Much of Uruguay is covered by vast grasslands that become marshes toward the Atlantic coast. The rest of the landscape is traversed by narrow, elongated hill chains that end in the east with the renowned Punta del Este. The most important river is the Uruguay, which together with the Paraná forms the estuary of the Rio de la Plata.
The climate of Uruguay is temperate and humid. In the grasslands, numerous species of flowers dominate, including a particular small purple flower, so widespread that Uruguay is often called the “Purple Land.” Along the coastal strip, we find pines and eucalyptus trees to contain the advance of the sand.
The fauna is scarce in wild animals; more common are mammals such as the deer, otter, wild pig, fox, wild cat, armadillo, and various types of rodents. Particularly rich is the birdlife, including aquatic birds such as the swan, crane, stork, white heron, and duck, and non-aquatic ones like the vulture, owl, wild turkey, quail, partridge, and hummingbird. Among the reptiles, we find alligators along the rivers.
Uruguay Fact Sheet
- Country: Eastern Republic of Uruguay
- Area: 176,215 Km²
- Capital: Montevideo
- Population: 3,415,920 inhabitants
- Language: Spanish
- Religion: the majority is Catholic
- Form of Government: presidential republic
- Major cities: Montevideo, Punta del Este, Rivera, Salto, San Jose
Useful Information about Uruguay
- Currency: Uruguayan Peso (1 euro = 29 UYU)
- International dialing code: +598
- International vehicle code: ROU
- Driving side: right
- Entry documents: Passport
- Vaccination required: NN
- Electric current: 220V, 50Hz
- Unit of measurement: metric decimal
- Time zone: – 4 hours compared to Italy
- Fixed date holidays: January 1st: New Year; March-April: Good Friday; March-April: Easter; March-April: Easter Monday; May 1st: Labor Day; May 8th: Anniversary of the Battle of Las Piedras; July 18th: Constitution Day; August 25th: Independence Day; October 12th: Columbus Day; December 25th: Christmas; December 26th: St. Stephen’s Day
- Climate: temperate climate, since the summers (which correspond to our winters) are warm but not sultry, though humid, and winters are never excessively cold, with widespread rainfall throughout the year.
- Average temperatures: The average annual temperature is 17.5 °C. The hottest month is January with an average temperature of 32 °C while the coldest is June with an average of 6 °C
- Transportation: National airline Pluna; others that operate flights to and from Uruguay: Iberia with direct flights, while Alitalia, British Airways, Lufthansa, Air France and others with a stopover in Buenos Aires
- Airports: Montevideo International
