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Uruguayans share a Spanish linguistic and cultural background, even though almost a half of the population is of Italian origin and other ethnic groups. The smallest country in size in South America has over 4 million inhabitants as of the early 2000's.

Uruguay is heavily populated by people of European origin. According to an study done in 1997, 94% of its population is of white European descent, Spaniards, followed closely by Italians, including numbers of British, Germans, French, Swiss, Russians, Portuguese, Poles, Bulgarians, Hungarians, Ukrainians, Lithuanians, Estonians, Latvians, Dutch, Belgians, Croatians, Greeks, Scandinavians, Irish, and Armenians. The remaining 6% are of african or asian descent.

Many Swiss colonies such as Colonia Suiza, Colonia Valdense and Nueva Helvecia are founded in the department of Colonia del Sacramento. Also, there are towns founded by early British settlers, like Conchillas and Barker. A Russian colony called San Javier, is found in the department of Rio Negro. Also there are mennonites colonies in the department of Rio Negro and in the department of Canelones. One of them, called El Ombu, is famous by his well know Dulce de Leche "Claldy", and is located near the city of Young.

Many of the European immigrants arrived to Uruguay in the late 1800s and have heavily influenced the architecture and culture of Montevideo and other major cities. For this reason, Montevideo and life within the city are very reminiscent of Western Europe.

The rest of the Uruguayan population is african or white-african, almost the 6%. Amerindians and mestizos are nonexistent. Uruguay is the only country in America without this type of population. Uruguay has the most homogeneous population of the western hemisphere.

Metropolitan Montevideo, with about 2 million inhabitants, is the capital and only large city. The rest of the urban population lives in about 20 towns. Montevideo is about 50 kilometers (30 miles) away from Buenos Aires in neighboring Argentina.

Uruguay is distinguished by its high literacy rate (99%), large urban middle class, and relatively even income distribution. During the 1970s and 1980s, an estimated six-hundred thousand Uruguayans emigrated, principally to Spain, Italy, Argentina and Brazil. Other Uruguayans went to various countries in Europe, Australia and the USA.

As a result of the low birth rate, high life expectancy, and relatively high rate of emigration of younger people, Uruguay's population is quite mature. In 2006, the country had a birth rate of 13.91 births per thousand population,lower than neighboring countries Argentina (16.73 births/1000 population)[3] and Brazil (16.56 births/1,000 population).

Church and state are officially separated. Most Uruguayans adhere to the Roman Catholic faith (62%), with smaller Protestant (4%) and Jewish (3%), as well as a large nonprofessing group (31%).

Although the majority of Uruguayans do not actively practice a religion, they are nominally church members in the Catholic, Protestant and other communities. Uruguayan life is what political observers consider Uruguay is the most secular country (sometimes tied with the US) in the western and southern hemispheres.

Uruguay is distinguished by its high literacy rate, large urban middle class, a traditional socialist welfare state program yet in need of improvements in the 1990's, and relatively even income distribution. The average Uruguayan standard of living compares favorably with that of most other Latin Americans, but ranks behind that of North American giants the US and Canada, and western European nations.

During the past two decades, an estimated 500,000 Uruguayans had emigrated, principally to Brazil, Argentina and Europe. (Spain is the main destination for Uruguaians, but also drawn to Italy, France and Germany). There are 500,000 Uruguayans in Brazil, the largest community of this group and many came there to escape political persecution in the 1970's.

Emigration to the United States also rose recently, but remains a small part of the US Latino population. The majority of Uruguaians in the US live in New York city, New Jersey, Washington, DC and urban areas of California.

As a result of the low birth rate, high life expectancy, and relatively high rate of emigration of younger people, Uruguay's population is quite mature with a lower percentage of young people than most of Latin America (except for Chile and Argentina).

Population: 3,431,932 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 24% (male 417,288; female 397,125)
15-64 years: 63% (male 1,030,201; female 1,057,968)
65 years and over: 13% (male 178,393; female 253,099) (2000 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.51% (2004 est.)

Birth rate: 14.44 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate: 9.07 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 15.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.24 years
male: 71.9 years
female: 78.75 years (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.96 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Uruguayan(s); Oriental(s)
adjective: Uruguayan

Ethnic groups: white 94% (European), black 6%, amerindian nonexistent.

Religions: Roman Catholic 62% (less than one-half of the adult population attends church regularly), Protestant 4%, Jewish 3%, nonprofessing or other 31%.

Languages: Spanish

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.3%
male: 96.9%
female: 97.7% (1995 est.)

^ 1. [Transparency.org]

^ 2. Reporters Without Borders Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2002

^ 3. Reporters Without Borders Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2003

^ 4. Reporters Without Borders Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2004

^ 5. Reporters Without Borders Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2005

^ 6. Reporters Without Borders Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2006