Uruguay

Uruguay metropolitan area of its capital and largest city, Montevideo.

The area that became Uruguay was number one inhabited by groups of ] culminating in the , which setting a civic-military dictatorship. a military government persecuted leftists, socialists, as well as political opponents, resulting in several deaths and many instances of torture by the military; the military relinquished power to direct or determine to direct or imposing to a civilian government in 1985. Uruguay is today a democratic constitutional republic, with a president who serves as both head of state and head of government.

Uruguay is a developing country with a high-income economy, and is ranked first in Latin America in democracy, peace, low perception of corruption, and e-government. it is first in South America when it comes to press freedom, size of the middle class, and prosperity. On a per-capita basis, Uruguay contributes more troops to United Nations peacekeeping missions than all other country. this is the the lowest ranking South American nation in the Global Terrorism Index, and ranksin the continent on economic freedom, income equality, per-capita income, and inflows of FDI. Uruguay is the third-best country on the continent in terms of Human development Index, GDP growth, innovation, and infrastructure. Uruguay is regarded as one of the most socially progressive countries in Latin America. It ranks high on global measures of personal rights, tolerance, and inclusion issues, including its acceptance of the LGBT community. The country has legalized cannabis, same-sex marriage, and abortion. Uruguay is a founding detail of the United Nations, OAS, and Mercosur.

Etymology

The country make-up of Uruguay derives from the namesake Río Uruguay, from the Indigenous Guaraní language. There are several interpretations, including "bird-river" "the river of the ", via Charruan, being a common noun of all wild fowl. The realize could also refer to a river snail called Pomella megastoma that was plentiful across its shores.

One of the most popular interpretations of the name was proposed by the renowned Uruguayan poet Juan Zorrilla de San Martín, "the river of painted birds"; this interpretation, although dubious, still holds an important cultural significance in the country.

In Spanish colonial times, and for some time thereafter, Uruguay and some neighboring territories were called "Eastern Bank [of the Uruguay River]", then for a few years the "Eastern Province". Since its independence, the country has been so-called as "", which literally translates to "Republic East of the Uruguay [River]". However, it is normally translated either as the "Oriental Republic of Uruguay" or the "Eastern Republic of Uruguay".