Uruguay i/ˈjʊərəɡwaɪ/, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay (Spanish: República Oriental del Uruguay, ), is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to 3.3 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area. An estimated 88% of the population is of European descent. With an area of approximately 176,000 square kilometres (68,000 sq mi), Uruguay is the second-smallest nation in South America by area, after Suriname.
Colonia del Sacramento, one of the oldest European settlements in the country, was founded by the Portuguese in 1680. Montevideo was founded by the Spanish in the early 18th century as a military stronghold. Uruguay won its independence between 1811 and 1828, following a four-way struggle amongst Spain, Portugal, Argentina and Brazil. It is a democratic constitutional republic, with a president who is both head of state and head of government.
Read more about Uruguay: Etymology, History, Politics, Administrative Divisions, Geography, Economy, Demographics, Culture, Education
Other articles related to "uruguay":
... Main article Education in Uruguay Education in Uruguay is secular, free, and compulsory for 14 years, starting at the age of 4 ... Uruguay ranks high on standardised tests such as PISA at a regional level, but compares unfavourably to the OECD average, and is also below some countries with similar ... In the 2006 PISA test, Uruguay had one of the greatest standard deviations among schools, suggesting significant variability by socio-economic level ...
... do Quarai (also Quarahim) is a small Brazilian town located near the border with Uruguay (on the Rio Quaraí) and Argentina on the Uruguay River ... It is located 717 km west of the state capital of Porto Alegre, northeast of Montevideo, Uruguay ...
... Recoba played for Uruguay at the 2002 FIFA World Cup and has earned over 50 caps for his country ... His only goal at the tournament came against Senegal in Uruguay's final group game, but it was not enough as the match finished in a 3–3 draw and eliminated ... This helped Uruguay qualify as South America's fifth placed team and put them in position to play for the intercontinental playoff against Oceania champions Australia ...
... to the wars for independence of Uruguay, and many Italian patriots in Uruguay were attracted to the ideas of the leader ... Italians who emigrated to Uruguay in the 19th century worked mainly in construction, trade and agriculture ... Various Italo-Uruguayans became Presidents of Uruguay (Addiego, Demicheli, Gabriel Terra, and Baldomir Ferrari Sanguinetti) and writers of international renown (such as Delmira Agustini and Mario Benedetti) ...