LOCATION:
Location:
Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Argentina and Brazil
AREA:
total: 176,220 sq km
land: 173,620 sq km
water: 2,600 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than the state of Washington
POPULATION:
Population:
3,415,920
(July 2005 est.)
AGE STRUCTURE:
Age structure:
0-14 years: 23.2%
(male 403,041/female 389,427)
15-64 years: 63.6%
(male 1,076,960/female 1,095,833)
65 years and over: 13.2%
(male 183,877/female 266,782)
(2005 est.)
MEDIAN AGE:
Median age:
total: 32.46 years
male: 31.02 years
female: 33.95 years
(2005 est.)
POPULATION GROWTH:
Population growth rate:
0.47%
(2005 est.)
INFANT MORTALITY RATE:
Infant mortality rate:
total: 11.95 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 13.27 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 10.58 deaths/1,000 live births
(2005 est.)
HIV/AIDS-ADULT PREVALENCE RATE:
HIV/AIDS Prevalence Rate:
0.3%
HIV/AIDS- PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS :
Ages 15-49:
5,800
low estimate:
2,800
high estimate:
9,400
HIV/AIDS-DEATH
Adults and Children deaths:
low estimate:
less than 500
high estimate:
less than 1,000
ETHNIC GROUPS:
Ethnic groups:
white 88%,
mestizo 8%,
black 4%,
Amerindian (practically nonexistent)
RELIGIONS:
Religions:
Roman Catholic 66% (less than half of the adult population attends church regularly),
Protestant 2%,
Jewish 1%,
nonprofessing or other 31%
LANGUAGES:
Languages:
Spanish, Portunol, or Brazilero (Portuguese-Spanish mix on the Brazilian frontier)
LITERACY:
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: 97.6%
female: 98.4%
(2003 est.)
GOVERNMENT TYPE:
Government type:
constitutional republic
CAPITAL:
Capital:
Montevideo
ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS:
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:
Independence:
25 August 1825 (from Brazil)
ECONOMY:
Economy - overview:
Uruguay's well-to-do economy is characterized by an export-oriented agricultural sector, a well-educated workforce, and high levels of social spending. After averaging growth of 5% annually during 1996-98, in 1999-2002 the economy suffered a major downturn, stemming largely from the spillover effects of the economic problems of its large neighbors, Argentina and Brazil. For instance, in 2001-02 massive withdrawals by Argentina of dollars deposited in Uruguayan banks led to a plunge in the Uruguyan peso and a massive rise in unemployment. Total GDP in these four years dropped by nearly 20%, with 2002 the worst year due to the serious banking crisis. Unemployment rose to nearly 20% in 2002, inflation surged, and the burden of external debt doubled. Cooperation with the IMF limited the damage. The debt swap with private creditors carried out in 2003, which extended the maturity dates on nearly half of Uruguay's $11.3 billion in public debt, substantially alleviated the country's amortization burden in the coming years and restored public confidence. The economy grew about 10% in 2004 as a result of high commodity prices for Uruguayan exports,
the weakness of the dollar against the euro, growth in the region,
low international interest rates, and greater export competitiveness.
GDP:
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $49.27 billion
(2004 est.)
POPULATION BELOW POVERT LINE:
Population below poverty line:
21% of households
(2003)
UNEMPLOYMENT:
Unemployment rate:
13%
(2004 est.)
EXCHANGE RATES:
Exchange rates:
Uruguayan pesos per US dollar -
28.7 (2004),
28.2091 (2003),
21.257 (2002),
13.3191 (2001),
12.0996 (2000)
ILLICIT DRUGS:
No information available
