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: working with Brazil to monitor and
minimize transboundary pollution caused by Brazilian power plant
near border; 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, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands,
Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine
Dumping, Marine Life Conservation

People

Population: 3,308,523 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 24% (male 407,990; female 388,293)
15-64 years: 63% (male 1,026,554; female 1,054,513)
65 years and over: 13% (male 179,331; female 251,842) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.73% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 16.84 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 8.81 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 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
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 13.49 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.83 years
male: 72.69 years
female: 79.15 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.27 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Uruguayan(s)
adjective: Uruguayan

Ethnic groups: white 88%, mestizo 8%, black 4%, Amerindian,
practically nonexistent

Religions: Roman Catholic 66% (less than one-half of the adult
population attends church regularly), Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%,
nonprofessing or other 30%

Languages: Spanish, Portunol, or Brazilero (Portuguese-Spanish
mix on the Brazilian frontier)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.3%
male: 96.9%
female: 97.7% (1995 est.)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Oriental Republic of Uruguay
conventional short form: Uruguay
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