264 lines
21 KiB
Plaintext
264 lines
21 KiB
Plaintext
URUGUAY
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 176,220 km2; land area: 173,620 km2
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Comparative area: slightly smaller than Washington State
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Land boundaries: 1,564 km total; Argentina 579 km, Brazil 985 km
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Coastline: 660 km
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Maritime claims:
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Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation;
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Territorial sea: 200 nm (overflight and navigation permitted
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beyond 12 nm)
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Disputes: short section of boundary with Argentina is in dispute;
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two short sections of the boundary with Brazil are in dispute (Arroyo
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de la Invernada area of the Rio Quarai and the islands at the confluence
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of the Rio Quarai and the Uruguay)
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Climate: warm temperate; freezing temperatures almost unknown
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Terrain: mostly rolling plains and low hills; fertile coastal
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lowland
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Natural resources: soil, hydropower potential, minor minerals
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Land use: arable land 8%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and
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pastures 78%; forest and woodland 4%; other 10%; includes irrigated 1%
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Environment: subject to seasonally high winds, droughts, floods
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PEOPLE
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Population: 3,121,101 (July 1990), growth rate 0.6% (1991)
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Birth rate: 17 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 10 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: - 1 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 22 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 69 years male, 76 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 2.4 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Uruguayan(s); adjective--Uruguayan
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Ethnic divisions: white 88%, mestizo 8%, black 4%
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Religion: Roman Catholic (less than half adult population attends
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church regularly) 66%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, nonprofessing or other
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30%
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Language: Spanish
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Literacy: 96% (male 97%, female 96%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1990 est.)
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Labor force: 1,300,000; government 25%, manufacturing 19%,
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agriculture 11%, commerce 12%, utilities, construction, transport,
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and communications 12%, other services 21% (1988 est.)
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Organized labor: Interunion Workers' Assembly/National Workers'
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Confederation (PIT/CNT) Labor Federation
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Oriental Republic of Uruguay
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Type: republic
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Capital: Montevideo
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Administrative divisions: 19 departments (departamentos,
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singular--departamento); Artigas, Canelones, Cerro Largo, Colonia,
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Durazno, Flores, Florida, Lavalleja, Maldonado, Montevideo, Paysandu,
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Rio Negro, Rivera, Rocha, Salto, San Jose, Soriano, Tacuarembo,
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Treinta y Tres
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Independence: 25 August 1828 (from Brazil)
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Constitution: 27 November 1966, effective February 1967, suspended
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27 June 1973, new constitution rejected by referendum 30 November 1980
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Legal system: based on Spanish civil law system; accepts compulsory
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ICJ jurisdiction
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National holiday: Independence Day, 25 August (1828)
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Executive branch: president, vice president, Council of Ministers
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(cabinet)
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Legislative branch: bicameral General Assembly (Asamblea General)
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consists of an upper chamber or Chamber of Senators (Camara de
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Senadores) and a lower chamber or Chamber of Representatives (Camera de
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Representantes)
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Judicial branch: Supreme Court
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Leaders:
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Chief of State and Head of Government--President Luis Alberto
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LACALLE (since 1 March 1990); Vice President Gonzalo AGUIRRE (since
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1 March 1990)
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Political parties and leaders:
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National (Blanco) Party, Luis Alberto LACALLE Herrera;
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Colorado Party, Jorge BATLLE Ibanez;
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Broad Front Coalition, Liber SEREGNI Mosquera--includes Communist Party
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led by Jaime PEREZ
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and National Liberation Movement (MLN) or Tupamaros led by Eleuterio
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FERNANDEZ Huidobro;
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New Space Coalition consists of the Party of the Government
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of the People (PGP), Hugo BATALLA;
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Christian Democratic Party (PDC), Hector LESCANO;
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and Civic Union, Humberto CIGANDA
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Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18
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Elections:
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President--last held 26 November 1989 (next to be held November
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1994);
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results--Luis Alberto LACALLE Herrera (Blanco) 37%, Jorge BATLLE
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Ibanez (Colorado) 29%, Liber SEREGNI Mosquera (Broad Front) 20%;
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Chamber of Senators--last held 26 November 1989 (next to be held
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November 1994);
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results--Blanco 40%, Colorado 30%, Broad Front 23% New Space 7%;
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seats--(30 total) Blanco 12, Colorado 9, Broad Front 7, New Space 2;
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Chamber of Representatives--last held NA November 1989 (next to
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be held November 1994);
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results--Blanco 39%, Colorado 30%, Broad Front 22%, New Space 8%, other
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1%;
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seats--(99 total) number of seats by party NA
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Communists: 50,000
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Member of: AG (observer), CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-77, GATT, IADB,
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IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC,
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IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, NAM
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(observer), OAS, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIIMOG,
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UNMOGIP, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Eduardo MACGILLICUDDEY;
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Chancery at 1918 F Street NW, Washington DC 20006; telephone (202)
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331-1313 through 1316; there are Uruguayan Consulates General in Los
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Angeles, Miami, and New York, and a Consulate in New Orleans;
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US--Ambassador Richard C. BROWN; Embassy at Lauro Muller 1776,
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Montevideo (mailing address is APO Miami 34035); telephone 598 (2)
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23-60-61
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Flag: nine equal horizontal stripes of white (top and bottom)
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alternating with blue; there is a white square in the upper hoist-side
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corner with a yellow sun bearing a human face known as the Sun of May
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and 16 rays alternately triangular and wavy
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ECONOMY
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Overview: The economy is slowly recovering from the deep recession
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of the early 1980s. In 1988 real GDP grew by only 0.5% and in 1989 by
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1.5%. The recovery was led by growth in the agriculture and fishing
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sectors, agriculture alone contributing 20% to GDP, employing about 11%
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of the labor force, and generating a large proportion of export earnings.
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Raising livestock, particularly cattle and sheep, is the major
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agricultural activity. In 1990, despite healthy exports and an improved
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current account, domestic growth remained weak because of government
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concentration on the external sector, adverse weather conditions, and
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prolonged strikes. Bringing down high inflation, reducing a large fiscal
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deficit, and avoiding frequent strikes remain major economic problems
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for the government.
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GDP: $9.2 billion, per capita $2,970; real growth rate 1%
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(1990 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 129% (1990)
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Unemployment rate: 8.8% (1990 est.)
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Budget: revenues $1.2 billion; expenditures $1.4 billion,
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including capital expenditures of $165 million (1988)
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Exports: $1.7 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
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commodities--hides and leather goods 17%, beef 10%, wool 9%,
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fish 7%, rice 4%;
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partners--Brazil 17%, US 15%, FRG 10%, Argentina 10% (1987)
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Imports: $1.28 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
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commodities--fuels and lubricants 15%, metals, machinery,
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transportation equipment, industrial chemicals;
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partners--Brazil 24%, Argentina 14%, US 8%, FRG 8% (1987)
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External debt: $4.2 billion (1990 est.)
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Industrial production: growth rate - 2.1% (1989 est.)
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Electricity: 1,950,000 kW capacity; 5,274 million kWh produced,
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1,740 kWh per capita (1990)
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Industries: meat processing, wool and hides, sugar, textiles,
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footwear, leather apparel, tires, cement, fishing, petroleum refining,
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wine
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Agriculture: large areas devoted to extensive livestock grazing;
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wheat, rice, corn, sorghum; self-sufficient in most basic foodstuffs
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Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $105
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million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
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(1970-88), $293 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $69 million
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Currency: new Uruguayan peso (plural--pesos);
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1 new Uruguayan peso (N$Ur) = 100 centesimos
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Exchange rates: new Uruguayan pesos (N$Ur) per US$1--1,626.4
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(January 1991), 1,171.0 (1990), 605.5 (1989), 359.44 (1988), 226.67
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(1987), 151.99 (1986), 101.43 (1985)
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Fiscal year: calendar year
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Railroads: 3,000 km, all 1.435-meter standard gauge and government
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owned
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Highways: 49,900 km total; 6,700 km paved, 3,000 km gravel,
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40,200 km earth
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Inland waterways: 1,600 km; used by coastal and shallow-draft river
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craft
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Ports: Montevideo, Punta del Este
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Merchant marine: 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 65,212
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GRT/116,613 DWT; includes 2 cargo, 1 container, 1 petroleum, oils, and
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lubricants (POL) tanker
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Civil air: 14 major transport aircraft
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Airports: 91 total, 86 usable; 16 with permanent-surface runways;
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none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
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17 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: most modern facilities concentrated in
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Montevideo; new nationwide radio relay network; 337,000 telephones;
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stations--99 AM, no FM, 26 TV, 9 shortwave; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT
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earth stations
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Army, Navy (including Naval Air Arm and Marines), Air
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Force, Coast Guard, Grenadier Guards, Police
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 735,971; 597,302 fit for
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military service; no conscription
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Defense expenditures: $168 million, 2.2% of GDP (1988)
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