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{{Infobox Country
|native_name = ''República Oriental del Uruguay'' <small>{{es icon}}</small>
|conventional_long_name = Eastern Republic of Uruguay
|common_name = Uruguay
|image_flag = Flag of Uruguay.svg
|image_coat = Coat of arms of Uruguay.svg
|image_map = LocationUruguay.svg
|national_motto = ''Libertad o muerte''{{spaces|2}}<small>{{es icon}}</small><br/>"Freedom or death"</small>
|national_anthem = '']''{{spaces|2}}<small>{{es icon}}</small>
|official_languages = ]
|capital = ]
|latd=34 |latm=53 |latNS=S |longd=56 |longm=10 |longEW=W
|largest_city = ]
|government_type = ] (])
|leader_title1 = ]
|leader_name1 = ]
|leader_title2 = ]
|leader_name2 = ]
|leader_title3 = |
|leader_name3 = |
|sovereignty_type = ]
|sovereignty_note = from ]
|established_event1 = Oriental Revolution
|established_date1 = ] ]
|established_event2 = ]
|established_date2 = ] ]
|established_event3 =
|established_date3 =
|area_rank =
|area_magnitude =
|area_km2 = 176.215
|area_sq_mi = 68,037
|percent_water = 1.5%
|population_estimate_year = 2007<ref name=one></ref>
|population_estimate = 3,460,607
|population_estimate_rank = 134
|population_census_year = 2002
|population_census = 3,399,237
|population_density_km2 = 19
|population_density_sq_mi = 50
|population_density_rank = 19
|GDP_PPP_year = 2006<ref name=one />
|GDP_PPP = $37.54 billion (])
|GDP_PPP_per_capita = $10,900 (])
|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank =
|GDP_nominal =
|GDP_nominal_rank =
|GDP_nominal_year = 2006
|GDP_nominal_per_capita = US$ 6,007 (2006)
|GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 508
|Gini = 44.9
|Gini_year = 2003
|Gini_category = <font color="#e0584e">high</font>
|HDI_year = 2007
|HDI = {{increase}} 0.852
|HDI_rank = 46th
|HDI_category = <font color="#009900">high</font>
|currency = ] ($, <code> ] </code>)
|currency_code = UYU
|time_zone = UYT
|utc_offset = -3
|time_zone_DST = UYST
|utc_offset_DST = -2
|demonym = Uruguayan, Oriental
|cctld = ]
|calling_code = 598
}}
'''Uruguay''' (official full name in {{lang-es| '''República Oriental del Uruguay'''}}; ] {{IPAes|reˈpuβlika oɾjenˈtal del uɾuˈɣwai}}, '''Eastern Republic of Uruguay''') is a country located in the southeastern part of ]. It is home to 3.46 million people,<ref name=one /> of which 1.7 million live in the capital ] and its ].

It is bordered by ] to the north, by ] across the bank of both the ] to the west and the ] of ] to the southwest, and the South ] to the southeast. It is the second smallest independent country in South America, larger only than ] and the ] ] of ].

Montevideo was founded by the Spanish in the early 18th century as a military stronghold. Uruguay won its independence in 1825-1828 following a three-way struggle between ], Argentina and Brazil. It is a ], where the ] fulfills the roles of both ] and ].

The ] is largely based on ] (making up 10% of ] and the most substantial export) and the state sector, and relies heavily on world trade. Consequently, it is affected by any change in global prices. However, Uruguay's economy is on the whole more stable than in its surrounding states, and it maintains a solid reputation with investors.

According to ], Uruguay is the second least corrupt country in ] (after ]),<ref name = "Transparency">.</ref> with its political and labor conditions being among the freest on the continent.

In ] ] it became the first Latin American country and the second in the ] to recognize same-sex ]s at the national level. <ref> at (December 6, 2007)</ref>

94.6% of the population are of ] descent<ref name=enha_asc>{{cite web |title=Extended National Household Survey, 2006: Ancestry |language=Spanish |format=pdf |publisher=National Institute of Statistics |url=http://www.ine.gub.uy/enha2006/flash/Flash%20Ascendencia.pdf }}</ref>. Just under half of the population are declared ]. However, the majority of Uruguayans are only nominally religious.

== Etymology ==
The name "Uruguay" comes from ]. It has many possible meanings. Some of the proposed meanings are:
* "River of the uru" or "River of the country of the uru": a version attributed to Felix de Azara, which suggests that the name of the country comes from a small bird, called the '']'', native to the banks of the Uruguay river (from ''uru'', idem, ''gua'', "place of", and ''y'', "water")<ref name="etym"></ref>
* "River of colorful or 'painted' chinchillas (birds)": poetic interpretation attributed to Juan Zorrilla de San Martín.
* "River of those who bring food": an anonymous version which has been popularized since the discovery of an old document written by Jesuit Lucas Marton.

== History ==
{{main|History of Uruguay}}
The inhabitants of Uruguay before European colonization of the area were various tribes of hunter gatherer native Americans, the most well known being the ] Indians, a small tribe driven south by the ] of ]. The population is estimated at no more than 5000 to 10000.<ref></ref>

] ("Independence Square"), in ], hosts the tomb of José Artigas, late leader of the ] and the ]. In front of the square, the '']'' can be seen.]]
Europeans arrived in the territory of present-day Uruguay in the year 1536, but the absence of gold and silver limited settlement in the region during the 16th and 17th centuries. Uruguay became a zone of contention between the Spanish and the Portuguese empires. In 1603 the Spanish began to introduce cattle, which became a source of wealth in the region.<ref></ref> The first permanent settlement on the territory of present-day Uruguay was founded by the Spanish in 1624 at ] on the south-western coast of the ]. In 1680 the Portuguese built a fort at ].<ref></ref> Spanish colonization increased as Spain sought to limit Portugal's expansion of Brazil's frontiers.

Another segment of colonial Uruguay's population consisted of people of African descent. Colonial Uruguay's African community grew in number as its members escaped harsh treatment in Buenos Aires. Many relocated to Montevideo, which had a larger black community, seemed lest hostile politically than Buenos Aires, and had a more favorable climate with lower humidity.

As a province of the ], colonial Uruguay was known as the '''Banda Oriental''', or Eastern Strip, referring to its location east of the Rio Uruguay. The inhabitants called themselves "Orientales" ("Easterners"), a term they still commonly use to refer to themselves.

Uruguay's capital, ], was founded by the Spanish in the early 18th century as a military ]; its natural harbor soon developed into a commercial center competing with Argentina's capital, ]. Uruguay's early 19th century history was shaped by ongoing conflicts between the British, Spanish, Portuguese, and colonial forces for dominance in the Argentina-Brazil-Uruguay region.<ref></ref> In 1806 and 1807, the British army attempted to seize Buenos Aires as part of their ]. As a result, at the beginning of 1807, Montevideo was occupied by a 10,000-strong British force who held it until the middle of the year when they left to attack Buenos Aires.

The Uruguayans' road to independence was much longer than those of other countries in the Americas. Early efforts at attaining independence focused on overthrow of Spanish rule, a process begun by ] in 1811 when he led his forces to victory against the Spanish in the battle of Las Piedras on May 18, 1811. In 1816, Portuguese troops invaded present-day Uruguay, which led to its eventual annexation by Brazil in 1821 under the provincial name, ]. On April 19, 1825, thirty-three Uruguayan exiles led by ] returned from Buenos Aires to lead an insurrection in Uruguay with the help of Argentine troops. They were known as the "Treinta y Tres Orientales". Their actions inspired representatives from Uruguay to meet in ], a town in the recently liberated area, where they declared independence from Portugal (and therefore Brazil) on August 25, 1825. Uruguayan independence was not recognized by its neighbors until 1828, after the ], when Britain, in search of new commercial markets, brokered peace between Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay.<ref></ref>

]

== Politics ==
{{main|Politics of Uruguay}}
Uruguay's politics take place in a framework of a ] ] ], whereby the ] is both ] and ], and of a pluriform multi-party system. ] is exercised by the government. ] is vested in both the ] and the two chambers of the ]. The ] is independent of the executive and the legislature.

For most of Uruguay's history, the ] has been the government. The other "traditional" party of Uruguay, ], having ruled only twice. The Partido Blanco has its roots in the countryside and the original settlers of Spanish origin and the cattle ranchers. The Partido Colorado has its roots in the port city of Montevideo, the new immigrants of Italian origin and the backing of foreign interests. The Partido Colorado built a welfare state financed by taxing the cattle revenue and giving state pickles and free services to the new urban immigrants which became dependent on the state. The elections of 2004, however, brought the ], a coalition of socialists, former ], former communists and mainly ] among others to govern with majorities in both houses of parliament and the election of President ] by an absolute majority. The Frente Amplio has displaced the Partido Colorado from its traditional urban welfare state constituency and is enjoying a boom in export commodity prices.
The ] worldwide press freedom index has ranked Uruguay as 57th of 168 reported countries in 2006.<ref>http://www.rsf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=639 Reporters Without Borders Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2006</ref>

According to ], an American organization that tracks global trends in political freedom, Uruguay ranked twenty-seventh in its "]" index. According to the ], Uruguay scores a 7.96 on the ], located in the last position among the 28 countries considered to be Full Democracies in the world. The report looks at 60 indicators across five categories: Free elections, civil liberties, functioning government, political participation and political culture.<ref>''The Economist'', The world in 2007, A Pause in democracy's march Page 93</ref>

Uruguay ranks 28th in the World ] (Corruption Perception Index) composed by ].<ref></ref>

=== Culture ===
Uruguay has an impressive legacy of artistic and literary traditions, especially for its small size. The contribution of its alternating conquerors and diverse immigrants has resulted in native traditions that integrate this diversity. Uruguay has centuries old remains, fortresses of the colonial era. Its cities have a rich architectural heritage and an impressive number of writers, artists, and musicians. Uruguayan tango is the form of dance that originated in the neighborhoods of Montevideo, Uruguay towards the end of the 1800s. Tango, candombe, and murga are the three main styles of music in this city.

=== Direct democracy ===
The Uruguayan constitution allows citizens to repeal laws or to change the constitution, by ]. During the last 15 years the method has been used several times; to confirm an amnesty to members of the military who violated human rights during the military regime (1973-1985), to stop privatization of public utilities companies (See Economy: Public Sector), to defend pensioners' incomes, and to protect water resources. {{Fact|date=December 2007}}

== Departments ==
{{main|Departments of Uruguay}}
Uruguay consists of nineteen ] ({{lang|es|''departamentos''}}, singular {{lang|es|"''departamento''"}}). The first departments were formed in 1816 and the newest date from 1885 which is Flores. The departments are governed by an ''intendente municipal'' who is elected for five years. The members of the Departmental Assembly ({{lang|es|''Junta Departamental''}}) form the legislative level of the department. {{Fact|date=December 2007}}
]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background-color:#ffebad"
! Department
! Area (square kilometres) !! Population* !! Capital
|-
| ]
|align="right"| 11,928 ||align="right"| 78,019 || ]
|-
| ]
|align="right"| 4,536 ||align="right"| 485,028 || ]
|-
| ]
|align="right"| 13,648 ||align="right"| 86,564 || ]
|-
| ]
|align="right"| 6,106 ||align="right"| 119,266 || ]{{nbsp|2}}
|-
| ]
|align="right"| 11,643 ||align="right"| 58,859 || ]
|-
| ]
|align="right"| 5,144 ||align="right"| 25,104 || ]
|-
| ]
|align="right"| 10,417 ||align="right"| 68,181 || ]
|-
| ]
|align="right"| 10,016 ||align="right"| 60,925 || ]
|-
| ]
|align="right"| 4,793 ||align="right"| 140,192 || ]
|-
| ]
|align="right"| 530 ||align="right"| 1,326,064 || ]
|-
| ]
|align="right"| 13,922 ||align="right"| 113,244 || ]
|-
| ]
|align="right"| 9,282 ||align="right"| 53,989 || ]
|-
| ]
|align="right"| 9,370 ||align="right"| 104,921 || ]
|-
| ]
|align="right"| 10,551 ||align="right"| 69,937 || ]
|-
| ]
|align="right"| 14,163 ||align="right"| 123,120 || ]
|-
| ]
|align="right"| 4,992 ||align="right"| 103,104 || ]
|-
| ]
|align="right"| 9,008 ||align="right"| 84,563 || ]
|-
| ]
|align="right"| 15,438 ||align="right"| 90,489 || ]
|-
| ]{{nbsp|2}}
|align="right"| 9,676 ||align="right"| 49,318 || ]
|-
|colspan="4"| {{smaller|* 2004}}
|}

== Geography ==
{{main|Geography of Uruguay}}
At 176,214 ]s (68,036 square miles) of continental land and 142,199 square kilometres (54,903 sq mi) of jurisdictional waters and small river islands,<ref name=encifras>{{cite web |format=pdf |language=Spanish |publisher=National Institute of Statistics |title=Uruguay in Numbers |url=http://www.ine.gub.uy/biblioteca/uruguayencifras2006/Territorio%20y%20medio%20ambiente.pdf }}</ref> Uruguay is the second smallest sovereign nation in ] (after ]) and the third smallest territory (] is the smallest). The landscape features mostly rolling plains and low hill ranges (''cuchillas'') with a fertile coastal lowland. A dense fluvial network covers the country, consisting of four river basins or deltas; the Río de la Plata, the Uruguay River, the ] and the Río Negro. The major internal river is the ] ('black river'). Several ]s are found along the ] coast.
The highest point in the country is the Cerro Catedral at 513.66 meters (1,685&nbsp;ft 3 ]) in the 'Sierra de Carapé' mountain range. To the southwest is the ], the estuary of the ], which forms the western border, and the ], that does not run through Uruguay itself. {{Fact|date=December 2007}}

=== Borders ===
Uruguay shares borders with two countries, with Argentina:
:Uruguay River to the west and Río de la Plata in the south.
and with Brazil:
:Chuy Stream 13&nbsp;kilometres (8.1 mi), straight line (Chuy) 8.7&nbsp;kilometres (5.4 mi), San Miguel Stream 13&nbsp;km (8.1 mi), Merín Lagoon, 280.1&nbsp;km (174 mi) ], 142.4&nbsp;km (88.5 mi), Yaguarón 'Chico' River 18.5&nbsp;km (11.5 mi), 'Arrollo de la Mina' Stream 20.4&nbsp;km (12.7 mi), Aceguá straight line 37.2&nbsp;km (23.1 mi), San Luis Stream 31.3&nbsp;km (19.4 mi), North Branch of the San Luis Stream 3.6&nbsp;km (2.2 mi), Straight line 8&nbsp;km (5 mi), 'Cañada del Cementerio' 4&nbsp;km (2.5 mi), Straight lines 0.6&nbsp;km (0.4 mi), 'Cuchilla de Santa Ana' SE 168.5&nbsp;km (104.7 mi), Rivera-Livramento 4.8&nbsp;km (3 mi), 'Cuchilla de Santa Ana' 20.8&nbsp;km (12.9 mi), 'Cuchilla Negra' 4189.3&nbsp;km (2603.1 mi), 'Arrollo de la Invernada' Stream 37.8&nbsp;km (23.5 mi), ] 313.4&nbsp;km (194.7 mi)<ref></ref>

=== Climate ===
The ] in Uruguay is temperate: it has warm summers and cold winters. The predominantly gently undulating landscape is also somewhat vulnerable to rapid changes from weather fronts. It receives the periodic influence of the polar air in winter, and tropical air from Brazil in summer. Without mountains in zone that act as a barrier, the air masses freely move by the territory, causing abrupt weather changes.

The coolest month is June, while the warmest is January. The rainfall is equally distributed throughout the year, but tends to be a bit more frequent in the autumn months. There can be frequent thunderstorms in the summer. Although snow is not very common, it snowed in 1913, 1918, 1963, 1989, 1992, and 2007.{{Fact|date=December 2007}}
]

=== Enclaves and exclaves ===
Since 1984 Uruguay has the Antarctic base "General Artigas" on ] in ], part of the ] archipelago, at {{coor dms|62|11|04|S|58|54|09|W}}, some 100&nbsp;km (62 mi) from the Antarctic peninsula itself. {{Fact|date=December 2007}}

== Economy ==
{{main|Economy of Uruguay}}
], Uruguay's capital.]]
Uruguay has a middle income economy, mainly dominated by the State services sector, an export-oriented ] sector and an industrial sector. Uruguay relies heavily on trade, particularly in agricultural exports, leaving the country particularly vulnerable to slumps in commodity prices and global economic slowdowns. After averaging growth of 5% annually in 1996-1998, in 1999-2001 the economy suffered from lower demand in ] and ], which together account for nearly half of Uruguay's exports. Despite the severity of the trade shocks, Uruguay's financial indicators remained stabler than those of its neighbours, a reflection of its solid reputation among investors and its investment-grade sovereign bond rating — one of only two in South America.<ref>http://gosouthamerica.about.com/library/blUrurfactpage.htm About.com: Go South America, based on information from the ].</ref> In recent years Uruguay has shifted some of its energy into developing the commercial use of IT technologies and has become the first exporter of software in Latin America.<ref>Diego Stewart, ," in ''Latin Trade'', May 2005. Retrieved August 11, 2007.</ref>

While some parts of the economy appeared to be resilient, the downturn had severe impact on the local population. Unemployment levels rose to more than 20%, ]s fell, the ] devalued. These worsening economic conditions played a part in turning public opinion against the mildly ] economic policies adopted by the previous administrations in the 1990s, leading to the popular rejection of proposals for ] of the state petroleum company in 2003 and of the state water company in 2004. The newly elected ] government, while pledging to continue payments on Uruguay's external debt,<ref>Michael Fox, , June 19, 2007. Retrieved August 11, 2007.</ref> has also promised to undertake a Emergency Plan (See section:Social Problems Poverty and inequality) to attack the widespread problems of poverty and unemployment.<ref> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/country_profiles/1229360.stm (See leaders, President Tabare Vazquez 'On taking office he announced a $100m emergency plan to help the poor ' </ref>

== Agriculture ==
{{main|Agriculture of Uruguay}}
Agriculture played such an important part in Uruguayan history and national identity until the middle of the twentieth century that the entire country was then sometimes likened to a single huge ''estancia'' (agricultural estate) centred around Montevideo, where the wealth generated in the hinterland was spent, at its ''casco'' or administrative head.

]
Today, agriculture contributes roughly 11% to the country’s GDP and is still the main foreign exchange earner, putting Uruguay in line with other agricultural exporters like Brazil, Canada and New Zealand. Uruguay is a member of the ] of exporters of agricultural products. Uruguay’s agriculture has relatively low inputs of labor, technology and capital in comparison with other such countries, which results in comparatively lower yields per hectare but also opens the door for Uruguay to market its products as "natural" or "ecological."

Campaigns like “Uruguayan grass-fed beef” and “Uruguay Natural” aim to establish Uruguay as a premium brand in beef, wine and other food products.{{Fact|date=January 2007}}

Recently, an industry has developed around ] which capitalizes on the traditional or folkloristic connotations associated with gaucho culture and the remaining resources of Uruguay's ].

== Demographics ==
{{main|Demographics of Uruguay}}
]
]

The overwhelming majority of Uruguay's population is of prevalently white European descent: ],and ],then ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ]ns, ] and ]. According to the 2006 National Survey of Homes by the Uruguayan National Institute of Statistics: 94.6% chose European ancestry, 9.1% chose Afro/Black ancestry and 4.5% chose native-American ancestry (People surveyed were allowed to choose more than one option).<ref name=enha_asc />

Many of the European immigrants arrived in Uruguay in the late 1800s and have heavily influenced the architecture and culture of Montevideo and other major cities. For this reason, ] and life within the city are reminiscent of parts of Europe. For example Barcelona, Thessaloniki, or Tel Aviv are said to be similar to Montevideo in different aspects.<ref></ref> {{Fact|date=May 2008}}

Some colonies such as Colonia Valdense -a Waldensian colony-, Colonia Suiza -also named ]- a mainly ] colony with some German and Austrian settlers, were founded in the department of Colonia. There are also towns founded by early ] settlers, like Conchillas and Barker. A Russian colony called San Javier was founded in the department of Río Negro. ] colonies can also be found in the department of Río Negro and in the department of Canelones. One of them, called El Ombú, is famous for its well-known Dulce de Leche "Claldy", and is located near the city of Young.

Uruguay has a large urban ], and a ] rate of 96.79% (1996 est).<ref>{{cite web |format=pdf |language=Spanish |publisher=National Institute of Statistics |title=Education |url=http://www.ine.gub.uy/socio-demograficos/ensenanza.htm}}</ref> During the 1970s and 1980s, an estimated 600,000 Uruguayans emigrated, mainly to ], ], ] and ]. Other Uruguayans went to various countries in ], to the ], ], and ].

== Religion ==
], ].]]
{{main|Religion in Uruguay}}
Church and state are officially separated since ]. According to the 2006 National Survey of Homes by the Uruguayan National Institute of Statistics: 47.1% of Uruguayans define themselves as ], 23.2% as "believing in God but without religion", 17.2% as ] or ], 11.1% "Non-Catholic Christian" (]), 0.6% as followers of Umbanda or other "afro" religions, 0.3% as ]ish, and 0.4% chose "Other".<ref name=enha_rel>{{cite web |title=Extended National Household Survey, 2006: Religion |language=Spanish |format=pdf |publisher=National Institute of Statistics |url=http://www.ine.gub.uy/enha2006/flash/Flash%206_Religion.pdf }}</ref>

The majority of Uruguayans do not actively practice religion. It is widely considered the most secular nation in Latin America.{{Fact|date=December 2007}}

== Social Issues ==
{{Cleanup-section|date=December 2007}}
According to data published by the United Nations, the ] for Uruguay was 0.449 in 2003, where 1.00 stands for maximum inequality and 0 for even distribution of the wealth between the population.<ref> http://hdr.undp.org/reports/global/2003/indicator/indic_126_2_2.html </ref>

A recent report<ref>{{cite web |title=Poverty and Inequality in Uruguay, 2006 |publisher=National Institute of Statistics |format=pdf |language=Spanish |url=http://www.ine.gub.uy/biblioteca/pobreza/Informe%20pobreza%20y%20desigualdad.pdf }}</ref> used 2 indicators to estimate the number of people living in poverty in the country.

*''Indigence line'': income of the family is not enough for the basic food consumption.

*''Poverty line'': income of the family is not enough for food consumption, clothing, health and transport.

The numbers obtained depends according with the methodology used, the inform uses 3 different methods. According to the one proposed by the Regional Workshop about poverty measurement in 1996, which produces the highest values of all, the results for the first quarter of 2006 are:

Population below Indigence line: 3.01%

Population below Poverty line: 18%

The reports shows the indicators are improving as the country is recovering from the last 2002 crisis; in 2004, poverty indicators reached an all time high.<ref> {{Dead link|date=January 2008}}</ref>

A new ministry of Social Development was created by the ] (''Frente Amplio'') government led by ], and an ] which targets the less favoured 200.000 Uruguayans.

The average income of a woman in 2002 in Uruguay was 71.8% of the income of men for the same activity.<ref>{{cite web |title=Work and Poverty |publisher=National Institute of Statistics |format=pdf |language=Spanish |url=http://www.ine.gub.uy/biblioteca/genero/CAP%204%20-%20TRABAJO%20E%20INGRESOS02.pdf}}</ref> The average income of African heritage workers is 65% of that of those of European heritage.<ref>{{cite web |title=Study on Race |publisher=National Institute of Statistics |format=pdf |language=Spanish |url=http://www.ine.gub.uy/biblioteca/raza/MODULO_RAZA.pdf}}</ref>

], capital of the country. A view of pedestrian street in the ''Ciudad Vieja'', former Spanish citadel]]
Although rents in neighborhoods not in high demand are not very expensive in Uruguay, it is usually required to have another property as a warranty for the contract, or leave a deposit which many can not afford.
This first condition makes renting a property especially difficult for the least favoured sectors of the population. According to the INE 23, 3% of the population lives in a place neither owned nor rented. Some of them are proper built houses, but others are precarious constructions built illegally in public or private empty land just outside the cities. Thus, whole new poor neighborhoods have emerged in the last decades. They are called ''Asentamientos'' or more colloquially ''Cantegriles'' in ironic allusion to the fashionable Neighborhood of Cantegril in ].
The phenomena is similar to the ''Favelas'' in ],
''Villas Miseria'' in ], ''Barrios'' in ], ''Arrabales'' in ], ''Poblaciones Callampa'' in ] or ''Jacales'' in ].

== Sport ==
The main sport in Uruguay is football. The ] is one of only five nations to win the ] on two or more occasions. In ], Uruguay hosted the ] and went on to win the competition, defeating ] 4-2 in the final. Uruguay won the ] as well, ] the favored hosts, ], 2-1 in the final. Uruguay is by far the smallest country, population wise, to win a World Cup. Out of the World Cup winners, the nation with the second smallest population is Argentina (winners of the ] and ]) who currently have just over 40,000,000 people according to the latest estimate; the ] census has Uruguay's current population slightly under 3,400,000. The Uruguay national team has also won the ] 14 different times, a record it shares with Argentina.
The most popular football teams in Uruguay are ] (Three times World champions, five times Copa Libertadores de América champions) and ] (Three times World champions, three times Copa Libetadores de América champions, and oldest club in Uruguay), followed by ], Danubio (last Uruguayan champion).Uruguay has had many great known players such as Enzo Francescoli and Currently known now Diego Forlan UEFA golden boot winner.

], ], and ] are other popular sports in Uruguay.

== International rankings ==
;Political and economic rankings
:] - 60<sup>th</sup> highest, at ]11,969
:] - 46<sup>th</sup> high, at 0.852
:] - <sup></sup> , at 0.449 (])
:] - 51<sup>st</sup>, at 97.7%
:] - 112<sup>th</sup>, at 8.70%

;Health rankings
:]- 139<sup>th</sup> most fertile, at 1.97 per woman
::] - 157<sup>th</sup> most births, at 13.91 per 1000 people
:::] - 128<sup>th</sup> most deaths, at 1 per 1000 live births
:] - 84<sup>th</sup> highest death rate, at 9.16 per 1000 people
:] - 47<sup>th</sup> highest, at 76.4 years
::] - 24<sup>th</sup> highest suicide rate, at 15.1 for males and 6.4 for females per 100,000 people
:] - 108<sup>th</sup> most cases, at 0.30%

;Other rankings
:] - 125<sup>th</sup> highest emissions, at 1.65 tonnes per capita
:] - 88<sup>th</sup> highest consumption of electricity, at 7,762,000,000 kWh
:] - no data
:] - 24<sup>th</sup>

;Comparative ranking by index
{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
|- align=center
| bgcolor="#ABCDEF"| '''Index (Year)'''||bgcolor="#ABCDEF"|'''Author / Editor / Source'''||bgcolor="#ABCDEF"| '''Year of<br />publication'''|| bgcolor="#ABCDEF"| '''Countries<br />sampled'''|| bgcolor="#ABCDEF"| '''World <br /> Ranking''' <small><sup>(1)</small></sup>||bgcolor="#ABCDEF"| '''Ranking<br />L.A.'''<small><sup>(2)</small></sup>
|-
| bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|]<small><sup>(3)</small></sup>|| ]<ref>{{cite web|title=Table 3: Human poverty index: developing countries |url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/hdr_20072008_en_indicator_tables.pdf|accessdate=2008-03-20| author=UNPD Human Development Report 2007/2008}} page 240</ref> || <center>2007-08</center> || 108 || bgcolor="#fff3f3"| '''2º''' || bgcolor="#fff3f3"| <center>'''1º'''</center>
|-
| bgcolor="#f0f0ff"| ]<small><sup>(4)</small></sup>|| ]<ref>{{cite web|title=Table 3: Human poverty index: developing countries |url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/hdr_20072008_en_indicator_tables.pdf|accessdate=2008-03-20| author=UNPD Human Development Report 2007/2008}} page 238-240</ref> || <center>2007-08</center> || 71 || bgcolor="#fff3f3"| '''3º''' || <center>2º</center>
|-
| bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|] || ]<ref>{{cite web |title=Global Peace Index Rankings|url=http://www.visionofhumanity.com/rankings/|accessdate=2008-03-13
|author=The Economist Intelligence Unit et. al. (Vision of Humanity website)}}</ref>|| <center>2007</center> || 121 || 24º || <center>2º</center>
|-
| bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|]|| ]<ref>{{cite web |title=The World in 2007, Democracy Index 2006|url=http://www.economist.com/media/pdf/DEMOCRACY_INDEX_2007_v3.pdf |accessdate=2008-03-13
|author=The Economist Intelligence Unit}} </ref>|| <center>2007</center>|| 167 || 27º || <center>2º</center>
|-

| bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|]|| ]<ref>{{cite web|title=Global Corruption Report 2007 |url=http://www.transparency.org/publications/gcr/download_gcr|accessdate=2008-03-11| author=Transparency International}}</ref>|| <center>2007</center> || 163 || 28º || <center>2º</center>
|-
| bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|] || ]<ref>{{cite web |title=Environmental Performance Index 2008, Metrics for Uruguay|url=http://epi.yale.edu/Uruguay|accessdate=2008-03-16
|author=Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy / Center for International Earth Science Information Network at Columbia University}}</ref> || <center>2008</center> || 149 || 36º || <center>8º</center>
|-
| bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|] || ]<ref>{{cite web |title=Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2007|url=http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=19387|accessdate=2008-03-13
|author=Reporters Without Borders}}</ref>|| <center>2007</center> || 169 || 37º || <center>2º</center>
|-
| bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|]|| ]<ref>{{cite web|title=Table 1: Human development index |url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/hdr_20072008_en_indicator_tables.pdf|accessdate=2008-03-11| author=UNPD Human Development Report 2007/2008}}</ref> || <center>2007-08</center> || 177 || 46º || <center>3º</center>
|-
| bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|] || ]<ref>{{Cite web| url=http://www.heritage.org/research/features/index/countries.cfm|title = Index of Economic Freedom 2008| author =The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal|accessdate=2008-03-14}} </ref> || <center>2008</center> || 157 || 46º || <center>3º</center>
|-
| bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|] || ]<ref>{{cite web |title=Pocket World in Figures 2008|url=http://www.economist.com/media/pdf/QUALITY_OF_LIFE.pdf|accessdate=2008-03-13
|author=The Economist Intelligence Unit}} </ref> || <center>2007</center> || 111 || 46º || <center>6º</center>
|-
| bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|] || ]<ref>{{Cite web | authors = Jennifer Blanke and Thea Chiesa, Editors | first = | year = 2008 | url=http://www.weforum.org/pdf/CGR08/Rankings.pdf |title = The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2008| author = World Economic Forum|accessdate=2008-03-09
}} </ref> || <center>2008</center> || 130 || 61º || <center>7º</center><!--without Puerto Rico (does not belong to LA)-->
|-
| bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|] || ]<ref>{{Cite web| url=http://www.gcr.weforum.org/|title = The Global Competitiveness Report 2007-2008| author = World Economic Forum|accessdate=2008-03-09}}</ref> || <center>2007-08</center> || 131 || 75º || <center>8º</center><!--without Puerto Rico (does not belong to LA)-->
|-
| bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|]<small><sup>(5)</small></sup> || ]<ref>{{cite web|title= Inequality in income or expenditure |url= http://hdrstats.undp.org/indicators/147.html |accessdate=2008-03-14| author=UNPD Human Development Report 2007/2008}} </ref>|| <center>2007-2008</center> || 126|| 88º || <center>2º</center>
|}
:<small><sup>'''(1)'''</sup> Worldwide ranking among countries evaluated.</small>
:<small><sup>'''(2)'''</sup> Ranking among the 20 ] countries.</small>
:<small><sup>'''(3)'''</sup> Ranking among 108 ] with available data only.</small>
:<small><sup>'''(4)'''</sup> Ranking among 71 ] with available data only. Countries in the sample suveyed between 1990-2005. Refers to population below income poverty line as define by the ]'s $2 per day indicator</small>
:<small><sup>'''(5)'''</sup> Because the ] used for the ranking corresponds to different years depending of the country, and the underlying household surveys differ in method and in the type of data collected, the distribution data are not strictly comparable across countries. The ranking therefore is only a proxy for reference purposes, and though the source is the same, the sample is smaller than for the HDI</small>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Countries of South America}}

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Revision as of 22:30, 2 May 2008

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