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Practical overview

Uruguay in South America: Montevideo, Spanish and the Uruguayan peso

A first look at Uruguay’s place in South America and its basic facts to keep in mind before planning a trip.

Uruguay is in South America and has a coastline, so it is not a landlocked country. For a first overview, keep three facts in mind: Montevideo, Spanish and the Uruguayan peso.
01

Location and capital

Uruguay is in South America, within the South American subregion. Its capital is Montevideo. These facts help locate the country, but they are not enough to decide which places to visit or how to get around.

02

Language and currency

The language listed is Spanish. The currency is the Uruguayan peso (UYU), whose symbol is $. That symbol is also used in other monetary contexts; check that amounts are given in Uruguayan pesos when looking at prices or making payments.

03

What to check when preparing for your trip

This overview is for initial guidance, not a complete planning guide. Before you leave, consult current sources to confirm transport, entry requirements, payment methods and any other practical details: the information available does not allow us to guarantee conditions or provide specific instructions.

04

Sources for this overview

The geographic identification, capital, language and currency are based on the World Countries country register by mledoze. Wikidata also identifies Uruguay as a country in South America. The platform displays research references at the end of the article.

05

Key points

  • Uruguay is in South America and is not a landlocked country.
  • Its capital is Montevideo.
  • The language listed is Spanish, and the currency is the Uruguayan peso (UYU).
  • Check current sources for practical details that may change.\n

Sources and references View referencesHide references 18 references

References consulted during editorial review. Times, requirements and advisories may change: always confirm with the official source.

  1. Uruguay
    Wikidata wikidata.org
    Licence: CC0 1.0 Wikidata · Q77
  2. Uruguay
    Wikidata wikidata.org
    Licence: CC0 1.0 Wikidata · Q43298999
  3. Uruguay
    Wikidata wikidata.org
    Licence: CC0 1.0 Wikidata · Q3296159
  4. Uruguay
    Wikidata wikidata.org
    Licence: CC0 1.0 Wikidata · Q27941493
  5. Uruguay
    Wikidata wikidata.org
    Licence: CC0 1.0 Wikidata · Q113330807
  6. Uruguay
    World Countries — mledoze github.com
    Licence: ODbL 1.0 World countries dataset by mledoze and contributors · ODbL 1.0
  7. Uruguay
    World Bank Open Data data.worldbank.org
    Licence: CC BY 4.0 World Bank
  8. Uruguay
    DBpedia dbpedia.org
    Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0 DBpedia
  9. Hacia un manejo ecosistémico de pesquerías. Áreas marinas protegidas en Uruguay
    OpenAlex openalex.org
    Licence: CC0 1.0 OpenAlex
  10. Las bases invisibles del bienestar social : el trabajo no remunerado en Uruguay
    OpenAlex openalex.org
    Licence: CC0 1.0 OpenAlex
  11. Parajes costeros, turismo y paisajes culturales en Uruguay
    Crossref doi.org
  12. “Esto es Uruguay”. Turismo, fotografía e imaginario nacional durante la dictadura uruguaya. (1975—1983)
    Crossref doi.org
  13. Alfajor Surprise Negro
    Open Food Facts world.openfoodfacts.org
    Licence: ODbL 1.0 Open Food Facts
  14. Montevideo
    GeoNames geonames.org
  15. Montevideo
    GeoNames geonames.org
  16. Montevideo, Uruguay
    OpenStreetMap openstreetmap.org
  17. Montevideo, Uruguay
    OpenStreetMap openstreetmap.org
  18. Angel S Adami Airport
    OpenFlights openflights.org
    Licence: ODbL 1.0 (base de datos) / DbCL 1.0 (contenidos) Angel S Adami Airport · OpenFlights · ODbL 1.0