Uruguay

The Oriental Republic of Uruguay is a country situated in South-East South-America. It shares its borders with Brazil and  Argentina and has access to the Atlantic Sea.

Appearance
They mostly appears in a black and light blue divided by a white stripe sleeveless hoodie with worn dark pants, shorts, or academy shorts with knee-high socks, black sneakers with untied shoelaces.

Personality
Their personality is quite unknown. Some people describe him as a rebel teen who is into drugs.

Interests

 * Smoking, chilling, drinking, money, and food.
 * Interested in Brazil and the  U.S.'s relationship.

Nicknames

 * Cisplatina

Flag Meaning
The current flag of Uruguay was officially adopted on July 11, 1830.

The Sun of May has been used as a national symbol since the 19th century. The blue and white colors are modeled after the flag of Argentina, and the nine stripes represent the nine departments within the country.

Historical Versions Of The Flag Of Uruguay
Uruguay has used its current flag since 1830. However, prior to this, Uruguay flew a number of different flags while it was under Spanish and Brazilian rule. Between 1821 and 1825, when Uruguay was known as Provincia Oriental, a flag with three horizontal stripes of green and white was flown.

The flag flown between 1828 and 1830 was very similar to the flag flown today with a number of differences. The sun featured in the left-hand corner was slightly different. Additionally, there were 19 stripes on the flag, compared to the nine stripes featured on the modern flag. Of these 19 stripes, nine were light blue and 10 were white. The nine-light blue stripes represented the original national departments of Uruguay.

Current Version Of The Flag Of Uruguay
In 1830, the shade of blue used in the flag was changed, and the number of stripes was reduced. In addition, the appearance of the sun was also changed. In the previous version of the flag, only the blue stripes stood for the national departments. However, after 1830, the symbolism was changed so that all colors of the flag (white and blue) stand for national departments, not just blue.

The flag of Uruguay was designed by Joaquin Suárez, a former head of state who served during Uruguay's fight for independence from Spain.

Origin Of Languages
Montevideo was founded as a military stronghold by the Spanish in the early 18th century, signifying the competing claims over the region.

Etymology
The name “Uruguay” comes from the language Guaraní and has a few different translations such as “river where the bird lives,” “river of the painted birds,” “river of the snails,” “winding river.”

The Natives Of Uruguay
The earliest traces of human presence are about 10,000 years old and belong to the hunter-gatherer cultures of Catalanense and Cuareim cultures which are extensions of cultures originating in Brasil. Earliest discovered is about 7000 years old. Examples of ancient rock art have been found at Chamangá. About 4000 years ago Charrua and Guarani people arrived here.

During pre-colonial times Uruguayan territory was inhabited by small tribes of nomadic Charrua, Chana, Arachanand Guarani peoples who survived by hunting and fishing and probably never reached more than 10 000 – 20 000 people. It is estimated that there were about 9,000 Charrúa and 6,000 Chaná and Guaraní at the time of contact with Europeans in the 1500s.

Native peoples had almost disappeared by the time of Independence as a result of European diseases and constant warfare. European genocide culminated on April 11, 1831, with the Massacre of Salsipuedes, when most of the Charrua men were killed by the Uruguayan army on the orders by President Fructuoso Rivera, and the remaining 300 Charrua women and children were divided as household slaves and servants among Europeans.

Colonization
During the colonial era, the present-day territory of Uruguay was known as Banda Oriental (east bank of River Uruguay) and was a buffer territory between the competing colonial pretensions of Portuguese Brazil and the Spanish Empire.

The Portuguese first explored the region of present-day Uruguay in 1512–1513. The first European explorer to land here was Juan Díaz de Solís in 1516, but he was killed by natives. Ferdinand Magellan anchored at the future site of Montevideo in 1520. Sebastian Cabot in 1526 explored Río de la Plata but no permanent settlements took root here. Absence of gold and silver limited settlement of the region during the 16th and 17th centuries.

In 1603 cattle and horses were introduced here by the order of Hernando Arias de Saavedra and by the mid-17th century, their number had greatly multiplied.

The first permanent settlement on the territory of present-day Uruguay was founded by the Spanish Jesuits in 1624 at Villa Soriano on the Río Negro, where they tried to establish a Misiones Orientales system for the Charruas.

Portuguese colonists in 1680 established Colônia do Sacramento on the northern bank of La Plata river, on the opposite coast from Buenos Aires. Spanish colonial activity increased as Spain sought to limit Portugal's expansion of Brazil's frontiers. In 1726 Spanish established San Felipe de Montevideo on the northern bank and its natural harbor soon developed into a commercial center competing with Buenos Aires, they also moved to capture Colonia del Sacramento. Treaty of Madrid secured Spanish control over Banda Oriental, settlers were given land here and a local cabildo was created.

In 1776 the new Viceroyalty of Rio de la Plata was established with capital in Buenos Aires and it included the territory of Banda Oriental. By this time the land was divided and used by cattle ranchers to raise cattle. By 1800 more than 10,000 people lived in Montevideo and another 20,000 in the rest of the province. Out of these about 30% were African slaves.

Uruguay's early 19th-century history was shaped by ongoing fights between the British, Spanish, Portuguese, and local colonial forces for dominance of the La Plata Basin. In 1806 and 1807, the British as a part of the Anglo-Spanish War (1796–1808), launched the British invasions of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires was invaded in 1806 and then liberated by forces from Montevideo led by Santiago de Liniers. A new and stronger British attack in 1807 aimed at Montevideo, which was occupied by a 10,000-strong British force. The British forces were then unable to invade Buenos Aires for the second time, and Liniers demanded the liberation of Montevideo in the terms of capitulation. The British gave up their attacks when the Peninsular War turned Britain and Spain into allies against Napoleon.

Struggle For Independence, 1811–28
The May Revolution of 1810 in Buenos Aires marked the end of Spanish rule in the Viceroyalty and establishment of the United Provinces of Rio de la Plata. The Revolution divided inhabitants of Montevideo, many of whom remained royalists, loyal to the Spanish crown and revolutionaries who supported the independence of provinces from Spain. This soon led to the First Banda Oriental campaign between Buenos Aires and the Spanish viceroy. Local patriots under José Gervasio Artigas issued the Proclamation of 26 February 1811 which called for a war against the Spanish rule. With the help from Buenos Aires, Artigas defeated Spaniards on May 18, 1811, at the Battle of Las Piedras and began Siege of Montevideo. At this point, Spanish viceroy invited Portuguese from Brazil to launch a military invasion of Banda Oriental. Afraid to lose this province to the Portuguese, Buenos Aires made peace with the Spanish viceroy. Only British pressure persuaded Portuguese to withdraw in late 1811, leaving royalists in control of Montevideo. Angered by this betrayal from Buenos Aires, Artigas with some 4000 supporters retreated to Entre Ríos Province. During the Second Banda Oriental campaign in 1813, Artigas joined José Rondeau's army from Buenos Aires and started the second siege of Montevideo, resulting in its surrender to Río de la Plata.

Artigas participated in the formation of League of the Free People, which united several provinces that wanted to be free from Buenos Aire's dominance and centralized state, envisioned by the Congress of Tucumán. Artigas was proclaimed Protector of this League. Guided by his political ideas (Artiguism) he launched a land reform, dividing the land to small farmers.

Government
TBA

Argentina
Uruguay and Argentina established diplomatic relations on July 20, 1811. Uruguay gained its independence after the Cisplatine War, with Argentine aid. During the Uruguayan Civil War, Argentina supported the National Party. The countries were allied during the Paraguayan War. Since the end of the 19th century, both countries have shared a similar pattern of European immigration. They have very close economic, cultural and political ties with each other. Between the 1960s and the 1990s, there was much Uruguayan immigration to Argentina. Today, there are around 120,000 people of Uruguayan descent living in Argentina. In 2006 the countries had their first diplomatic tensions over the Pulp mill dispute, which was resolved in 2010.

Brazil
Brazil and Uruguay are neighboring countries that share close historical, cultural and geographical ties. The singularity of the bilateral relationship between the two countries originates from the strong historical connection - marked by important events, such as the establishment of the Colônia do Sacramento in 1680, the annexation by Brazil and the subsequent creation of the Província Cisplatina in 1815, and Uruguay's independence from Brazil in 1828.

Chile
WIP/TBA

United States
Uruguay cooperates with the U.S. on law enforcement matters, such as regional efforts to fight drug trafficking and terrorism. It has also been very active in human rights issues. In 2002, Uruguay and the U.S. created a Joint Commission on Trade and Investment (JCTI) to exchange ideas on a variety of economic topics. In March 2003, the JCTI identified six areas of concentration until the eventual signing of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA): customs issues, intellectual property protection, investment, labor, environment, and trade in goods. In late 2004, Uruguay and the U.S. signed an Open Skies Agreement, which was ratified in May 2006. In November 2005, they signed a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT), which entered into force on November 1, 2006. A Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) was signed in January 2007. More than 80 U.S.-owned companies operate in Uruguay, and many more market U.S. goods and services.

Russia
Russia is looking for cooperation with Uruguay in the field of nuclear energy, the Russian ambassador to Latin America said: "Our countries could maintain cooperation in the sphere of nuclear energy although Uruguay's legislation bans the use of nuclear energy". The diplomat said Uruguayan officials had shown interest in a floating nuclear power plant when the project's presentation took place at the Russian Embassy recently. The first floating plant will have a capacity of 70 MW of electricity, and about 300 MW of thermal power. The cost of the first plant is estimated at US$400 million, but could later be reduced to $240 million. This year marks the 150th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Russia and Uruguay.

Ukraine
TBA

Family
Greece-Pictogram.png Greece — Grandparent Italy-Pictogram.png Italy— Grandparent Spain-Pictogram.png Spain — Parent Portugal-Pictogram.png Portugal — Pibling Argentina-Pictogram.png Argentina — Sibling Paraguay-Pictogram.png Paraguay — Sibling Brazil-Pictogram.png Brazil — Cousin

Friends
Bolivia-Pictogram.png Bolivia Chile-Pictogram.png Chile — "You're cool!" Colombia-Pictogram.png Colombia — "You're fine" Ecuador-Pictogram.png Ecuador Jamaica-Pictogram.png Jamaica— "A good friend"

Neutral
Brazil-Pictogram.png Brazil — "I am not going to be a part of you again! I'm independent now." Cuba-Pictogram.png Cuba Paraguay-Pictogram.png Paraguay Venezuela-Pictogram.png Venezuela — "I'd rather be careful around you..."

Enemies
Mexico-Pictogram.png Mexico

Argentina
"TBA"

Brazil
"I am not going to be a part of you again, I'd rather like to keep my independence!"

Religion:
Urbanization: 95% (3.2 Million) Social Progress Index: 38th in the World Basic Human Needs: 50th in the World Foundations of Wellbeing: 46th in the World Social Opportunities: 26th in the World Health & Wellness: 46th in the World Personal Safety: 98th in the World Access to Education: 68th in the World Advanced Education: 35th in the World Access to Information: 38th in the World Environmental Quality: 68th in the World Personal Freedom: 32nd in the World Freedom of Speech: 21st in the World Tolerance and Inclusion: 18th in the World Women Equality: Medium Tolerance for Minorities: 6th in the World Tolerance for Homosexuals: 12th in the World (78.9%) Unemployment: 7.3% (127,604) Telephones: 6 Million Mobile Phones: 5 Million Internet Users: 2 Million Users (59.7%)
 * Roman Catholic 47.1% (1.6 Million),
 * Atheist 40.4% (1.4 Million),
 * Protestant (11%, 371,597),
 * Other (1.5%, 50,672)