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Uruguay, officially the Eastern Republic of Uruguay or the Republic East of the Uruguay (River), is a country located in southern South America. It is bordered by Brazil to the north, the Uruguay River to the west, the estuary of the Río de la Plata (literally "River of Silver", but commonly known in English as "River Plate") to the southwest, with Argentina on the other bank of both, and finally the South Atlantic Ocean to the southeast. About half of its people live in the capital and largest city, Montevideo. The nation is the second smallest independent country in South America, larger only than Suriname (it is also larger than French Guiana, which is not independent), and is the most politically and economically stable.
At 176.214 square kilometres of Continental Land and 142.199 square kilometres of jurisdictional waters and small river islands, Uruguay is the second smallest sovereign nation in South America (after Suriname) and the third smallest territory (French Guiana is the smallest). The landscape features mostly rolling plains and low hill ranges (cuchillas) with fertile coastal lowland, most of it grassland, ideal for cattle and sheep raising. A dense fluvial network covers the country, four river basins or deltas, the River Plate, Uruguay River, Merin Lake and Black River. The major internal river is the Black River or Río Negro. Several lagoons are found along the Atlantic coast. The highest point in the country is the Cerro Catedral at 513.66 meters (1,686 ft)in the 'Carape' mountain range. To the southwest is the Río de la Plata (River Plate), the estuary of the Uruguay River, which forms the western border, and the Paraná River, that does not run through Uruguay itself.
Montevideo is the capital city of Uruguay. The population is estimated at around 3.3 million people [8], mainly of European descent, although also afro Indian mestizos are present in the country. Although the original inhabitants were exterminated as a cultural group in the nineteenth century, there is still Indian blood between the Uruguayan population. (And a minor community living on an island in the River Uruguay.) Population of African background live in the territory of present Uruguay since Colonial times, and have make an important contribution to the Uruguayan music and dance. (Montevideo Antiguo -Pablo de Maria), As the overwhelming majority of the Uruguayan population has been of European descent since the 1800s, the culture of Uruguay parallels that of Western Europe. Uruguayans have a high standard of living. It is customary for Uruguayans to dine late at night, well after 10 o'clock, and to stay out on weekends well into the early morning hours. It is very common to see in cities such as Montevideo, Colonia and Punta del Este many restaurants, cafés and pubs open until these late hours with their outdoor seating filled with the vivacious Uruguayan community. Music is also a great part of the culture of Uruguay. The most important and well-known are the Tango, Milonga, Murga, Candombe, and Cumbia.
