Uruguay

Home of Team Uruguay (Sean, Robert, Kyra)

PROFILE OF __Uruguay__

For the nation your group is assigned, you need to research and develop a profile. Your profile should have, **//at a minimum//**, the following information: =**GEOGRAPHY**=


 * //Area://** **Land area:** 67,035 sq mi (173,621 sq km); **total area:** 68,039 sq mi (176,220 sq km)


 * //Cities://** Montevideo**//,//** Salto, Ciudad de la Costa, Paysandú, Las Piedras


 * //Terrain://** mostly rolling plains and low hills; fertile coastal lowland

Uruguay spring is usually damp, cool, and windy; summers are warm; autumns are mild; and winters are chilly and uncomfortably damp.
 * //Climate://** Seasonal variations are pronounced, but extremes in temperature are rare. As would be expected by its abundance of water, high humidity and fog are common. The absence of mountains, which act as weather barriers, makes all locations vulnerable to high winds and rapid changes in weather as fronts or storms sweep across the country.

=**PEOPLE**=
 * //Population (date of census being used)://** 3,334,052, 2008


 * //Ethnic Groups://** ‘Primarily (about 88%) white and of European origin, mostly Spanish and Italian; a small percentage is descended from Portuguese, English, and other Europeans. Mestizos (those of mixed white and Amerindian lineage) represent 8% of the population, and mulattoes and blacks about 4%. The indigenous Charrúa Amerindians were virtually wiped out early in the colonial era.’


 * //Language(s)://** Spanish


 * //Religion(s)://** Catholic



**//Education://** ‘Uruguay had the highest literacy rate in Latin America, at 96 percent in 1985. Uruguay's system of universal, free, and secular education required a total of nine years of compulsory school attendance, from ages six to fourteen. The proportion of children of primary school age enrolled in school had long been virtually 100 percent. Furthermore, from 1965 to 1985 the proportion of children of secondary school age enrolled in some form of secondary school grew from 44 to 70 percent, also the highest rate in Latin America. The postsecondary education enrollment rate was about 20 percent. Coeducation was the norm, and females and males attended school in near-equal numbers at all levels. As is typical of any country, however, rates of schooling were higher in urban areas than in rural areas. The quality of education in Uruguay was rated as high. Teaching was a socially respected profession and one that paid relatively well. Most teachers, trained in teachers' training colleges, were deemed well qualified. The main problem confronting the education system was the inadequacy of facilities, instructional materials, and teachers' aides. Rural areas often suffered from woefully insufficient facilities and supplies. Urban schools often were seriously overcrowded and were forced to resort to holding classes in multiple shifts. In addition, dropout and repetition rates, although moderate by Latin American standards, were still considered high.’


 * //Health: ‘//**The government traditionally has placed great emphasis on preventive medicine and on the sociological approach to public health problems. The US Institute of Inter-American Affairs and the Uruguayan Ministry of Public Health created the Inter-American Cooperative Public Health Service, which built four health centers and clinics. For the region, life expectancy is high (74 years in 2000); infant mortality is low (14 per 1,000 live births in 2000); and the ratios of doctors and beds to the population are exceptionally good. In 2000, 98% of the population had access to safe drinking water and 95% had adequate sanitation. At the end of 1999, the number of health care providers, with number per 1,000 people, was as follows: 12,486 physicians (4), 2,613 professional nurses (0.8), and 4,050 dentists (1.3). As of 1999 total health care expenditure was estimated at 9.1% of GDP. The major causes of death are heart diseases, cancer, and digestive disorders. Degenerative diseases rank higher as a cause of death in Uruguay than in most other Latin American countries. As of 2002, the crude birth rate and overall mortality rate were estimated at, respectively, 17.3 and 9 per 1,000 people. Maternal mortality was 26 per 1,000 live births in 1998. Contraceptive use was high, with nearly 85% of married women in Uruguay using some method of birth control in 1989–90. Immunization rates in 1997 for children up to one year old were tuberculosis, 99%; diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus, 88%; polio, 88%; and measles, 80%. As of 1999, the number of people living with HIV/AIDS was estimated at 6,000 and deaths from AIDS that year were estimated at 150. HIV prevalence was 0.3 per 100 adults.’


 * //Work Force (occupations): ‘//**The Uruguayan workforce is highly skilled and educated. The nation's literacy rate, 97 percent, is the highest in Latin America and comparable to that of the United States. There is some evidence of racial and gender disparity. The nation's blacks have an unemployment rate 1.5 times higher than that of the general population, and their average pay is 20 percent lower than their white counterparts in the same occupations. While women have full equality under the law, they face discrimination in hiring, promotion, and wages. A government study in 1999 found that women receive only 65 percent of the pay men receive in similar occupations.’



=** FEATURES OF GOVERNMENT **=
 * //Constitution://** **Uruguay Constitution — July 18, 1830**

The **Politics of Uruguay** abide by a presidential [|representative democratic] [|republic], under which the [|President of Uruguay] is both the [|head of state] and the [|head of government] , as well as a multiform party system. The president exercises [|executive power] and [|Legislative power] is vested in the two chambers of the [|General Assembly of Uruguay]. The [|Judiciary] branch is independent from that of the executive and legislature.

= WHITE PAPER (Final Report) =

I. First part should be a review of the basic function of a constitution in a democracy, including the essential characteristics of limited vs. unlimited governments
A constitution is a set of rules that are agreed upon for a government. It limits the power of a group in government. It is important to have a constitution to make sure that no one will have the ability to abuse the power that they were appointed to. A limited government makes sure that no one group or person has too much power, and that they will not abuse the power given to them. By limiting the power of the government it protect individual rights, which is a big part of democracy.

II. Final recommendation for Xlandia's government with at least the following addressed:
A. What type of system would your constitution establish? What is your reasoning (include what makes this better than the other options)? We feel that Xlandia should have representative democracy because the people of Xlandia are not ready to vote on every purposed law. This allows them to be represnted in government without having to take all of their time with voting. In addition to it being representative democracy, we believe it should be a unitary government, because the people of Xlandia are not ready for democratic power to be put in their hands. We feel it is important to have a strong central government to lean on because of the inexperience with a democratic government.

B. How would you protect the rights of minorities and individuals?
We would protect the rights of minorities and individuals by having something like the Bill of Rights in which it helps guarantee that the civil rights of an individual or minority group will be protected from excessive government power and it will allow for minority groups to form political parties to elect representatives who are given a percentage of seats in the legislature in proportion to the number of votes received. Just as Madison demonstrates about the conflict between self-interested groups is essential in a democracy. “By struggling over power within a constitutional framework, factions will “check and balance” each other, protecting the interests of all citizens,” including minorities.

C. What would be the relationship between the military and the civilian leadership?
The relationship between the military and the civilian leadership would be similar to the U.S. in which, “describes the relationship between civil society as a whole and the military organization or organizations established to protect it. More narrowly, it describes the relationship between the civil authority of a given society and its military authority. Studies of civil-military relations often rest on a normative assumption that civilian control of the military is preferable to military control of the state. The principal problem they examine, however, is empirical: to explain how civilian control over the military is established and maintained.”

D. The Executive Branch
The executive branch should be a parliamentary system because as of right now the people of Xlandia are not ready to vote on a executive leader, he or she should be appointed by the parliament, because they will be more familiar with democracy and who would do the best job in that position. The Executive leader needs to be on the same page as parliament to make sure the democracy starts smoothly. If we had a Presidential system there could be problems passing laws if the president and Legislative branch do not agree.

E. The Legislative Branch
It would be best to have a unicameral Legislature because when the democratic government is put into place there will be many different groups wanting to gain power. With a Bicameral legislature there will be too many gridlocks and stalemates to be productive in creating laws. To be the most productive it should be unicameral. The rural areas, urban poor, and Xlandian's without european ancestry should be saved a place in Legislature to make sure that they are being heard in the government. It is important not to let anyone go without representation.

F. The Judicial Branch
For the Judicial Branch we will have the Executive and Legislative branches are elected by the people/members of the Judicial Branch are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Also, “federal judges can only be removed through impeachment by the House of Representatives and conviction in the Senate. Judges and justices serve no fixed term they serve until their death, retirement, or conviction by the Senate. By design, this insulates them from the temporary passions of the public, and allows them to apply the law with only justice in mind, and not electoral or political concerns.”

G. Citizen Participation - who gets the right to vote? What would your voting requirements be?
For Citizens Participation, everyone will have the right to vote because the country will represent having equality for all and no one gets excluded from anything. An Amendment like the 15th, which couldn’t use race to keep someone from voting, will be enforced as well as the 26th Amendment, in which voting age is 18.

III. What is needed to keep a democracy strong? Which ones are present in Xlandia? Which ones are not?
A. What advice would you give the leaders of Xlandia to help them develop these conditions as they move from an authoritarian past to a democratic future? It is important to make sure that no one group has too much power because that defeats the purpose of having a democracy. The leaders should remember that they need to put the people first because as a democratic county they are the ones that run it, the people. The people being informed is what keeps a democracy strong, and I think that could be a challenge in the beginning for Xlandia, but once they learn about democracy I think they will see the benefits, and be willing to learn and make this a successful government.