‘Little’ bijou Uruguay, 176.215 sq.km. in size, -2 hrs. CET, and with a 3,4 million Spanish speaking population of mainly European origin, is a pleasant surprise for many first time visitors. Sandwiched between its giant neighbours Brazil and Argentina and located within the strategic core of the MERCOSUR, Uruguay has also been known as the Switzerland of the Americas since the early 20th century thanks to social democracy on par with European countries. According to the World Economic Forum report 2005/06 on world competitiveness, Uruguay takes 2nd place behind Chile as the most competitive in LatinAmerica ahead of Mexico and Brazil. The country is also widely recognized for its cultured and literate population, its bucolic tranquility, pleasant temperate climate, dream beaches and represents very good value for money for the visitor and investor alike.

Uruguay’s topography is characterized by wide, evergreen plains and low hills with verdant pasture for clover-fed beef cattle for which the country is famed. Uruguay is also renown for its water resources and hydroelectric power, finding along its rivers frequently huge forests that often contain industrially exploitable woods. The country is very popular with Argentineans, North Americans and increasingly with European tourists, beguiled by Uruguay’s 650 km coastline with its extraordinary white-sand beaches dotted along the coast from the capital of Montevideo to far beyond the glittering, world renown resort of Punta del Este, Latin America’s answer to the Hamptons or the South of France. It’s an ideal location for golf, horse riding, polo, tennis, biking, fishing, sailing, yachting and aquatic sports.

Foreign visitors and investors often decide to become residents in Uruguay for its quality of life that can be enjoyed due to the reasonable cost of food, quality housing & good health care, benign tax laws, the reversed seasons with very agreeable weather and a bucolic country side that seems a total nature reserve.