Main page Compare countries Index countries Index fields

Query:
##ciekawa_strona##

Compare Western Sahara (2008) - Uruguay (2006)

Compare Western Sahara (2008) z Uruguay (2006)

 Western Sahara (2008)Uruguay (2006)
 Western SaharaUruguay
Administrative divisions none (under de facto control of Morocco) 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
Age structure 0-14 years: 45.4% (male 88,176/female 85,421)


15-64 years: 52.3% (male 98,345/female 101,895)


65 years and over: 2.3% (male 3,705/female 5,075) (2007 est.)
0-14 years: 22.9% (male 399,409/female 386,136)


15-64 years: 63.9% (male 1,087,180/female 1,104,465)


65 years and over: 13.3% (male 185,251/female 269,491) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish rice, wheat, corn, barley; livestock; fish
Airports 9 (2007) 64 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2007)
total: 8


over 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 4


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 2 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 6


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 2 (2007)
total: 56


1,524 to 2,437 m: 3


914 to 1,523 m: 22


under 914 m: 31 (2006)
Area total: 266,000 sq km


land: 266,000 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total: 176,220 sq km


land: 173,620 sq km


water: 2,600 sq km
Area - comparative about the size of Colorado slightly smaller than the state of Washington
Background Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed. In April 2007, Morocco presented an autonomy plan for the territory to the UN, which the U.S. considers serious and credible. The Polisario also presented a plan to the UN in 2007. Since August 2007, representatives from the Government of Morocco and the Polisario Front have met three times to negotiate the status of Western Sahara, with a fourth round of negotiations planned for March 2008. Montevideo, founded by the Spanish in 1726 as a military stronghold, soon took advantage of its natural harbor to become an important commercial center. Annexed by Brazil as a separate province in 1821, Uruguay declared its independence four years later and secured its freedom in 1828 after a three-year struggle. The administrations of President Jose BATLLE in the early 20th century established widespread political, social, and economic reforms. A violent Marxist urban guerrilla movement named 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. In 2004, the left-of-center EP-FA Coalition won national elections that effectively ended 170 years of political control previously held by the Colorado and Blanco parties. Uruguay's political and labor conditions are among the freest on the continent.
Birth rate NA 39.95 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 13.91 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget revenues: $NA


expenditures: $NA
revenues: $4.468 billion


expenditures: $4.845 billion; including capital expenditures of $193 million (2005 est.)
Capital none


time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
name: Montevideo


geographic coordinates: 34 53 S, 56 11 W


time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)


daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in October; ends second Sunday in March
Climate hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew warm temperate; freezing temperatures almost unknown
Coastline 1,110 km 660 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
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Western Sahara


former: Spanish Sahara
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
Death rate NA 9.05 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external $NA $13.24 billion (2005 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US none chief of mission: Charge d'Affaires James D. NEALON


embassy: Lauro Muller 1776, Montevideo 11200


mailing address: APO AA 34035


telephone: [598] (2) 418-7777


FAX: [598] (2) 418-8611
Diplomatic representation in the US none chief of mission: Ambassador Carlos Alberto GIANELLI Derois


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, New York


consulate(s): San Juan (Puerto Rico)
Disputes - international Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, administered by the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals; several states have extended diplomatic relations to the "Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic" represented by the Polisario Front in exile in Algeria, while others recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara; most of the approximately 102,000 Sahrawi refugees are sheltered in camps in Tindouf, Algeria uncontested dispute with Brazil over certain islands in the Quarai/Cuareim and Invernada streams and the resulting tripoint with Argentina
Economic aid - recipient $NA $NA
Economy - overview Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. Incomes in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level. The Moroccan Government controls all trade and other economic activities in Western Sahara. Morocco and the EU signed a four-year agreement in July 2006 allowing European vessels to fish off the coast of Morocco, including the disputed waters off the coast of Western Sahara. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. However, in 2006 the Polisario awarded similar exploration licenses in the disputed territory, which would come into force if Morocco and the Polisario resolve their dispute over Western Sahara. Uruguay's well-to-do economy is characterized by an export-oriented agricultural sector, a well-educated work force, 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 Argentina made massive withdrawals of dollars deposited in Uruguayan banks, which led to a plunge in the Uruguayan 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 banking crisis. The unemployment rate rose to nearly 20% in 2002, inflation surged, and the burden of external debt doubled. Cooperation with the IMF helped stem the damage. A debt swap with private-sector creditors in 2003 extended the maturity dates on nearly half of Uruguay's then $11.3 billion of public debt and helped restore public confidence. The economy grew about 10% in 2004 as a result of high commodity prices for Uruguayan exports, a competitive peso, growth in the region, and low international interest rates, but slowed to 6.1% in 2005.
Electricity - consumption 79.05 million kWh (2005) 7.762 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2005) 900 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2005) 654 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - production 85 million kWh (2005) 8.611 billion kWh (2003)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m


highest point: unnamed location 463 m
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Cerro Catedral 514 m
Environment - current issues sparse water and lack of arable land water pollution from meat packing/tannery industry; inadequate solid/hazardous waste disposal
Environment - international agreements party to: none of the selected agreements


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected 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
Ethnic groups Arab, Berber white 88%, mestizo 8%, black 4%, Amerindian (practically nonexistent)
Exchange rates Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.2827 (2007), 8.7722 (2006), 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003) Uruguayan pesos per US dollar - 24.479 (2005), 28.704 (2004), 28.209 (2003), 21.257 (2002), 13.319 (2001)
Executive branch none chief of state: President Tabare VAZQUEZ Rosas (since 1 March 2005) and Vice President Rodolfo NIN NOVOA (since 1 March 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Tabare VAZQUEZ Rosas (since 1 March 2005) and Vice President Rodolfo NIN NOVOA (since 1 March 2005); 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 (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 31 October 2004 (next to be held October 2009)


election results: Tabare VAZQUEZ elected president; percent of vote - Tabare VAZQUEZ 50.5%, Jorge LARRANAGA 35.1%, Guillermo STIRLING 10.3%; other 4.1%
Exports 0 bbl/day (2004) NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities phosphates 62% meat, rice, leather products, wool, fish, dairy products
Exports - partners Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006) US 18.6%, Brazil 15.6%, Mexico 6.9%, Argentina 6.1%, Spain 4.1%, Germany 4% (2005)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
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 with 16 rays that alternate between triangular and wavy
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: 40%
agriculture: 9.3%


industry: 31.1%


services: 59.6% (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate NA% 6.8% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates 24 30 N, 13 00 W 33 00 S, 56 00 W
Geography - note the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas 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
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: 3.7%


highest 10%: 25.8% (1997)
Imports 1,698 bbl/day (2004) NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs machinery, chemicals, road vehicles, crude petroleum
Imports - partners Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006) Argentina 18.9%, Brazil 18.5%, Paraguay 14%, US 8.6%, China 6.2% (2005)
Independence - 25 August 1825 (from Brazil)
Industrial production growth rate NA% 8.5% (2005 est.)
Industries phosphate mining, handicrafts food processing, electrical machinery, transportation equipment, petroleum products, textiles, chemicals, beverages
Infant mortality rate total: NA


male: NA


female: NA
total: 11.61 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 12.9 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 10.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) NA% 4.7% (2005 est.)
International organization participation none CAN (associate), CSN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMOGIP, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Irrigated land NA 2,100 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch - Supreme Court (judges are nominated by the president and elected for 10-year terms by the General Assembly)
Labor force 12,000 1.52 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 50%


industry and services: 50%
agriculture: 14%


industry: 16%


services: 70%
Land boundaries total: 2,046 km


border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km
total: 1,564 km


border countries: Argentina 579 km, Brazil 985 km
Land use arable land: 0.02%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 99.98% (2005)
arable land: 7.77%


permanent crops: 0.24%


other: 91.99% (2005)
Languages Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic Spanish, Portunol, or Brazilero (Portuguese-Spanish mix on the Brazilian frontier)
Legal system - based on Spanish civil law system; accepts 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; vice president has one vote in the Senate) 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 - EP-FA 16, Blanco 11, Colorado Party 3; Chamber of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - EP-FA 52, Blanco 36, Colorado Party 10, Independent Party 1
Life expectancy at birth total population: NA


male: NA


female: NA
total population: 76.33 years


male: 73.12 years


female: 79.65 years (2006 est.)
Literacy NA definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 98%


male: 97.6%


female: 98.4% (2003 est.)
Location Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Argentina and Brazil
Map references Africa South America
Maritime claims contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Merchant marine - total: 13 ships (1000 GRT or over) 34,259 GRT/19,725 DWT


by type: cargo 2, chemical tanker 1, passenger/cargo 7, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 1


foreign-owned: 4 (Argentina 3, Greece 1)


registered in other countries: 8 (Argentina 1, Bahamas 2, Liberia 3, Spain 2) (2006)
Military branches - Army, Navy (includes naval air arm, Marines, Maritime Prefecture in wartime), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Uruguaya, FAU) (2006)
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $371.2 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP - 2.1% (2005 est.)
National holiday - Independence Day, 25 August (1825)
Nationality noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)


adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian
noun: Uruguayan(s)


adjective: Uruguayan
Natural hazards hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility seasonally high winds (the pampero is a chilly and occasional violent wind that 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
Natural resources phosphates, iron ore arable land, hydropower, minor minerals, fisheries
Net migration rate - -0.25 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Pipelines - gas 257 km; oil 160 km (2006)
Political parties and leaders - Colorado Party [Julio Maria SANGUINETTI]; Independent Party (Partido Independiente) [Pablo MIERES]; Movement of Popular Participation or MPP [Jose MUJICA]; National Party or Blanco [Jorge LARRANAGA]; New Sector/Space Coalition (Nuevo Espacio) [Rafael MICHELINI]; Progressive Encounter/Broad Front Coalition (Encuentro Progresista/Frente Amplio) or EP-FA [Tabare VAZQUEZ]; Socialist Party of Uruguay or Socialists [Reinaldo GARGANO]; Uruguayan Assembly or Asamblea Uruguay [Danilo ASTORI]
Political pressure groups and leaders none Architect's Society of Uruguay (professional organization); Catholic Church; Chamber of Uruguayan Industries (manufacturer's association); Chemist and Pharmaceutical Association (professional organization); PIT-CNT (powerful federation of Uruguayan unions); Rural Association of Uruguay (rancher's association); students; Uruguayan Construction League
Population 382,617


note: estimate is based on projections by age, sex, fertility, mortality, and migration; fertility and mortality are based on data from neighboring countries (July 2007 est.)
3,431,932 (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 22% of households (2004)
Population growth rate NA 0.46% (2006 est.)
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 93, FM 191, shortwave 7 (2005)
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 (2005)
Religions Muslim Roman Catholic 66% (less than half of the adult population attends church regularly), Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, nonprofessing or other 31%
Sex ratio NA at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.03 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 (2006 est.)
Suffrage none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Telephone system general assessment: sparse and limited system


domestic: NA


international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco
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)
Telephones - main lines in use about 2,000 (1999 est.) 1 million (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular 0 (1999) 600,000 (2004)
Television broadcast stations NA 62 (2005)
Terrain mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast mostly rolling plains and low hills; fertile coastal lowland
Total fertility rate NA 1.89 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 12.2% (2005 est.)
Waterways - 1,600 km (2005)
Sitemap: Compare countries listing (map site) | Country listing (map site)
Links: Add to favorites | Information about this website | Stats | Polityka prywatnosci
This page was generated in ##czas## s. Size this page: ##rozmiar_strony## kB.