Geography of Uruguay

Location: Uruguay is located in South America, between Argentina and Brazil. The border between Uruguay and Brazil follows the natural mountain topography. Uruguay’s west border is separated from Argentina by the Rio Uruguay. The eastern border is the coastline of the Rio de la Plata (a large estuary) and the Atlantic Ocean.

Area: Urguay has a surface area of 68,036 square miles (176,206square kilometers); slightly smaller that the state of Washington.

Uruguay's boundaries: Uruguay shares a 360 miles (579 kilometers) border with Argentina and a 612 miles (985 kilometers) border with Brazil.


Uruguay's maritime claim: territorial sea: 12 nautical miles; contiguous zone 24 nautical miles

Uruguay's Major cities
Montevideo: population 1.4 million. Capital city, chief port, and economic center


Paysandú: population 111,509. A port city, meat-packing and shipping

Salto: population 93,420. A center for commerce, meat-packing and shipping.


Uruguay's terrain: Most of the Uruguay is rolling grassy plains, ideal for raising cattle. There are no real mountains, but there are areas of hills. Uruguay’s highest point is Cerro Catadral at 1686 feet (514 meters). Some parts of the interior have wooded valleys with slow moving rivers. The coastline has wide sandy beaches, dunes, and large lagoons.