MI PAISITO
Uruguay, oficialmente República Oriental del Uruguay, es un país de América del Sur situado en la parte oriental del Cono Sur americano. Limita al noreste con Brasil (estado de Río Grande del Sur), al oeste con Argentina (provincias de Entre Ríos y Corrientes), y tiene costas en el océano Atlántico al sureste y sobre el Río de la Plata hacia el sur. Abarca 176 mil km² siendo el segundo país más pequeño de Sudamérica en cuanto a territorio, detrás de Surinam. Posee un clima templado. La población estimada para 2010 es de 3,4 millones de habitantes,[1] representando la décima mayor población entre los países de América del Sur.
Es una república presidencialista subdividida en 19 departamentos. La capital y ciudad más grande del país es Montevideo, con 1,4 millones,[5] y cuya área metropolitana alcanza los 2,0 millones de habitantes,[6] lo que corresponde al 58,8% del total nacional. Es miembro de las Naciones Unidas, del Mercosur, de la OEA, de la UNASUR y del G77, entre otros.
El actual territorio uruguayo fue conocido en un principio como Banda Oriental (que también incluye parte del actual estado brasileño de Río Grande del Sur). Tal denominación proviene de su ubicación geográfica, quedando al este (u oriente) del río Uruguay y al norte del Río de la Plata, siendo la tierra más oriental del Virreinato del Río de la Plata. El 28 de agosto de 1828 se firmó la Convención Preliminar de Paz en la que se estableció la creación de un estado independiente, aunque sin denominación oficial. La primera denominación de la actual República Oriental del Uruguay fue "Estado Oriental del Uruguay". Dicha denominación fue dada al país por la primera Constitución promulgada el 28 de junio de 1830 y jurada por el pueblo el 18 de julio del mismo año.
i /ˈjʊərəɡwaɪ/;[4] officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,[1][5] sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay;[6] Spanish: República Oriental del Uruguay pronounced [reˈpuβlika oɾjenˈtal del uɾuˈɣwai]) is a country located in the south eastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people,[1] of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area. An estimated 88% of the population are of European descent.[1]Uruguay's only land border is with Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, to the north. To the west lie the Uruguay River and to the southwest lies the estuary of Río de la Plata with Argentina only a short commute across the banks of either of these bodies of water, while to the southeast lies the southern part of the Atlantic Ocean. Uruguay, with an area of approximately 176,000 square kilometres (68,000 sq mi), is the second-smallest nation of South America in area after Suriname.
Colonia del Sacramento, one of Uruguay's oldest European settlements, was founded by the Portuguese in 1680. Montevideo was founded by the Spanish in the early 18th century as a military stronghold.[7] Uruguay won its independence in 1811–28 following a three-way struggle between the claims of Spain, Argentina and Brazil. It is a constitutional democracy, the president fulfilling the roles of both head of state and head of government.
Uruguay is one of the most economically developed countries in South America, with a high GDP per capita and the 52nd highest quality of life index in the world as of 2010, and first in quality of life/human development of Latin America, when inequality is factored in.[3][8] According to Transparency International, Uruguay is rated as the 2nd least corrupt country in Latin America (behind Chile), although Uruguay scores considerably better than Chile on domestic polls of corruption perception.[9] Its political and labour conditions are the highest level of freedom on the continent.[1] It was the highest rated country in Latin America on Legatum's 2010 Prosperity Index.[10] Reader's Digest ranked Uruguay as ninth "Most livable and greenest" country in the world, and first in all the Americas.[11]
Uruguay was the first South American country to legalize same-sex and different-sex civil unions at a national level,[12] and to allow gay adoption.[13] Uruguay was the only country in the Americas which did not go into recession (2 consecutive quarters of retraction) as a result of the Late-2000s financial crisis.[14] Uruguay is reimbursed by the UN for the majority of its military spending, because the majority of its military is deployed as UN Peacekeepers. In 2009, Uruguay became the first nation in the world to provide every child with a free laptop and wireless internet. Uruguay was the first nation in the Americas to test hemp cultivation,[15] to legalize the growing of small amounts of cannabis for home consumption (as of April 26th, 2011) and the possession or consumption
