Uruguay Listeni/'j??r?gwa?

/,[7] officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay or t he Eastern Republic of Uruguay[8] or the Republic East of the Uruguay (River)[9] (Spanish: Repblica Oriental del Uruguay, pronounced: [re'pulika o?jen'tal del u?u '?waj]), is a country in the southeastern region of South America. It is bordere d by Argentina to its west and Brazil to its north and east, with the Atlantic O cean to the south and southeast. Uruguay is home to 3.3 million people,[2] of wh om 1.8 million live in the metropolitan area of its capital and largest city, Mo ntevideo. With an area of approximately 176,000 square kilometres (68,000 sq mi) , Uruguay is geographically the second-smallest nation in South America after Su riname. Uruguay remained largely uninhabited until the establishment of Colonia del Sacr amento, one of the oldest European settlements in the country, by the Portuguese in 1680. Montevideo was founded as a military stronghold by the Spanish in the early 18th century, signifying the competing claims over the region. Uruguay won its independence between 1811 and 1828, following a four-way struggle between S pain, Portugal, Argentina and Brazil. It remained subjected to foreign influence and intervention throughout the 19th century, with the military playing a recur ring role in domestic politics until the late 20th century. Modern Uruguay is a democratic constitutional republic, with a president who serves as both head of state and head of government. It frequently ranks as one of the most developed a nd prosperous countries in Latin AmericaUruguay Listeni/'j??r?gwa?/,[7] official ly the Oriental Republic of Uruguay or the Eastern Republic of Uruguay[8] or the Republic East of the Uruguay (River)[9] (Spanish: Repblica Oriental del Uruguay, pronounced: [re'pulika o?jen'tal del u?u'?waj]), is a country in the southeaster n region of South America. It is bordered by Argentina to its west and Brazil to its north and east, with the Atlantic Ocean to the south and southeast. Uruguay is home to 3.3 million people,[2] of whom 1.8 million live in the metropolitan area of its capital and largest city, Montevideo. With an area of approximately 176,000 square kilometres (68,000 sq mi), Uruguay is geographically the second-s mallest nation in South America after Suriname. Uruguay remained largely uninhabited until the establishment of Colonia del Sacr amento, one of the oldest European settlements in the country, by the Portuguese in 1680. Montevideo was founded as a military stronghold by the Spanish in the early 18th century, signifying the competing claims over the region. Uruguay won its independence between 1811 and 1828, following a four-way struggle between S pain, Portugal, Argentina and Brazil. It remained subjected to foreign influence and intervention throughout the 19th century, with the military playing a recur ring role in domestic politics until the late 20th century. Modern Uruguay is a democratic constitutional republic, with a president who serves as both head of state and head of government. It frequently ranks as one of the most developed a nd prosperous A metropolitan area, sometimes referred to as a metro area or metr o, is a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populat ed surrounding territories, sharing industry, infrastructure, and housing.[1] A metropolitan area usually comprises multiple jurisdictions and municipalities: n eighborhoods, townships, cities, exurbs, counties, and even states. As social, e conomic and political institutions have changed, metropolitan areas have become key economic and political regions.[2] Metropolitan areas, include one or more u rban areas, as well as satellite cities and intervening rural areas that are soc io-economically tied to the urban core, typically measured by commuting patterns .[3 countries in Latin America