Origins and Ethnicity
Uruguay is a multiethnical society, which means that it is home to people of many different ethnical backgrounds. In that case, Uruguyans usually treat their nationality as a citizenship rather than an ethnicity.
Uruguayans share a Spanish linguistic and heavily Spanish cultural background with its neighbour Argentina. Most Uruguayans are descended from colonial-era settlers and immigrants from Europe with almost 88% of the population being of European descent.
The majority of these European immigrants were mainly Spaniards, followed closely by Italians, including numbers of French, Germans, Portuguese, British (English or Scots), Irish, Swiss, Russians, Poles, Bulgarians, Hungarians, Ukrainians, Lithuanians, Estonians, Latvians, Swedish, Danish, Dutch, Belgians, Austrians, Croats, Greeks and Scandinavians. There are also smaller numbers of Turkish, Armenian, Serbs, Georgian and Lebanese people.
Almost the entire ethnic-European population has at least partial Spanish and/or Italian roots, with many having ancestry from various other ethnic groups, e.g. Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, French and English descent.
Many Swiss settlements (colonias or “colonies”) such as Colonia Suiza, Colonia Valdense and Nueva Helvecia were founded in the department of Colonia. Also, there are towns founded by early British settlers, such as Conchillas and Barker. A Russian colony called San Javier, is found in the department of Río Negro. Also there are Mennonite colonies in the department of Río Negro and in the department of Canelones.
Many of the European immigrants arrived in the late 19th century and have heavily influenced the architecture and culture of Montevideo and other major cities. For this reason, Montevideo and life within the city are very reminiscent of Western Europe.
The rest of the Uruguayan population is Black/Afro-Uruguayan of African descent and about 1 or 2% are of Asian descent, mostly are Lebanese/Syrian Arab, and Chinese or Japanese ancestry (see Bárbara Mori).
Amerindians make up a small population in the Rural North-West region, with Mestizos making up 6% of the Population.
Demographic Distribution
Metropolitan Montevideo, with about one and a half million inhabitants, is the capital and largest city. The rest of the urban population lives in about 20 towns. Montevideo is about 200 kilometers (120 mi) away from Buenos Aires in neighboring Argentina.
Uruguay is distinguished by its high literacy rate (97.3%) and a large urban middle class. During the 1970s and 1980s, an estimated six-hundred thousand Uruguayans emigrated, principally to Spain, Italy, Argentina and Brazil. Other Uruguayans went to various countries in Europe, Australia and the USA.
As a result of the low birth rate, high life expectancy and relatively high rate of emigration of younger people, Uruguay’s population is quite mature. In 2006, the country had a birth rate of 13.91 births per thousand population, lower than neighboring countries Argentina (16.73 births/1000 population) and Brazil (16.56 births/1,000 population).
Church and state are officially separated. While the Government keeps no statistics concerning religious affiliation, a 2004 survey published in the daily newspaper El Pais reported that 54% of those interviewed designated themselves as Roman Catholics, 11% as Protestants, 9% as believers without a religious affiliation, and 26% as nonbelievers.
Although the majority of Uruguayans do not actively practice a religion, they are nominally members of the Catholic Church and other communities. Political observers consider Uruguay to be the most secular country in South America.
During the past two decades, an estimated 500,000 Uruguayans had emigrated, principally to Brazil, Argentina and Europe. Spain is the main destination for Uruguayans but they are also drawn to the United Kingdom, Italy, France and Germany. There are 500,000 Uruguayans in Brazil. Many came there to escape political persecution in the 1970s.
Neighboring ties and short distances between Uruguayan cities and Argentine capital Buenos Aires, have drawn a path of success for very talented Uruguayans who settled in the neighbor country and became famous and locally accepted.
Some famous Uruguayans who excelled in Argentina are entrepreneur and financier Juan Navarro, sports journalist Victor Hugo Morales, singer and actress Natalia Oreiro, soccer players Antonio Alzamendi, Enzo Francescoli and Carlos Goyen, actress China Zorrilla, entertainer Carlos Perciavalle and former playboy and journalist Luis César Avilés.
Emigration to the United States also rose recently but remains a small part of the U.S. Hispanic population. The majority of Uruguayans in the US live in New York City, New Jersey, Washington, D.C. and urban areas of California.