Uruguay

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Officially known as the Eastern Republic of Uruguay (República del Oriental del Uruguay), URUGUAY is a Spanish-speaking country situated in southern South America and west of the South Atlantic Ocean. This country on the eastern (specifically southeastern) coast of South America symbolizes the rising sun by featuring one on its national flag. Argentina is found to the west of Uruguay, while the state of Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil is north. Uruguay's currency is the Uruguayan Peso, and its ISO 4217 currency code is UYU. Uruguay declared independence from Brazil on Thursday, August 25th, 1825, and Uruguayans therefore celebrate an annual Independence Day on August 25th.

● ● ● ● ●  People and Places  ● ● ● ● ●  From a 2014 estimate, the total population of the country is about 3.42 million and growing. Uruguay's official and primary language is Spanish, which is spoken by at least 3 million Uruguayans and therefore almost 90% of the total population. Other spoken languages include German, Yiddish, English, and less frequently Guaraní. The country's name is a possible Guaraní derivative meaning "river of the painted birds." Uruguay once boasted a diverse native Amerindian population; former native groups of people included Arachán, Bohán, Chaná, Charrúa, Güenoa, Minuane, and Yaro. Less than 3% of the population might have some Amerindian heritage and ancestry. Christianity is the majority religion, with about 65% of the population identifying as Christians (majority Roman Catholic).

The capital of Uruguay is Montevideo, which has a population of over 1,300,000. Other cities in the country include Achar, Artigas, Belle Unión, Carmelo, Castillos, Cebollatí, Colonia del Sacramento, Dolores, Durazno, Florida, La Paloma, Melo, Mercedes, Paso de los Toros, Paysandú, Punta del Este, Río Branco, Rivera, Rocha, San Carlos, San José de Mayo, Santa Lucía, Treinta-y-Tres, Tres Arboles, and Velázquez. Interesting places in Montevideo include the Ciudad Vieja (Old City) district, El Prado and other parks (parques), Grande Parque Central soccer stadium, Plaza Independencia (Independence Plaza), and Punta del Este and other beaches (playas). Other sites of interest in Uruguay include the Acuamania and Termas De Salto Grande water parks in Salto, Establecimiento Juanico (a winery) in Canelones, Fortaleza de Santa Teresa (a fortress) in Rocha, beach of José Ignacio, and Puente Giratorio (a bridge near favorable picnicking areas) in Carmelo.

● ● ● ● ●  Land Features  ● ● ● ● ●  Shared with Argentina, the Río de la Plata (River of Silver) river and estuary serves as Uruguay's southern border and is the famous natural feature adjacent to Buenos Aires (Argentina's capital). Rivers such as Arroyo del Sauce, Paraná, Rosario, Santa Lucia (still heavily forested), and Uruguay flow from the Río de la Plata, which is about 50 kilometers wide. Also known as Cuchilla de Haedo and Haedo Hills, the Haedo Range is found in northern Uruguay. Meanwhile, the granite hills of the Grande Range (Cuchilla Grande) are found in southeastern Uruguay — about 100 kilometers away from Montevideo. Río Negro (Black River) flows a teeny bit in southern Brazil before reaching the land of northeastern Uruguay, where this river then flows diagonally to meet up with Río Uruguay (Uruguay's southwestern border). Located at the heart of Uruguay, Lago Rincón del Bonete (Rio Negro Reservoir) is the country's largest freshwater lake and was created by damming the Rio Negro. While neighboring Argentina's highest mountain (Anconagua) is over 6,900 meters and 22,800 feet tall in elevation, Uruguay's highest mountain is much shorter. Located in the aforementioned Grande Range of hills, Cerro Catedral (Cathedral Hill) stands about 514 meters and 1,685 feet tall in southeastern Uruguay's Maldonado Department.

This post was updated with more information on May 20th, 2016.