Official Name: República Oriental del Uruguay (Oriental Republic of Uruguay)

Area: South America

Size: 176,220 km²

Coastline: 660 km

Independence: from Brazil 25 August 1825

Form of Govt.: Constitutional republic

Head of Govt.: President

Capital: Montevideo

Largest City: Montevideo

Demographics (2005): 3,323,906.   19 /km²

White 88%, mestizo 8%, black 4%, Amerindian (practically nonexistent)

GDP per Capita (2005): $9,900

Languages: Spanish, Portunol, or Brazilero (Portuguese-Spanish mix on the Brazilian frontier)

Geography: he southern region of the country is a continuation of the Argentina Pampas while the northern region is a continuation of the basaltic plateau of Brazil. In between these regions are rolling plateaus with a low range of hills called Cuchillas. The two major Cuchillas are the Cuchilla Grande and the Cuchilla de Haedo which are separated by the basin of the Rio Negro. The country's principal rivers are the Rio Negro, Uruguay, Rio Yi and the Rio Cebollati, which flows into the country's largest lake, Laguna Merin.

Climate: Uruguay has a temperate climate characterized by warm summers and mild winters. Rainfall is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year with an average annual precipitation of 1,090 mm (36 inches). The coolest month is June and the warmest is January. The prevailing winds are the Zonda, a northerly hot wind that blows in summer and the Pampero, a cold southerly wind that blows in winter. Average temperature ranges in Montevideo are from 6 to 14 degrees in July to 17 to 28 in January.