Ola Uruguay Real Estate and Investments

Location: Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Argentina and Brazil.

Capital: Montevideo

Time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in October; ends second Sunday in March

Total area: 176,215 sq km

Land: 175,015 sq km

Water: 1,200 sq km

Coastline: 660 km

Climate: Uruguay has a moderately temperate climate, free of intense temperature extremes—the summers are hot but not unbearable, and winters rarely see frost, especially in the coastal areas.

Terrain: Mostly rolling plains and low hills; fertile coastal lowland

Natural terrain: Arable land, hydropower, minor minerals, fish

Population: 3,510,386 (July 2010 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.447% (2010 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 10.99 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth: 76.55 years

Ethnic groups: White 88%, mestizo 8%, black 4%, Amerindian (practically nonexistent)

Religion: Roman Catholic 47.1%, non-Catholic Christians 11.1%, nondenominational 23.2%, Jewish 0.3%, atheist or agnostic 17.2%, other 1.1% (2006)

Language: Spanish, Portunol, or Brazilero (Portuguese-Spanish mix on the Brazilian frontier)

Literacy

Definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Total population: 98%

Male: 97.6%

Female: 98.4% (2003 est.)

Government type: Constitutional republic

Legal system: Based on Spanish civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

GDP (purchasing power parity): $44.52 billion (2009 est.)

GDP real growth rate: 1.7% (2009 est.)

Unemployment rate: 7.9% (2009 est.)

Inflation rate: 7.3% (2009 est.)

Agriculture – products: Rice, wheat, soybeans, barley; livestock, beef; fish; forestry

Industries: Food processing, electrical machinery, transportation equipment, petroleum products, textiles, chemicals, beverages

Exports: $6.32 billion (2009 est.)

Exports – commodities: Meat, rice, leather products, wool, fish, dairy products

Export – partners: Brazil 18.7%, China 8.5%, Argentina 7.3%, Germany 6.5%, Mexico 4.9%, Netherlands 4.5%, Russia 4.4% (2008)

Imports: $6.576 billion (2009 est.)

Imports – commodities: Crude petroleum and petroleum products, machinery, chemicals, road vehicles, paper, plastics

Imports – partners: Argentina 19.6%, Brazil 17.9%, China 11%, US 9.7%, Paraguay 6.5%, Nigeria 4.5% (2008)

Uruguay… An OU Quick Guide3.753