Interesting Facts About Uruguay

Uruguay is a a country located in the southeast of South America. Here are some interesting facts about Uruguay that you probably don’t know.

Interesting Facts About Uruguay

About 3.5 million people live in Uruguay. Almost half of population live in the capital of Uruguay- Montevideo.
Uruguay is a democratic country. The president is both the head of state and the head of government.
About 95% of the population are of ‘mostly European’ decent.
Uruguay is a fairly rich country. The United Nations have ranked it the 45th country in the world for ‘quality of life’.
Uruguay declared independence from Brazil on August 25, 1825.
The official currency of Uruguay is the peso.
The Spanish arrived in Uruguay in 1516. They introduced cattle in 1603, which was a great source of wealth in the region. Uruguay was at the center of many battles between Portugal, Spain and Britain throughout the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.
54% of the population identify themselves as Roman Catholics. About 1% of the population are Jewish.
Emigration to the United States has risen over the past 10 years.
Uruguay has a very high literacy rate- 97.3%.
Uruguayans are known to eat lots of meat! They especially enjoy beef platters and steak sandwiches.
The main sport in Uruguay is football (soccer). The national football team has won the FIFA World Cup twice- in 1930 and 1950. It is the smallest country (in terms of population) to ever win a World Cup.