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Land of Green Rolling Plains 13

Quick Facts: The Geography of Uruguay

Location: Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Argentina and Brazil Area: (slightly smaller than the state of Washington) total: 68,065 square miles (176,220 sq km) land: 67,061 square miles (173,620 sq km) water: 1,004 square miles (2,600 sq km) Borders: Argentina, 360 miles (579 km); Brazil, 612 miles (985 km) Climate: temperate, with damp springs and winters

Terrain: mostly rolling plains and low hills; fertile coastal lowland Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean—0 feet highest point: Cerro Catedral—1,683 feet (514 meters) Natural hazards: seasonally high winds (the pampero is a chilly and occasional vio- lent wind that blows north from the Argentine pampas), droughts, floods; with so few mountains to act as weath- er barriers, all locations are particularly vulnerable to rapid changes in weather fronts Source: CIA World Factbook 2015.

The rivers flowing east to the Atlantic are generally shallower, but their water level rises and falls more frequently. Many empty into lagoons in the coastal plain. The largest coastal lagoon, Laguna Merín (Lagoa Mirim in Brazil), forms part of the border with Brazil. A half-dozen smaller lagoons, some freshwater and some saltwater, line the coast farther south. A Mild Climate Uruguay lies in a temperate zone. It is the only Latin American country completely outside the Tropics. The climate is mild and generally the same through the country. Northwestern Uruguay, however, is farther from large