Uruguay
is one of the rare countries of South America which have a
stable economy. The economy is basically agricultural; the
meat products and the wool are most important. There are also
the dairy products which are intended for export to the other
South American countries. There are also rice, grain crops,
fruit and vegetable. However, the most important sector of
the economy are the processing industries of oil, coal, chemicals,
textile, goods of equipment of transport and leather articles.
Oil and coal are imported for the transformation and internal
consumption. The current mineral resources are not very abundant
and are limited to building materials, mineral industrial
and a little gold. Prospections were carried out and they
indicate that there are reserves of other invaluable minerals
which were still not extracted. After having crossed one delicate
economic period at the beginning of the Nineties, the Uruguyan
government accepted the program of austerity imposed by the
IMF. Since, the economic results are good approaching an index
of growth of the approximately 5%/ countries is member of
the MERCOSUR, of the Latin-American Association of Integration
(ALADI) and of the American Bank of Development. Its principal
trade partners are Spain, Argentina, Brazil, Germany and the
United States.
