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GovernmentCountry 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 Government type
Constitutional republic
Capital
Name Montevideo
Geographic coordinates 34 51 S, 56 10 W Time difference UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Daylight saving time +1hr, begins first Sunday in October; ends second Sunday in March 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 Independence
25 August 1825 (from Brazil)
Constitution
27 November 1966; effective 15 February 1967; suspended 27 June 1973; revised 26 November 1989 and 7 January 1997 Legal system
Civil law system based on the Spanish civil code International law organization participation
Accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; accepts ICCt jurisdiction Suffrage
18 years of age; universal and compulsory Executive branch
Chief of state
President Jose "Pepe" MUJICA Cordano (since 1 March 2010); Vice President Danilo ASTORI Saragoza (since 1 March 2010); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government Head of government President Jose "Pepe" MUJICA Cordano (since 1 March 2010); Vice President Danilo ASTORI Saragoza (since 1 March 2010) 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 on 29 November 2009 (next to be held in October 2014) Election results Jose "Pepe" MUJICA elected president; percent of vote - Jose "Pepe" MUJICA 54.8%, Luis Alberto LACALLE 45.2% Legislative branch
Bicameral General Assembly or Asamblea General consists of Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (30 seats; members 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 elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) Elections Chamber of Senators - last held on 25 October 2009 (next to be held in October 2014); Chamber of Representatives - last held on 25 October 2009 (next to be held in October 2014) Election results Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Frente Amplio 16, Blanco 9, Colorado Party 5; Chamber of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Frente Amplio 50, Blanco 30, Colorado Party 17, Independent Party 2 Judicial branch
Supreme Court (judges are nominated by the president and elected for 10-year terms by the General Assembly) Political parties and leaders
Broad Front (Frente Amplio) - formerly known as the Progressive Encounter/Broad Front Coalition or EP-FA [Jorge BROVETTO] (a broad governing coalition that includes Movement for Popular Participation or MPP, New Space Party (Nuevo Espacio) [Rafael MICHELINI], Progressive Alliance (Alianza Progresista) [Rodolfo NIN NOVOA], Socialist Party [Eduardo FERNANDEZ and Reinaldo GARGANO], Communist Party [Eduardo LORIER], Uruguayan Assembly (Asamblea Uruguay) [Danilo ASTORI], and Vertiente Artiguista [Mariano ARANA]); Colorado Party (Foro Batllista) [Pedro BORDABERRY and Julio Maria SANGUINETTI]; National Party or Blanco [Luis Alberto LACALLE and Jorge LARRANAGA] Political pressure groups and leaders
Chamber of Commerce and Export of Agriproducts; Chamber of Industries (manufacturer's association); Exporters Union of Uruguay; National Chamber of Commerce and Services; PIT/CNT (powerful federation of Uruguayan Unions - umbrella labor organization); Rural Association of Uruguay (rancher's association); Uruguayan Network of Political Women Other Catholic Church; studentsInternational organization participation
CAN (associate), CD, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUSCO, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMOGIP, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the us
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) 331-8142Consulate(s) general Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York Consulate(s) San Juan (Puerto Rico)Diplomatic representation from the us
Chief of mission
Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Thomas H. LLOYD Embassy Lauro Muller 1776, Montevideo 11200 Mailing address APO AA 34035Telephone [598] (2) 418-7777 FAX [598] (2) 418-8611 Flag description
Nine equal horizontal stripes of white (top and bottom) alternating with blue; 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; the stripes represent the nine original departments of Uruguay; the sun symbol evokes the legend of the sun breaking through the clouds on 25 May 1810 as independence was first declared from Spain (Uruguay subsequently won its independence from Brazil) Note The banner was inspired by the national colors of Argentina and by the design of the US flag National symbol(s)
Sun of May (a sun-with-face symbol) National anthem
Name
"Himno Nacional" (National Anthem of Uruguay) Lyrics/music Francisco Esteban ACUNA de Figueroa/Francisco Jose DEBALI Note Adopted 1848; the anthem is also known as "Orientales, la Patria o la tumba!" ("Uruguayans, the Fatherland or Death!"); it is the world's longest national anthem in terms of music (105 bars; almost five minutes); generally only the first verse and chorus are sung
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Uruguay (Montevideo):
 
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Montevideo, founded by the Spanish in 1726 as a military stronghold, soon took advantage of its natural harbor to become an important commercial center. Claimed by Argentina but annexed by Brazil 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 that established a statist tradition. A violent Marxist urban guerrilla movement named the Tupamaros, launched in the late 1960s, led Uruguay's president to cede control of the government to the military in 1973. By yearend, the rebels had been crushed, but the military continued to expand its hold over the government. Civilian rule was not restored until 1985. In 2004, the left-of-center Frente Amplio 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.