
Geography of Uruguay
The country has a size of 176,000 square kilometers and most of its territory is flat with large tracts of land. Its landscape is made up of wide fields of crops mixed with lakes, lagoons and small rivers. The Negro River that crosses the country from east to west stands out, the Uruguay River that borders the country on the west acting as a border with Argentina and the Río de la Plata, followed by the Atlantic Ocean, towards the south of the country. The country’s geography has directly influenced its economy since Uruguay’s main resources are closely related to agricultural and livestock activities.
Uruguay is characterized by its homogeneity and flatness and is located in the transition zone between the plains of the countryside to the south and the Brazilian shield to the north. There are two large structural areas that are the peneplains and the plains. The peneplains are the remains of the old mountain ranges, which provide the general geography of the country with these gently undulating reliefs with rivers that are very embedded in the landscape. The plains are the product of the accumulation of sediments contributed by the different rivers that cross Uruguay. The plains are remarkably flat, but more undulating inland than on the coast.