Uruguay Geography:
Location:
Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Argentina and Brazil
Geographic coordinates:
33 00 S, 56 00 W
Map references:
Area:
total:
176,220 sq km
land:
173,620 sq km
water:
2,600 sq km
Area - comparative:
Slightly smaller than the state of Washington
Land boundaries:
total: 1,564 km
border countries: Argentina 579 km, Brazil 985 km
Coastline:
660 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 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:
Arable land, hydropower, minor minerals, fisheries
Land use:
arable land: 7.43%
permanent crops: 0.23%
other: 92.34%
(2001)
Irrigated land:
1,800 sq km (1998 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 from weather fronts
Environment - current issues:
Water pollution from meat packing/tannery industry; inadequate solid/hazardous waste disposal
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 (not ratified)
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 |
