Uruguay’s Geography: Location, Borders, and River Systems

Geographical Location of Uruguay

With an area of 176,215 km², Uruguay extends five degrees north to south (30° to 35° south latitude) and five degrees from east to west (53° to 58° west longitude). It is, therefore, more than 500 km across in both directions, which determines an area of medium length in the global set of countries. In fact, there are more than 100 countries smaller than Uruguay.

Uruguay’s geographical location on the continent is really advantageous. The Atlantic Ocean, southeast and east, allows the export of its products to Europe, Africa, Brazil, Caribbean countries, and the major North American ports.

The key gateway to the continent is the Rio de la Plata, an estuary shared with Argentina. The main rivers are tributaries of the Silver, Uruguay, and Paraná rivers. The Uruguay River communicates with the central area of South America.

In relation to the border with Brazil, the Uruguayan territory is easily accessible and penetrable, since there are no obstacles such as the Haedo, Santa Ana, or riparian-Cuareim, Yaguarón, or Merin Lagoon.

Cuenca del Plata

The La Plata Basin, with an area of 3.2 million km², is the fifth largest river basin in the world. It covers an important part of the territories belonging to Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay, including the entire territory of Paraguay. The rain that falls within its area is gathered in two major tributaries, the Paraná and Uruguay rivers, which then flow into the Río de la Plata. All rivers and lakes of the River Plate Basin form the principal recharge system for the Guarani Aquifer, one of the largest inland freshwater reservoirs worldwide.

The basin is home to a population of tens of millions of people, so that human interaction with it over time in an uncontrolled way produces significant changes both in the basin and for the quality of life of its inhabitants. Today, the governments of the countries involved are studying how to sustainably manage the Guarani Aquifer in order to preserve the watershed for future generations and ensure the provision of potable water to residents.

Paraná – Paraguay

The Paraguay-Paraná is a program defined on the basis of a strategy for river transport along the water system of the same name. Under the plan, the waterway extends from north to south from Puerto Caceres in Mato Grosso, Brazil, flowing into the delta of the Paraná, opposite the port of Nueva Palmira Colonia in Uruguay.

Countries that share this river—Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay—promoted studies at an early stage to determine the economic feasibility, technical, and environmental improvements needed to ensure sustainable use of water resources. These countries established the Intergovernmental Committee of the Waterway (CIH), through which they concluded several agreements with international organizations (IDB, FONPLATA, UNDP, CAF) to undertake studies on the waterway.

Extension

Its area is 3,422 km, distributed as follows:

• 898 km in Brazilian territory
• 48 km on the border between Bolivia and Brazil
• 327 km on the border between Brazil and Paraguay
• 553 km in Paraguay
• 375 km on the border between Argentina and Paraguay
• 1,241 km in Argentine territory

Despite not being explicitly mentioned, Uruguay is of great importance because the waterway ends at the port city of Nueva Palmira.

Bounds

Size of the border

• Total: 1,564 km
• Limit by country: in Argentina 985 km, Brazil 579 km

Boundary Argentina

Uruguay River

• From the Island Ayuí to the northern Brazilian border, it follows the midline of the Uruguay riverbed (depending on the configuration it had before the construction of the Salto Grande dam).
• From Ayuí to the archipelago off the town of New Berlin, the boundary follows the navigation channel to the bifurcation of the latter in the channel and the channel’s Filomena del Medio.
• At the junction between the two channels, there are two types of limits: a) for water, the canal of La Filomena; b) for the islands, the Middle Channel.
• From the confluence of both channels to the parallel passing through Punta Gorda (mouth of the River Uruguay), the navigation channel or Talweg was taken.

River Plate

• From Punta Gorda parallel to the line joining Espinillo with Punta Piedras (Argentina), is the navigation channel.
• From this to the line that joins Punta del Este in Punta del Cabo San Antonio (Argentina), the midline is established.

Atlantic Ocean

• A conventional line from the Río de la Plata to 200 miles is observed.

Brazilian border

Sector 1) Rio Cuareim

• At the confluence of the rivers Uruguay and Cuareim in the sector of the Brazilian Island, there is complete agreement between both countries “answered limi”).
• In the river Cuareim from the Brazilian Island to the mouth of the stream of wintering water, the riverbed is common.
• In the area between the streams of the wintering Black Maneco and knife, is”answered limi” (see Artigas corner).

Sector 2) Black Blade

• In Black blades and Santa Ana (to Cañada del Cementerio), the watershed is followed, except in the section between the frame Sobradinhio and Cerro de las Canteras, i.e., between the cities of Rivera and Santana do Livramento: here is a conventional line marking (a street).

Sector 3) Glen Cemetery – River Yaguarón

• From the Cañada del Cementerio to the confluence with the Cañada de la Cerrillada, the riverbed is used as the limit, following a straight line to the northern part of San Luis Creek.
• In the area of the marsh, a conventional line has been established to the stream San Luis.
• In the San Luis to its mouth on the Black River, it becomes the riverbed.
• From the bar San Luis Creek to the headwaters of the stream of the Mina Grande Blade, a conventional straight line has been demarcated.
• In the stream of mine, the riverbed is used, while in Yaguarón Chico Creek, which flows into it from the stream of the mine to its mouth in the river, and this river Yaguarón up before pouring water into the lagoon Merin, the limit is set in the midline.
• In the low Yaguarón, being navigable, the criterion changes and is governed by Talweg.

Sector 4) Lake Merin – Arroyo Chuy

• From the mouth of the river in the Laguna Merin Yaguarón, a conventional straight line is established to a point opposite Punta Muniz; between that point and Punta Parobé is the Talweg.
• From Point Rabotieso to Point Parobé, a broken line is conventional.
• From here to the San Miguel river bar, it follows the midline, even in the stream, to the place called Paso Real del San Miguel.
• From this step to Step Creek Real Chuy, the limit is a straight line that separates conventional turn or Chui Chuy locations (this is a street).
• From the Chuy stream to its mouth at the Atlantic Ocean, waters are considered common (riverbed).

Sector 5) Atlantic Ocean

• The lateral maritime limit draws the line from the lighthouse Chuy perpendicular to the coastline. This line forms an angle of 128° with the meridian passing through the lighthouse. It extends to 200 miles.

Coastal boundary

• 660 km

Border

The border is a strip of territory located around international boundaries. This term refers to a region or stretch, while the term limits is linked to an imaginary conception.

States have an essential feature: sovereignty, that is, the power to implement and exercise authority in the manner in which they see fit. For the exercise of sovereignty by states not to affect other nations, limits are created in portions of land, water, and air. The precise and exact point where these limits end is what constitutes borders.

The boundaries, as opposed to what is often believed, are marked not only when there is land involved, as there are different types of boundaries: air, land, maritime, river, and lake.

This means that in many cases, the border of one country against another is not defined only where there is land, because in some cases, this division is carried out using rivers, seas, etc.

The boundaries are characterized by a high degree of vigilance, to prevent mass entry of immigrants, drugs, etc.

The case of the air border is used to control the sky of the country (an airplane that wants to go through the airspace of a State not party to that from which it comes must ask permission; otherwise, the government of this state may consider its airspace is being invaded, which can lead to extreme decisions, such as the downing of the aircraft).

The important thing is knowing that the borders are those that demarcate the sovereignty and territory of a country, and that the territory is not only land but also air, lake, sea, and river.

Border Classes

There are also various types of boundaries, namely:

1. Cultural frontier
2. Border Economy: the Economic, taking into account economic conditions (commercial traffic) can be:

• Living or storage are those among the states that have not exhausted their creative energies. There are interpretations or influence, contacts, and competitions that take place in border areas that may warrant corrections.

1. Social Frontera
2. Natural Frontier is that which separates an area with a geographical accident, such as rivers, valleys, mountains.

Originally, the word has a military connotation, since it makes reference to the”front lines” so only occasionally is the term”limi” or”geographical limitatio” used.

One of the most famous borders is called”Checkpoint Charlie” which for decades served as the control point between the two parts separated by the Berlin Wall.