constitution, the State is responsible for all medical functions in Uruguay, and provides free medical care for those who qualify for it, particularly for the aged and those who cannot afford medical costs. This is done by the 'Ministerio de Salud Publica', Ministry of Health, who owns and operate a network of hospitals and clinics all over the country. The biggest one, called Hospital de Clinicas depends of the Medicine Faculty of the University of the Republic (Uruguay). As a result, over time it changed from having one of the highest mortality rates in Latin America to one of the lowest. For example, in 1995, infant mortality was 19.6 per 1,000 in 1995, 17.5 per 1,000 in 1996 to 11.61 per 1000 in 2006, showing a steady and continuous drop in the future.[4]

The government also continues to expand various forms of medical practice to offer the population diverse options of medical treatment in the nation's 65 medical facilities, as well as various forms of state-sponsored insurance plans, on which much of the population depends.

The Ministry of Health in Uruguay has gone to great lengths to provide the nation's 3.4 million people with healthy drinking water. The 1985 census revealed that 15.9% of the population either had no access to drinking water or lived in unsanitary conditions. Estimates now are that only 1.2% of the population has difficulty accessing clean drinking. [25] The State owns the water utility company OSE.(See Economy: Public Sector)

Educational establishments

Main article: Education in Uruguay

Science

Mathematics:

Some Uruguayan matematicians and their contribution are mentioned below:

Jose Luis Massera (1915-2002), Massera Teorem, Invertibility of second Liapunov Theorem. [26]

Jorge Lewowicz, Instituto de Matematica y Estadistica Rafael Laguardia (IMERL), José M. Muñoz 1085, ap. 4, Montevideo - MO 11300, Uruguay 'Jorge Lewowicz is a renowned mathematician who has made fundamental contributions to the field of the interaction between the topology of the space and the motion. His major research accomplishment concerns the classification of discrete expansive systems on surfaces, and the systematic use of Lyapunov functions (and quadratic forms) to study expansivity and other dynamical properties. Lewowicz was and continues to be the mentor of the Dynamical Systems group at Montevideo, contributing greatly to the education and training of outstanding young researchers.' [27]

Biology

Pasteur Institute (Montevideo) (Instituto Pasteur de Montevideo)

Clemente Estable

Culture

Main article: Culture of Uruguay
See also: Music of Uruguay and List of Uruguayans
File:Candombe0890.jpg
Punta del Este, Group of Candombe players common in most neighbours

There is a Secretary for Education and Culture named Ministerio de Educación y Cultura. The high ratio of literacy, and numerous public and private Radio and TV Broadcasting stations helps to promote communications and culture. The SODRE (Acronym for "Official Service for broadcasting Radio, TV, and Performing Arts") is a noted govermental institution generating cultural activities for the whole country. Created on year 1929, it manages a Symphonic Orchestra, a Chamber Music and Ballet ensembles, and a Choir, among others.

Each main city authorities are promoting many other cultural activities as well. By way of example, Montevideo's City Hall (Intendencia Municipal) manages a Philarmonic Orchestra, a Symphonic Band, a Music school, several theaters, among other activities, and promotes many artists to perform all over the city.

Examples: Montevideo various

Montevideo Music

Montevideo Philarmonic orchestra

Durazno City Hall

Rivera City Hall

Players and Composers

Main article: Uruguayan music

Tango

Electronic Tango

Bajofondo Tango Club: Juan Campodónico, Luciano Supervielle.

Alfredo Zitarrosa, Los Olimareños, Eduardo Mateo, Jose Carbajal, Washington Luna, Eustaquio Sosa, Tabare Etcheberry.

Other genres

Jaime Roos, Jorge Drexler, Abel Carlevaro, Eduardo Young, Federico Bruera, Esteban Klisich, Fernando Cabrera, Laura Canoura, Ruben Rada, Eduardo Darnauchans, Eduardo Larbanois, Mario Carrero, Santiago Chalar, Erika Busch, Jorge Schellemberg, Hugo Fattorusso, Gaston Ciarlo, Victor Lima, Mariana Ingold, Roberto Darwin, Jorge Galemire, Jorge Lazaroff, Jorge Do Prado, Jorginho Gularte, Leo Masliah.

Uruguayan writers

Delmira Agustini, poet · Mario Benedetti, poet and novelist · Eduardo Galeano, writer and social commentator renowned throughout Latin America · Felisberto Hernandez, short-story writer and essayist · Juana de Ibarbourou, poet · Jacobo Langsner, playwright · Mario Levrero, short-story writer · Jorge Majfud, essayist and novelist · Horacio Quiroga, short-story writer · Juan Carlos Onetti, novelist · José Enrique Rodó, essayist and philosopher · Florencio Sánchez, playwright · María Eugenia Vaz Ferreira, poet · Idea Vilariño, poet Julio Herrera y Reissig, poet. Serafin J Garcia, writer. Washington Benavidez, poet. Julio Muniz, poet. Horacio Ferrer, poet and composer. Francisco Espinola, writer. Juan Jose Morosoli, writer. Montevideo has been the birthplace of three noted French poets: Isidore Lucien Ducasse, Jules Laforgue and Jules Supervielle.

Uruguayan food

Main article: Cuisine of Uruguay

Uruguayan Food is tradtionally based on its European roots. Mediterranean foods, especially from Italy, Spain, France and Germany. Many foods from those countries such as pasta, sausages, and desserts are common in the nation's diet. The uruguayan barbecue, asado, is one of the most exquisit and famous in the world. A sweet paste, Dulce de Leche is the national obsession, used to fill cookies, cakes, pancakes, milhojas, and alfajores. The alfajores are shortbread cookies sandwiched together with Dulce de Leche or a fruit paste. Dulce de Leche is used also in flan con Dulce de Leche. The national drink is the Grappamiel. Grappamiel is an alcoholic drink which is very popular in rural areas. It is made with alcohol and honey. It is often consumed in the cold mornings of autumn and winter to warm up the body.

A traditional thing, is an infusion called mate. The dried leaves and twigs of the yerba mate plant (Ilex paraguariensis) are placed in a small cup. The drink is sipped through a metal or cane straw called bombilla. Hot water is poured into the gourd at near-boiling point so as to not burn the herb and spoil the flavour.

Traditional dishes

File:Asado uruguay.jpg
Asado make over the Parrilla http://www.stonek.com
  • Asado: both the tradition of grilling beef over coals (which translates to barbecue in American English), and the dish, "tira de asado".
  • Canadian Chivito: a sandwich containing steak, ham, cheese, tomato, lettuce, and mayonnaise.
  • Choripan: a very popular uruguayan fast food. A grilled sausage and a crusty bread such as a baguette, with tomato, lettuce and mayonnaise.
  • Empanada : a small pie or turnover, most commonly filled with meat or ham and cheese.
  • Empanada Gallega: a fish pie, with sauce, onions and green peppers. Brought by the inmigrants from Galicia.
  • Frankfurters: the tipically uruguayan hot dog.
  • Gnocchi (known as ñoquis) is traditionally eaten on the 29th day of each month. This was the day before payday, when people were at their poorest. Gnocchi made a cheap and hearty meal. On these occasions, some people leave a banknote under the plate to attract prosperity.
  • Hungarians: very similar to the Frankfurter, but very spicy.
  • Milanesa: a thin, breaded steak. There is a great variety, such as: Milanesa Napolitana, Milanesa Rellena and Suprema Maryland.
  • Lehmeyun: an armenian dish, brought by the armenian inmigrants.
  • Pascualina: a spinach pie, not unlike the spinach pies found throughout the Mediterranean the name makes a reference to Pascua, 'Easter'.
  • Pastel de carne: in english: meat pie. Chopped meat, smash potatoes, green peppers, olives, eggs.
  • Russian salad: potatoes, carrots, peas and mayonnaise.

Due to its strong italian tradition, in Uruguay we can find all the famous italian pasta dishes: ravioli, spaghetti, lasagna, tortellini, fettuccine, cannelloni, fusilli, agnolotti, tagliatelle, capellini, vermicelli, penne rigatti, fagioloni, cellentani, rotini, bucatini, farfalle and the traditional gnocchi. Although the pasta can be served with a lot of sauces, there is one special sauce that was created by uruguayans. The Caruso Sauce Is a pasta sauce made from double cream, meat extract, onions, ham and mushrooms. It is very popular with sorrentinos and agnolotti.

Also, we can find a huge variety of pizza. As well as calzone, fugazzetas, figazzas, fainas, and cheese fainas.

Desserts

  • Alfajores: shortbread cookies, sandwiched together with Dulce de Leche or a fruit paste.
  • Dulce de Leche: a sweet treat made of milk and sugar. Is used in almost uruguayan dessert.
  • Budin Ingles: in english: "English pudding". A pudding with fruits and nuts, very popular in Christmas and new year's eve.
  • Flan con Dulce de Leche: is a kind of rich custard dessert with a layer of soft caramel on top. It can be served with Dulce de Leche too.
  • Strudel: the famous apple pie from Germany.
  • Martin Fierro: a slice of cheese and a slice of quince paste (dulce de membrillo).
  • Chajá: a desert with meringue, sponge cake, "Chajá" cream and peaches. It is created by a well know firm in the city of Paysandu. [28]
  • Pastafrola: an exquisit pie made of quincy paste (dulce de membrillo).
  • Garrapiñada: a very popular dessert, made with peanuts, vanilla and sugar. It is sold in little bags in the downtown's streets.

Sports

Main article: Sports in Uruguay

Uruguay has an enormous tradition in sports, with important achievements in football, basketball, cycling and rugby, among others.

Football (soccer)

The most popular sport in Uruguay, by far, is association football (fútbol), in which the country, represented by the famous uruguayan national football team of the Asociación Uruguaya de Fútbol has earned many honours:

  • 2 Gold medals in the Olympic Games: 1924, 1928.
    • With these achievements Uruguay appears as the country with most olympic gold medals in football in America, followed by Argentina.


  • 2 World Cups: 1930, 1950
    • In 1930 Uruguay beat Argentina 4-2 when the first football world championship took place in Montevideo;
    • In 1950 Uruguay beat Brazil at Rio de Janeiro 2-1 from behind in the remembered final known as Maracanazo.


  • 14 Copas America, the last one in 1995.
    • With these achievements Uruguay appears as the country with most Copas America won, alongside Argentina.



Famous players of all the times:

Before 1950:

After 1950:

Basketball

Basketball is also a very important sport in Uruguay. As a matter of fact, the Uruguayan national basketball team, representing the Uruguayan Basketball Federation, won 12 southamerican championships, 2 olympic bronze medals (one in 1952 and the other in 1956), and participated in many panamerican and world championships. Currently, there is 1 Uruguayan by the name of Esteban Batista playing in the NBA (National Basketball Association) for the Atlanta Hawks in the United States - the highest level professional league in the world.

Rugby

Rugby union (see Rugby union in Uruguay) is also a popular sport in Uruguay, with the national team having qualified for both the 1999 Rugby World Cup and the subsequent 2003 world cup. The team is currently the second highest ranked in South America.[citation needed]

See also

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Notes and references

  1. ^ Transparency.org.
  2. ^ Reporters Without Borders Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2006
  3. ^ [The Economist, The world in 2007, A Pause in democracy's march Page 93]
  4. ^ http://www.transparency.org/policy_research/surveys_indices/cpi/2006
  5. ^ [( Instituto Nacional Estadistica http://www.ine.gub.uy/biblioteca/uruguayencifras2006/Territorio%20y%20medio%20ambiente.pdf )]
  6. ^ ( Source: Servicio Geografico Militar http://www.ejercito.mil.uy/cal/sgm/principal1024.html )
  7. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/country_profiles/1229360.stm (See leaders, President Tabare Vazquez 'On taking office he announced a $100m emergency plan to help the poor '
  8. ^ [(http://www.aca.com.uy/datos_estadisticos/exportaciones_2006.htm )]
  9. ^ [(http://www.sul.org.uy )]
  10. ^ [( http://www.saman.com.uy )]
  11. ^ [( http://www.genexus.com )]
  12. ^ [( http://www.bantotal.com )]
  13. ^ [( http://www.gquanam.com/home/index.php?idioma=eng )]
  14. ^ [(http://www.conaprole.com.uy)]
  15. ^ [( http://www.ancap.com.uy )]
  16. ^ http://www.ine.gub.uy/biblioteca/raza/MODULO_RAZA.pdf INE, (in spanish)
  17. ^ http://www.ine.gub.uy/socio-demograficos/ensenanza.htm
  18. ^ [1] and Brazil (16.56 births/1,000 population). [2]
  19. ^ http://hdr.undp.org/reports/global/2003/indicator/indic_126_2_2.html
  20. ^ http://www.ine.gub.uy/biblioteca/pobreza/Informe%20pobreza%20y%20desigualdad.pdf
  21. ^ http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:HjnG74WtxeQJ:www.undp.org/execbrd/word/DCPURY1.doc+plan+de+emergencia+uruguay+resultados&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=24&gl=uk
  22. ^ http://www.ine.gub.uy/biblioteca/genero/CAP%204%20-%20TRABAJO%20E%20INGRESOS02.pdf
  23. ^ http://www.ine.gub.uy/biblioteca/raza/MODULO_RAZA.pdf
  24. ^ http://www.ine.gub.uy/biblioteca/anuario2006/anuario%20web.swf download Delitos mas frecuentes contra la personalidad fisica y moral del hombre, segun año y departamento (In spanish)
  25. ^ [3]
  26. ^ [ http://agenda.ictp.trieste.it/agenda/current/askArchive.php?categ=a0151&id=a0151s1t2&ifd=11561&down=1&type=lecture_notes ]
  27. ^ [ http://www.ictp.trieste.it/~twas/mbrs/Elected01.html ]
  28. ^ http://www.postrechaja.com
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