Uruguay

Uruguay,^[d] officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,^[e] is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast. It is part of the Southern Cone region of South America. Uruguay covers an area of approximately 176,215 square kilometers (68,037 sq mi).^[8] It has a population of almost 3.5 million people, of whom nearly 2 million live in the metropolitan area of its capital and largest city, Montevideo.

The area that became Uruguay was first inhabited by groups of hunter gatherers 13,000 years ago.^[13] The first European explorer to reach the region was Juan Díaz de Solís in 1516, but the area was colonized later than its neighbors. At the time of European arrival, the Charrúa were the predominant tribe, alongside other groups such as the Guaraní and the Chaná. However, none of these groups were socially or politically organized, which contributed to their decline.^[14] Amid territorial disputes, the Portuguese established Colônia do Sacramento in 1680, and the Spanish founded Montevideo as a military stronghold. Uruguay secured its independence between 1811 and 1828, following a four-way struggle involving Portugal, Spain, and later the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata and the Empire of Brazil. In 1830, the country enacted its constitution and was formally established as an independent state.^[15]

Following Uruguay's independence, national politics were dominated by two political parties: the Colorado Party and the National Party, which clashed in several civil wars during the 19th century and are collectively known as the 'Traditional Parties'.^[16] At various points in history, the Executive Branch was organized as a collegiate body, with the last instance of this occurring in 1967. A series of economic crises and the fight against far-left urban guerrilla warfare in the late 1960s and early 1970s culminated in the 1973 coup d'état, which established a civic-military dictatorship until 1985.^[17] Uruguay is today a democratic constitutional republic, with a president who serves as both head of state and head of government.

During the early years following its independence, Uruguay remained subject to foreign influence and intervention, along with a series of internal conflicts and political turmoil.^[18] From the second half of the 19th century, the country saw significant waves of European migration—mainly from Spain, Italy, and France—which greatly influenced its demographics and laid the foundation for modern-day Uruguayan culture and society.^[19][20] In the early 20th century, a series of pioneering economic, labor, and social reforms were introduced, leading to the establishment of a highly developed welfare state. Coupled with its political stability, this contributed to the country being known as the "Switzerland of the Americas".^[21]

Uruguay is highly ranked in international measurements of democracy, government transparency, economic freedom, social progress, income equality, per capita income, innovation, and infrastructure.^[22][23] The country has fully legalized cannabis (the first country in the world to do so), as well as same-sex marriage and abortion. It is a founding member of the United Nations, OAS, and Mercosur.

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