Uruguay flag 10 x 15 cm

Uruguay (official full name in Spanish: República Oriental del Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uruguay) is a country located in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to 3.46 million people, of whom 1.7 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area.

Uruguay's only land border is with Brazil to the north. To the west lies the Uruguay River, to the southwest lies the estuary of Río de la Plata, with Argentina only a short commute across the banks of either of these bodies of water, while to the southeast lies the South Atlantic Ocean. Uruguay is the second smallest country in South America, larger only than Suriname.

Montevideo was founded by the Spanish in the early 18th century as a military stronghold. Uruguay won its independence in 1825-1828 following a three-way struggle between Spain, Argentina and Brazil. It is a constitutional democracy, where the president fulfills the roles of both head of state and head of government.

The economy is largely based on agriculture (making up 10% of GDP and the most substantial export) and the state sector. According to Transparency International, Uruguay is the least corrupt country in Latin America (along with Chile), with its political and labor conditions being among the freest on the continent.

An estimated 94.6% of the population are of mostly European descent.

reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uruguay

The national flag of Uruguay (Pabellón Nacional) has a field of nine equal horizontal stripes alternating white and blue. The canton is white, charged with the Sun of May, from which 16 rays extend, alternating between triangular and wavy. The flag was first adopted by law on December 16, 1828 and had 17 stripes until July 11, 1830, when a new law reduced the number of stripes to nine. The flag was designed by Joaquín Suárez.

The nine horizontal stripes on the flag represents the nine original counties. The overall design bears a resemblance to the flag of the United States and the flag of Greece.

reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Uruguay