Uruguayp2

=   **Ur uguay  **    =

Members- Braeden, Chris, Caleb, Andrew


 * Contents
 * 1) General Information
 * 2) History
 * 3) Entertainment
 * 4) Food and Cuisine Customs
 * 5) Sources





=__General Information__= 

Info-
**Uruguay** is a country located in the southeastern area of South America. It is located to the south of Brazil and to the North east of Argentina.("Uruguay") The capital of Uruguay would be Montevideo. Uruguay has long been a supporter of freedom and equality, an example of that is that Uruguay was the first Latin American country to allow same sex marriage.("Uruguay") The population is estimated around 3,337,000.("The world factbook-Uruguay") The national language of Uruguay is Spanish, but most Uruguayans also speak a second language seeing as most Uruguayans come from a European decent, around 90% to be exact. ("Uruguay")

Geography and Economy-
The geography is made up of mostly plains and hills and the climate is mostly moderate. This leads to lots of agriculture, which is also Uruguay’s main foreign exchange earner.("Uruguay") Uruguay has a middle-income Economy consisting of trade and agriculture. Uruguay is surrounded by rivers, like “The Rio de la Plata” and the “Laguna Merin”, which is why Uruguay relies heavily on imports and exports.("Uruguay") The Uruguayans have there own type of currency, the Uruguayan peso.

Government and Religion-
The government is a constitutional democracy. Uruguay is the second least corrupted country in the Americas.("Uruguay") The church and state in Uruguay officially separated from one another in the year 1919. The religion in Uruguay is very different then us. Around 50% are Roman Catholic, 23% believe in god but don’t practice religion, and 17% are atheist, the other percent is a mix of different religions.("The world factbook-Uruguay") The majority of Uruguayans don’t practice religion.("Uruguay")

Fun facts

 *  Since Uruguay is in the southern hempisphere there seasons are opposite ours. So if you want to go somewhere hot in the middle of winter you should go hit up Uruguay. ("      Uruguay')
 *  They have very interesting and exotic animal life like the Giant anteater, Armadillo, and the Puma.(Animal info)
 *  Also some very interesting marine life like the Blue whale, Giant otter <--which has a super cool page i made for it, and Seals.(Animal info)



=__History__=  The country of Uruguay has a very short history. it has only been around for about 500 years. In 1500 AD the Spanish arrived and began to colonize South America.(9) Before the settlers arrived in South America there were various tribes of hunters and gatherers.(9) In 1526 AD __Juan Diaz De Selis__ landed in Uruguay.(9) About 85 years later Portuguese began to colonize Uruguay. For about 100 years the Portuguese owned Uruguay but in 1726 Spain took control, starting much controversy between Spain and the Portuguese. In the 1800's a man named Jose Gervasio organized an army to fight for independence from Spain.(9) In the year 1828 Uruguay became independent from Spain.(9) 10 years later __civil war__ broke out, and ended in 1865.

=__Entertainment__ = There is a wide variety of entertainment in Uruguay including various types of music, art, theater, film, sports, and literature.

**Music:**
 Uruguayan music is the culmination of various styles of dance and theater in the region. Some of the more popular styles of music are derived from tango, murga, and candombe ("Culture Of Uruguay"). Candombe is a percussion-oriented musical style that emphasizes the drums. Tango is a famous Latin Dance style that has influenced the creation of musical accompaniment. Murga is a musical theater style that has influenced different musical styles as well ("Culture Of Uruguay").   In 1984, the military regime in Uruguay fell. At the same time, candombe became Uruguay’s national style of music, where artists like Ruben Rada established Uruguayan music in the mainstream. He helped break the trend of discrimination against Afro-Uruguayan musicians.  While Uruguay has established original styles of music, a large part of their musical culture has been influenced by Western styles of music including jazz and rock ("How's Uruguay's Music Like?") This has been displayed through cover bands like Los Shakers who cover Beatles’ songs.

**Art:**
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> Art in Uruguay usually depicts daily life in Uruguay, specifically in Montevideo ("Uruguay:Art, Culture, And Entertainment"). Focus on the countryside and farmlife of Uruguayan citizens is largely utilized **.** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> Artists usually use nationalistic and traditional motives and themes in their art. Life in Montevideo is depicted in art. Some of the famous artists in Uruguay include __Juan Blanes__, Pedro Figari and Joaquin Torres. ("Art, Music, And Culture In Uruguay"). Pedro Figari was famous for painting images of daily life in Montevideo. Joaquin developed a style called constructive universalism and influenced the artists of the style. Sculptures were also prevalent in Uruguayan culture. Jose Belloni created realistic sculptures that are displayed in parks in Montevideo. Most Uruguayan art depicted daily life and was often very nationalistic. Examples of such are a wagon being pulled by an oxen and a Uruguayan man performing labor.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> Film in Uruguay is notorious for revolutionizing with each major release ("Uruguay: A Historical Reminder"). Juan de la Costa was cited as creating the first Uruguayan Film in 1923. Rina Massardi created the first musical film in 1938 with the film “Vocacion”.

Uruguay is renowned for constantly reviving earlier styles of film. Every new filmmaker is suspected to do something new and original. However, national cinema has shown that Uruguayan directors and filmmakers are constantly rehashing old ideas and styles of Uruguayan cinema.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> **Theater:**
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> Theater in Uruguay usually deals with the Teatro Solis in Montevideo. The Teatro Solis is the oldest theater in all of the Americas ("China Zorilla"). It was built in 1856 and has hosted dancer Vaslav Nijinksy’s last performance as well as Puccini, Mascagni and Richard Strauss.

Murga is a Montevidean musical theater style that has influenced music and theatrical styles of Uruguay. Typically in Murga there are percussionists and a chorus that accompany a play. The singers harmonize and sing in the same volume constantly ("Natalia Oreiro"). The percussion works as a military-style and usually depicts warfare or marches. The two most important parts of the play are the initiative song and the ending song. This theatrical performance is normally for Carnival celebrations.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">**Sports:**
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> Sports in Uruguay are very popular among the average citizen. The most popular sport is __Soccer__, or Football in Uruguay. However, Uruguay is largely known for its Olympic competitors ("Uruguay: Sports And Recreation").

Heber Viera is a prominent Uruguayan sprinter. He was involved in the Olympics in 2000 and 2004 with little success. However, he has received various medals in minor competitions such as Gold Medals in the 100m and Silver Medals in 200m.

Monica Falcioni is a famous jumper who is now retired. She was the flag bearer for Uruguay at the opening ceremony ("Monica Falcioni").

Nestor Garcia is a runner who won the Buenos Aires Marathon in Argentina. He holds the record for the Classic Distance at 2:12:48 ("Nestor Garcia").

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">**Literature:**
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> Uruguayan literature was established by a few significant essayists and authors. Juan Onetti received the national literature award in Uruguay in 1963 (Juan Carlos Onetti). Onetti’s literature often consisted of comedy mixed with sadness. He wrote largely about life’s lonliness and the absence of religion. His stories were often very sad and pessimistic but he is reknown for his imagination.

Jose Rodo was another popular Uruguayan essayist. He strived his personal philosophy and projected it in his writing. Rodo believed that the youth of Uruguay should reject material objects and revert to ancient beliefs of free living and concentration on culture ("Jose Enrique Rodo"). His writing talked largely about his nationalistic thoughts and preservation of culture.

Uruguayan literature deals largely with daily life and the struggles of the average Uruguayan peasant ("Uruguay").

Back To Top =__Food and Cuisine Customs __= Food in Uruguay is very interesting and is a huge part of the culture. The diet comes with a wide variety of foods, drinks, ingredients, and other customs that make Uruguayan food truly unique. Five important facts one should know about the food in Uruguay are: 1. Beef is very important in Uruguayan food as they are one of the worlds top consumers. 2. Uruguayans have a large variety of seafood with both fresh and saltwater fish. 3. Uruguay recieves many immigrants from Spain and Italy so the spanish and Italian food are well represented there. 4. Unlike North America, lunch is the most important meal of the day. It is viewed as we view dinner, very large and generally a sit down meal. 5. Among the most famous foods and drinks are the asada, grilled steak and Yerba mate, herbal leaves used to make tea.

Sources