Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of the Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast. Uruguay covers an area of approximately 176,000 square kilometers (68,000 sq mi) and has a population of an estimated 3.51 million, of whom 2 million live in the metropolitan area of its capital and largest city, Montevideo.
The most distinctive music of Uruguay is to be found in the tango and candombe; both genres have been recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Uruguayan music includes a number of local musical forms such as murga, a form of musical theatre, and milonga, a folk guitar and song form deriving from Spanish and italian traditions and related to similar forms found in many American countries.
Carlos Gardel was a French-born Argentine singer, songwriter, composer and actor, and the most prominent figure in the history of tango. He was one of the most influential interpreters of world popular music in the first half of the 20th century. Gardel is the most famous popular tango singer of all time and is recognized throughout the world. He was notable for his baritone voice and the dramatic phrasing of his lyrics. Together with lyricist and long-time collaborator Alfredo Le Pera, Gardel wrote several classic tangos.
Tacuarembó is the capital city of the Tacuarembó Department in north-central Uruguay.
Jorge Abner Drexler Prada is a Uruguayan musician, actor and doctor specializing in otolaryngology.
Juan Campodónico, sometimes working under his stage name Campo, is an Uruguayan musician, producer, composer, creator and former member of El Peyote Asesino, Bajofondo and Campo. He produced albums by Jorge Drexler, Luciano Supervielle, Bajofondo, El Cuarteto de Nos, La Vela Puerca, OMAR, Sordromo, No Te Va Gustar, Santullo and Ximena Sariñana among others. He created the Bajofondo project alongside iconic producer and two-time Academy Award winner for Best Original Score Gustavo Santaolalla. He has been awarded with various Latin Grammy, Premios Gardel and Graffiti awards for his work as a producer, as well as with many golden records.
Uruguayan literature has a long and eventful history.
The Life of Carlos Gardel is a 1939 Argentine musical film directed by Alberto De Zavalia and starring Hugo del Carril, Delia Garces and Elsa O'Connor. The premiered in Buenos Aires on May 24, 1939. The film is a biopic, portraying the life of the French-born tango singer Carlos Gardel (1890-1935) who became a popular film star in Argentina and the United States. The film was a major success, due largely to the lasting popularity of Gardel following his sudden death in an airplane crash four years before. The film boosted the careers of its stars, and was part of what became known as the Golden Age of Argentine Cinema.
The cinema of Uruguay has a role in the culture of Uruguay and is a part of Latin American cinema. Since the late 1990s, Uruguayan cinema has undergone a process of evolution, during which its films have received positive reviews and been internationally recognized. Over 120 films, fiction and non-fiction, have been produced since then.
Jorge Alberto Lepra Loiodice was a Uruguayan diplomat and politician.
Terig Tucci was an Argentine composer, violinist, pianist, and mandolinist.
A Useful Life is a 2010 Uruguayan drama film about the love of film, directed by Federico Veiroj and shot in black-and-white. The film was selected as the Uruguayan entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 83rd Academy Awards but it did not make the final shortlist.
Uruguayans are people identified with the country of Uruguay, through citizenship or descent. Uruguay is home to people of different ethnic origins. As a result, many Uruguayans do not equate their nationality with ethnicity, but with citizenship and their allegiance to Uruguay. Colloquially, primarily among other Spanish-speaking Latin American nations, Uruguayans are also referred to as "orientals [as in Easterners]".
The Battle of Tacuarembó was a battle between the Luso-Brazilian forces under the command of José de Castelo Branco Correia, Count of Figueira, and the Artiguist forces of Andrés Latorre in Tacuarembó, modern-day Uruguay.
Valle Edén is a hamlet in the valley of the same name in Tacuarembó Department, Uruguay.
Ruffinelli is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
Eduardo Cuitiño Bosio is a Uruguayan writer/author and mathematician known for his investigations and essays on two historic figures: Carlos Gardel and Jack the Ripper.
Suburban Melody is a 1933 American Pre-Code musical film directed by Louis J. Gasnier and starring Imperio Argentina, Carlos Gardel and Vicente Padula.
Irineo Leguisamo was a Uruguayan jockey. Also known as El Pulpo, El Eximio or El Maestro, he competed for over 57 years at racecourses in Uruguay and Argentina and was considered the foremost South American rider of the 20th century.
