Simple directory > Regional > Uruguay

Country : Uruguay Official name: República Oriental del Uruguay (Oriental Republic of Uruguay) Head of State: President Tabaré Vázquez (Frente Amplio) (sworn in 1 Mar 2005) Head of government: President Tabaré Vázquez Ruling party: Frente Amplio (Broad Front) coalition party (elected Oct 2004) Area: 176,215 square km Population: 3.43 million (2004) Capital: Montevideo Official language: Spanish Currency: Peso Uruguayo (Ur$) = 100 centavos Exchange rate: Ur$26.64 per US$ (Nov 2004) GDP per capita: US$3,210 (2003) GDP real growth: -1.50% (2003) Labour force: 1.20 million (2003) Unemployment: 18.40% (2003) Inflation: 19.50% (2003) Balance of trade: US$20.00 million (2003) Foreign debt: US$11.80 billion (2003)

Historical profile

1516 Spanish explorer Juan Díaz de Solis was killed in an ambush by indigenous people while he was navigating the Rio de la Plata. His death discouraged European exploration for more than a century afterwards.

In the seventeenth century, the Portuguese began colonising Uruguay.

1726 The Spanish founded Montevideo and took over Uruguay.

1776 Uruguay became part of the vice royalty of La Plata, which was run from Buenos Aires in Argentina.

1808 The defeat of the Spanish monarchy by Napoleon Bonapart weakened La Plata, leading to a rebellion in Uruguay which overthrew the vice royalty. The Uruguayans then fought against Argentine and Brazilian invaders.

1825 Uruguay achieved formal independence from Spain.

1830 A constitution was approved.

1838–65 Uruguay became embroiled in civil war between two rival groupings, the Colorados (reds) and the Blancos (whites).

1865–70 Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil fought a war against Paraguay, which was eventually defeated.

1904 The two groups fought their last civil war. The Blancos became the Partido Nacional (PN) (National Party) and the Colorados the Partido Colorado (PC).

1903–07 and 1911–16 José Batlle y Ordonez, the Colorado leader, was president. He introduced the welfare state, extended the right to vote to women, disestablished the Roman Catholic church and abolished the death penalty.

1933 A military coup led to the abolition of opposition parties.

1951 A new constitution replaced the post of president with a nine-member council.

1962–73 The Tupamaros guerrillas engaged in a campaign of insurgency.

1973–85 A military dictatorship took power, unleashing a campaign of harsh repression.

1984 Violent protests erupted against military rule. The military dictatorship agreed to step down and return the country to constitutional government.

1985 Julio María Sanguinetti, a Colorado, was installed as president after democratic elections

1989 Luis Alberto Lacalle won the presidential election.

1994 Sanguinetti won the presidential election.

1999 The presidential election was won by Jorge Batlle Ibañez (PC).

2000 A commission was set up to investigate 'disappearances' under the military regime.

2002 The government passed a controversial tax bill proposed by the IMF that raised taxes on salaries and pensions. In response, the IMF earmarked US$1.5 billion in aid for the Uruguayan economy. PN withdrew its five ministers from the coalition, but not its congressional support for Jorge Batlle's administration.

2003 In May, the government managed to restructure almost half of its US$11 billion foreign debt, pushing the repayment dates back five years.

2004 In May, the World Bank agreed to manage the implementation of the Uruguay Energy Efficiency Project, which is funded by a US$6.80 million grant from the Global Environment Facility, approved in May 2003. Left-wing Tabaré Vázquez (Frente Amplio) won the October presidential elections, marking a dramatic political shift. The Frente Amplio (Broad Front) coalition party won the October parliamentary elections.

2005 Tabaré Vázquez was sworn in as president on 1 March.

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