Uruguay
Area: 176,215 km2 (1.76% the size of Canada, 49.35% of Germany, 68x Luxembourg)
Population: 3,318,535 (9.56% of Canada, 4% Germany, 6.5x Luxembourg)
Capital: Montevideo
Currency: Uruguayan Pesos (UYU)
Time traveled: 3 days
Distance travelled: 761 km (overland by bus)
Highlights in chronological order:
- Making steak in Colonia del Sacramento
- Dolce Vita Hostel in Montevideo
- Montevideo walking tour
- Cathedral of Montevideo
- Wondering through the “parrillas” (grillhouses) at Mercado del Puerto in Montevideo
We only spent 3 days in 2 cities in Uruguay, but this small country had the best hostels so far. Sometimes called “Switzerland of South America”, Uruguay is one of the richest countries of the continent and a safe haven for investors.
People: Uruguayans are very nice and friendly. Be it when asking for directions or when trying to decipher the menu, they are always very helpful. They actually think 2 steps ahead when it comes to customer service, a rarity on a world trip. An estimated 88% of the population are of European descent and consider themselves “white”. There are also many blonde people and they speak a similar accent as the Argentinians, but a bit more understandable. Uruguayan Spanish has some modifications due to the considerable number of Italian immigrants. Immigrants used to speak a mixture of Italian and Spanish known as ‘cocoliche’ and some of the words are still commonly used by the population.
Culture: Soccer is a big part of the Uruguayan culture. They won 2 world cups, including the first one, so they are very proud of that. Otherwise the culture is very similar to Argentina’s and the 2 countries often debate about who invented tango and who has the best steaks. Both love tango, drinking mate tea and making BBQ. In an attempt to modernize, in 2009 Uruguay became the first nation in the world to provide every school child with a free laptop and internet. Luckily it’s a small country with a small population, otherwise it would have been a very expensive project…
Food: The food is very similar to Argentina: steak, pasta, pizza, dulce de leche and wine. Uruguay has also a different cut of meat called “chivito”, a thin slice of meat served with ham and cheese on top. The main difference between the 2 countries is that Uruguay produces and consumes more cheese than Argentina.
Landscape & Climate: Uruguay is pretty flat since the highest point in the country is the Cerro Catedral whose peak reaches to 514 metres. From the bus we could see lots of pastures with cattle and sheep. The climate is much warmer than Buenos Aires, although it’s only on the other side of Rio de la Plata. The country has 660km of beaches and they can be used in summer since the water is much warmer than Argentina’s. Many people from Buenos Aires come to Punta del Este on beach vacations.
Economy: Uruguay is one of the most economically developed countries in South America, with a high GDP per capita, and the first by human development in Latin America, when inequality is factored in. (wealth is more evenly distributed, the discrepancy between rich and poor is much smaller than neighbouring countries). Uruguay is also noted for the second least corrupt country in Latin America (behind Chile). In 2006, they repaid their debt to the IMF early. Between the years 2007 and 2009, Uruguay was the only country in the Americas which did not technically experience a recession. Official statistics from Uruguay’s Agriculture and Livestock Ministry indicate that meat and sheep farming in Uruguay occupies 59.6% of the land. The percentage further increases to 82.4% when cattle breeding is linked to other farm activities such as dairy, forage and rotation with crops such as rice. Agriculture produces 70% of Uruguayan exports. Most farms are family managed and beef and wool represent the main activities and main source of income for 65% of them followed by vegetable farming at 12%, dairy farming at 11%. Beef is the main export commodity of the country totalling over a billion U.S. dollars in 2006. In 2007, Uruguay had cattle herds totaling 12 million head, making it the country with the highest number of cattle per capita at 3.8. Services and banking are also important sectors of the economy.
Transportation: Uruguay’s roads are good and straight. All buses go to Montevideo, as it serves as the country’s transportation hub. The buses are comfortable, but bus rides are never long because the country is small (Uruguay is the second-smallest nation in South America by area, after Suriname).