Uruguay Info

Written by External Sources

Uruguay MapThe República Oriental del Uruguay is the second smallest country in South America, and is located on the continent’s southeastern coast between Brazil and Argentina.

It has more that 120 thousand square kilometers of territorial sea plus jurisdictional waters of rivers and lagoons. Immerse in a landscape of prairies and hills of singular beauty, Uruguay convey a feeling of peace and tranquility that captivates visitors.

Combination of open space and low population density has afforded Uruguay many opportunities for economic development.

Discovered by the Spanish in 1516, the territory that is now denominated Uruguay obtained its independence form Spain and Portugal in 1825 and sworn its first Constitution in 1830. From the late 19th century up to the second half of the 20th century, Uruguay received its most important migratory flows. Spaniard and Italians have strengthened the current cultural stratification.

Uruguay developed throughout much of the 20th century as one of Latin America’s more progressive societies, notable for its political stability, advanced social legislation, and a relatively large middle class. It is a peaceful stable country, both politically and economically.

Uruguay is an open society, promoting tolerance and non-discrimination towards foreigners whether of different race, religion or political ideologies.  Uruguayans are a very attractive people with warm hearts and an inherent sense of sharing. Services such as public administration, education, computer programming, and tourism account for about one-fourth of the GDP. Uruguay is a country that presents no health problems, that provides the comfort required as to accommodations and facilities; and whose population is cultured, homogeneous and hospitable.

The Uruguayan society is basically the heiress of a solid cultural European substratum that has been influenced by other cultural traditions. The mate, drink of indigenous origin; the carnival of Hispanic roots but with a well-known influence of African rhythms and folkloric expressions; the tango, born of the merger between musical traditions of African origin and of the European and Creole instruments and rhythms; the gaucho that testifies with its lifestyle a singular amalgam of the Hispanic with the native culture, are some of the examples that tell us about the encounter of very different traditions and that explain, in some way, the shape of the current Uruguayan culture and thus its society.

Sport in Uruguay has been part of Uruguayan culture from the early start of the nation. Winner of two World Cups and two Olympic Championships in Football, Uruguay has been a constantly successful sports nation in continental and world aspects also in other sports: Basketball, Cycling, Tennis, Swimming, Rowing and Boxing.

Uruguay offers endless natural scenery and a wide variety of historical sites in a small area, which makes it a natural destination for tourism.

With 650 km of coastline along the Rio de la Plata and the Atlantic Ocean, Uruguay offers a wide range of options. Rough and calm beaches, of fresh and salty water, with golden, thin or thick sand, private beaches, crowded beaches, and beautiful sunsets surrounded by natural beauty, are a real temptation for the visitors who want to escape from routine.

Punta del Este, internationally recognized as the most important seaside resort in America and renowned as a meeting place for high-level international conferences, is located in the province of Maldonado, only one and a half hours away from the capital of the country. Its biggest attraction is the extraordinary variety of offerings, in terms of hotels, cuisine and cultural activities, as well as the natural beauty that surrounds the peninsula.

You are welcome to come to Punta del Este and discover Uruguay!

> Uruguayan Tourism Minister
> Conrad Punta del Este Resort & Casino

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03 May 2012
On 29th October the 2nd FINA World Aquatics Convention will open gathering together leaders from...

FINA World Aquatics Convention

The 2nd FINA World Aquatics Convention will take place in the Congress Center of the World Trade Center Moscow 29th October to 1st November, building on the success of the inaugural event which took place in 2010 in Punta del Este, Uruguay.

The content and format of the Convention has been developed in order to enhance the experience for our National Federation members, but also importantly for the aquatics industry representatives. One key development is the inclusion of the FINA Gold Coaches Clinic

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Uruguay

URU
The República Oriental del Uruguay is the second smallest country in South America, and is located on the continent’s southeastern coast between Brazil and Argentina.

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FINA President's Welcome

Dr. Julio C. Maglione

It is my great pleasure to introduce the 2nd FINA World Aquatics Convention, to be held from October 29-November 1, 2012 in the exciting city of Moscow (RUS).

I consider that the development of FINA’s 202 National Federations is the main tool on creating a solid basis for the progress for our sports. Our Members must feel part of a strong organisation, FINA, with the aim of organising great FINA events as Aquatic Festivals, where the world will enjoy the great stars in our five disciplines.

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