| Area Total | 176,215 sq km |
| Climate | warm temperate; freezing temperatures almost unknown |
| Natural Resources | arable land, hydropower, minor minerals, fish |
| Imports | $8.607 billion (2017 est.) partners: China 20%, Brazil 19.5%, Argentina 12.6%, US 10.9% (2017) |
| Exports | $11.41 billion (2017 est.)m partners: China 19%, Brazil 16.1%, US 5.7%, Argentina 5.4% (2017) |
| Government | presidential republic |
| Capital | Montevideo |
| Population | 3.4 million (July 2018 est.) |
| Ethnicity | white 87.7%, black 4.6%, indigenous 2.4%, other .3%, none or unspecified 5%; note: data represent primary ethnic identity (2011 est.) |
| Language | Spanish (official) |
News about Uruguay
- Uruguay postpones second aid flight to Venezuela over changed entry conditions
on July 14, 2026Uruguay has postponed the second shipment of humanitarian aid to Venezuela, scheduled for Tuesday, after a change in the conditions set by Venezuelan authorities for the entry of cargo, Defense Minister Sandra Lazo said. The Air Force's KC-130H Hercules remains loaded with some 15 tons of supplies intended for victims of the June 24 twin earthquakes.
- Argentine buyers slow their push into Uruguay's property market
on July 13, 2026The flow of Argentine investors into Uruguay's property market, which intensified after the pandemic and during the years of greatest economic uncertainty in Argentina, is showing signs of easing. Sector operators attribute the shift to Argentina's economic recovery and to the narrowing price gap between the two countries.
- Uruguay reels from rare quintuple homicide as five relatives shot dead in Montevideo
on July 10, 2026Five members of the same family, including a 14-year-old girl, were killed on Friday in a shooting in the El Monarca neighborhood, on the northeastern outskirts of Montevideo, in an attack that authorities link to violence between criminal groups and that has no recent precedent in Uruguay.
- YPF plans to drill off Uruguay in 2027, says potential could top Vaca Muerta
on July 9, 2026Argentina's state oil company YPF plans to begin exploratory drilling of an offshore block off the coast of Uruguay between late 2027 and early 2028, its chairman and chief executive, Horacio Marín, confirmed, saying the area holds potential that, if confirmed, could surpass the Vaca Muerta unconventional field.
- Falklands planning business delegation to Uruguay to buy construction materials, ‘costs the crux of the issue”
on July 9, 2026Talks are continuing over a potential Falkland Islands business delegation to Uruguay later this year. Organized by Falkland Islands Development Corporation and the Chamber of Commerce, the visit would connect Falklands businesses with Uruguayan suppliers. The issue was discussed with Sam Cockwell, Strategic Projects Manager at the Falklands Development […]
- Argentina's polar spell eases as Patagonia faces rain, snow and 90 km/h gusts
on July 9, 2026The intense polar air mass that affected much of Argentina during the first days of July has begun to ease, with a gradual rise in temperatures across the center and north of the country, while Patagonia now concentrates the most severe weather. The National Meteorological Service (SMN) has kept warnings in place for rain, snow and strong winds in the far […]
- Orsi praises Fujimori's 'exemplary perseverance' in a cross-ideological call
on July 6, 2026Uruguay's left-wing President Yamandú Orsi congratulated Peru's right-wing president-elect, Keiko Fujimori, by phone on her runoff victory, in a contact that bridged the ideological divide in a region where most governments have shifted to the right. The conversation, released by the Office of Peru's President-Elect, came amid the government transition in […]
- Mercosur backs Argentina days after Islanders' UN appeal for self-determination
on July 3, 2026Within the span of a week, the two opposing positions in the Falklands dispute were laid out clearly in two separate arenas: South American governments' backing for Argentina's sovereignty claim, and the defense of self-determination that two representatives of the Islanders took to the United Nations. Neither pronouncement was a reply to the other, but […]
- In Uruguay, Kast urges harsher penalties for crime leaders and total prison isolation
on July 3, 2026Chile's President José Antonio Kast argued on Wednesday in Montevideo that the region's countries must toughen their laws to combat organized crime, with life sentences for those who lead gangs and a regime of total isolation in prisons to stop them from continuing to operate from behind bars. The president laid out his position after meeting with […]
- Uruguay and Chile agree to coordinate against organized crime after an Orsi-Kast summit
on July 2, 2026The presidents of Uruguay, Yamandú Orsi, and Chile, José Antonio Kast, agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation against transnational organized crime, following a meeting held on Wednesday at the Suárez y Reyes presidential residence in Montevideo. In a joint statement, the leaders announced understandings on security, fisheries, Antarctica, the […]
