Independence Day Recently Celebrated in Uruguay

People all across URUGUAY celebrated their country's Independence Day yesterday on Tuesday, August 25th. 195 years ago in 1825, Uruguay proclaimed independence from Brazil; independence was formally recognized two years later in 1827. Happy belated Independence Day!

Uruguay Exports

According to National Geographic MapMaker (mapmaker.nationalgeographic.org) and MIT's Observatory of Economic Complexity (atlas.media.mit.edu), the following items are major exports of URUGUAY: adhesives, aluminum foil, animal fat and margarine, animal hides, automobile parts, automobiles, batteries, beverages, blood for medical uses, cellulose, chemicals, citrus and other fruit, cleaning products, clothing and textiles, dairy products (especially concentrated milk), electric machinery, fertilizer, flour, furniture, gemstones, gold, insulated wire, iron pipes, kaolin-coated paper, malt, meat, medical supplies, orthopedic appliances, packaged food, pesticides, petroleum, pharmaceuticals, plastic products, rice, scrap copper, seafood, seeds, soybeans, synthetic dyes, transportation equipment, vegetable sap, wheat, wood, and wool.

According to February 2017 statistics from the International Monetary Fund (data.imf.org), countries and territories buying and importing most of those exports include Brazil (top importer), China, the United States, Argentina, the Netherlands, Germany, Turkey, Peru, Paraguay, Mexico, Israel, Russia, Spain, Chile, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Canada, Colombia, Thailand, Venezuela, Vietnam, Bolivia, Hong Kong, France, Cuba, Poland, South Korea, and South Africa.

Uruguay Endangered Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ for URUGUAY in southern South America lists 1 extinct species (Dusicyon avus dog-like mammal), 12 critically endangered species, and 25 endangered species. Uruguay's twelve critically endangered species are the Austrolebias cinereus fish, Eskimo Curlew bird, Glaucous Macaw bird, Largetooth Sawfish, Melanophryniscus langonei toad, Parodia buiningii cactus, Parodia herteri cactus, Parodia nothorauschii cactus, Parodia werdermanniana cactus, Striped Smooth-Hound houndshark fish, Tristan Albatross bird, and Wide Sawfish. Some endangered species include the Angular Angelshark, Atlantic Petrel bird, Dark-Mantled Sooty Albatross bird, Gray-Headed Albatross bird, Greater Wilfred's Mouse, Longfin Angel Shark, Marsh Seedeater bird, Narrownose Smooth-Hound houndshark fish, Northern Royal Albatross bird, Pollack Whale, Pygmy Blue Whale, Red-Spotted Argentina Frog, Rivera Redbelly Toad, Spiny Angel Shark, Spotback Skate, Yellow Cardinal bird, and Yellow-Nosed Albatross bird. Species named after Uruguay include the Gymnocalycium uruguayense cactus, Scinax uruguayus frog, Uruguayan (Uruguavian) Lobster, and Uruguay River Sprat fish.

Country Flags with Suns

Various countries have suns on their flags. They are ANTIGUA and BARBUDA, ARGENTINA, KAZAKHSTAN, KIRIBATI, KYRGYZSTAN, MALAWI, NAMIBIA, NEPAL, NORTH MACEDONIA (known as Macedonia or FYROM in 2015), The PHILIPPINES, RWANDA, and URUGUAY. Comprised of a main island and smaller islands, TAIWAN (Republic of China) is not exactly a country but it also has a sun on its flag. The sun on Taiwan's flag is featured in the top-left corner on top of a blue rectangle. The flags of BANGLADESH and JAPAN both feature a central red circle representing the sun. PALAU's yellow circle actually represents the moon!

Rivers Near South American Capitals

Capital cities in all varieties of countries are often located next to or close to rivers and streams. Rivers facilitate trade, convenient transportation, beautification of cities, and recreation activities for residents and tourists. Almost every capital in South America straddles a major river. At the very least, every capital in the continent has rivers, streams, and canals flowing near or within them. In the text below, every country's name has a convenient link to their posts; these links open in new tabs or windows.

Buenos Aires, the capital of ARGENTINA
     ― Río de la Plata and Riachuelo (Río de la Matanza)

La Paz, one of the capitals of BOLIVIA
     ― Río Choqueyapu and Río Seco

Sucre, the other capital of Bolivia
     ― Río Cachimayu

Brasília, the capital of BRAZIL
     ― Ribeirão Taguatinga (stream) and Río São Bartolomeu

Santiago, the capital of CHILE
     ― Canal San Carlos (manmade canal), Río Maipo, and Río Mapocho

Bogotá, the capital of COLOMBIA
     ― Río Bogotá and Río Tunjuelo

Quito, the capital of ECUADOR
     ― Río San Pedro

Cayenne, the capital of FRENCH GUIANA (overseas territory)
     ― Canal LeBlond (manmade canal) and Rivière des Cascades

Georgetown, the capital of GUYANA
     ― Demerara River and east of Essequibo River

Asunción, the capital of PARAGUAY
     ― Arroyo Leandro Sosa (stream) and Río Paraguay

Lima, the capital of PERU
     ― Río Lurín, Río Rímac, and south of Río Chillón

Paramaribo, the capital of SURINAME
     ― Suriname River (Surinamerivier in Dutch)

Montevideo, the capital of URUGUAY
     ― Arroyo Miguelete and Arroyo Pantanoso (streams north and northwest of Montevideo)

Carácas, the capital of VENEZUELA
     ― Quebrada Caroata (stream) and Río Guaire

Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay Languages

Forming the southern triangular wedge of South America, the countries ARGENTINA, CHILE, PARAGUAY, and URUGUAY have a variety of peoples and languages - too many to list all of them on a blog post! Therefore, this post is focused on official languages and other widely spoken languages. In all four countries, Spanish is the official language.

Argentina: Other widely spoken languages include Quechua, Mapuche, English, Italian, German, and French.

Chile: Other languages include Araucanian, Quechua, and Mapuche.

Paraguay: Guaraní is an official language alongside Spanish. Two of Paraguay's many languages include Guaná and Sanapaná.

Uruguay: Portuñol/Brazilero (Portuguese-Spanish) is another spoken language.

Capital of Uruguay

The capital of URUGUAY is Montevideo, which has a population of over 1,300,000. To learn more about Uruguay, visit my Uruguay post.

Uruguay

Map Credit: © Maps of the World (mapsofworld.com)
Click on map to enlarge it in a lightbox window.

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.