Uruguay is the second smallest country in South America, after Surinam.
Uruguay is 35% larger than England.
It's population of 3.5m people consists mainly of second and third generation Europeans, mostly of Spanish or Italian origin. Nearly half the population live in the capital, Montevideo.
There are more than 10m cows in Uruguay. The former meat processing plant at Fray Bentos is now a museum.
Uruguay was ruled by a military dictatorship between 1971 to 1984 but is now a constitutional republic.
The country suffered badly after the Argentinian economy collapsed in 2001 and Argentina made huge withdrawals of US$ stashed in Uruguayan banks. The economy contracted 20% between 2002 to 2006. The economy is now strong, but so is the pesos, making it expensive for overseas tourists to visit. Moreover high taxes imposed principally to fund the welfare state also suppress domestic tourism.
At $2.20 per litre petrol is more expensive than in Europe.
Uruguay won the football World Cup in 1950, 2-1 against Brazil, after trailing 1-0. Pele remembers the day as the saddest in his life, whilst Uruguayans still celebrate the victory, naming it Maracanazo, as the greatest feat in the history of football.
No comments:
Post a Comment