The landscape features mostly rolling plains and low hill ranges with a fertile coastal lowland, most of it grasslands, and an abundance of rivers, streams and lakes.
The climate in Uruguay is temperate; the average annual temperature ranges from 16 to 20 degrees centigrade (61 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit).
Uruguay has a total area of 176,215 sq km. It is administratively divided into 19 departments and has a population of 3,250,000, mostly of European origin, especially Italian and Spanish descendents. The official language is Spanish.
The name "Uruguay" comes from Guaraní, the original language of the native people of the region, and means "river of birds". There are more than 400 bird species in Uruguay. The Eastern Marshlands are the half-way stop for birds migrating from the Antarctic to Canada.
|