10 Interesting Facts about Uruguay

Reading one of these following facts about Uruguay will certainly make you want to visit this country for once. Uruguay, as you know, is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It won its independence between 1811 – 1829, following a four-way struggle amongst Spain, Portugal, Argentina and Brazil. It is a democratic constitutional republic, with a president who is both head of state and head of government. To get to know more information about it, below are the other facts about Uruguay you may be interested in.

Facts about Uruguay 1: Montevideo

Every country has its own capital. The capital of Uruguay is Montevideo. It is the largest city and the chief port of the country. The official name is The Oriental Republic of Uruguay. Montevideo also has about 1.6 million people lived in.

Facts about Uruguay 2: Currency

The official currency of Uruguay is the peso. One US dollar is similar to 21,000 pesos, while one Euro is similar to 29,000 pesos. Uruguay gained its independence from Brazil on 25 August 1825.

Facts about Uruguay 3: Religions

There is no official religion of Uruguay. 54% are Roman Catholics while 1% is Jewish. The main language is Spanish. Other languages spoken in the country include Portuguese and Portunol.

Facts about Uruguay 4: Agriculture

Agriculture contributes 10% to the gross domestic product. These include rice, wheat, fish, corn and barley. The major industries are food processing, electrical machinery, transportation equipment, petroleum products, chemicals, textiles and beverages.

Facts about Uruguay 5: Documented Inhabitants

The only documented inhabitants of Uruguay before European colonization of the area were the Charrua, a small tribe driven south by the Guarani of Paraguay.

Facts about Uruguay 6: Floras

Uruguay has about 2500 species distributed in 150 biological families, both native and foreign. The flower “Ceibo” or Erythrina Crista is the national flower in Uruguay.

Facts about Uruguay 7: Temperature and Climate

Located entirely within a temperate zone, Uruguay has a climate that is relatively mild and fairly uniform nationwide. Seasonal variations are pronounced, but extremes in temperature are rare

Facts about Uruguay 8: Culture

Uruguayan culture is strongly European and its influences from southern Europe are particularly important. The tradition of the gaucho has been an important element in the art and folklore of both Uruguay and Argentina.

Facts about Uruguay 9: Folk Music

Folk music is called canto popular and and includes some guitar players and singers such as Alfredo Zitarossa, Jose Carbajal “El Sabalero”, Daniel Viglietti, Los Olimarenos and Numa Moraes.

Facts about Uruguay 10: Foods

Beef is fundamental to Uruguayan cuisine, and the country is one of the world’s top consumers of red meat per capita. Asado, a kind of barbecued beef, is the national dish in Uruguay, and other popular foods include beef platters, Chivito (steak sandwiches), pasta, barbecued kidneys, and sausages.

Those following facts about Uruguay should have made you more amazed about the country. Once you visit the country, you will be really comfortable. Instead of staying-at-home in Uruguay, you probably want to take a walk or two to enjoy its beautiful scenery there. Hope you found those Uruguay facts interesting and useful.