uruguayp6

=          = By: Andy, Jordan, JC and Taylor


 * Table of Contents
 * 1) General Information
 * 2) History
 * 3) Entertainment
 * 4) Food and Cuisine ||


 * General Information**

 Uruguay is located in Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Argentina and Brazil (CIA World Factbook).

Comparatively, Uruguay is slightly smaller than the State of Washington (CIA World Factbook), making it the second smallest country in South America (Wikipedia). Uruguay's population is estimated at 3,447,496, with about 1,745,100 living in Montevideo, the capital and largest city (InfoPlease). Montevideo is the most important port city in Uruguay and one of the most important ports in all of South America (Wikipedia). "Uruguayans share a Spanish linguistic and cultural background, even though about one-quarter of the population is of Italian origin. Most are nominally Roman Catholic although the majority of Uruguayans do not actively practice a religion. Church and state are officially separated." (U.S. Department of State) In Uruguay there is a high literacy rate, low birth rate, high life expectancy and high rate of emigration by younger people. This leads to an older population (U.S. Department of State).

Uruguay is known for its contribution to art and culture as well, even though it is such a small country (Escape Artist). Montevideo is a center for architecture and has many museums as well. Many artists, writers and musicians live in Montevideo. The combination of immigrant traditions from Europe and native traditions have created some diverse types of music such as Uruguayan Tango. Various colonial era fortresses and other remains add to the historically diverse culture in Uruguay (Wikipedia). In the Uruguayan grass lands, there is a rich Gaucho culture. Gauchos are the South American version of North American Cowboys. There traditions, styles, foods and way of life have created their own culture in the heart of Uruguay. (Go South America)

Uruguay's official name is the Oriental Republic of Uruguay (U.S. Department of State). Its Governmental system is a Constitutional Republic (InfoPlease). The government has 19 administrative divisions (CIA World Factbook). The two major political parties in Uruguay are the Colorado Party and the Blanco Party (U.S. Department of State). The Colorado Party is rooted in Montevideo and represents urban and foreign interests, as well as those of the Itailian immigrants. The Blanco Party has its roots in the Uruguayan countryside with the original Spanish Settlers, it supports agricultural and ranching interests (Wikipedia)

The main exports of Uruguay are: wool, meat, hides, manufactured goods, and rice (Library of Congress). Due to the excellent ranching lands and proximity to a large port city such as Montevideo ranch products like wool, meat and hides are a large part of the Uruguayan economy. The main imports are: fuels and lubricants, metals, machinery, transportation equipment, and industrial chemicals (Library of Congress). Uruguay's major trading parteners are: The U.S., Brazil, Germany, Argentina, Mexico, Paraguay, China (InfoPlease)

Uruguay has a warm temperate climate (CIA World Factbook). In the Summer it can be very hot, but it is still cooler, especially at night, in the interior lands where it is hillier (Lonely Planet). "High humidity, high winds, and fog common. Winter warm spells can be abruptly broken by a strong //pampero//, a chilly and occasionally violent wind from Argentine pampas." (Library of Congress). Uruguay is mostly made up of low rolling grassy plains and low rolling plateaus (InfoPlease).


 * History**

Uruguay was first inhabited by between 5 and 10 thousand indigenous people called Charrúas (nationsencyclopedia). The first Europeans arrive in Uruguay in 1536, but an absence of gold and silver limits poulation growth. The Spanish were the first Europeans to settle in Uruguay establishing Villa Soriano in 1624. The eventual founding of Colonia del Sacramento by the Portuguese in 1680 caused Spanish colonization to increase (wikipedia). By 1778, the Spanish had taken control of the country and almost all of the Charrúas had died out (infoplease).



On May 18, 1811, Spanish troops lose the Battle of las Piedras; Uruguay is no longer under Spanish control. Portuguese people from Brazil eventually conquer the country in 1821 under the name Provincia Cisplitina. At this point, Uruguay was on the verge of revolt. On April 19, 1825, the "Treinta y Tres Orientales" (Uruguayan exiles that returned from Buenos Aires) lead an insurrection against Brazilian rule (wikipedia). About a week later on April 25, 1825, the "Treinta y Tres Orientales" signed a declaration of independence (infoplease). Three more years of fighting resulted in a peace treaty on August 28, 1828 that guaranteed Uruguay's independence from Portugal (nationsencyclopedia).

After Uruguay had gained its independence, two opposing warring factions formed. The country experienced much civil war and political instability. These warring factions then became two opposing political parties: the Blancos and the Colorados (discoveruruguay). The Blancos were stattioned at Cerrito near Montevideo and the Colorados were stationed at Montevideo (workmall).

The Great War began in 1843 when Oribe attempted to seize Montevideo. A nine-year struggle ensued over control of the city. By 1852, the Colorados had gained full control of Uruguay (wikipedia). After the war, Uruguay created a strong alliance with Brazil due to the heavy support Brazil had granted Uruguay during the war (workmall).

From 1865-1870, the Triple Alliance (Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay) was at war with Paraguay. Montevideo experienced relative peace during the war. The Paraguayan War ended in victory for the Triple Alliance over Paraguay. After the victory, Argentina and Brazil restored a balance of power, thus allowing Uruguay to stabilize and end its political struggles (countrystudies).

Following the war with Paraguay, political parties in Uruguay majorly declined and the military rose as the center of power (nationsencyclopedia). Between 1875 and 1886, the government encouraged economic and social changes and improvements. Many citizens had an influence on the government during this period. Uruguay also developed a strong relationship with Britain after the war. Trade and investment increased greatly between the two countries. This was mainly due to the fact that Uruguay adopted a gold standard (countrystudies).

The greatest period of governmental improvement was during the rule of José Batlle y Ordóñez. He initiated a very successful social welfare system which acquired its funds from foreign wool and beef markets. The Colorados ruled after World War II except from 1958-1966. Under the rule of President Jorge Pacheco Areco from 1967-1972, Uruguay suffered a political and social crisis known as Tupamaros (nationsencyclopedia).

The Uruguayan military seized power in 1973 and used torture to defeat the guerrillas. In 1984, protests against the militaristic government broke out. The government then decided to hold elections and go back to civilian rule. From that point forward, Uruguay has been under civilian rule (wikipedia).


 * Entertainment**

Uruguay has extremely rich national tradition in their arts and literature (Culture Gram). A majority of the paintings portray the international trends however also focus on the local themes such as rural life, history and the gauchos (Culture Gram). José Gervasio Artigas  an independent leader, was a gaucho in his youth (Culture Gram). <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Uruguay <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> is a very rich artistic community throughout its history. With traditionally well educated and popular support of the arts many assortments of creative pursuit have flourished in this tiny republic (Uruguay). <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Uruguayans, due to their high level of education urban population, have a rich and diverse tradition of the performing arts (Uruguay). <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The Teatro Solis located in Montevideo, is the home of the National Comedy Repertory Company (Uruguay). These actors and directors would regularly perform new and old works by Latin American playwrights (Uruguay). One of Uruguay’s most famous playwrights was Florencio Sanchez. He was born in 1875 and wrote different plays that took place in the Río de la Plata area (Uruguay). His plays became famous for their realistic dialogue and “insightful portrayal of life inn the slums of Buenos Aires or Montevideo” (Uruguay). <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">By far the best-known music from Uruguay is the tango. A standard tango band has to include six players; two accordions, two violins, a piano, and a double bass (Uruguay). Another common artistic dance is the candombe, which originated from the African-Uruguayan community (Uruguay). “Candombe refers to both the music and the dance. . . [both] are part of two festivals celebrated in Montevideo” (Uruguay).

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Uruguay generated two classical composers: Eduardo Fabini and Héctor Errecart (Uruguay). Eduardo was popular for his symphonies where as Héctor Errecart transformed the traditional gaucho music to a classical form (Uruguay). As well Errecarts usage of folk music themes made him “world-renowned” (Uruguay).

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Throughout Montevideo’s parks, are classic examples of Uruguayan sculpture (Uruguay). One of the most photographed is the covered wagon or carreta sculpture, where the wagon is being pulled by three oxen and driven by a bearded man (Uruguay). The importance of this art to Uruguay is the portrayal of the pioneers who first left the shores of the Río de la Plata to settle the interior of the country ( Urugauy). This statue sits in Batlle Park, and was created by José Belloni (Uruguay).

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Due to the high literacy rate and the inclined commitment to freedom of speech, writing has become and outlet for Uruguayan’s emotions (Uruguay). Multiple of the earliest forms focused on nationalistic themes and on the rural heritage of Uruguay (Uruguay). <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Before the censor ship shut down various newspaper and journals, Uruguay had a “thriving tradition of literary criticism” (Uruguay). La Marcha, a monthly magazine, was read far beyond the constraints of Montevideo because of its high level standard for writing and criticism (Uruguay). Many young writers began their published stories in La Marcha, such as Eduardo Galeano (Uruguay). After the censorship many talented writers and editors left the country out of disproval ( Uruguay). <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Mario Benedettie is “acclaimed as one of Uruguay’s most perceptive writers. Many of his works reveal his social and political conscience” (Culture Gram). As a result of his strong political beliefs and writings, he was forced into exile during the 1970s. His experiences are included in his literature //El cumpleanos de Juan Angel//, 1971, and //Con y sin nostalgia//, 1977 (Culture Gram). <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Soccer or football is by far the utmost popular sport in Uruguay, and is the countries national sport (Culture Gram). Almost every male has participated in a soccer game at some time in their life. “Uruguayans closely follow the country’s national team, especially in the World Cup competitions” (Culture Gram). One of the Worlds best football players Enzo Francescoli, was born in Montevideo, Uruguay (Culture Gram). <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Uruguay is almost completely surrounded by water, making water sports extremely popular in Uruguay (Culture Gram). There are many boat races for motor boats and sail boats, including the international competition of Formula 1 race boats (Urugauy). During the summer months windsurfing competitions attract international competitors from all over the world (Uruguay). Another very popular sport and recreational activity is swimming (Uruguay). Along with the water sports and soccer other sports such as; basketball, volleyball, and cycling are popular as well (Culture Gram). <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Uruguayans very much enjoy their leisure time and find multiple ways to spend their free time. One of Uruguay’s most popular forms of entertainment is the cinema (Uruguay). Small local film industry and foreign films provide entertainment variety, and in larger urban centers a large enough population to attract international shows that tour worldwide (Uruguay). <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Nightlife in Uruguay includes peñas, which are clubs with live music (Uruguay). The peñas are more populated with the younger crowds and the elder crowds are more likely to go the old fashioned tango bars (Uruguay). For the more risk taking clubbers there are clubs that specialize in candombe music (Uruguay). Another part of nightlife is going out with friend and eating in restaurants like ones in the city center of Punta del Este (Uruguay). <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Uruguayans have a strong love for strolling <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">which is deeply rooted in their Spanish heritage (Uruguay). The tradition of walking influences the close connections with family and friends. Montevideo has many public parks and gardens well-suited for this leisure activity (Uruguay). <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Uruguay celebrates both religious and secular holidays drawn throughout its history (Uruguay). Generally Uruguayans aren’t overly religious, which is the reason some traditional Christian celebrations have altered non-religious names. As well many public holidays are celebrations of important moment in Uruguayan history (Uruguay). Carnival is a very popular celebration that takes place in the month of February, which unites all of Uruguay together (Uruguay).


 * Food and Cuisine**

 Uruguayan Cuisine is considered by many to be the best in all of South America. Food has become a large part of the country's culture throughout the years. Mostly consisting of meat and seafood, Uruguay has established its cuisine as one of the best in the world.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> Uruguayan people take pride in the unique flavor of their food that is not easy to find anywhere else in the world. (Typical Uruguayan Foods <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">"The cuisine of Uruguay is traditionally based on its European roots, like Mediterranean foods from Italy, Spain, and France, but also from countries such as Germany. Many foods from those countries such as pasta, sausages, and desserts are common in the nation's diet." (Wikipedia) The large Italian influence yields a myriad of pasta dishes, lasagna and pizza being Uruguayan favorites. Club sandwiches and spicy sausage on rolls also claim a place as favorite Uruguayan snacks. (About Uruguay) "Due to the fact that one of Uruguay 's main exports is beef, it should come as no surprise that Uruguayan people are considered some of the largest beef consumers in the world." (Cuisine in Montevideo ) There are thousands of dishes that are considered Uruguayan specialties, some being churrasco and chivitos. Although the majority of their famous dishes are made up of marinated beefs, Uruguay is also world renowned for their dulce de leche. "Normally a sweet paste, dulce de leche is the national obsession, used to fill cookies, cakes, pancakes, milhojas, and alfajores. The alfajores are shortbread cookies sandwiched together with dulce de leche or a fruit paste.( Wikipedia) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">T here also are several unique ingredients which turn the typical Uruguayan cuisine into a very traditional and magical one. (Typical Uruguayan Foods) An example of this is when dulce de leche is used as an extra ingrediant in cookies, cakes, pancakes, milhojas, and alfajores to add a sweeter and more traditional flavor. (Wikipedia)


 * __Typical Uruguayan Drinks__**

Herbal tea, known as mate is consumed in mass quantities. Traditionally, mate was drunk from a gourd through a silver straw. The gourd was passed around the room for people to share. In recent times, though, individual teacups have become more popular. (About Uruguay) Other than mate, "<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">the most recommendable and typical Uruguayan drinks is the clerico." (Typical Uruguayan Foods) Clericó is a popular drink, containing white wine and fruit juice. (About Uruguay) The most commonly used of all fruit juices is apple juice, although it can contain others as well. (Typical Uruguayan Foods)


 * __Traditions and Festivals__**

"Due to the fact that the main religion in Uruguay is Catholicism, the holidays we are accustomed to, such as Christmas and Easter, are also celebrated in Uruguay. These such occasions are the most common time for dulce de leche and other pastries to be seen." (Cookbookwiki) Other celebrations include the Landing of the 33 Patriots (19 April), which honors the country's independance. (Holidays in Uruguay) "On all celebrations, beef and the local sausages, as the chorizo and morcilla, with chimichurri sauce are the most consumed meals." (CookBookwiki) "When Uruguayans want to do a meeting with friends, doing so with an asado is usually one of the main options. Eating an asado, bizcochos, a flan with dulce de leche, or an arroz con leche are always good excuses to sit down and get up to the date with friends or family." (Uruguayan Foods)

The most formal meal of the day for any Uruguayan is lunch. Many employees are given a two hour lunch so that they may return home and have a large home-cooked meal with their families. (About Uruguay) Throughout the day, Uruguayan employees are also given short breaks which are designed so that they have time to such foods as churrascos and dulce de leche. (About Uruguay)


 * __Top 5 Facts on Uruguayan Food__**

1. Uruguayans probably consume more beef than any other people in the world. (About Uruguay) 2. Uruguay has blended many other country's cuisines into their own unique flavor. (Wikipedia) 3. Lunch is commonly considered the most important meal of the day. (About Uruguay) 4. Dulce de Leche is one of the most important elements in traditional Uruguayan cuisine. (Uruguayan Foods) 5. Beef is the most commonly eaten food during holidays and festivals. (Cookbookwiki)


 * Works Cited**

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/uy.html#Intro http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108124.html http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2091.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uruguay http://gosouthamerica.about.com/od/argartcultureentertain/a/gauchos.htm http://www.escapeartist.com/uruguay/art.htm [|http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+uy0007<span]

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[|http://www.discoveruruguay.com/]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Uruguay

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/uruguay/when-to-go

[|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enzo_Francescolihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tango_(dance)]

http://www.uruguayuruguay.com/uruguay-food.htm

http://online.culturegrams.com/secure/world/world_country_sections.php?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enzo_Francescoli

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uruguayan_cuisine

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g294064-c18150/Uruguay:Holidays.In.Uruguay.html

http://www.uruguayanfood.com/

Jermyn, Leslie. __Uruguay__. New York: Marshall Cavendish, 1999.