Uruguay-Geography

Published: 04 Nov 2008 11:27:05 PST

Location:   
Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Argentina and Brazil
 
Geographic coordinates:   
33 00 S, 56 00 W
 
Map references:   
South America 
 
Area:   
total: 176,215 sq km
country comparison to the world: 90
land: 175,015 sq km
water: 1,200 sq km
 
Area - comparative:   
slightly smaller than the state of Washington
 
Land boundaries:   
total: 1,648 km
border countries: Argentina 580 km, Brazil 1,068 km
 
Coastline:   
660 km
 
Maritime claims:   
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or edge of continental margin
 
Climate:   
Current Weather
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, fish
 
Land use:   
arable land: 7.77%
permanent crops: 0.24%
other: 91.99% (2005)
 
Irrigated land:   
2,100 sq km (2003)
 
Total renewable water resources:   
139 cu km (2000)
 
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):   
total: 3.15 cu km/yr (2%/1%/96%)
per capita: 910 cu m/yr (2000)
 
Natural hazards:   
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
 
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, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation
 
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