Uruguay is a country in South America, with about 3.38 million people (2025) and an area of 176,220 square kilometres. Its capital is Montevideo, and it shares land borders with 2 countries.
By Team Geography·Last reviewed
Flag of UruguayUruguay in solid, land neighbours outlined, capital marked.
The app teaches each country through short hand written lenses: PLACE for physical geography, STORY for history and identity, NOW for the news, and THREAD for the ties between countries. Here is one of Uruguay's 19, in full.
PLACELens 1 of 19
A small buffer state between South America's giants
Uruguay covers 176,215 square kilometers of gently rolling grasslands tucked between Brazil to the north and Argentina to the west. The Rio de la Plata estuary forms its southern border, and Montevideo, the capital, sits on its northern shore. Nearly half of Uruguay's 3.5 million people live in the Montevideo metropolitan area, leaving the interior dominated by cattle ranches and soy fields. The landscape is low, green, and windswept, with no point in the country rising above 514 meters.
More on Rio de la Plata
The world's widest estuary, stretching up to 220 kilometers across where it meets the Atlantic. The Rio de la Plata carries the combined flows of the Parana and Uruguay rivers, and its southern shore is Buenos Aires, just a short ferry ride from Montevideo.
18 more lenses on Uruguay in the app
STORY Latin America's quiet social democrat
NOW Nearly 100% renewable electricity, built on wind and water
STORY Mate, asado, and a national identity built around simplicity
THREAD Sandwiched between Argentina and Brazil, defined by neither
PLACE A small nation between two giants
STORY The smallest country to win it all
NOW Steady qualifying, and a second early exit
THREAD The wound it inflicted on Brazil
PLACE Two clubs that share a city
STORY More footballers per head than anywhere
NOW Bielsa and the weight of a small country
THREAD Across the estuary and the continent
PLACE The river that divides Uruguay in two
STORY The town that fed Europe's armies
NOW Uruguay's population has begun to shrink
THREAD The water four countries sit on top of
PLACE A grassland country that planted forests
STORY The drums that keep a neighborhood's memory
Titles only. The app brings each lens back on a spaced repetition schedule set by how well you knew it: New, Hazy or Clear.
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Common questions
What is the capital of Uruguay?
The capital of Uruguay is Montevideo. Montevideo lies at about 34.9 degrees south and 56.2 degrees west. Uruguay is in South America. It is home to about 3.38 million people. The world capitals quiz on this site tests every capital, and the printable capitals sheets cover each continent.
What is the population of Uruguay?
About 3.38 million people live in Uruguay, according to the World Bank figures for 2025. That makes it the 132nd most populous of the 195 countries. With an area of 176,220 square kilometres, that is about 19 people per square kilometre.
What countries border Uruguay?
Uruguay shares land borders with 2 countries: Argentina and Brazil. The map on this page outlines each of them around Uruguay. The count includes only borders on land, not neighbours across a sea or a lake. Borders here follow Natural Earth at the 1:50 million scale, with Crimea shown as part of Ukraine and Western Sahara as a separate territory.
How big is Uruguay?
Uruguay covers 176,220 square kilometres, or about 68,039 square miles. That makes it the 89th largest of the 195 countries. The figure is total surface area, which includes inland water such as lakes and rivers. Its population of about 3.38 million gives a density of 19 people per square kilometre.
Uruguay is a country in South America, with about 3.38 million people (2025) and an area of 176,220 square kilometres. Its capital is Montevideo, and it shares land borders with 2 countries.
Capital
Montevideo
Continent
South America
Population
3,384,688 2025, World Bank. 132nd of 195.
Area
176,220 km² (68,039 sq mi) World Bank, surface area. 89th largest of 195.
Population density
19 people per km²
Land neighbours
2: Argentina, Brazil
Official name
Oriental Republic of Uruguay
UN status
Member state
PLACE · from the Geography app
A small buffer state between South America's giants
Uruguay covers 176,215 square kilometers of gently rolling grasslands tucked between Brazil to the north and Argentina to the west. The Rio de la Plata estuary forms its southern border, and Montevideo, the capital, sits on its northern shore. Nearly half of Uruguay's 3.5 million people live in the Montevideo metropolitan area, leaving the interior dominated by cattle ranches and soy fields. The landscape is low, green, and windswept, with no point in the country rising above 514 meters.
Keep going on your iPhone. Scan for Geography: the world, one country at a time, about five minutes a day. No quizzes and no streaks. playgeography.app/countries/uruguay/ · Map data: Natural Earth. Figures: World Bank and national sources, as listed on the page.
Geography · Country report
Uruguay
NameDate
Draw the flag
Colour Uruguay on the map, then fill in what you find.
Capital
Continent
Population
Area
Languages
Currency
Neighbours
Landmarks
Rivers or mountains
Three things I learned
1
2
3
One question I still have
?
Keep going on your iPhone. Scan for Geography: the world, one country at a time, about five minutes a day. No quizzes and no streaks. playgeography.app/countries/uruguay/ · Map data: Natural Earth. Figures: World Bank and national sources, as listed on the page.
