Uruguay Official Name: Oriental Republic of Uruguay Sasha Gavalanies Current Events Period 1

Government Uruguay’s government is a republic. It has two legislative houses. It also has a House of Representatives. Government Building, Montevideo, Uruguay

Current President José Mujica "Poorest President"

Uruguay’s flag has blue and white stripes and a sun. The sun represents a new nation in the world it is also known as the “Sun of May.” The horizontal stripes represent the nine original departments of Uruguay.

Map & Capital City This is the map of Uruguay. Although it looks big, it is one of the smallest countries in South America. The capital city is Montevideo. It is also the most popular city in Uruguay.

Spanish is the Official Language Uruguayan Spanish, like Argentine Spanish, has been somewhat modified by the Italians who migrated in large numbers to both countries. In general, the language of Uruguay is softer than that of Castile and some words are different from those commonly used in Spain. The gauchos have influenced the language, particularly in words dealing with their way of life. Brazilero, a Portuguese-Spanish mix, is spoken on the Brazilian frontier.

Size The size of Uruguay is 68,037 square miles.

Bordering Countries Bordering countries are Paraguay and Argentina. Although Brazil also borders Uruguay, it is not a Spanish-speaking country.

The population of Uruguay is 3,419,000.

Life Expectancy The life expectancy is slightly different from the US. In the United States a person is expected to live to the age of 78-80. In Uruguay a male is expected to live to 73 years old and a female is expected to live to 80 years old.

Education In Uruguay, education is free for all levels including primary school, secondary school, high school and college.

98% of the people in Uruguay can read and write. Literacy Rate 98% of the people in Uruguay can read and write.

Comparable US State Uruguay is roughly the same size as the US state of Oklahoma. It would take 68 Rhode Islands to fill up Uruguay!

Currency

1.00 peso uruguayo = 0.0414768 US dollars Exchange Rate 1.00 peso uruguayo = 0.0414768 US dollars

Major exports are wool and beef.

Typical Food One of the most popular meals in Uruguay is the Asado or Barbecue. It includes all types of meats and all different cuts of meat.

Popular Music There are many different types of music in Uruguay. Tango is one of the most popular. Candombe, murga, milonga, rock, cumbia and jazz are other types of music that are loved by the people of Uruguay.

Soccer is a national obsession in Uruguay. Favorite Sport Soccer is a national obsession in Uruguay.

Major Problems One of the major problems in Uruguay is drug addictions. Uruguay is seeing rising numbers of cocaine seizures and increases in domestic cocaine and coca paste consumption. It is thought that Uruguay may be serving South American drug traffickers as a strong embarkation point for drugs destined for Europe.

Current Events Similar to the US, Uruguay has just legalized same sex marriages. It has also legalized the selling, and smoking of marijuana.

Imperialization/Colonization Period(s)

Major Revolutions or Changes in Government

Major Disease Outbreaks

Works Cited http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/uruguay-facts/ http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/620116/Uruguay/32688/Services#toc32690 http://www.mapplace.info/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/mapsouthamerica.gif BORDERING COUNTRIES http://www.britannica.com/topic/620116/Uruguay-quick-facts http://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?Amount=1&From=UYU&To=USD http://www.southamerica.cl/uruguay-guide/typical-food.htm http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1951219/Uruguay-in-2013#ref1194998 TENSIONS http://www.narconon.org/drug-information/uruguay-drug-addiction.html http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Flag_of_Uruguay.svg/1280px-Flag_of_Uruguay.svg.png http://i.infoplease.com/images/muruguay.gif http://www.articlesweb.org/blog/wp-content/gallery/uruguay-soccer-team/uruguay-soccer-team-05.png http://tours42plus.com/Assets/Uploaded-CMS-Files/c9b6b81f-0c51-41c3-99d6-b0dcfebc78a2Plaza%20Independincia,%20Montevideo.jpg http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&docid=JeBEJ33XZgF7EM&tbnid=HcnPBox3Ww4EtM&ved=0CAUQjBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mapsofworld.com%2Fimages%2Fworld-countries-flags%2Fparaguay-flag.gif&ei=cnEPVNWWGITksASopIHADg&psig=AFQjCNHe61ESjdJjZuYlQNFT0OZZ2xP6qQ&ust=1410384626525876 http://www.all-flags-world.com/country-flag/Argentina/flag-argentina-XL.jpg http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hiSjtpb8YyM/TBLh1veGcrI/AAAAAAAAB38/09cjW7qZ3hk/s1600/world+cup+uruguay+asado.jpg Page 6 http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Americas/Uruguay-LANGUAGES.html