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Uruguay is the third smallest country in South America, after Suriname. The landscape features mostly rolling plains and low hill ranges (cuchillas) with a fertile coastal lowland, most of it grassland, ideal for cattle and sheep raising. The highest point in the country is the Cerro Cathedral at 514 meters (1,686 ft). To the southwest is the Río de la Plata (River of Silver), the estuary of the Uruguay River, which forms the western border, and the Paraná River, that does not run through Uruguay itself. The only other major river is the Río Negro. Several lagoons are found along the Atlantic coast. The climate in Uruguay is temperate, but fairly warm, as freezing temperatures are almost unknown. The predominantly flat landscape is also somewhat vulnerable to rapid changes from weather fronts, as well as to the pampero, a chilly and occasionally violent wind blowing north from the pampas plains in Argentina. Enclaves and exclave's There is one Argentine enclave within Uruguayan territory: the island of Martin Garcia (co-ordinates 34°11′S 58°15′W). It is situated near the confluence of the Paraná and Uruguay rivers, a mere kilometer (1,100 yd) inside Uruguayan waters, about 3.5 kilometers (2.2 mi) from the Uruguayan coastline, near the small city of Martin Chico (itself about halfway between Nueva Palmira and Colonia). An agreement reached by Argentina and Uruguay in 1973 reaffirmed Argentine jurisdiction over the island, ending a century-old dispute between the two countries. According to the terms of the agreement, Martin Garcia is to be devoted exclusively to a natural preserve. Its area is about 2 square kilometers (500 acres), and the population about 200 persons. In addition, Gloria Recoda has exclusive land rights on a quarter of the island. |
Uruguay Information: Inside
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