Country Overview

According to physicscat, Uruguay is a republic on the east coast of South America with the capital Montevideo. It is the smallest country in South America after Suriname and about half the size of Germany. Uruguay is located at the huge confluence of the Río de la Plata, after which the so-called La Plata states Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay are named. In terms of its natural surroundings, it consists of a hill country covered by grassy areas, which extends into the Argentine pampas in the south and south-east transforms. No other nation in South America is so strongly influenced by Spanish-European culture. 88% of the population are of European descent. Other ethnic groups are mestizos (German mestizos) and the descendants of slaves abducted from Africa. Although the country is dominated by agriculture, the degree of urbanization is 96%. Until it was discovered by Spanish colonists in 1516, hunting and fishing peoples lived in the area. In 1777 it became a Spanish colony. After the uprising against the Spanish motherland (1811), Uruguay was annexed by Portugal in 1817 and annexed to Brazil. 1825-28 it fought for independence. In the 1970s, the military established a cruel dictatorship. Since 1984 the nation has been engaged in a process of democratization with changing governments. Uruguay received the title »Switzerland of South America« for its stable economy and progressive social legislation that was introduced at an early stage. To this day, agriculture, in particular with cattle and sheep breeding as well as soy and rice cultivation, an important pillar of the economy. The industry mainly processes wood, animal and other agricultural products. 97% of the energy comes from renewable energy sources. 1991 Uruguay was with Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay founding member of the South American customs and economic community Mercosur. The secretariat is based in Montevideo.

Historic District of Colonia del Sacramento (World Heritage)

The old town of the city, founded in 1680, has numerous historical monuments such as B. the presidential palace from 1730. With its alleys, squares and parks, the historic quarter is reminiscent of old colonial times. Located on the headland in the Río de la Plata and protected by the bastions of San Miguel, San Pedro and Santa Rita, the city has long been a bone of contention between the Spaniards and the Portuguese.

Colonia del Sacramento Historic District: Facts

Official title:	Historic district of Colonia del Sacramento
Cultural monument:	At the mouth of the Río de la Plata, a cityscape with Spanish, Portuguese and post-colonial architecture in the historic quarter of the former Portuguese city of Nova Colonia do Santissimo Sacramento with monuments such as the Church of the Holy Sacrament (Iglesia Matríz), the oldest church in Uruguay, and the Franciscan monastery
Continent:	America
Country:	Uruguay
Location:	Colonia del Sacramento, west of Montevideo
Appointment:	1995
Meaning:	An important testimony to colonial city architecture from the late 17th century.

Fray Bentos industrial landscape (World Heritage)

The Fray Bentos complex on the Uruguay River shows the industrialization of food production using the example of meat production: On an area of ​​274 hectares, factory halls, machines, administrative and residential buildings document all phases from livestock farming to slaughtering and processing of meat to the global market Shipment.

Thanks to the huge stock of cattle herds, it made sense to move to Fray Bento’s slaughterhouses and processing industry – with the possibility of direct export via the Uruguay River. However, this was practically impossible to achieve until the middle of the 19th century due to the lack of cooling facilities for transport. The invention of the meat extract provided a remedy here: From 1863 onwards, the “Liebig Extract of Meat Company” produced meat extract and corned beef using a process developed by the German chemist Justus von Liebig and shipped the products to Europe – not least where they provided food for both soldiers World wars made possible.

Fray Bentos’ industrial landscape: facts

Official title:	Industrial landscape by Fray Bentos
Cultural monument:	Industrial sites for meat production, processing and shipping, including factory buildings, equipment and machines, offices, workers’ settlements and social facilities; On the site, a “Museum of the Industrial Revolution” documents the history of the factory in the context of economic development.
Continent:	South America
Country:	Uruguay
Location:	A headland in the Uruguay River, west of the town of Fray Bentos
Appointment:	2015
Meaning:	The World Heritage Site illustrates the entire process of meat production on a global scale.