URUGUAY Uruguay has an area of 72,000 square miles, and is the smallest of the South American states. Physically it belongs to the southern slope of the Brazilian Highland, but the relief of the country is slight, the hills are of low elevation, and wide rolling plains constitute the greater part of the surface. The climate is cooler than in Paraguay, the mean summer temperature being between 70° F. and 80° F., while the mean winter temperature over the greater part of the country is from 50° F. to 55° F. Rain falls at all seasons of the year, but especially in summer, and the mean annual pre cipitation is from 40 to 60 inches. The prevailing type of vegetation is grassland, trees being found chiefly in the vicinity of the river courses.
The land is pre-eminently suitable for grazing purposes ; and pastoral pursuits, and subsidiary industries connected with them, occupy the great majority of the population. In 1908, the last year for which there are official statistics, it was estimated that there were 8,000,000 cattle, 26,000,000 sheep, and large numbers of horses and pigs in the country. The cattle and sheep form the
basis of the export trade, consisting of chilled meat, beef extract, hides, and wool. The firm of Liebig has large works at Paysandu and Fray Bentos, on the Uruguay. For a time it seemed as if these would be transferred to Colon, on the other side of the Uruguay in the Argentine, owing to the high export duty on beef extract levied by the Uruguayan government. This, fortunately, has recently been considerably reduced.
Arable farming is only followed to a slight extent at present, but within the last few years wheat and flour, maize and linseed, have all been exported.
Montevideo is the centre of the railway system ; the main lines run to Fray Bentos, to Paysandu, and to the Brazilian frontier, whence there is communication with Rio de Janeiro.
The exports (wool, hides, meat, and beef-extract) go mainly to France, Argentina, Belgium, and Germany, while the imports come from the United Kingdom, Germany, and France. The total trade had an average value of £16,000,000 during the years 1906-10.