History UsefulNotes / Uruguay

As a last curious note, the full name of the country is the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ('''Spanish:''' ''República Oriental del Uruguay''). That may have you thinking “So where’s the Occidental one?”, when the fact is that there isn’t. The name of the country is actually an attempt to state that it's in the east of the Uruguay River, something that doesn't seem quite clear in the name itself (same deal in Spanish, by the way).

The country became independent in 1813, but this period was brief since it was soon conquered and annexed by the Brazilian Empire, leading to the Cisplatine War between Brazil and Argentina that ended with Uruguay independent again. Soon, a civil war between the two main factions of the country, ''Blancos'' and ''Colorados'' (Whites and Reds) emerged, that eventually put Montevideo under a siege that lasted nine years (Creator/AlexandreDumas called it “a new [[UsefulNotes/TheTrojanWar Trojan War]]”). Giuseppe Garibaldi made a name for himself in the war before championing the UsefulNotes/WarsOfItalianIndependence. Brazil and Argentina took advantage of the war by supporting Reds and Whites, respectively; the war eventually ended with the victory of the Reds. As a gesture of thanks to Brazil, Uruguay made a deal that allowed Brazil to intervene in their internal affairs whenever they considered fitting. In other words, it allowed Brazil to turn Uruguay into a PuppetState whenever they wanted, something they certainly took advantage of. The last intervention, in 1864, prompted Paraguay to try to topple the new Brazil-friendly government and the UsefulNotes/WarOfTheTripleAlliance, the aftermath of which not only left Paraguay in ruins, but also freed Uruguay from the deal with Brazil.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "Bart Vs. Australia", Homer finds Uruguay on the globe. Of course, being Homer, he misreads it as "you are gay".

* ''Submerged'' despite being filmed in Sofia, Bulgaria, the action occurs in Uruguay. (in)Famous for [[CriticalResearchFailure the horribly inaccurate depictions of the country]].

* '''Highest point:''' Cerro Catedral (514 m/1,685 ft) (188th)

* '''Highest point:''' Cerro Catedral (514 m/1,685 ft) (173rd)

* '''ISO-3166-1 Code:''' UY

* '''Area:''' 176,215 km (68,037 sq mi) (89th)

->The flag's nine alternating white and blue stripes symbolize the original Departments of Uruguay (currently at nineteen): Canelones, Cerro Largo (including Treinta y Tres), Colonia, Durazno, Maldonado (including Lavalleja and Rocha), Montevideo, Paysandú (including Artigas, Río Negro, Rivera, Salto and Tacuarembó), San José and Soriano (including Flores). At the canton is the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_of_May Sun of May]], an emblem it shares with UsefulNotes/{{Argentina}}.

As a last curious note, the full name of the country is the Oriental Republic of Uruguay. That may have you thinking “So where’s the Occidental one?”, when the fact is that there isn’t. The name of the country is actually an attempt to state that it's in the east of the Uruguay River, something that doesn't seem quite clear in the name itself (same deal in Spanish, by the way).

* ''State of Siege'' by [[Film/{{Z}} Costa-]][[Film/{{Missing}} Gavras]]. Yeah, sure, it says it happens on an [[BananaRepublic unnamed South American country]], but it's based on a real event in Uruguay.

* ''Disney/TheThreeCaballeros'' has a short, ''The Flying Gauchito'', about [[ABoyAndHisX a kid and his flying donkey]].