URUGUAY GEOGRAPHY Total area: 176,220 km2; land area: 173,620 km2 Comparative area: slightly smaller than Washington State Land boundaries: 1,564 km total; Argentina 579 km, Brazil 985 km Coastline: 660 km Maritime claims: Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation; Territorial sea: 200 nm (overflight and navigation permitted beyond 12 nm) Disputes: short section of boundary with Argentina is in dispute; two short sections of the boundary with Brazil are in dispute (Arroyo de la Invernada area of the Rio Quarai and the islands at the confluence of the Rio Quarai and the Uruguay) Climate: warm temperate; freezing temperatures almost unknown Terrain: mostly rolling plains and low hills; fertile coastal lowland Natural resources: soil, hydropower potential, minor minerals Land use: arable land 8%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 78%; forest and woodland 4%; other 10%; includes irrigated 1% Environment: subject to seasonally high winds, droughts, floods PEOPLE Population: 3,121,101 (July 1990), growth rate 0.6% (1991) Birth rate: 17 births/1,000 population (1991) Death rate: 10 deaths/1,000 population (1991) Net migration rate: - 1 migrants/1,000 population (1991) Infant mortality rate: 22 deaths/1,000 live births (1991) Life expectancy at birth: 69 years male, 76 years female (1991) Total fertility rate: 2.4 children born/woman (1991) Nationality: noun--Uruguayan(s); adjective--Uruguayan Ethnic divisions: white 88%, mestizo 8%, black 4% Religion: Roman Catholic (less than half adult population attends church regularly) 66%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, nonprofessing or other 30% Language: Spanish Literacy: 96% (male 97%, female 96%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) Labor force: 1,300,000; government 25%, manufacturing 19%, agriculture 11%, commerce 12%, utilities, construction, transport, and communications 12%, other services 21% (1988 est.) Organized labor: Interunion Workers' Assembly/National Workers' Confederation (PIT/CNT) Labor Federation GOVERNMENT Long-form name: Oriental Republic of Uruguay Type: republic Capital: Montevideo 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 1828 (from Brazil) Constitution: 27 November 1966, effective February 1967, suspended 27 June 1973, new constitution rejected by referendum 30 November 1980 Legal system: based on Spanish civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction National holiday: Independence Day, 25 August (1828) Executive branch: president, vice president, Council of Ministers (cabinet) Legislative branch: bicameral General Assembly (Asamblea General) consists of an upper chamber or Chamber of Senators (Camara de Senadores) and a lower chamber or Chamber of Representatives (Camera de Representantes) Judicial branch: Supreme Court Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government--President Luis Alberto LACALLE (since 1 March 1990); Vice President Gonzalo AGUIRRE (since 1 March 1990) Political parties and leaders: National (Blanco) Party, Luis Alberto LACALLE Herrera; Colorado Party, Jorge BATLLE Ibanez; Broad Front Coalition, Liber SEREGNI Mosquera--includes Communist Party led by Jaime PEREZ and National Liberation Movement (MLN) or Tupamaros led by Eleuterio FERNANDEZ Huidobro; New Space Coalition consists of the Party of the Government of the People (PGP), Hugo BATALLA; Christian Democratic Party (PDC), Hector LESCANO; and Civic Union, Humberto CIGANDA Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18 Elections: President--last held 26 November 1989 (next to be held November 1994); results--Luis Alberto LACALLE Herrera (Blanco) 37%, Jorge BATLLE Ibanez (Colorado) 29%, Liber SEREGNI Mosquera (Broad Front) 20%; Chamber of Senators--last held 26 November 1989 (next to be held November 1994); results--Blanco 40%, Colorado 30%, Broad Front 23% New Space 7%; seats--(30 total) Blanco 12, Colorado 9, Broad Front 7, New Space 2; Chamber of Representatives--last held NA November 1989 (next to be held November 1994); results--Blanco 39%, Colorado 30%, Broad Front 22%, New Space 8%, other 1%; seats--(99 total) number of seats by party NA Communists: 50,000 Member of: AG (observer), CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIIMOG, UNMOGIP, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Eduardo MACGILLICUDDEY; Chancery at 1918 F Street NW, Washington DC 20006; telephone (202) 331-1313 through 1316; there are Uruguayan Consulates General in Los Angeles, Miami, and New York, and a Consulate in New Orleans; US--Ambassador Richard C. BROWN; Embassy at Lauro Muller 1776, Montevideo (mailing address is APO Miami 34035); telephone 598 (2) 23-60-61 Flag: nine equal horizontal stripes of white (top and bottom) alternating with blue; there is a white square in the upper hoist-side corner with a yellow sun bearing a human face known as the Sun of May and 16 rays alternately triangular and wavy ECONOMY Overview: The economy is slowly recovering from the deep recession of the early 1980s. In 1988 real GDP grew by only 0.5% and in 1989 by 1.5%. The recovery was led by growth in the agriculture and fishing sectors, agriculture alone contributing 20% to GDP, employing about 11% of the labor force, and generating a large proportion of export earnings. Raising livestock, particularly cattle and sheep, is the major agricultural activity. In 1990, despite healthy exports and an improved current account, domestic growth remained weak because of government concentration on the external sector, adverse weather conditions, and prolonged strikes. Bringing down high inflation, reducing a large fiscal deficit, and avoiding frequent strikes remain major economic problems for the government. GDP: $9.2 billion, per capita $2,970; real growth rate 1% (1990 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 129% (1990) Unemployment rate: 8.8% (1990 est.) Budget: revenues $1.2 billion; expenditures $1.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $165 million (1988) Exports: $1.7 billion (f.o.b., 1990); commodities--hides and leather goods 17%, beef 10%, wool 9%, fish 7%, rice 4%; partners--Brazil 17%, US 15%, FRG 10%, Argentina 10% (1987) Imports: $1.28 billion (f.o.b., 1990); commodities--fuels and lubricants 15%, metals, machinery, transportation equipment, industrial chemicals; partners--Brazil 24%, Argentina 14%, US 8%, FRG 8% (1987) External debt: $4.2 billion (1990 est.) Industrial production: growth rate - 2.1% (1989 est.) Electricity: 1,950,000 kW capacity; 5,274 million kWh produced, 1,740 kWh per capita (1990) Industries: meat processing, wool and hides, sugar, textiles, footwear, leather apparel, tires, cement, fishing, petroleum refining, wine Agriculture: large areas devoted to extensive livestock grazing; wheat, rice, corn, sorghum; self-sufficient in most basic foodstuffs Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $105 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $293 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $69 million Currency: new Uruguayan peso (plural--pesos); 1 new Uruguayan peso (N$Ur) = 100 centesimos Exchange rates: new Uruguayan pesos (N$Ur) per US$1--1,626.4 (January 1991), 1,171.0 (1990), 605.5 (1989), 359.44 (1988), 226.67 (1987), 151.99 (1986), 101.43 (1985) Fiscal year: calendar year COMMUNICATIONS Railroads: 3,000 km, all 1.435-meter standard gauge and government owned Highways: 49,900 km total; 6,700 km paved, 3,000 km gravel, 40,200 km earth Inland waterways: 1,600 km; used by coastal and shallow-draft river craft Ports: Montevideo, Punta del Este Merchant marine: 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 65,212 GRT/116,613 DWT; includes 2 cargo, 1 container, 1 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker Civil air: 14 major transport aircraft Airports: 91 total, 86 usable; 16 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 17 with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: most modern facilities concentrated in Montevideo; new nationwide radio relay network; 337,000 telephones; stations--99 AM, no FM, 26 TV, 9 shortwave; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations DEFENSE FORCES Branches: Army, Navy (including Naval Air Arm and Marines), Air Force, Coast Guard, Grenadier Guards, Police Manpower availability: males 15-49, 735,971; 597,302 fit for military service; no conscription Defense expenditures: $168 million, 2.2% of GDP (1988)