Uruguay (2004) | Burma (2001) | |
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Administrative divisions | 19 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Artigas, Canelones, Cerro Largo, Colonia, Durazno, Flores, Florida, Lavalleja, Maldonado, Montevideo, Paysandu, Rio Negro, Rivera, Rocha, Salto, San Jose, Soriano, Tacuarembo, Treinta y Tres | 7 divisions* (yin-mya, singular - yin) and 7 states (pyine-mya, singular - pyine); Chin State, Ayeyarwady*, Bago*, Kachin State, Kayin State, Kayah State, Magway*, Mandalay*, Mon State, Rakhine State, Sagaing*, Shan State, Tanintharyi*, Yangon* |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 23.5% (male 406,500; female 392,497)
15-64 years: 63.4% (male 1,066,464; female 1,087,100) 65 years and over: 13.1% (male 182,654; female 264,022) (2004 est.) |
0-14 years:
29.14% (male 6,245,798; female 5,992,074) 15-64 years: 66.08% (male 13,779,571; female 13,970,707) 65 years and over: 4.78% (male 895,554; female 1,110,974) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | rice, wheat, corn, barley; livestock; fish | paddy rice, corn, oilseed, sugarcane, pulses; hardwood |
Airports | 64 (2003 est.) | 80 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 14
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
total:
9 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 50
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 17 under 914 m: 31 (2004 est.) |
total:
71 over 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 15 914 to 1,523 m: 22 under 914 m: 32 (2000 est.) |
Area | total: 176,220 sq km
land: 173,620 sq km water: 2,600 sq km |
total:
678,500 sq km land: 657,740 sq km water: 20,760 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than the state of Washington | slightly smaller than Texas |
Background | A violent Marxist urban guerrilla movement, the Tupamaros, launched in the late 1960s, led Uruguay's president to agree to military control of his administration in 1973. By yearend, the rebels had been crushed, but the military continued to expand its hold throughout the government. Civilian rule was not restored until 1985. Uruguay's political and labor conditions are among the freest on the continent. | Despite multiparty elections in 1990 that resulted in the main opposition party winning a decisive victory, the military junta ruling the country refused to hand over power. Key opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize recipient AUNG San Suu Kyi, under house arrest from 1989 to 1995, was again placed under house detention in September 2000; her supporters are routinely harassed or jailed. |
Birth rate | 14.44 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 20.13 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $2.934 billion
expenditures: $3.425 billion, including capital expenditures of $193 million (2003) |
revenues:
$7.9 billion expenditures: $12.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $5.7 billion (FY96/97) |
Capital | Montevideo | Rangoon (regime refers to the capital as Yangon) |
Climate | warm temperate; freezing temperatures almost unknown | tropical monsoon; cloudy, rainy, hot, humid summers (southwest monsoon, June to September); less cloudy, scant rainfall, mild temperatures, lower humidity during winter (northeast monsoon, December to April) |
Coastline | 660 km | 1,930 km |
Constitution | 27 November 1966, effective February 1967, suspended 27 June 1973, new constitution rejected by referendum 30 November 1980; two constitutional reforms approved by plebiscite 26 November 1989 and 7 January 1997 | 3 January 1974 (suspended since 18 September 1988); national convention started on 9 January 1993 to draft a new constitution; progress has since been stalled |
Country name | conventional long form: Oriental Republic of Uruguay
conventional short form: Uruguay local long form: Republica Oriental del Uruguay local short form: Uruguay former: Banda Oriental, Cisplatine Province |
conventional long form:
Union of Burma conventional short form: Burma local long form: Pyidaungzu Myanma Naingngandaw (translated by the US Government as Union of Myanma and by the Burmese as Union of Myanmar) local short form: Myanma Naingngandaw former: Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma |
Currency | Uruguayan peso (UYU) | kyat (MMK) |
Death rate | 9.07 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 12.3 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | $10.73 billion (2003) | $6 billion (FY99/00 est.) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Martin J. SILVERSTEIN
embassy: Lauro Muller 1776, Montevideo 11200 mailing address: APO AA 34035 telephone: [598] (2) 418-7777 FAX: [598] (2) 418-8611 |
chief of mission:
Permanent Charge d'Affaires Priscilla A. CLAPP embassy: 581 Merchant Street, Rangoon (GPO 521) mailing address: Box B, APO AP 96546 telephone: [95] (1) 282055, 282182 FAX: [95] (1) 280409 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Hugo FERNANDEZ-FAINGOLD
chancery: 1913 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20006 telephone: [1] (202) 331-1313 through 1316 FAX: [1] (202) 331-8142 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York |
chief of mission:
Ambassador-designate U LINN MYAING chancery: 2300 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-9044 FAX: [1] (202) 332-9046 consulate(s) general: New York |
Disputes - international | uncontested dispute with Brazil over certain islands in the Quarai/Cuareim and Invernada streams and the resulting tripoint with Argentina | sporadic border hostilities with Thailand over border alignment and ethnic Shan rebels operating in cross-border region |
Economic aid - recipient | NA | $99 million (FY98/99) |
Economy - overview | Uruguay's well-to-do economy is characterized by an export-oriented agricultural sector, a well-educated workforce, and high levels of social spending. After averaging growth of 5% annually during 1996-98, in 1999-2002 the economy suffered a major downturn, stemming largely from the spillover effects of the economic problems of its large neighbors, Argentina and Brazil. For instance, in 2001-02 massive withdrawals by Argentina of dollars deposited in Uruguayan banks led to a plunge in the Uruguyan peso and a massive rise in unemployment. Total GDP in these four years dropped by nearly 20%, with 2002 the worst year due to the serious banking crisis. Unemployment rose to nearly 20% in 2002, inflation surged, and the burden of external debt doubled. Cooperation with the IMF and the US has limited the damage. The debt swap with private creditors carried out in 2003, which extended the maturity dates on nearly half of Uruguay's $11.3 billion in public debt, substantially alleviated the country's amortization burden in the coming years and restored public confidence. The economy is expected to resume growth in 2004 (perhaps 4% or more) as a result of high commodity prices for Uruguayan exports, the weakness of the dollar against the euro, growth in the region, low international interest rates, and greater export competitiveness. On the negative side, in December 2003 the electorate voted to repeal the law permitting a cautious liberalization of the energy industry. | Burma has a mixed economy with private activity dominant in agriculture, light industry, and transport, and with substantial state-controlled activity, mainly in energy, heavy industry, and the rice trade. Government policy in the 1990s has aimed at revitalizing the economy after three decades of tight central planning. Private activity markedly increased in the early to mid-1990s, but began to decline in the past several years due to frustrations with the unfriendly business environment and political pressure from western nations. Published estimates of Burma's foreign trade are greatly understated because of the volume of black-market, illicit, and border trade. A major ongoing problem is the failure to achieve monetary and fiscal stability. Burma remains a poor Asian country and living standards for the majority have not improved over the past decade. Short-term growth will continue to be restrained because of poor government planning and minimal foreign investment. |
Electricity - consumption | 6.152 billion kWh (2001) | 4.476 billion kWh (1999) |
Electricity - exports | 1.377 billion kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - imports | 123 million kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production | 7.963 billion kWh (2001) | 4.813 billion kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel:
68.56% hydro: 31.44% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Cerro Catedral 514 m |
lowest point:
Andaman Sea 0 m highest point: Hkakabo Razi 5,881 m |
Environment - current issues | water pollution from meat packing/tannery industry; inadequate solid/hazardous waste disposal | deforestation; industrial pollution of air, soil, and water; inadequate sanitation and water treatment contribute to disease |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation |
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | white 88%, mestizo 8%, black 4%, Amerindian, practically nonexistent | Burman 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%, Mon 2%, Indian 2%, other 5% |
Exchange rates | Uruguayan pesos per US dollar - 28.2091 (2003), 21.257 (2002), 13.3191 (2001), 12.0996 (2000), 11.3393 (1999) | kyats per US dollar - official rate - 6.5972 (January 2001), 6.5167 (2000), 6.2858 (1999), 6.3432 (1998), 6.2418 (1997), 5.9176 (1996); kyats per US dollar - black market exchange rate - 435 (yearend 2000) |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Jorge BATLLE Ibanez (since 1 March 2000) and Vice President Luis HIERRO (since 1 March 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Jorge BATLLE Ibanez (since 1 March 2000) and Vice President Luis HIERRO (since 1 March 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president with parliamentary approval elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for five-year terms; election last held 31 October 2004 (next to be held October 2009) election results: Tabare VAZQUEZ elected president; percent of vote - Tabare VAZQUEZ 50.7%, Jorge LARRANAGA 34.1%, Guillermo STIRLING 10.3%; note - VAZQUEZ will take office on 1 March 2005 |
chief of state:
Prime Minister and Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council Gen. THAN SHWE (since 23 April 1992); note - the prime minister is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: Prime Minister and Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council Gen. THAN SHWE (since 23 April 1992); note - the prime minister is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: State Peace and Development Council (SPDC); military junta, so named 15 November 1997, which initially assumed power 18 September 1988 under the name State Law and Order Restoration Council; the SPDC oversees the cabinet elections: none; the prime minister assumed power upon resignation of the former prime minister |
Exports | NA (2001) | $1.3 billion (f.o.b., 1999) |
Exports - commodities | meat, rice, leather products, wool, fish, dairy products | apparel 36%, foodstuffs 22%, wood products 21%, precious stones 5% (1999) |
Exports - partners | Brazil 21.4%, US 11.4%, Argentina 7.1%, Germany 6.6%, China 4.3%, Mexico 4.1%, Italy 4.1%, Canada 4% (2003) | India 13%, Singapore 11%, China 11%, US 8% (1999 est.)
note: official trade statistics do not include trade in illicit goods - such as narcotics, teak, and gems - or the largely unrecorded border trade with China and Thailand |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 April - 31 March |
Flag description | nine equal horizontal stripes of white (top and bottom) alternating with blue; there is a white square in the upper hoist-side corner with a yellow sun bearing a human face known as the Sun of May and 16 rays alternately triangular and wavy | red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing, all in white, 14 five-pointed stars encircling a cogwheel containing a stalk of rice; the 14 stars represent the 14 administrative divisions |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $43.67 billion (2003 est.) | purchasing power parity - $63.7 billion (2000 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 7.4%
industry: 26.6% services: 66% (2003) |
agriculture:
42% industry: 17% services: 41% (2000 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $12,800 (2003 est.) | purchasing power parity - $1,500 (2000 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 2.5% (2003 est.) | 4.9% (2000 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 33 00 S, 56 00 W | 22 00 N, 98 00 E |
Geography - note | second-smallest South American country (after Suriname); most of the low-lying landscape (three-quarters of the country) is grassland, ideal for cattle and sheep raising | strategic location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes |
Heliports | - | 1 (2000 est.) |
Highways | total: 8,983 km
paved: 8,081 km unpaved: 902 km (1999 est.) |
total:
28,200 km paved: 3,440 km unpaved: 24,760 km (1996) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 3.7%
highest 10%: 25.8% (1997) |
lowest 10%:
2.8% highest 10%: 32.4% (1998) |
Illicit drugs | - | world's second largest producer of illicit opium, after Afghanistan (potential production in 1999 - 1,090 metric tons, down 38% due to drought; cultivation in 1999 - 89,500 hectares, a 31% decline from 1998); surrender of drug warlord KHUN SA's Mong Tai Army in January 1996 was hailed by Rangoon as a major counternarcotics success, but lack of government will and ability to take on major narcotrafficking groups and lack of serious commitment against money laundering continues to hinder the overall antidrug effort; becoming a major source of methamphetamine for regional consumption |
Imports | NA (2001) | $2.5 billion (f.o.b., 1999) |
Imports - commodities | machinery, chemicals, road vehicles, crude petroleum | machinery, transport equipment, construction materials, food products |
Imports - partners | Argentina 26.1%, Brazil 21%, Russia 11.7%, US 7.6% (2003) | Singapore 28%, Thailand 12%, China 10%, Japan 10%, South Korea 9% (1999 est.) |
Independence | 25 August 1825 (from Brazil) | 4 January 1948 (from UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | 0.7% (2003 est.) | NA% |
Industries | food processing, electrical machinery, transportation equipment, petroleum products, textiles, chemicals, beverages | agricultural processing; textiles and footwear; wood and wood products; copper, tin, tungsten, iron; construction materials; pharmaceuticals; fertilizer |
Infant mortality rate | total: 12.31 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 13.67 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
73.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 19.4% (2003 est.) | 18% (1999) |
International organization participation | FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM (observer), OAS, ONUB, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMOGIP, UNMOT, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO | ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 1
note: as of September 2000, Internet connections were legal only for the government, tourist offices, and a few large businesses (2000) |
Irrigated land | 1,800 sq km (1998 est.) | 10,680 sq km (1993 est.) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court (judges are nominated by the president and elected for 10-year terms by the General Assembly) | remnants of the British-era legal system are in place, but there is no guarantee of a fair public trial; the judiciary is not independent of the executive |
Labor force | 1.56 million (2003) | 19.7 million (FY98/99 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 14%, industry 16%, services 70% | agriculture 65%, industry 10%, services 25% (1999 est.) |
Land boundaries | total: 1,564 km
border countries: Argentina 579 km, Brazil 985 km |
total:
5,876 km border countries: Bangladesh 193 km, China 2,185 km, India 1,463 km, Laos 235 km, Thailand 1,800 km |
Land use | arable land: 7.43%
permanent crops: 0.23% other: 92.34% (2001) |
arable land:
15% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 1% forests and woodland: 49% other: 34% (1993 est.) |
Languages | Spanish, Portunol, or Brazilero (Portuguese-Spanish mix on the Brazilian frontier) | Burmese, minority ethnic groups have their own languages |
Legal system | based on Spanish civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
Legislative branch | bicameral General Assembly or Asamblea General consists of Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (30 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and Chamber of Representatives or Camara de Representantes (99 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: Chamber of Senators - last held 31 October 2004 (next to be held October 2009); Chamber of Representatives - last held 31 October 2004 (next to be held October 2009) election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Encuentro Progresista 12, Colorado Party 10, Blanco 7, New Sector/Space Coalition 1; Chamber of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Encuentro Progresista 40, Colorado Party 33, Blanco 22, New Sector/Space Coalition 4 |
unicameral People's Assembly or Pyithu Hluttaw (485 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 27 May 1990, but Assembly never convened election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NLD 392, SNLD 23, NUP 10, other 60 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 75.92 years
male: 72.71 years female: 79.24 years (2004 est.) |
total population:
55.16 years male: 53.73 years female: 56.68 years (2001 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98% male: 97.6% female: 98.4% (2003 est.) |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 83.1% male: 88.7% female: 77.7% (1995 est.) note: these are official statistics; estimates of functional literacy are likely closer to 30% (1999 est.) |
Location | Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Argentina and Brazil | Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand |
Map references | South America | Southeast Asia |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation |
contiguous zone:
24 NM continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | total: 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 10,918 GRT/10,342 DWT
by type: chemical tanker 1, container 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: Argentina 4, Greece 1 registered in other countries: 6 (2004 est.) |
total:
37 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 411,181 GRT/632,769 DWT ships by type: bulk 11, cargo 20, container 1, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 2 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Japan 2 (2000 est.) |
Military branches | Army, Navy (includes Naval Air Arm, Marines, Maritime Prefecture in wartime), Air Force | Army, Navy, Air Force |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $217.9 million (2003) | $39 million (FY97/98) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 2% (2003) | 2.1% (FY97/98) |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49: 838,195 (2004 est.) | males age 15-49:
12,050,964 females age 15-49: 12,070,017 note: both sexes liable for military service (2001 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49: 677,315 (2004 est.) | males age 15-49:
6,425,514 females age 15-49: 6,419,677 (2001 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | - | 18 years of age |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males:
470,667 females: 479,691 (2001 est.) |
National holiday | Independence Day, 25 August (1825) | Independence Day, 4 January (1948) |
Nationality | noun: Uruguayan(s)
adjective: Uruguayan |
noun:
Burmese (singular and plural) adjective: Burmese |
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 from weather fronts | destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding and landslides common during rainy season (June to September); periodic droughts |
Natural resources | arable land, hydropower, minor minerals, fisheries | petroleum, timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, some marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas, hydropower |
Net migration rate | -0.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) | -1.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Pipelines | gas 192 km (2004) | crude oil 1,343 km; natural gas 330 km |
Political parties and leaders | Colorado Party [Jorge BATLLE Ibanez]; National Party or Blanco [Luis Alberto LACALLE Herrera]; New Sector/Space Coalition or Nuevo Espacio [Rafael MICHELINI]; Progressive Encounter/Broad Front Coalition or Encuentro Progresista/Frente Amplio [Tabare VAZQUEZ] | National League for Democracy or NLD [AUNG SHWE, chairman, AUNG SAN SUU KYI, general secretary]; National Unity Party or NUP (proregime) [THA KYAW]; Shan Nationalities League for Democracy or SNLD [U KHUN TUN OO]; Union Solidarity and Development Association or USDA (proregime, a social and political organization) [THAN AUNG, general secretary]; and other smaller parties |
Political pressure groups and leaders | Agrupacion UTE (powerful state worker's union), Rural Association of Uruguay (rancher's association), Uruguayan Construction League, Chamber of Uruguayan Industries (manufacturer's association), Chemist and Pharmaceutical Association (professional organization), Architect's Society of Uruguay (professional organization), the Catholic Church, students | All Burma Student Democratic Front or ABSDF; Kachin Independence Army or KIA; Karen National Union or KNU; National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma or NCGUB [Dr. SEIN WIN] consists of individuals legitimately elected to the People's Assembly but not recognized by the military regime; the group fled to a border area and joined with insurgents in December 1990 to form a parallel government; several Shan factions; United Wa State Army or UWSA |
Population | 3,399,237 (July 2004 est.) | 41,994,678
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 23.7% (2002) | 23% (1997 est.) |
Population growth rate | 0.51% (2004 est.) | 0.6% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Colonia, Fray Bentos, Juan La Caze, La Paloma, Montevideo, Nueva Palmira, Paysandu, Punta del Este, Piriapolis | Bassein, Bhamo, Chauk, Mandalay, Moulmein, Myitkyina, Rangoon, Akyab (Sittwe), Tavoy |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 91, FM 149, shortwave 7 (2001) | AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 3 (1998) |
Radios | - | 4.2 million (1997) |
Railways | total: 2,073 km
standard gauge: 2,073 km 1.435-m gauge note: 461 km have been taken out of service and 460 km are in partial use (2003) |
total:
3,991 km narrow gauge: 3,991 km 1.000-m gauge |
Religions | Roman Catholic 66% (less than half of the adult population attends church regularly), Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, nonprofessing or other 31% | Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Muslim 4%, animist 1%, other 2% |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
at birth:
1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal and compulsory | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: fully digitalized
domestic: most modern facilities concentrated in Montevideo; new nationwide microwave radio relay network international: country code - 598; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2002) |
general assessment:
meets minimum requirements for local and intercity service for business and government; international service is good domestic: NA international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 946,500 (2002) | 250,000 (2000) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 652,000 (2002) | 8,492 (1997) |
Television broadcast stations | 23 (2002) | 2 (1998) |
Terrain | mostly rolling plains and low hills; fertile coastal lowland | central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands |
Total fertility rate | 1.96 children born/woman (2004 est.) | 2.3 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 16% (2003) | 7.1% (official FY97/98 est.) |
Waterways | 1,600 km (2002) | 12,800 km
note: 3,200 km navigable by large commercial vessels |