Discover Uruguay : Geography

Surface and territorial space

Uruguay is located in the temperate zone of the Southern Hemisphere, in the southeast of South America. It has a privileged geographical position on the continent, as it is the gateway to the La Plata basin, bridging the gap between Argentina and Brazil. Its surface area is 176,215 km². Compared to its neighbors, the Uruguayan territory appears tiny, but if we compare its size to the European scale, we realize that it could contain the entire Benelux and Switzerland in addition! However, it is the second smallest country in South America after Suriname. With 670 km of coastline, the Uruguayan sea extends over 208,057 km², of which 13,778 km² stretch along the River Plate. The boundary between these two water bodies was arbitrarily set at Punta del Este, because the water is saltier from this point. These coasts are composed of rocky points (as in Punta Carretas in Montevideo), sandy beaches, and coastal ravines (as in San Gregorio in the department of San José). Uruguay is one of the few countries whose maritime space is larger than its land territory. On the other hand, the Uruguayan soil is characterized by a slightly undulating relief with neither high mountains nor vast plains, a transition between the Argentine pampas and the south of Brazil with more accentuated topography. In fact, Uruguay is the country with the lowest average altitude in South America. It has plains in its southern, eastern and western parts. The one along the Atlantic Ocean is a sandy and swampy coastal plain, occasionally cut by shallow lagoons. The coastal plains of the Río de la Plata and the Río Uruguay are somewhat wider, merging more gradually with the hills that make up the interior. The rest, that is to say three quarters of the territory, is an undulating plateau marked by rows of low hills, higher towards the north where they extend the plateaus of southern Brazil. Although these inland areas often have an undulating relief, the hills rarely exceed 200 m in altitude. The most prominent are formations called cuchillas (blades), because they prevent water from flowing. The highest point in the country, Cerro Catedral, reaches 514 m, followed by Cerro de las Animas (501 m). These two peaks are located in the department of Maldonado. In terms of orography, Uruguay does not have to fear earthquakes or landslides since it is entirely located on the South American plate, far from any active tectonic faults. However, seismic tremors from neighboring countries can be felt. Finally, Uruguay is practically free of inhospitable areas, with 90% of its territory being exploitable. It is estimated that there are about 3 to 4 million hectares (about 20% of its total surface) of arable land, although only 1/3 of it is cultivated.

Tributaries, rivers and basins

As for its hydrographic network, Uruguay is a country rich in fresh water (water is theoretically drinkable throughout the territory) and water in all its forms, since it is surrounded by and contains rivers, streams, lakes, lagoons and of course, the sea. Four main river basins stand out. Firstly, the Uruguay River, which forms the border with Argentina, is bordered by low-lying banks that sometimes cause disastrous floods, as they invade vast flat areas. This river also has important thermal spring areas that can be visited. Then, the Negro River crosses the country from the northeast to the southwest before joining the Uruguay River. The Río de la Plata basin drowns in the Atlantic Ocean in the department of Maldonado, more precisely from Punta del Este, after having widened considerably to the point of not appearing as a river. Finally, the basin of the Merín lagoon, located at the Brazilian border, in the northeast, is the largest of the many lagoons along the Atlantic coast. Its basin covers 62,250 km², of which 33,000 belong to Uruguay.

Regions

Uruguay has a total of 19 administrative departments that can be grouped into 4 main regions: Interior, Coastal, Greater Montevideo and Coastal. Each department has its own capital, which is usually named after the department itself. For example, the capital of the department of Rocha is called Rocha; that of Tacuarembó, Tacuarembó, and that of Paysandú, you guessed it, is called Paysandú. This can sometimes be confusing, so check to see if they are talking about the department itself or the city.

The interior. The territory of the gauchos, of agriculture and cattle. The most important region geographically, it includes the departments of Artigas, Cerro Largo, Durazno, Flores, Florida, Lavalleja, Rivera, Salto, Tacuarembó and Treinta y Tres and the eastern parts of Paysandú, Río Negro and Soriano. Most of the interior is devoted to cattle or sheep farming. The estancias, whose livestock are mainly cows, horses and sheep, are huge, often exceeding 1,000 hectares. They are mainly concentrated in the north and east of the country. Although sparsely populated, this area is relatively urbanized. The population is largely concentrated in the departmental capitals. Social and economic development indicators remain the lowest in the country in the departments bordering Brazil to the north. The topsoil is thin and unsuitable for intensive agriculture. Government attempts to introduce wheat cultivation and agricultural expansion in the interior have largely failed. One exception is rice, which now occupies nearly 140,000 hectares and employs some 400 growers in the east of the country and has become a key export for the country, which is now a top-10 exporter worldwide.

The coastline. We are not talking about the Atlantic coast, but about the river banks in the west of the country. The estuary of the River Plate is present on the Uruguayan coastline and creates a large deltaic area at the mouth of the Uruguay River. This area extends northward along the Uruguay River to the border with Brazil. North of Montevideo are the departments of Soriano, Río Negro, Paysandú and Salto, which run along the Uruguay River. These regions are generally more developed than inland (interior). The better quality soils are more fertile, favoring crops, and the farms are generally smaller. The cultivation of citrus for export has increased in the departments bordering the River Uruguay. The construction of the Argentine-Uruguayan Salto Grande dam north of Salto was an important source of development for the region in the 1970s. On the other hand, the closure of the famous meat processing plant in Fray Bentos has turned this town into a ghost town. Further south, the economy benefited from the construction of the General Artigas Bridge linking Paysandú to the Argentine province of Entre Ríos. This bridge also relieved the maritime traffic between the cities of Colonia del Sacramento and Buenos Aires, which face each other on the Río de la Plata. In compensation, the Uruguayan government has strongly contributed to the renovation of the latter and to the development of tourism, especially in Argentina. Further north, the departments of Paysandú and Salto attract thousands of visitors with coming to enjoy the spas of Guaviyú, Almirón, Daymán and Arapey. These tourist establishments are equipped with good infrastructures for accommodation and gastronomy, in harmony with the natural environment of the region.

Greater Montevideo. If we combine the department of Montevideo with that of Canelones, we obtain a whole, the Greater Montevideo, which contains more than half of the Uruguayan population, contributing to the monocephalous character of the country. The densities that can be observed in this area are incomparably higher than in any other part of the country. Montevideo was originally founded on a promontory overlooking a wide bay that forms a perfect natural harbor. The city has grown in such a way that it now covers the entire department of Montevideo. The historic center, known as the old city, is adjacent to the port. The business and middle-class residential areas have moved further east. The only exception to this is the presence of the majority of financial and banking activities in the old city, around the Stock Exchange and the Banco de la República Oriental del Uruguay. Today, Greater Montevideo is by far the most developed region in Uruguay and dominates the nation both economically and culturally. The interior of Canelones is the domain of small farms and fruit and vegetable plantations. Numerous small seaside resorts line the coast of this department, and their local tourist activity is a source of wealth for the region.