Uruguay(Becca)

= __Uruguay: __ =

Geography:
Comparable in size to the state of Washington, Uruguay is located on the coast of South America between the countries of Brazil and Argentina. Uruguay is the second smallest country in South America. Its coastline on the Atlantic Ocean stretches 200 miles along Uruguays southern border. Uruguay is classified as being in the 'subtropical zone' of South America. It usually has warm summers and mild winters. Most of Uruguay's land is covered in natural grasslands that support various livestock. There is hardly any pollution in Uruguay. Uruguay's geography is quite helpful to its economy. Most of Uruguay's major exports are crops and livestock that is grown in the fields and on the farms of Uruguay.

History:
Discovered in 1516 by the Spanish explorer Juan Diaz de Solis, who sailed up the Uruguay River and attacked by the Charrua Tribe. He and his landing crew did not survive this attack. Uruguay was originally only inhabitated by the Charrua Tribe, which had been driven south by the Guarani Indians of Paraguay. Settlement of Uruguay was limited during the 16th and 17th centuries because of a lack of gold and silver and strong resistance from the natives. It wasn't until 1680 that the first permanent settlement was established by the Portuguese. Spain responded to the Portuguese advances by establishing the city of Montevideo, which became a major Spanish port in the South Atlantic, in 1726.

After years of back and forth between Spain and Portugal, in 1815 national hero José Gervasio Artigas declared Uruguay an independent state. Only a year after becoming an independent state, Brazil attacked Montevideo. The fighting lasted for four years, after which, Uruguay was annexed to Brazil by Portugal. Four years later in 1825 Juan Antonio Lavalleja and a small group of men issued a declaration of independence. A peace treaty was signed three years later by Brazil and Argentina guaranteeing Uruguays independence on August 28, 1828.

Government:
Uruguay has a constitutional republic government system. This means that there is a head of state along with other representatives participate is the government for the people. There are three branches in the government, the Executive, Judicial, and Legislative. Suffrage, or voting, is universal, or allowed to everyone, and compulsory, meaning that you have to vote.

Culture:
Uruguay has a rich cultural base. Its diverse background has given it many unique traditions considering its small size. Many Uruguayan people participate in theater and dance. These musical theater traditions began with Uruguay's European settlers and have been adapted to fit Uruguay's culture. Many towns have their own festivals, plays, concerts, and traditions. The tango is a major part of Uruguayan culture, many people in Uruguay love to tango. There are also the gauchos, the cowboys of South America. Gauchos today wear the same traditional dress as those in the past. Most of Uruguay's art depicts the gaucho lifestyle. Along with dancing the tango many Uruguayan's play football, soccer in America.

Tourism:
Montevideo is the main tourist attraction in the summer. It is a resort-like city known for its white sandy beaches. Many Argentinians come to Montevideo during the summer. Another attraction is the Casa Pueblo art gallery. Housing most of the work done by Uruguayan artist Carlos Paez Vilaro, Casa Pueblo was also designed by Vilaro himself.

Current Events:
[.cfm]] A Uruguayan living in China helped save a woman from drowning. The Uruguayan saw the woman near drowning and jumped into a river to save her.



The Uruguayan government passed an new law to regulate telecommunications, including the internet, cable TV and mobile phones.

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