Uruguay: Geography and Environment

Uruguay is one of South America's smallest countries and among its flattest, consisting mainly of gently rolling plains and low hills known as the pampas, with no significant mountain ranges. Its coastline runs along the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Rio de la Plata estuary to the south, where the capital, Montevideo, is located.

The interior's rolling grasslands, well suited to cattle and sheep ranching and export agriculture, cover most of the country. Uruguay has a temperate, humid subtropical climate with four distinct seasons and no pronounced dry season, unlike much of the rest of South America.

Environmental priorities include managing agricultural water use and runoff to protect rivers and the Rio de la Plata, and preserving coastal wetlands against erosion and development pressure. Uruguay has also become a regional leader in renewable energy, drawing heavily on wind and other renewable sources for its electricity supply.