1981 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1981 (Internet Archive)
Geography
Area
186,998 km2; 84% agricultural land (73% pasture, 11% cropland), 16% forest, urban, waste, and .other
Budget
(1979 est.) revenue, $1,063 million; expenditure, $1,014 million
Coastline
660 km
Fiscal year
calendar year
Land boundaries
1,352 km
Limits of territorial waters (claimed)
200 nm (fishing 200 nm)
Monetary conversion rate
9.16 pesos=US$l (1980 annual average)
People and Society
Ethnic divisions
85-95% white, 5% Negro, 5-10% mestizo
Labor force
1.07 million (1975); 19.8% agriculture, 29.0% industry, 51.2% service
Language
Spanish
Literacy
90.5% for those 15 years of age or older
Nationality
noun— Uruguayan(s); adjective — Uruguayan
Organized labor
government authorized non-Communist union activities in 1981 for the first time since 1973 military takeover
Population
2,961,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 0.6%
Religion
66% Roman Catholic (less than half adult population attends church regularly)
Government
Branches
executive, headed by President; since 1973 the military has had dominant influence in policymaking; bicameral legislature (closed indefinitely by presidential decree in June 1973), Council of State set up to act as legislature; national judiciary headed by court of justice
Capital
Montevideo
Communists
5,000-10,000 including former youth group and sympathizers
Elections
projected for 1984 Political parties and leaders: political activities were permitted in mid1981 for the first time since the military takeover in 1973; parties are scheduled to hold internal elections to choose leaders in November 1982 Voting strength (1971 elections): 40.8% Colorado, 40.1% Blanco, 18.6% Frente Amplio, 0.5% Radical Christian Union
Government leader
President Gregorio ALVAREZ Manfredini
Legal system
based on Spanish civil law system; most recent constitution implemented 1967 but large portions are currently in suspension and the whole is under study for revision; legal education at University of the Republic at Montevideo; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Member of
FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDE, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMCO, IMF, ITU, LAFTA, OAS, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WSG
National holiday
Independence Day, 25 August
Official name
Oriental Republic of Uruguay
Other political or pressure groups
Christian Democratic Party (PDC); Communist Party (PCU), proscribed in 1973; Socialist Party of Uruguay (PSU), proscribed in 1973; National Liberation Movement (MLN) — Tupamaros, leftist revolutionary terrorist group, proscribed and now virtually annihilated
Political subdivisions
19 departments with limited autonomy
Suffrage
universal over age 18
Type
republic, government under military control
Economy
Agriculture
large areas devoted to extensive livestock grazing (20 million sheep, 9.5 million cattle), 1979; main crops — wheat, rice, corn, sorghum; self-sufficient in most basic foodstuffs; caloric intake (1977), 3,036 calories per day per capita, with high protein content
Aid
economic commitments — US including Ex-Im (FY70-80) $61 million; from other Western countries, ODA and OOF (1970-79) $62 million; military— US (FY70-80) $39 million
Electric power
715,000 kW capacity (1981); 3.5 billion kWh produced (1981), 1,160 kWh per capita
Exports
$1,059 million (f.o.b., 1980); wool, hides, meat, textiles
GDP
$9.9 billion (1980), $3,400 per capita; 88% consumption, 17% gross investment, —5.0% foreign; real growth rate 1978, 2.5%
Imports
$1,625 million (f.o.b., 1980); crude petroleum (26%), metals, machinery, transportation equipment, industrial chemicals
Major industries
meat processing, wool and hides, textiles, footwear, cement, petroleum refining
Major trade partners
exports— 33% EC, 11% US, 40% LAFTA; imports— 44% LAFTA (15% Brazil, 17% Argentina), 9% US, 19% EC (1979)
Steel
rolled products 43,398 metric tons produced (1978)
Communications
Airfields
129 total, 85 usable; 12 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 16 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
22 major transport aircraft, including 1 leased in
Freight carried
highways 80% of total cargo traffic, rail 15%, waterways 5%
Highways
49,900 km total; 6,700 km paved, 3,000 km gravel, 40,200 km earth
Inland waterways
1,600 km; used by coastal and shallow-draft river craft
Military budget
for fiscal year ending 31 December 1979, $211.7 million; 18.6% of central government budget VANUATU (formerly New Hebrides) Pacific Ocean , SOLOMON o ^ |SIANDS Coral Sea \>
Military manpower
males 15-49, 686,000; 557,000 fit for military service; no conscription
Ports
4 major (Montevideo, Colonia, Fray Bentos, Paysandu), 6 minor
Railroads
2,795 km, all standard gauge (1.435 m) and government owned
Telecommunications
most modern facilities concentrated in Montevideo; 279,000 telephones (9.9 per 100 popl.); 85 AM, 4 FM, and 20 TV stations; 1 Atlantic Ocean satellite station DEFENSE FORCES