Colonia del Sacramento
A UNESCO-listed Portuguese colonial old town with cobblestone streets right on the Río de la Plata.
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Country book · Latin America
Uruguay
Small country, outsized calm and quality of life
Uruguay is South America's quiet overachiever — stable democracy, progressive social policy and beef consumption rivaling Argentina's, wrapped around beach towns and rolling grassland.
Myths
What's true, what isn't
Actually true
It's one of Latin America's most stable democracies
Uruguay consistently ranks among the least corrupt and most peaceful countries in the Americas.
Beef and mate consumption are genuinely enormous
Uruguayans drink mate constantly throughout the day and eat some of the highest per-capita beef amounts on Earth.
Social policy is famously progressive
Uruguay legalized same-sex marriage, cannabis and abortion years before most of the region.
José Mujica was a genuinely humble president
He donated most of his salary to charity and continued living on his small farm rather than the presidential residence.
Commonly believed, wrong
"It's just a smaller version of Argentina"
Uruguay has its own distinct politics, slower pace and beach-town culture around Punta del Este and José Ignacio.
"There's nothing to see beyond Montevideo"
Colonia del Sacramento's Portuguese colonial old town is a UNESCO site, and the interior has cattle ranch tourism (estancias).
"It's a poor, undeveloped country"
Uruguay has one of the highest GDP per capita and best social indicators in Latin America.
"Uruguayan football is minor league"
Uruguay won the first-ever World Cup in 1930 and has one of the best per-capita records in football history.
Highlights
The best of Uruguay
Punta del Este and José Ignacio
South America's answer to the Hamptons, with dramatic beaches and understated luxury.
The Rambla of Montevideo
A 22km waterfront promenade wrapping the entire capital along the Río de la Plata.
Estancia country life
Cattle ranches across the interior offer horseback riding, asado and true gaucho hospitality.
Culture
Cultural riches
Mate as social glue
Uruguayans carry thermoses of hot water everywhere to keep their mate gourd topped up all day.
Candombe drumming
Afro-Uruguayan drum parades fill Montevideo's streets during Carnival, the longest in the world.
Gaucho heritage
Rural horsemen culture shapes both cuisine and the interior's slower pace of life.
Football legacy
Uruguay's 1930 and 1950 World Cup wins remain sources of enormous national pride relative to its size.
Food
What to eat
Asado
Slow-grilled beef over wood coals, a weekend ritual as central here as in Argentina.
Chivito
A towering sandwich of steak, ham, cheese, egg and vegetables, considered the national sandwich.
Mate
The near-constant companion of daily life, shared from a gourd with a metal straw.
Chajá
A meringue, sponge cake and whipped cream dessert invented in Paysandú in the 1920s.
Milanesa al pan
A breaded fried cutlet stuffed into a sandwich roll, a quick everyday classic.
History
Important people in history
José Gervasio Artigas
1764 — 1850
Revolutionary leader considered the father of Uruguayan independence and national identity.
José Batlle y Ordóñez
1856 — 1929
President who built Uruguay's early welfare state, secularized government and expanded workers' rights.
José Mujica
b. 1935
President from 2010 to 2015, globally admired for his austere lifestyle and progressive reforms.
Cities
Most popular cities
Montevideo
Relaxed capital with a long riverfront promenade.
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Punta del Este
Glamorous beach resort town.
Colonia del Sacramento
Portuguese colonial old town on the river.
José Ignacio
Understated luxury beach village.
Cabo Polonio
A car-free dune village with sea lion colonies.