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Tabular Data - Geography of Uruguay
| Location : |
Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Argentina and Brazil |
| Geographic Coordinates : |
33 00 S, 56 00 W |
| Map References : |
South America |
| Area : |
total: 176,220 sq km
land: 173,620 sq km
water: 2,600 sq km |
| Area - Comparative : |
slightly smaller than the state of Washington |
| Land Boundaries : |
total: 1,564 km
border countries: Argentina 579 km, Brazil 985 km |
| Coastline : |
660 km |
| Maritime Claims : |
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation |
| Climate : |
warm temperate; freezing temperatures almost unknown |
| Terrain : |
mostly rolling plains and low hills; fertile coastal lowland |
| Elevation Extremes : |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Cerro Catedral 514 m |
| Natural Resources : |
arable land, hydropower, minor minerals, fisheries |
| Land Use : |
arable land: 7.43%
permanent crops: 0.23%
other: 92.34% (2001) |
| Irrigated Land : |
1,800 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Natural Hazards : |
seasonally high winds (the pampero is a chilly and occasional violent wind which blows north from the Argentine pampas), droughts, floods; because of the absence of mountains, which act as weather barriers, all locations are particularly vulnerable to rapid changes from weather fronts |
| Environment - Current Issues : |
water pollution from meat packing/tannery industry; inadequate solid/hazardous waste disposal |
| Environment - International Agreements : |
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation |
| Geography - Note : |
Second-smallest South American country (after Suriname); most of the low-lying landscape (three-quarters of the country) is grassland, ideal for cattle and sheep raising. |
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