Uruguay
Since 1984 Uruguay has the Antarctic base "General Artigas" on King George Island in Antarctica, part of the South Shetland Islands archipelago, at , some 100 km (62 mi) from the Antarctic peninsula itself.[citation needed]
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Economy
Uruguay has a middle income economy, mainly dominated by the State services sector, an export-oriented agricultural 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 Argentina and Brazil, 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.[16] In recent years Uruguay has shifted some of its energy into developing the commercial use of technologies and has become the first exporter of software in Latin America.[17]
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%, real wages fell, the peso devalued. These worsening economic conditions played a part in turning public opinion against the mildly free market economic policies adopted by the previous administrations in the 1990s, leading to the popular rejection of proposals for privatization of the state petroleum company in 2003 and of the state water company in 2004. The newly elected Frente Amplio government, while pledging to continue payments on Uruguay's external debt,[18] has also promised to undertake a Emergency Plan (See section:Social Problems Poverty and inequality) to attack the widespread problems of poverty and unemployment.[19]
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Agriculture
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 Cairns Group 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.[citation needed]
Recently, an industry has developed around estancia tourism which capitalizes on the traditional or folkloristic connotations associated with gaucho culture and the remaining resources of Uruguay's historic estancias.
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Demographics
The overwhelming majority of Uruguay's population is of predominantly white European descent: Spaniards, and Italians being the most prevalent, followed by French, Germans, Portuguese, British, Swiss, Russians, Poles, Bulgarians, Hungarians, Ukrainians, Lithuanians, Estonians, Latvians, Lebanese, Israeli, Dutch, Belgians, Croatians, Austrians, Greeks, Scandinavians, Irish, Romanians, Argentines, Serbians, Brazilians, and Armenians. 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).[4]
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, Montevideo and life within the city are reminiscent of parts of Europe.[20]
Some colonies such as Colonia Valdense -a Waldensian colony-, Colonia Suiza -also named Nueva Helvecia- a mainly Swiss colony with some German and Austrian settlers, were founded in the department of Colonia. There are also towns founded by early British settlers such as Conchillas and Barker. A Russian colony called San Javier was founded in the department of Río Negro. Mennonite 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 middle class and a literacy rate of 96.79% (1996 est).[21] During the 1970s and 1980s, an estimated 600,000 Uruguayans emigrated, mainly to Spain, Italy, Argentina and Brazil. Other Uruguayans went to various countries in Europe, to the USA, Canada, and Australia.
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Religion
Church and state are officially separated since 1919. According to the 2006 National Survey of Homes by the Uruguayan National Institute of Statistics: 47.1% of Uruguayans define themselves as Roman Catholic, 23.2% as "believing in God but without religion", 17.2% as Atheist or Agnostic, 11.1% "Non-Catholic Christian" (Protestant), 0.6% as followers of Umbanda or other "afro" religions, 0.3% as Jewish, and 0.4% chose "Other".[22]
The majority of Uruguayans do not actively practice religion. It is widely considered the most secular nation in Latin America.[citation needed]
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Social Issues
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According to data published by the United Nations, the Gini index 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.[23]
A recent report[24] 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.[25]
A new ministry of Social Development was created by the Broad Front (Uruguay) (Frente Amplio) government led by Tabare Vazquez, and an Emergency plan 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.[26] The average income of African heritage workers is 65% of that of those of European heritage.[27]
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 Punta del Este. The phenomena is similar to the Favelas in Brazil, Villas Miseria in Argentina, Barrios in Venezuela, Arrabales in Spain, Poblaciones Callampa in Chile or Jacales in Mexico.
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Sport
The main sport in Uruguay is football. The Uruguay national football team is one of only five nations to win the FIFA World Cup on two or more occasions. In 1930, Uruguay hosted the first ever World Cup and went on to win the competition, defeating Argentina 4-2 in the final. Uruguay won the 1950 FIFA World Cup as well, famously defeating the favored hosts, Brazil, 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 1978 and 1986 editions) who currently have just over 40,000,000 people according to the latest estimate; the 2002 census has Uruguay's current population slightly under 3,400,000. The Uruguay national team has also won the Copa América 14 different times, a record it shares with Argentina.
The most popular football teams in Uruguay are Club Atlético Peñarol (Three times World champions, five times Copa Libertadores de América champions, and oldest club in Uruguay) and Club Nacional de Football (Three times World champions, three times Copa Libetadores de América champions), followed by Defensor, 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.
Basketball, Rugby, and tennis are other popular sports in Uruguay.
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Brother countries
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International rankings
- Political and economic rankings
- GDP per capita - 60th highest, at I$11,969
- Human Development Index - 46th high, at 0.852
- Income Equality - , at 0.449 (Gini Index)
- Literacy Rate - 51st, at 97.7%
- Unemployment rate - 112th, at 8.70%
- Health rankings
- Fertility rate- 139th most fertile, at 1.97 per woman
- Birth rate - 157th most births, at 13.91 per 1000 people
- Infant mortality - 128th most deaths, at 1 per 1000 live births
- Birth rate - 157th most births, at 13.91 per 1000 people
- Death rate - 84th highest death rate, at 9.16 per 1000 people
- Life Expectancy - 47th highest, at 76.4 years
- Suicide Rate - 24th highest suicide rate, at 15.1 for males and 6.4 for females per 100,000 people
- HIV/AIDS rate - 108th most cases, at 0.30%
- Other rankings
- CO2 emissions - 125th highest emissions, at 1.65 tonnes per capita
- Electricity Consumption - 88th highest consumption of electricity, at 7,762,000,000 kWh
- Broadband Internet access - no data
- Global Peace Index - 21th highest peace rate in 2008
- Comparative ranking by index
| Index (Year) | Author / Editor / Source | Year of publication |
Countries sampled |
World Ranking (1) |
Ranking L.A.(2) |
| Human Poverty, HPI-1 (2005)(3) | United Nations (UNDP)[28] |
|
108 | 2º |
|
| Poverty below $2 a day (1990-2005)(4) | United Nations (UNDP)[29] |
|
71 | 3º |
|
| Global Peace (2008) | The Economist[30] |
|
140 | 21º |
|
| Democracy (2006) | The Economist[31] |
|
167 | 27º |
|
| Corruption Perception (2006) | Transparency International[32] |
|
163 | 28º |
|
| Press Freedom (2007) | Reporters Without Borders[33] |
|
169 | 37º |
|
| Human Development (2005) | United Nations (UNDP)[34] |
|
177 | 46º |
|
| Economic Freedom (2008) | The Wall Street Journal[35] |
|
157 | 46º |
|
| Quality-of-life (2005) | The Economist[36] |
|
111 | 46º |
|
| Travel and Tourism Competitiveness (2008) | World Economic Forum[37] |
|
130 | 61º |
|
| Global Competitiviness (2007) | World Economic Forum[38] |
|
131 | 75º |
|
| Income inequality (1989-2007)(5) | United Nations (UNDP)[39] |
|
126 | 88º |
|
- (1) Worldwide ranking among countries evaluated.
- (2) Ranking among the 20 Latin American countries.
- (3) Ranking among 108 developing countries with available data only.
- (4) Ranking among 71 developing countries with available data only. Countries in the sample suveyed between 1990-2005. Refers to population below income poverty line as define by the World Bank's $2 per day indicator
- (5) Because the Gini coefficient 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
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References
- ^ a b c CIA - The World Factbook - Uruguay
- ^ Transparency.org.
- ^ Uruguay Passes Civil-Union Law at San Francisco Bay Times (December 6, 2007)
- ^ a b Extended National Household Survey, 2006: Ancestry (pdf) (Spanish). National Institute of Statistics.
- ^ Etimología del Uruguay
- ^ Uruguay :: Early period - Britannica Online Encyclopedia
- ^ Uruguay :: Early period - Britannica Online Encyclopedia
- ^ Colonia del Sacramento, or Colonia, or Colônia do Sacramento (Uruguay) - Britannica Online Encyclopedia
- ^ History of URUGUAY
- ^ Embassy of the United States of America - Montevideo, Uruguay
- ^ http://www.rsf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=639 Reporters Without Borders Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2006
- ^ The Economist, The world in 2007, A Pause in democracy's march Page 93
- ^ 2006/cpi/surveys_indices/policy_research
- ^ Uruguay in Numbers (pdf) (Spanish). National Institute of Statistics.
- ^ Servicio Geografico Militar
- ^ http://gosouthamerica.about.com/library/blUrurfactpage.htm About.com: Go South America, based on information from the CIA World Factbook.
- ^ Diego Stewart, Building out: Uruguay exports architectural services to India and Latin America," in Latin Trade, May 2005. Retrieved August 11, 2007.
- ^ Michael Fox, Uruguay's Frente Amplio: From Revolution to Dilution, June 19, 2007. Retrieved August 11, 2007.
- ^ 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 '
- ^ Introduction
- ^ Education (pdf) (Spanish). National Institute of Statistics.
- ^ Extended National Household Survey, 2006: Religion (pdf) (Spanish). National Institute of Statistics.
- ^ http://hdr.undp.org/reports/global/2003/indicator/indic_126_2_2.html
- ^ Poverty and Inequality in Uruguay, 2006 (pdf) (Spanish). National Institute of Statistics.
- ^ undp.org[dead link]
- ^ Work and Poverty (pdf) (Spanish). National Institute of Statistics.
- ^ Study on Race (pdf) (Spanish). National Institute of Statistics.
- ^ UNPD Human Development Report 2007/2008. Table 3: Human poverty index: developing countries. Retrieved on 2008-03-20. page 240
- ^ UNPD Human Development Report 2007/2008. Table 3: Human poverty index: developing countries. Retrieved on 2008-03-20. page 238-240
- ^ The Economist Intelligence Unit et. al. (Vision of Humanity website). Global Peace Index Rankings. Retrieved on 2008-05-28.
- ^ The Economist Intelligence Unit. The World in 2007, Democracy Index 2006. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
- ^ Transparency International. Global Corruption Report 2007. Retrieved on 2008-03-11.
- ^ You must specify title = and url = when using {{cite web}}.Reporters Without Borders. . Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
- ^ UNPD Human Development Report 2007/2008. Table 1: Human development index. Retrieved on 2008-03-11.
- ^ The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal. Index of Economic Freedom 2008. Retrieved on 2008-03-14.
- ^ The Economist Intelligence Unit. Pocket World in Figures 2008. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
- ^ World Economic Forum (2008). The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2008. Retrieved on 2008-03-09.
- ^ World Economic Forum. The Global Competitiveness Report 2007-2008. Retrieved on 2008-03-09.
- ^ UNPD Human Development Report 2007/2008. Inequality in income or expenditure. Retrieved on 2008-03-14.
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