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)                          
                                                                                
