tiles


Note:  Do not rely on this information. It is very old.

Uruguay

Uruguay, or Banda Oriental, a Republic of South America, lying S. and W. of Brazil, North of the estuary of the Plata, and N. and N.E. of the Argentine Confederation, with an area of about 70,000 square miles. Level on the coast, the country rises to the vast rolling plains of the Pampas, until it reaches the forest-clad ranges of the Cuchilla de Hoedo and other offshoots of the Cordilleras. The Uruguay and its tributaries, chief of which is the Rio Negro, drain the district and provide water-carriage. Cereals and fruits of all kinds can be grown abundantly along the river-courses, but the breeding of cattle, sheep, and horses is the chief source of wealth, large quantities of frozen and canned meat being exported to Europe. There are great mineral resources, as yet almost unexplored. Originally a dependency of Buenos Ayres, and under the Government of Brazil, the colony proclaimed its independence in 1825, and was recognized by the Treaty of Montevideo some four years later. Montevideo, the capital, is on the north bank of the Plata. The river Uruguay rises in latitude 26° 30' S., and, after a circuitous course of about 800 miles, joins the Parana and the Plata 35 miles above Buenos Ayres.