Uruguay

Uruguay is a country in South America. It borders Argentina in the west and southwest, and Brazil in the north and northeast. It borders the Rio de la Plata to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast. Uruguay covers an area of ​​approximately 176,000 square kilometers (68,000 square miles) and has an estimated population of 3.51 million, of which 2 million live in the metropolitan area of ​​Montevideo, the largest city in the capital.

The area that became Uruguay was first inhabited by a group of hunter-gatherers 13,000 years ago. The dominant tribe at the moment the Europeans arrived was the Charrúa when the Portuguese first founded Colonia de Sacramento in 1680. Uruguay was colonized by Europeans later than its neighbors. The Spaniards founded Montevideo as a military base in the early 18th century due to conflicting claims over the region. Uruguay won independence between 1811 and 1828 after a four-way struggle between Portugal and Spain, and later Argentina and Brazil. It continued to be influenced by foreign influences and interventions throughout the 19th century, and the military played a recurring role in domestic politics. A series of economic crises ended the democratic era that began in the early 20th century, culminated in the 1973 coup and established a civilian dictatorship. The military government persecuted the Left, socialists, and political opponents, resulting in the deaths of several and numerous tortures by the military. The military relinquished power to the civilian government in 1985. Uruguay is today a democratic constitutional republic with a president who is both head of state and head of government.

Uruguay is a developed country with a high-income economy and ranks first in Latin America for democracy, peace, low awareness of corruption and e-government. It is the first time in South America in terms of freedom of the press, the size of the middle class and prosperity. On a per capita basis, Uruguay contributes more troops to UN peacekeeping operations than any other country. It is the lowest country in South America on the Global Terrorism Index and is ranked second on the continent in terms of economic freedom, income equality, per capita income and FDI influx. Uruguay is the third best country on the continent in terms of Human Development Index, GDP growth, innovation and infrastructure. Uruguay is considered one of the most socially progressive countries in Latin America. It ranks high on global indicators of personal rights, tolerance and inclusion issues, including acceptance of the LGBT community. The country has legalized cannabis, same-sex marriage and abortion. Uruguay is a founding member of the United Nations, OAS and Mercosur.