| 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
- Uruguayan court rejects injunction against offshore seismic prospection, allowing exploration to continue
on April 18, 2026A Montevideo civil court dismissed an injunction filed by social organizations and fishing industry unions against seismic prospection activities for hydrocarbon exploration in Uruguay's exclusive economic zone, allowing operations by the company Viridien (CGG Services) to continue on an offshore block assigned to oil major Chevron.
- Uruguay says RAF Falklands flight was medevac; Tierra del Fuego alleges airspace breach
on April 16, 2026Uruguay's Ministry of Defense confirmed on Wednesday that the flight of a Royal Air Force (RAF) Airbus A400M Atlas between the Falkland Islands and Montevideo was a medical evacuation of two patients, authorized under decree 419/021, which permits the landing of foreign state aircraft for humanitarian reasons or force majeure. Uruguayan Air Force press […]
- Logistics corridor to Falklands via Uruguay: former Kirchnerist diplomat denounces untracked flight
on April 16, 2026A Royal Air Force (RAF) Airbus A400M Atlas transport aircraft operated on April 12 between Mount Pleasant base in the Falkland Islands and Carrasco airport in Montevideo, switching off its transponder during the return leg to the islands, rendering it invisible to civilian tracking systems, according to the specialized outlet Escenario Mundial, which […]
- Uruguay bets on international integration to attract investment amid global uncertainty
on April 15, 2026Uruguay's government responded on Tuesday to the International Monetary Fund's latest projections with a strategy centered on trade openness and investment attraction. Deputy Economy and Finance Minister Martín Vallcorba acknowledged the world is going through "a moment of great uncertainty" driven by the Middle East war, but said the country is working to […]
- Orsi to meet Sanchez, Sheinbaum and Ramaphosa in Barcelona at multilateralism summit
on April 15, 2026Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi will travel to Barcelona on Friday to attend the fourth "Democracy Always" summit, a gathering of 19 heads of state convened by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, where the Uruguayan leader will focus his remarks on "the value of multilateralism," according to Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin.
- Uruguay hosts DEA summit that warns of new drug trafficking routes in South America
on April 13, 2026Uruguay hosted the 2nd Regional Coordination Meeting of the US Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) Southern Cone Division, a conference held on April 9–10 in Montevideo that brought together representatives from Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and the United States to strengthen cooperation against drug trafficking […]
- Argentine court orders environmental studies over HIF plant in Uruguay
on April 11, 2026A federal court in the Argentine city of Concepción del Uruguay on Friday ordered a series of environmental studies and requested information from Uruguayan agencies after accepting a lawsuit against the Uruguayan state and multinational HIF Global over a green hydrogen plant project in Paysandú, in a new source of bilateral tension that echoes the Botnia […]
- Tourism accounted for nearly half of Uruguay's GDP growth in 2025, generating $2.04 billion in exports
on April 10, 2026Tourism accounted for nearly half of Uruguay's gross domestic product growth in 2025 and represented 6.2% of the country's economic activity, according to the first monitor produced by the Uruguayan Chamber of Tourism together with the Center for the Study of Economic and Social Reality (Ceres), presented on Thursday in Punta del Este.
- Uruguay considers relocating HIF Global's green hydrogen megaplant to ease tensions with Argentina
on April 9, 2026Uruguay's government is considering relocating within the department of Paysandú the synthetic fuels plant planned by multinational HIF Global, in an effort to simultaneously defuse diplomatic tensions with Argentina and advance what would be the largest private investment in the country's history, estimated at $5.385 billion in its final phase.
- QatarEnergy and Chevron join Shell in Uruguay's offshore oil exploration
on April 8, 2026QatarEnergy and Chevron have formally entered as non-operating partners in offshore hydrocarbon exploration blocks off Uruguay's coast, in areas operated by Shell, state energy company Ancap announced. The incorporation of two of the world's largest energy companies reinforces international interest in Uruguay's offshore petroleum potential, a frontier […]
