
Government: Presidential republic.
Capital: Montevideo.
Area: 176,220 sq km.
Population: 3,500,000.
Ethnic groups: 88% European, (Spanish, Italian, others).
Religion. 47.1% of Uruguayans are catholic.
Languages: Spanish, Portuguese near the Brazilian border.
Currency: Uruguayan pesos.
Country code: 598
Geography. Uruguay is a country located in the
southeastern part of South America. It shares borders with Argentina and Brazil. The landscape features of Uruguay are mostly rolling plains and low hill ranges with a fertile coastal lowland.
A dense fluvial network covers the country, consisting of four river basins or delta: the Río de la Plata, the Uruguay River, the Laguna Merín and the Río Negro. The highest point in the country is the Cerro Catedral at 513.66 meters (1,685 ft) in the Sierra Carapé hill range. To the southwest is the Río de la Plata, the estuary of the Uruguay River, which forms the western border, and the Paraná River, that does not run through Uruguay itself.
Climate. The climate in Uruguay is temperate: it has warm summers and cold winters. The predominantly gently undulating landscape is also somewhat vulnerable to rapid changes from weather fronts. It receives the periodic influence of the polar air in winter, and tropical air from Brazil in summer. Without mountains in zone that act as a barrier, the air masses freely move by the territory, causing abrupt weather changes.
The coolest month is June, while the warmest is January. The rainfall is equally distributed throughout the year, but tends to be a bit more frequent in the autumn months. There can be frequent thunderstorms in the summer.
Almost 90% of the population lives in urban areas. Metropolitan Montevideo, with about one and a half million inhabitants, is the capital and largest city. The rest of the urban population lives in about 20 towns.

Montevideo is the largest city, the capital and chief port of Uruguay. Montevideo is the only city in the country with a population over 1,000,000. Also, it has beautiful beaches, such as Pocitos, Buceo, Malvín, Playa de los Ingleses, Playa Verde, Punta Gorda and Carrasco. Today, Montevideo remains a wonderful, comfortable and safe place to live. The city is green and beautiful, with rivers, parks and bike trails winding through.
Punta del Este is called the St. Tropez of Uruguay. This area is known worldwide as a scenic resort with miles of beautiful beaches, luxury hotels and restaurants, glittery nightlife and an upscale summer population.


