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Geography Categories
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| Definition Of: |
UruguayGeography
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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: 176,220 sq km
land: 173,620 sq km
water: 2,600 sq km | |
Area - comparative: |
slightly smaller than the state of Washington | |
Land boundaries: |
total: 1,564 km
border countries: Argentina 579 km, Brazil 985 km | |
Coastline: |
660 km | |
Maritime claims: |
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation | |
Climate: |
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, fisheries | |
Land use: |
arable land: 7.43%
permanent crops: 0.23%
other: 92.34% (2001) | |
Irrigated land: |
1,800 sq km (1998 est.) | |
Natural hazards: |
seasonally high winds (the pampero is a chilly and occasional violent wind which 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, Tropical Timber 94, 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
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More about Uruguay:
Introduction
People
Government
Economy
Communications
Transportation
Military
Transnational Issues
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World Factbook INDEX:
List of Terms: Terms beginning with "A", Page 1 |
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Page Number:
1 2 3 4 5 6 A: Page 1 of 6.
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