Uruguay
Quick Facts:
Uruguay Prayer Coordinator
Patti Quick
equick@samregion.com
Full country name: República Oriental del Uruguay
Area: 187,000 sq km
Population: 3.5 million
Capital City: Montevideo (pop 1,400,000)
People: 88% European descent, 8% Mestizo, 4% Black
Language: Spanish, Portuguese
Religion: Roman Catholic (66%), Protestant, Jewish
Government: constitutional republic
Facts for the Traveler
Visas: Most foreigners require a visa, except nationals from neighbouring countries, western Europe, Australia, the USA, New Zealand and Canada. All visitors need a tourist card, which is valid for 90 days and extendable for a similar period.
Health risks: hepatitis
Time Zone: GMT/UTC -3
Dialing Code: 598
Electricity: 220V ,50Hz
Weights & measures: Metric
Culture
Uruguay may be a small country but it has impressive artistic and literary traditions. International acclaim has greeted artists such as Pedro Figari, a painter of bucolic scenes, and José Enrique Rodó, arguably the nation's greatest writer. Theater is popular and playwrights such as Mauricio Rosencof - a former Tupamaros founder tortured by the military government in the 1970s - are prominent in cultural life. Most of the country's musical and dance traditions (folk songs, polkas, waltzes, tangos, etc) came from Europe but developed local hybrids. Football is a national obsession.
Uruguayans who profess a religion are almost exclusively Roman Catholic, but the Church and state are officially separate. Many Uruguayans claim to be agnostic (philosophical view that claims the existence of God cannot be truly known). There are also many followers of Macumba (Brazilian Spiritism). Other religions have made small inroads: There is a small Jewish community in Montevideo, several evangelical Protestant groups and traces of Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church.
Uruguayans are voracious meat eaters and the parrillada (beef platter) is a national standard. Another standard is chivito, a tasty and substantial steak sandwich with all the trimmings. Typical snacks include olímpicos (club sandwiches) and húngaros (spicy sausage wrapped in a hot dog roll). Tea or mate is quaffed in enormous quantities.
Environment
Uruguay - the smallest Hispanic country in South America - is boxed into the eastern coast of South America by Brazil to the north and Argentina to the west. To the south is the wide estuary of the Río de la Plata, while the Atlantic Ocean washes its eastern shore. For the most part, the country's undulating topography is an extension of that in southern Brazil, and includes two lowly ranges - the Cuchilla de Haedo and the Cuchilla Grande. The terrain levels out west of Montevideo, while east of the capital are impressive beaches, dunes and headlands. Five rivers flow westward across the country and drain into the Río Uruguay.
The country's flora consists mostly of grasslands, with little forest except on the banks of its rivers and streams. In the southeast, along the Brazilian border, are lingering traces of palm savanna. Wild animals are scarce, although rhea (a bird-like ostrich) can still be seen in areas near major tributaries.
The climate is temperate, even in winter, and frosts are almost unknown. Winter (June to September) temperatures range from 10 to 16°C (50 to 61°F), while summer (December to March) temperatures are between 21 to 28°C (70 to 82°F). Rainfall, evenly distributed throughout the year, averages about 1m (3ft) over the entire country.
Teams in Uruguay
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