p references: South America

Area:
total: 176,220 sq km
land: 173,620 sq km
water: 2,600 sq km

Area-comparative: slightly smaller than Washington State

Land boundaries:
total: 1,564 km
border countries: Argentina 579 km, Brazil 985 km

Coastline: 660 km

Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
territorial sea: 200 nm; overflight and navigation guaranteed beyond
12 nm

Climate: warm temperate; freezing temperatures almost unknown

Terrain: mostly rolling plains and low hills; fertile coastal lowland

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Cerro Catedral 514 m

Natural resources: fertile soil, hydropower, minor minerals, fisheries

Land use:
arable land: 7%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 77%
forests and woodland: 6%
other: 10% (1997 est.)

Irrigated land: 7,700 sq km (1997 est.)

Natural hazards: seasonally high winds (the pampero is a chilly and
occasional violent wind which blows north from the Argentine pampas),
droughts, floods; because of the absence of mountains, which act as
weather barriers, all locations are particularly vulnerable to rapid
changes in weather fronts

Environment-current issues: substantial pollution from Brazilian
industry along border; one-fifth of country affected by acid rain
generated by Brazil; water pollution from meat packing/tannery
industry; inadequate solid/hazardous waste disposal

Environment-international agreements:
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation

@Uruguay:People

Population: 3,284,841 (July 1998 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 24% (male 405,894; female 386,479)
15-64 years: 63% (male 1,019,682; female 1,048,844)
65 years and over: 13% (male 176,467; female 247,475) (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.71% (1998 est.)

Birth rate: 16.92 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate: 8.89 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 14.11 de