Uruguay - Geography
Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Uruguay. Second-smallest South American country (after Suriname); most of the low-lying landscape (three-quarters of the country) is grassland, ideal for cattle and sheep raising. Mother's mean age at first birth is (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 19 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
Geographical data of Uruguay
| Location | Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Argentina and Brazil |
|---|---|
| Geographic coordinates | 33 00 S, 56 00 W |
| Map references | South America |
| Tarrain | mostly rolling plains and low hills; fertile coastal lowland |
| Natural Resources | arable land, hydropower, minor minerals, fish |
| Natural Hazards | seasonally high winds (the pampero is a chilly and occasional violent wind that blows north from the Argentine pampas), droughts, floods; because of the absence of mountains, which act as weather barriers, all locations are particularly vulnerable to rapid changes from weather fronts |
| Irrigated Land | 2,230 sq km (2018) |
| Major rivers (by length in km) | Rio de la Plata/Parana river mouth (shared with Brazil [s], Argentina, Paraguay) - 4,880 km; Uruguay river mouth (shared with Brazil [s] and Argentina) - 1,610 km note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth |
| Major aquifers | Guarani Aquifer System |
| Land Boundaries | 1,591 km |
| Border Countries | Argentina 541 km; Brazil 1,050 km |
| Coastline | 660 km |
| Climate | warm temperate; freezing temperatures almost unknown |
| Area | |
| Total Area | |
| Land Area | 175,015 sq km |
| Water Area | 1,200 sq km |
| comparative Area | about the size of Virginia and West Virginia combined; slightly smaller than the state of Washington |
| Maritime Claims | |
| Territorial sea | 12 nm |
| Contiguous zone | 24 nm |
| Exclusive economic zone | 200 nm |
| Continental shelf | 200 nm or the edge of continental margin |
| Elevations | |
| Highest point | Cerro Catedral 514 m |
| Lowest point | Atlantic Ocean 0 m |
| Mean elevation | 109 m |
| Land Use | |
| Agricultural land | 80.9% (2022 est.) |
| Agricultural land: arable land | arable land: 12.1% (2022 est.) |
| Agricultural land: permanent crops | permanent crops: 0.2% (2022 est.) |
| Agricultural land: permanent pasture | permanent pasture: 68.6% (2022 est.) |
| Forest | 11.8% (2022 est.) |
| Other | 7.3% (2022 est.) |
Population Distribution
Most of the country's population resides in the southern half of the country; approximately 80% of the populace is urban, living in towns or cities; nearly half of the population lives in and around the capital of Montevideo
People and Society
In Uruguay, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: White 87.7%, Black 4.6%, Indigenous 2.4%, other 0.3%, none or unspecified 5% (2011 est.)
| Population | |
|---|---|
| Pop growth rate | 0.26% (2024 est.) |
| Birth rate | 12.6 births/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Death rate | 9.1 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Health expenditure | 9.4% of GDP (2021) |
| Physicians Density | |
| Hospital bed Density | 2.4 beds/1,000 population (2017) |
| Total fertility rate | 1.75 children born/woman (2024 est.) |
| Gross reproduction rate | 0.86 (2024 est.) |
| Contraceptive prevalence rate | 79.6% (2015) |
| Est married women (ages 15-49) | 55.4% (2023 est.) |
| Literacy | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Education expenditures | 4.6% of GDP (2020 est.) |
| Net Migration rate | -0.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Nationality | Uruguayan | Uruguayan(s) |
| Languages | |
| Religions | Roman Catholic 36.5%, Protestant 5% (Evangelical (non-specific) 4.6%, Adventist 0.2%, Protestant (non-specific) 0.3%), African American Cults/Umbanda 2.8%, Jehovah's Witness 0.6%, Church of Jesus Christ 0.2%, other 1%, Believer (not belonging to the church) 1.8%, agnostic 0.3%, atheist 1.3%, none 47.3%, unspecified 3.4% Roman Catholic 42%, Protestant 15%, other 6%, agnostic 3%, atheist 10%, unspecified 24% (2023 est.) |
| Age Structure | |
| 0-14 years | 18.9% (male 329,268/female 317,925) |
| 15-64 years | 65.4% (male 1,112,622/female 1,128,418) |
| 65 years and over | 15.7% (2024 est.) (male 218,242/female 318,855) |
| Dependency Ratios | |
| Total dependency ratio | 53.6 |
| Youth dependency ratio | 29.9 |
| Elderly dependency ratio | 23.7 |
| Potential support ratio | 4.2 (2021 est.) |
| Median Age | |
| Total | 36.5 years (2024 est.) |
| Male | 34.9 years |
| Female | 38.2 years |
| Urbanization | |
| Urban population | 95.8% of total population (2023) |
| Rate of urbanization | 0.4% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) |
| Major urban areas (Pop) | 1.774 million MONTEVIDEO (capital) (2023). |
| Sex Ratio | |
| At birth | 1.04 male(s)/female |
| 0-14 years | 1.04 male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years | 0.99 male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over | 0.68 male(s)/female |
| Total population | 0.94 male(s)/female (2024 est.) |
| Infant Motality | |
| Total | 8 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.) |
| Male | 9.1 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Female | 6.8 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life Expectancy at birth | |
| Total population | 78.9 years (2024 est.) |
| Male | 75.8 years |
| Female | 82.1 years |
| Drinking Water Sources | |
| Improved: urban | urban: 100% of population |
| Improved: rural | rural: 100% of population |
| Improved: total | total: 100% of population |
| Unimproved: urban | urban: 0% of population |
| Unimproved: rural | rural: 0% of population |
| Unimproved: total | total: 0% of population (2020 est.) |
| Sanitation facility acess | |
| Improved: urban | urban: 99.2% of population |
| Improved: rural | rural: 99.6% of population |
| Improved: total | total: 99.2% of population |
| Unimproved: urban | urban: 0.8% of population |
| Unimproved: rural | rural: 0.4% of population |
| Unimproved: total | total: 0.8% of population (2020 est.) |
| Alcohol consumption per capita | |
| Total | 5.42 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Beer | 1.86 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Wine | 2.86 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Spirits | 0.71 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Other alcohols | 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Tobacco use | |
| Total | 21.5% (2020 est.) |
| Male | 24.4% (2020 est.) |
| Female | 18.5% (2020 est.) |
Demographic profile
Uruguay rates high for most development indicators and is known for its secularism, liberal social laws, and well-developed social security, health, and educational systems. It is one of the few countries in Latin America and the Caribbean where the entire population has access to clean water. Uruguay's provision of free primary through university education has contributed to the country's high levels of literacy and educational attainment. However, the emigration of human capital has diminished the state's return on its investment in education. Remittances from the roughly 18% of Uruguayans abroad amount to less than 1 percent of national GDP. The emigration of young adults and a low birth rate are causing Uruguay's population to age rapidly.
In the 1960s, Uruguayans for the first time emigrated en masse - primarily to Argentina and Brazil - because of economic decline and the onset of more than a decade of military dictatorship. Economic crises in the early 1980s and 2002 also triggered waves of emigration, but since 2002 more than 70% of Uruguayan emigrants have selected the US and Spain as destinations because of better job prospects. Uruguay had a tiny population upon its independence in 1828 and welcomed thousands of predominantly Italian and Spanish immigrants, but the country has not experienced large influxes of new arrivals since the aftermath of World War II. More recent immigrants include Peruvians and Arabs.
All Important Facts about Uruguay
Want to know more about Uruguay? Check all different factbooks for Uruguay below.
