Last Updated: January 6, 2022
What Is Uruguay Known For?
Uruguay is one of the least visit countries in South America but this needs to change as it’s rather fantastic. Uruguay is actually, the second smallest country in South America and despite being the second smallest country in South America, there is a lot going on.
This tiny country has some fantastic things to do, especially when compared to other countries that are also much larger, but what is Uruguay known for around the world? That’s what we are here to find out.
Join me as we run through the great things about this wonderful country in South America.
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Tango
If there is one thing Uruguay is known for that might surprise you it will probably be Tango since everyone thinks that it came from Argentina.
The true fact of the matter is that Tango has its roots in both Uruguay and Argentina and it was the lower classes of both Montevideo and Buenos Aires that fused the traditions of Creole, African descent, and European music and rhythm into this seductive dance.
Tango is now a dance that is practiced in most other Latin American countries and is famous across the world too, being featured in many a hot film including Moulin Rouge and Last Tango in Paris
In 2009, the neighboring countries of Uruguay and Argentina came together to request that Tango be added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List and they were successful. You’ll find numerous Tango clubs and classes around the country and you kind of have to try it out when you’re there.
Yerba Mate
Yerba Mate or just Mate as it’s referred to is pretty much the national drink of Uruguay and it’s something Uruguay is known for.
It comes from the Yerba Mate plant which is grown around the regions of Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, and everyone in those countries loves it too, but not quite as much as the Uruguayans.
To make mate you simply add the dried yerba mate plant to some boiling water to make a cup of, well, mate tea. Mate contains caffeine as well as other useful things and you will see people in Uruguay drinking their national drink everywhere.
If you keep your eye out while on your trip around Uruguay you’ll notice almost every local is carrying a thermos and this is just so they can drink mate at every opportunity. It’s a very sociable thing and everyone loves to drink mate with their friends.
Candombe
Another thing this Latin American country is known for is Candombe which is their national dance and it’s a large part of the country’s culture. The dance dates back to the African slaves of Uruguay who were freed in the 1800s and now it’s now the dance you see all over the country, especially all the country’s annual carnival in Montevideo every February.
The dance is a combination of a range of rhythms including improvised movement, athletic leaps, and lots more. Like Tango, Candombe was also added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list.
The accompanying music that goes with Candombe is rhythmic drumming that is performed by a group called a cuerda. They use three drums, a small, medium, and large and their rhythm is quite amazing to hear and something you should experience in Candombe.
Chivito
One of the things Uruguay is known for is a dish called Chivito which is the country’s national dish and it is absolutely delicious if you eat meat. A Chivito is pretty much Uruguay’s version of a hamburger and is actually a mega sandwich.
If you want to make a Chivito, you’ll need to take a fresh bread bun and add a thin slice of steak and top it with olives, tomatoes, eggs, ham, bacon, and mayonnaise, and then serve it with some french fries on the side. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.
The word Chivito means baby goat and the way a Chivito sandwich came about is quite a great story. It happened in the 1960s in Punta del Este when a customer from Argentina ordered a roasted goat dish, aka Chivito. The chef didn’t have any goat in the kitchen and instead made the amazing sandwich I described above and the customer loved it. The restaurant kept making it and it was so good it was copied all over the country and is now their national dish.
You’ll find Chivito everywhere especially in the capital Montevideo and you have to try it while you’re there.
Punta del Este
Another of the main things Uruguay is known for is its famous tourist town of Punta del Este. This little slice of paradise is home to stunning beaches and you’ll find it on the southeast tip of the country.
It’s often referred to as the “the Monaco of the South” or “the St. Tropez of South America” and so it should be. It’s where a lot of the rich and famous of Uruguay have houses as well as one of the number one holiday destinations in Uruguay too.
This lovely beach town is known for more than just its beaches and it has a hidden gem of its own, “La Mano” which is a giant hand sculpture coming out of the ground on the beach.
It was created by a sculptor who designed it to warn people about the dangers of the sea at the first-ever International Meeting of Modern Sculpture in the Open Air in 1982 and it’s the only sculpture from the show to remain today.
Montevideo
Montevideo, the capital city of Uruguay is certainly something this wonderful country is known for as it’s awesome as far as capital cities go.
Montevideo sits on the south coast of the country and is home to around 40% of the total population of the country, meaning pretty much most of the people in Uruguay, live in the capital city, how crazy is that!
The most beautiful part of Montevideo is the Old Down which revolves around Plaza de la Independencia which was once a Spanish citadel. In this area of the old capital city, you’ll find art deco buildings, stunning colonial architecture and ancient homes, as well as some great landmarks. The ones you shouldn’t miss are towering Palacio Salvo, Solís Theatre, and Mercado del Puerto.
Beef
If there is one thing South America and Latin America are known for, it’s their love of eating beef and Uruguay is no different but they take things a little further.
Uruguay eats more beef per person than any other country on the planet, ever more than their competitors next door, the Argentineans. More beef definitely gets eaten in Argentina but if the two countries went head to head in a beef-eating contest with say 10 players, Uruguay would come out on top.
There are actually more cows than people in Uruguay and around 56% of all the land in the country is used for cattle farming, which does include other animals like sheep.
Río de La Plata
Image courtesy of Flickr
The Río de La Plata pretty much describes the entire southern coastline of Uruguay. But, if you look at in on a map, Río de La Plata is either the river mouth of the Uruguay River and thus the widest river mouth in the world or just an immense bay.
The bay or river mouth of Río de La Plata is what separates Uruguay and Argentina but it’s usually used to refer to the south coast of the country. The coast is stunning and features lots of peninsulas, old fishing villages, cliffs, rock formations, and of course, great beaches to hang out on.
World’s Longest National Anthem
The national anthem of Uruguay is the longest national anthem in the world and it’s something they came up with after becoming independent in 1828. The job was given to a poet, Francisco Esteban Acuña de Figueroa, to write, and once complete it was quickly given the stamp of approval.
The anthem is called Orientales, la Patria o la Tumba which means “Uruguayans, the Fatherland or the Grave. You might be surprised to see the world oriental at the beginning but at the time it was called “The Oriental Republic of Uruguay”.
Today the anthem is 5 minutes long and it has a chorus and the first verse of the original which was 11 verses long. It wasn’t cut down due to time but because it was quite rude about the nations that colonized the country – Portugal, Spain, and Brazil.
Hosted the 1st World Cup
Football, aka soccer, is an incredibly popular sport in South America, and thus Uruguay too and the locals couldn’t have been happier than when they hosted the first world cup ever.
Being the first country to host the first FIFA world cup is quite a thing to be known for and Uruguay won the competition and the next one after too. If you were a soccer fan back then, you really couldn’t have been much happier.
About the Author Roger Timbrook
Roger is a little obsessed with travel. He has been to over 40 countries, broken 3 suitcases and owned over 10 backpacks in 12 months. What he doesn't know about travel, ain't worth knowing!
