Uruguay (/ˈjʊərəɡwaɪ/ (About this soundlisten);[9] Spanish: [uɾuˈɣwaj] (About this soundlisten); Portuguese: Uruguai), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,[a] 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. Uruguay has a population of an estimated 3.51 million, of whom 2 million live in the metropolitan area of its capital and largest city, Montevideo. It covers an area of approximately 176,000 square kilometers (68,000 sq mi), and is the second-smallest nation in South America, after Suriname.
Uruguay was inhabited by the Charrúa people for approximately 4,000 years,[10] before the Portuguese established Colónia do Sacramento in 1680; Uruguay was colonized by Europeans relatively late compared with neighboring countries. Montevideo was founded as a military stronghold by the Spanish in the early 18th century, signifying the competing claims over the region. Uruguay won its independence between 1811 and 1828, following a four-way struggle between Portugal and Spain, and later Argentina and Brazil. It remained subject to foreign influence and intervention throughout the 19th century, with the military playing a recurring role in domestic politics. A series of economic crises put an end to a democratic period that had begun in the early 20th century, culminating in a 1973 coup, which established a civic-military dictatorship. The military government persecuted leftists, socialists, and political opponents, resulting in several deaths and numerous instances of torture by the military; the military relinquished power to a civilian government in 1985. Uruguay is today a democratic constitutional republic, with a president who serves as both head of state and head of government.
Uruguay has an high-income economy, and is ranked first in Latin America in democracy, peace, low perception of corruption,[11] e-government,[12] and is first in South America when it comes to press freedom, size of the middle class, and prosperity.[11] On a per-capita basis, Uruguay contributes more troops to United Nations peacekeeping missions than any other country.[11] It is the lowest ranking South American nation in the Global Terrorism Index, and ranks second in the continent on economic freedom, income equality, per-capita income, and inflows of FDI.[11] Uruguay is the third-best country on the continent in terms of Human Development Index, GDP growth,[13] innovation, and infrastructure.[11] Uruguay is regarded as one of the most socially progressive countries in Latin America.[14] It ranks high on global measures of personal rights, tolerance, and inclusion issues,[15] including its acceptance of the LGBT community.[16] The country has legalized Cannabis, while same-sex marriage and abortion are also legal. Uruguay is a founding member of the United Nations, OAS, Mercosur and the Non-Aligned Movement.
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