{"id":9166,"date":"2022-05-31T04:00:53","date_gmt":"2022-05-31T11:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/?p=9166"},"modified":"2022-05-31T08:59:43","modified_gmt":"2022-05-31T15:59:43","slug":"uruguay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/uruguay\/","title":{"rendered":"Uruguay"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction:<\/h2>\n

Uruguay, officially the\u00a0Oriental Republic of Uruguay,<\/sup>\u00a0is a country in\u00a0South America<\/a>. It shares borders with\u00a0Argentina<\/a>\u00a0to its west and southwest and\u00a0Brazil<\/a>\u00a0to its north and northeast; while bordering the\u00a0R\u00edo de la Plata<\/a>\u00a0to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast. Uruguay covers an area of approximately 176,000 square kilometers (68,000\u00a0sq\u00a0mi) and has a population of an estimated 3.51\u00a0million, of whom 2 million live in the\u00a0metropolitan area<\/a>\u00a0of its capital and\u00a0largest city<\/a>,\u00a0Montevideo<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Uruguay on the Globe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The area that became Uruguay was first inhabited by groups of\u00a0hunter\u2013gatherers<\/a>\u00a013,000 years ago,<\/sup>\u00a0the predominant tribe at the moment of the\u00a0arrival of Europeans<\/a>\u00a0was the\u00a0Charr\u00faa people<\/a>, when the\u00a0Portuguese<\/a>\u00a0first established\u00a0Col\u00f3nia do Sacramento<\/a>\u00a0in 1680; Uruguay was colonized by Europeans relatively late compared with neighboring countries. Montevideo was founded as a military stronghold by the\u00a0Spanish<\/a>\u00a0in the early 18th century, signifying the competing claims over the region. Uruguay won its independence between 1811 and 1828, following a four-way struggle between Portugal and Spain, and later\u00a0Argentina<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Brazil<\/a>. It remained subject to foreign influence and intervention throughout the 19th century, with the military playing a recurring role in domestic politics. A series of economic crises put an end to a democratic period that had begun in the early 20th century, culminating in a\u00a01973 coup<\/a>, which established a\u00a0civic-military dictatorship<\/a>. The military government persecuted leftists, socialists, and political opponents, resulting in several deaths and numerous instances of\u00a0torture<\/a>\u00a0by the military; the military relinquished power to a civilian government in 1985. Uruguay is today a democratic constitutional republic, with a president who serves as both\u00a0head of state<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0head of government<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Views of Montevideo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Uruguay has a\u00a0high-income economy<\/a>, and is ranked first in Latin America in\u00a0democracy<\/a>,\u00a0peace<\/a>,\u00a0low perception of corruption<\/a>,<\/sup>\u00a0e-government<\/a>,<\/sup>\u00a0and is first in South America when it comes to\u00a0press freedom<\/a>, size of the middle class, and prosperity.<\/sup>\u00a0On a per-capita basis, Uruguay contributes more troops to United Nations peacekeeping missions than any other country.<\/sup>\u00a0It is the lowest ranking South American nation in the\u00a0Global Terrorism Index<\/a>, and ranks second in the continent on\u00a0economic freedom<\/a>,\u00a0income equality<\/a>, per-capita income, and inflows of\u00a0FDI<\/a>.<\/sup>\u00a0Uruguay is the third-best country on the continent in terms of\u00a0Human Development Index<\/a>,\u00a0GDP growth<\/a>,<\/sup>\u00a0innovation, and infrastructure.<\/sup>\u00a0Uruguay is regarded as one of the\u00a0most socially progressive<\/a>\u00a0countries in Latin America.<\/sup>\u00a0It ranks high on global measures of personal rights, tolerance, and inclusion issues,<\/sup>\u00a0including its acceptance of the\u00a0LGBT<\/a>\u00a0community.<\/sup>\u00a0The country has\u00a0legalized cannabis<\/a>, while\u00a0same-sex marriage<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0abortion<\/a>\u00a0are also legal. Uruguay is a founding member of the United Nations,\u00a0OAS<\/a>,\u00a0Mercosur<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0Non-Aligned Movement<\/a>.<\/p>\n

History:<\/h2>\n
\n

Pre-colonial:<\/span><\/h3>\n

Uruguay was first inhabited around 13,000 years ago by\u00a0Hunter-gatherers<\/a>.<\/sup>\u00a0It is estimated that at the time of the first contact with Europeans in the 16th century there were about 9,000\u00a0Charr\u00faa<\/a>\u00a0and 6,000\u00a0Chan\u00e1<\/a>\u00a0and some\u00a0Guaran\u00ed<\/a> island-settlements.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Monument to the\u00a0Charr\u00faa, the indigenous people of Uruguay.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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There is an extensive group of thousands of man-made <\/span>tumulus<\/a>\u00a0known as “<\/span>Pechito Paloma<\/a><\/i>” in the eastern part of the country, some of them dating back to 5,000 years ago, yet very little is known about the people who built them as they left no written record, evidence was found of agriculture and domesticated dogs.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Fructuoso Rivera<\/a>\u00a0\u2013Uruguay’s first president\u2013 organized in 1831 the final strike of the\u00a0Charrua genocide<\/a>, eradicating the last remnants of the Uruguayan native population.<\/p>\n

Early colonization:<\/span><\/h3>\n

The\u00a0Portuguese were<\/a> the first Europeans to enter the region of present-day Uruguay in 1512.\u00a0The\u00a0Spanish<\/a> arrived in present-day Uruguay in 1516. The indigenous peoples’ fierce resistance to\u00a0conquest<\/a>, combined with the absence of gold and silver, limited their settlement in the region during the 16th and 17th centuries.<\/sup>\u00a0Uruguay then became a zone of contention between the Spanish and Portuguese empires. In 1603, the Spanish began to introduce cattle, which became a source of wealth in the region. The first permanent Spanish settlement was founded in 1624 at\u00a0Soriano<\/a>\u00a0on the\u00a0R\u00edo Negro<\/a>. In 1669\u201371, the Portuguese built a fort at\u00a0Colonia del Sacramento<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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The\u00a0Portuguese\u00a0established\u00a0Colonia do Sacramento\u00a0in 1680.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Montevideo<\/a>\u00a0was founded by the Spanish in the early 18th century as a military stronghold in the country. Its natural harbor soon developed into a commercial area competing with\u00a0<\/span>R\u00edo de la Plata<\/a>‘s capital,\u00a0<\/span>Buenos Aires<\/a>.<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0Uruguay’s early 19th-century history was shaped by ongoing fights for dominance in the\u00a0<\/span>Platine region<\/a>,<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0between British, Spanish, Portuguese and other colonial forces. In 1806 and 1807, the\u00a0<\/span>British army attempted to seize Buenos Aires and Montevideo<\/a>\u00a0as part of the\u00a0<\/span>Napoleonic Wars<\/a>. Montevideo was occupied by a British force from February to September 1807.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Independence struggle:<\/span><\/h3>\n
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In 1811,\u00a0Jos\u00e9 Gervasio Artigas<\/a>, who became Uruguay’s national hero, launched a successful revolt against the\u00a0Spanish authorities<\/a>, defeating them on 18 May at the\u00a0Battle of Las Piedras<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In 1813, the new government in Buenos Aires convened a constituent assembly where Artigas emerged as a champion of federalism, demanding political and economic autonomy for each area, and for the\u00a0Banda Oriental<\/a>\u00a0in particular.<\/sup>\u00a0The assembly refused to seat the delegates from the Banda Oriental, however, and Buenos Aires pursued a system based on unitary centralism.<\/sup><\/p>\n

As a result, Artigas broke with Buenos Aires and besieged Montevideo, taking the city in early 1815.<\/sup>\u00a0Once the troops from Buenos Aires had withdrawn, the Banda Oriental appointed its first autonomous government.<\/sup>\u00a0Artigas organized the\u00a0Federal League<\/a> under his protection, consisting of six provinces, four of which later became part of Argentina.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The oath of the\u00a0Thirty-Three Orientals\u00a0in 1825 prior to the beginning of the\u00a0Cisplatine War, in which Uruguay gained independence from Brazil.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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In 1816, a force of 10,000 Portuguese troops invaded the Banda Oriental from Brazil; they took Montevideo in January 1817.<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0After nearly four more years of struggle, the\u00a0<\/span>Portuguese Kingdom of Brazil<\/a>\u00a0annexed the\u00a0<\/span>Banda Oriental<\/i>\u00a0as a province under the name of “<\/span>Cisplatina<\/a>“.<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0The\u00a0<\/span>Brazilian Empire<\/a>\u00a0became independent of Portugal in 1822. In response to the annexation, the\u00a0<\/span>Thirty-Three Orientals<\/a>, led by\u00a0<\/span>Juan Antonio Lavalleja<\/a>, declared independence on 25 August 1825 supported by the\u00a0<\/span>United Provinces of the R\u00edo de la Plata<\/a>\u00a0(present-day Argentina).<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0This led to the 500-day-long\u00a0<\/span>Cisplatine War<\/a>. Neither side gained the upper hand and in 1828 the\u00a0<\/span>Treaty of Montevideo<\/a>, fostered by the United Kingdom through the diplomatic efforts of\u00a0<\/span>Viscount John Ponsonby<\/a>, gave birth to Uruguay as an independent state. 25 August is celebrated as Independence Day, a\u00a0<\/span>national holiday<\/a>.<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0The nation’s\u00a0<\/span>first constitution<\/a> was adopted on 18 July 1830.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

19th century:<\/span><\/h3>\n
\n

At the time of independence, Uruguay had an estimated population of just under 75,000.<\/sup>\u00a0The era from independence until 1904 was marked by regular military conflicts and civil wars between the Blanco and Colorado Parties. The political scene in Uruguay became split between two parties: the conservative\u00a0Blancos<\/a>\u00a0(Whites) headed by the second President\u00a0Manuel Oribe<\/a>, representing the agricultural interests of the countryside; and the liberal\u00a0Colorados<\/a>\u00a0(Reds) led by the first President\u00a0Fructuoso Rivera<\/a>, representing the business interests of Montevideo. The Uruguayan parties received support from warring political factions in neighboring\u00a0Argentina<\/a>, which became involved in Uruguayan affairs.<\/p>\n

The Colorados favored the exiled Argentine liberal\u00a0Unitarios<\/a>, many of whom had taken refuge in Montevideo while the Blanco president Manuel Oribe was a close friend of the Argentine ruler\u00a0Manuel de Rosas<\/a>. On 15 June 1838, an army led by the Colorado leader Rivera overthrew President Oribe, who fled to Argentina.<\/sup>\u00a0Rivera declared war on Rosas in 1839. The conflict would last 13 years and become known as the\u00a0Guerra Grande<\/a> (the Great War).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Manuel Oribe\u00a0served as\u00a0President of Uruguay\u00a0and led the\u00a0Blancos\u00a0in the\u00a0Civil War.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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In 1843, an Argentine army overran Uruguay on Oribe’s behalf but failed to take the capital. The <\/span>siege of Montevideo<\/a>, which began in February 1843, would last nine years.<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0The besieged Uruguayans called on resident foreigners for help, which led to a French and an Italian legion being formed, the latter led by the exiled\u00a0<\/span>Giuseppe Garibaldi<\/a>.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The victory of the\u00a0Ej\u00e9rcito Grande\u00a0at the\u00a0Battle of Caseros\u00a0resulted in the overthrow of\u00a0Juan Manuel de Rosas.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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In 1845, Britain and France intervened against Rosas to restore commerce to normal levels in the region. Their efforts proved ineffective and, by 1849, tired of the war, both withdrew after signing a treaty favorable to Rosas.<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0It appeared that Montevideo would finally fall when an uprising against Rosas, led by\u00a0<\/span>Justo Jos\u00e9 de Urquiza<\/a>, governor of Argentina’s\u00a0<\/span>Entre R\u00edos Province<\/a>, began. The Brazilian intervention in May 1851 on behalf of the Colorados, combined with the uprising, changed the situation and Oribe was defeated. The siege of Montevideo was lifted and the Guerra Grande finally came to an end.<\/span><\/sup> Montevideo rewarded Brazil’s support by signing treaties that confirmed Brazil’s right to intervene in Uruguay’s internal affairs.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

In accordance with the 1851 treaties, Brazil intervened militarily in Uruguay as often as it deemed necessary.<\/sup>\u00a0In 1865, the\u00a0Triple Alliance<\/a>\u00a0was formed by the\u00a0emperor of Brazil<\/a>, the\u00a0president of Argentina<\/a>, and the Colorado general\u00a0Venancio Flores<\/a>, the Uruguayan head of government whom they both had helped to gain power. The Triple Alliance declared war on the Paraguayan leader\u00a0Francisco Solano L\u00f3pez<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0and the resulting\u00a0Paraguayan War<\/a> ended with the invasion of Paraguay and its defeat by the armies of the three countries. Montevideo, which was used as a supply station by the Brazilian navy, experienced a period of prosperity and relative calm during the war.<\/p>\n

The constitutional government of General\u00a0Lorenzo Batlle y Grau<\/a>\u00a0(1868\u201372) suppressed the\u00a0Revolution of the Lances<\/a>\u00a0by the\u00a0Blancos<\/a>.\u00a0After two years of struggle, a peace agreement was signed in 1872 that gave the Blancos a share in the emoluments and functions of government, through control of four of the\u00a0departments of Uruguay<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Uruguayan troops in trenches at the\u00a0Battle of Tuyut\u00ed\u00a0in 1866, during the\u00a0War of the Triple Alliance.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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This establishment of the policy of co-participation represented the search for a new formula of compromise, based on the coexistence of the party in power and the party in opposition.<\/span><\/sup><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Despite this agreement, Colorado rule was threatened by the failed Tricolor Revolution in 1875 and the Revolution of the\u00a0Quebracho<\/a>\u00a0in 1886.<\/p>\n

The Colorado effort to reduce Blancos to only three departments caused a Blanco uprising of 1897, which ended with the creation of 16 departments, of which the Blancos now had control over six. Blancos were given \u2153 of seats in Congress.<\/sup>\u00a0This division of power lasted until the President\u00a0Jose Batlle y Ordonez<\/a>\u00a0instituted his political reforms which caused the last uprising by Blancos in 1904 that ended with the\u00a0Battle of Masoller<\/a>\u00a0and the death of Blanco leader\u00a0Aparicio Saravia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Between 1875 and 1890, the military became the center of power.<\/sup>\u00a0During this authoritarian period, the government took steps toward the organization of the country as a modern state, encouraging its economic and social transformation. Pressure groups (consisting mainly of businessmen,\u00a0hacendados<\/a><\/i>, and industrialists) were organized and had a strong influence on government.<\/sup> A transition period (1886\u201390) followed, during which politicians began recovering lost ground and some civilian participation in government occurred.<\/p>\n

After the\u00a0Guerra Grande<\/a>, there was a sharp rise in the number of immigrants, primarily from Italy and Spain. By 1879, the total population of the country was over 438,500.\u00a0The economy reflected a steep upswing (if demonstrated graphically, above all other related economic determinants), in livestock raising and exports.<\/sup>\u00a0Montevideo became a major economic center of the region and an\u00a0entrep\u00f4t<\/a> for goods from Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay.<\/p>\n

20th century:<\/span><\/h3>\n

The Colorado leader\u00a0Jos\u00e9 Batlle y Ord\u00f3\u00f1ez<\/a>\u00a0was elected president in 1903.<\/sup>\u00a0The following year, the Blancos led a rural revolt and eight bloody months of fighting ensued before their leader,\u00a0Aparicio Saravia<\/a>, was killed in battle. Government forces emerged victorious, leading to the end of the co-participation politics that had begun in 1872.<\/sup>\u00a0Batlle<\/a> had two terms (1903\u201307 and 1911\u201315) during which, taking advantage of the nation’s stability and growing economic prosperity, he instituted major reforms, such as a welfare program, government participation in many facets of the economy, and a plural executive.<\/p>\n

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Palacio Salvo, built in Montevideo from 1925 to 1928, was once the tallest building in Latin America.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Gabriel Terra<\/a>\u00a0became president in March 1931. His inauguration coincided with the effects of the\u00a0Great Depression<\/a>,<\/sup>\u00a0and the social climate became tense as a result of the lack of jobs. There were confrontations in which police and leftists died.<\/sup>\u00a0In 1933, Terra organized a coup d’\u00e9tat, dissolving the General Assembly and governing by decree.<\/sup>\u00a0A new constitution was promulgated in 1934, transferring powers to the president.<\/sup> In general, the Terra government weakened or neutralized economic nationalism and social reform.<\/p>\n

In 1938, general elections were held and Terra’s brother-in-law, General\u00a0Alfredo Baldomir<\/a>, was elected president. Under pressure from organized labor and the National Party, Baldomir advocated free elections, freedom of the press, and a new constitution.<\/sup>\u00a0Although Baldomir declared Uruguay neutral in 1939, British warships and the German ship\u00a0Admiral Graf Spee<\/i><\/a>\u00a0fought\u00a0a battle<\/a> not far off Uruguay’s coast.\u00a0The\u00a0Admiral Graf Spee<\/i>\u00a0took refuge in\u00a0Montevideo<\/a>, claiming sanctuary in a neutral port, but was later ordered out.<\/p>\n

In the late 1950s, partly because of a worldwide decrease in demand for Uruguyan agricultural products, Uruguayans suffered from a steep drop in their standard of living, which led to student militancy and labor unrest. An armed group, known as the\u00a0Tupamaros<\/a>\u00a0emerged in the 1960s, engaging in activities such as bank robbery, kidnapping and assassination, in addition to attempting an overthrow of the government.<\/p>\n

Civic-military and Dictatorship regime:<\/span><\/h3>\n

President\u00a0Jorge Pacheco<\/a>\u00a0declared a state of emergency in 1968, followed by a further suspension of civil liberties in 1972.<\/p>\n

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Jorge Pacheco<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 1973, amid increasing economic and political turmoil, the armed forces, asked by the President\u00a0Juan Mar\u00eda Bordaberry<\/a>, closed the Congress and established a\u00a0civilian-military regime<\/a>.<\/sup>\u00a0An alleged\u00a0CIA<\/a>-backed campaign of political repression and state terror involving intelligence operations and assassination of opponents.<\/sup>\u00a0According to one source, around 200 Uruguayans are known to have been killed and disappeared, with hundreds more illegally detained and tortured during the 12-year civil-military rule of 1973 to 1985.<\/sup>\u00a0Most were killed in Argentina and other neighboring countries, with 36 of them having been killed in Uruguay.<\/sup>\u00a0According to Edy Kaufman (cited by David Altman<\/sup>), Uruguay at the time had the highest per capita number of political prisoners in the world. “Kaufman, who spoke at the U.S. Congressional Hearings of 1976 on behalf of\u00a0Amnesty International<\/a>, estimated that one in every five Uruguayans went into exile, one in fifty were detained, and one in five hundred went to prison (most of them tortured).”<\/p>\n

<\/span>Return to democracy (1984\u2013present):<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Former Uruguayan president Jorge Batlle with former U.S. president George H. W. Bush in 2003<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A new constitution, drafted by the military, was rejected in a November 1980 referendum.<\/sup>\u00a0Following the referendum, the armed forces announced a plan for the return to civilian rule, and national elections were held in 1984.<\/sup>\u00a0Colorado Party<\/a>\u00a0leader\u00a0Julio Mar\u00eda Sanguinetti<\/a>\u00a0won the presidency and served from 1985 to 1990. The first Sanguinetti administration implemented economic reforms and consolidated democracy following the country’s years under military rule.<\/sup><\/p>\n

The National Party’s\u00a0Luis Alberto Lacalle<\/a>\u00a0won the 1989 presidential election and amnesty for human rights abusers was endorsed by referendum. Sanguinetti was then re-elected in 1994.<\/sup>\u00a0Both presidents continued the economic structural reforms initiated after the reinstatement of democracy and other important reforms were aimed at improving the electoral system, social security, education, and public safety.<\/p>\n

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2011 bicentennial celebrations at the\u00a0Palacio Legislativo\u00a0in Montevideo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The 1999 national elections were held under a new electoral system established by a 1996 constitutional amendment. Colorado Party candidate <\/span>Jorge Batlle<\/a>, aided by the support of the National Party, defeated\u00a0<\/span>Broad Front<\/a>\u00a0candidate\u00a0<\/span>Tabar\u00e9 V\u00e1zquez<\/a>. The formal coalition ended in November 2002, when the Blancos withdrew their ministers from the cabinet,<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0although the Blancos continued to support the Colorados on most issues. Low commodity prices and economic difficulties in Uruguay’s main export markets (starting in Brazil with the devaluation of the\u00a0<\/span>real<\/a>, then in\u00a0<\/span>Argentina in 2002<\/a>), caused a severe recession; the economy contracted by 11%, unemployment climbed to 21%, and the percentage of Uruguayans in poverty rose to over 30%.<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0In 2004, Uruguayans elected\u00a0<\/span>Tabar\u00e9 V\u00e1zquez<\/a>\u00a0as president, while giving the Broad Front a majority in both houses of Parliament.<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0V\u00e1zquez stuck to economic orthodoxy. As commodity prices soared and the economy recovered from the recession, he tripled foreign investment, cut poverty and unemployment, cut public debt from 79% of GDP to 60%, and kept inflation steady.<\/span><\/sup><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

In 2009,\u00a0Jos\u00e9 Mujica<\/a>, a former left-wing guerrilla leader (Tupamaros) who spent almost 15 years in prison during the country’s military rule, emerged as the new president as the Broad Front won the election for a second time.<\/sup><\/sup>\u00a0Abortion<\/a>\u00a0was legalized in 2012,<\/sup>\u00a0followed by\u00a0same-sex marriage<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0and\u00a0cannabis<\/a>\u00a0in the following year.<\/sup><\/p>\n

In 2014,\u00a0Tabar\u00e9 V\u00e1zquez<\/a>\u00a0was elected to a non-consecutive second presidential term, which began on 1 March 2015.<\/sup>\u00a0In 2020, he was succeeded by\u00a0Luis Alberto Lacalle Pou<\/a>, member of the conservative\u00a0National Party<\/a>, after 15 years of left-wing rule, as the 42nd President of Uruguay.<\/p>\n

Geography:<\/span><\/h2>\n

With 176,214\u00a0km2<\/sup>\u00a0(68,037\u00a0sq\u00a0mi) of continental land and 142,199\u00a0km2<\/sup>\u00a0(54,903\u00a0sq\u00a0mi) of jurisdictional water and small river islands,<\/sup>\u00a0Uruguay is the second smallest sovereign nation in South America (after\u00a0Suriname<\/a>) and the third smallest territory (French Guiana<\/a>\u00a0is the smallest).<\/sup>\u00a0The landscape features mostly rolling plains and low hill ranges (cuchillas<\/i>) with a fertile coastal lowland. Uruguay has 660\u00a0km (410\u00a0mi) of\u00a0coastline<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Topographic Map of Uruguay<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A dense fluvial network covers the country, consisting of four river basins, or deltas: the\u00a0R\u00edo de la Plata Basin<\/a>, the\u00a0Uruguay River<\/a>, the\u00a0Laguna Mer\u00edn<\/a>\u00a0and the R\u00edo Negro. The major internal river is the\u00a0R\u00edo Negro<\/a>\u00a0(‘Black River’). Several lagoons are found along the Atlantic coast.<\/p>\n

The highest point in the country is the\u00a0Cerro Catedral<\/a>, whose peak reaches 514 metres (1,686 ft) in the\u00a0Sierra Carap\u00e9<\/i>\u00a0hill range. To the southwest is the\u00a0R\u00edo de la Plata<\/a>, the estuary of the Uruguay River (which river forms the country’s western border).<\/p>\n

Montevideo is the southernmost capital city in the Americas, and the third most southerly in the world (only\u00a0Canberra<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Wellington<\/a>\u00a0are further south). Uruguay is the only country in South America situated entirely south of the Tropic of Capricorn.<\/p>\n

There are ten\u00a0national parks in Uruguay<\/a>: Five in the wetland areas of the east, three in the central hill country, and one in the west along the Rio Uruguay.<\/p>\n

Economy:<\/h2>\n

Uruguay experienced a major economic and financial crisis between 1999 and 2002, principally a\u00a0spillover effect<\/a>\u00a0from the\u00a0economic problems of Argentina<\/a>.<\/sup>\u00a0The economy contracted by 11%, and unemployment climbed to 21%.<\/sup> Despite the severity of the trade shocks, Uruguay’s financial indicators remained more stable than those of its neighbors, a reflection of its solid reputation among investors and its\u00a0investment-grade<\/a>\u00a0sovereign bond<\/a> rating, one of only two in South America.<\/p>\n

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Uruguay Exports Treemap<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 2004, the Batlle government signed a three-year $1.1\u00a0billion stand-by arrangement with the\u00a0International Monetary Fund<\/a>\u00a0(IMF), committing the country to a substantial\u00a0primary fiscal surplus<\/a>, low inflation, considerable reductions in external debt, and several\u00a0structural reforms<\/a>\u00a0designed to improve competitiveness and attract\u00a0foreign investment<\/a>.<\/sup> Uruguay terminated the agreement in 2006 following the early repayment of its debt but maintained a number of the policy commitments.<\/p>\n

V\u00e1zquez, who assumed the government in March 2005, created the\u00a0Ministry of Social Development<\/a>\u00a0and sought to reduce the country’s poverty rate with a $240\u00a0million National Plan to Address the Social Emergency (PANES), which provided a monthly\u00a0conditional cash transfer<\/a> of approximately $75 to over 100,000 households in extreme poverty. In exchange, those receiving the benefits were required to participate in community work, ensure that their children attended school daily, and had regular health check-ups.<\/p>\n

Following the 2001 Argentine credit default, prices in the Uruguayan economy made a variety of services, including information technology and architectural expertise, once too expensive in many foreign markets, exportable.\u00a0The\u00a0Frente Amplio<\/a>\u00a0government, while continuing payments on Uruguay’s external debt,<\/sup>\u00a0also undertook an emergency plan to attack the widespread problems of poverty and unemployment.<\/sup>\u00a0The economy grew at an annual rate of 6.7% during the 2004\u20132008 period.<\/sup>\u00a0Uruguay’s exports markets have been diversified to reduce dependency on Argentina and Brazil.<\/sup>\u00a0Poverty was reduced from 33% in 2002 to 21.7% in July 2008, while extreme poverty dropped from 3.3% to 1.7%.<\/sup><\/p>\n

Between the years 2007 and 2009, Uruguay was the only country in the Americas that did not technically experience a recession (two consecutive downward quarters).<\/sup>\u00a0Unemployment reached a record low of 5.4% in December 2010 before rising to 6.1% in January 2011.<\/sup> While unemployment is still at a low level, the IMF observed a rise in inflationary pressures, and Uruguay’s GDP expanded by 10.4% for the first half of 2010.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Vineyard in Uruguay<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The growth, use, and sale of\u00a0cannabis<\/a>\u00a0was legalized on 11 December 2013,<\/sup>\u00a0making Uruguay the first country in the world to fully legalize marijuana. The law was voted at the Uruguayan Senate on the same date with 16 votes to approve it and 13 against.<\/p>\n

Transportation:<\/h2>\n

The\u00a0Port of Montevideo<\/a>, handling over 1.1 million containers annually, is the most advanced container terminal in South America. Its quay can handle 14-metre\u00a0draught<\/a>\u00a0(46\u00a0ft) vessels. Nine\u00a0straddle cranes<\/a>\u00a0allow for 80 to 100 movements per hour.<\/sup>\u00a0The port of\u00a0Nueva Palmira<\/a> is a major regional merchandise transfer point and houses both private and government-run terminals.<\/p>\n

Carrasco International Airport<\/a>\u00a0was initially inaugurated in 1947 and in 2009, Puerta del Sur, the airport owner and operator, with an investment of $165\u00a0million, commissioned\u00a0Rafael Vi\u00f1oly<\/a> Architects to expand and modernize the existing facilities with a spacious new passenger terminal to increase capacity and spur commercial growth and tourism in the region.<\/sup>\u00a0The London-based magazine\u00a0Frontier<\/i> chose the Carrasco International Airport, serving Montevideo, as one of the best four airports in the world in its 27th edition. The airport can handle up to 4.5\u00a0million users per year.\u00a0PLUNA<\/a>\u00a0was the\u00a0flag carrier<\/a>\u00a0of Uruguay, and was headquartered in\u00a0Carrasco<\/a>.<\/sup><\/p>\n

The\u00a0Punta del Este International Airport<\/a>, located 15 kilometres (9.3\u00a0mi) from\u00a0Punta del Este<\/a>\u00a0in the\u00a0Maldonado Department<\/a>, is the second busiest air terminal in Uruguay, built by the Uruguayan architect\u00a0Carlos Ott<\/a> it was inaugurated in 1997.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Administraci\u00f3n de Ferrocarriles del Estado<\/a>\u00a0is the autonomous agency in charge of rail transport and the maintenance of the\u00a0railroad network<\/a>. Uruguay has about 1,200\u00a0km (750\u00a0mi) of operational railroad track.<\/sup>\u00a0Until 1947, about 90% of the railroad system was British-owned.<\/sup>\u00a0In 1949, the government nationalized the railways, along with the electric trams and the\u00a0Montevideo Waterworks Company<\/a>.<\/sup> However, in 1985 the “National Transport Plan” suggested passenger trains were too costly to repair and maintain. Cargo trains would continue for loads more than 120 tons, but bus transportation became the “economic” alternative for travelers.<\/sup>\u00a0Passenger service was then discontinued in 1988.<\/sup>\u00a0However, rail passenger commuter service into Montevideo was restarted in 1993, and now comprises three suburban lines.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/a>
Punta del Este International Airport<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n
Surfaced<\/a>\u00a0roads connect Montevideo to the other urban centers in the country, the main highways leading to the border and neighboring cities. Numerous unpaved roads connect farms and small towns. Overland trade has increased markedly since\u00a0<\/span>Mercosur<\/a>\u00a0(Southern Common Market) was formed in the 1990s and again in the later 2000s.<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0Most of the country’s domestic freight and passenger service is by road rather than rail.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The country has several international bus services<\/sup>\u00a0connecting the capital and frontier localities to neighboring countries.<\/sup>\u00a0Namely, 17 destinations in Argentina<\/sup>; 12 destinations in Brazil<\/sup>\u00a0and the capital cities of Chile and\u00a0Paraguay<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Flag of Uruguay:<\/h2>\n

The national flag of Uruguay\u00a0is one of the three official flags of\u00a0Uruguay<\/a>\u00a0along with the\u00a0flag of Artigas<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0flag of the Treinta y Tres<\/a>. It has a field of nine equal horizontal stripes alternating white and blue. The\u00a0canton<\/a>\u00a0is white, charged with the\u00a0Sun of May<\/a>, from which 16 rays extend, alternating between triangular and wavy.<\/sup>\u00a0The flag was first adopted by law on December 16, 1828, and had 19 stripes until July 11, 1830, when a new law reduced the number of stripes to nine.<\/sup>\u00a0The flag was designed by\u00a0Joaqu\u00edn Su\u00e1rez<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Flag of Uruguay<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The horizontal stripes on the flag represent the nine original\u00a0departments of Uruguay<\/a>, based on the U.S. flag, where the stripes represent the original 13 colonies. The first flag designed in 1828 had 9 light blue stripes; this number was reduced to 4 in 1830 due to visibility problems from distance.<\/p>\n

The golden\u00a0Sun of May<\/a>\u00a0represents the\u00a0May Revolution<\/a>\u00a0of 1810; the Sun of May is a figurative sun that represents\u00a0Inti<\/a>, the\u00a0sun god<\/a>\u00a0and mythological founder of the\u00a0Incan Empire<\/a>. It also appears in the\u00a0Flag of Argentina<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0Coat of Arms of Bolivia<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The national flag of Uruguay is one of the three official flags of Uruguay along with the flag of Artigas and the flag of the Treinta y Tres. It has a field of nine equal horizontal stripes alternating white and blue. The canton is white, charged with the Sun of May, from which 16 rays extend, alternating between triangular and wavy. The flag was first adopted by law on December 16, 1828, and had 19 stripes until July 11, 1830, when a new law reduced the number of stripes to nine. The flag was designed by Joaqu\u00edn Su\u00e1rez.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9699,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[66,59,5,6,7,28,60],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9166"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9166"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9166\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9700,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9166\/revisions\/9700"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9699"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}