Uruguay is a small country in South America with borders with Argentina and Brazil. It was colonized by the Spanish in the 16th century and was later fought over by the Portuguese and British. It gained independence in 1828 after a revolt and civil war. The country experienced growth and stability until the 1960s when violence broke out, leading to military rule until 1984. Since then, the country has stabilized, and tourism has increased. It offers beautiful beaches, colonial-era ruins, and national parks. Travel is possible by air, land, or sea.
Uruguay is a small country in South America. It covers 68,000 square miles (176,200 square km), making it somewhat smaller than the state of Missouri. It shares borders with Argentina and Brazil and has coastlines along the Atlantic Ocean.
If Uruguay was colonized in the distant past, then all signs of this habitation have since been swallowed up by the jungle. The earliest known inhabitants of the region were the Charrua Indians, who migrated to the area from the north after being driven out by the Guarani.
In the early 16th century the Spanish arrived in Uruguay. For the first century the conquest was limited, because the Charrua fought fiercely against the Conquistadores, and the region was of little interest to the Spaniards. By the early 17th century, the Spanish had established a limited colony in Uruguay, based primarily on cattle ranching. Spain continued to develop the area, creating more outposts, in an effort to prevent Portugal from pushing Brazil’s borders further south. Throughout the 18th century Uruguay continued to be a major battleground between the Portuguese and the Spanish, and later the British.
In 1811 there was a revolt against Spain, ending Spanish control of the region. Ten years later Portugal annexed the territory as part of Brazil. In 1825 the region rebelled again, declaring independence and joining Argentina in an alliance to keep Brazil at bay. The alliance fought Brazil for nearly two years before finally concluding peace in a treaty in 1828, at which point Uruguay was formally recognized as a sovereign nation.
Following a military coup in 1838, the country plunged into civil war. The civil war would eventually involve Argentina, Britain, and France, ending in 1852 after more than a decade of heavy fighting and a nine-year siege on the city of Montevideo.
The peace was short-lived however, with a new beginning of conflict, this time aimed at neighboring Paraguay, only three years after the end of the previous civil war. By the early 1860s the war had reached its peak, with Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina fighting against Paraguay. By the end of the conflict the region was weary of war and reached a relatively peaceful settlement.
For the rest of the century, Uruguay will enjoy peace and growth, with an influx of immigrants and a massive expansion of the agricultural sector. Uruguay continued to experience growth for the first half of the 20th century, before the economy finally slowed down in the 1920s.
In the 1960s violence began to break out in the cities, essentially destabilizing the government. By the late 1960s the president had declared a state of emergency and the military took power in 1973. A military junta continued to rule the country until 1984, when popular protests and demonstrations convinced the military to take the country back to civilian control. Free elections were held that year and power passed peacefully. For the next 15 years, the country continued to stabilize, the economy recovered, and democratic reforms continued to be passed. In 1999 the country saw a severe downturn in most economic sectors. Since 2003 national economic policy has moved away from privatization and has undertaken massive revisions to try to stabilize the economy again, so far with little success.
Uruguay offers beautiful beaches, cowboy country, an amazing capital and some charming little villages. Since the economic crisis the country has become incredibly affordable and tourism has increased in recent years. Colonial-era ruins are some of the big attractions here, with national parks like Santa Teresa showcasing war-era forts and barracks. Beaches are also all over the coast, from the international Punta del Este, sometimes called the capital of the Uruguayan Riviera, to Punta del Diablo, it’s the near-perfect opposite.
Flights arrive daily in Montevideo from other South American countries and a few other international hubs. Overland travel is also possible from Brazil and Argentina, as is travel by hydrofoil or ferry between Montevideo and Brazil.
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