It is often a surprise to visitors to find out just how small Uruguay is, for some reason its reputation has always punched far above its diminutive stature. Perhaps it's the political pedigree of the country, with its enlightened history of being the continent's first welfare state and the first to grant equality among other achievements. Or perhaps it's something rather more populist, such as its impressive footballing pedigree - Uruguay hosted and won the first ever World Cup. Certainly there's something in it - although a fraction of the size of its neighbours, Uruguay attracts more visitors per capita than anywhere else in South America .
Indeed there is much to recommend the country. This isn't the Amazon rainforest, nor is it the high Andes . This is a different South America , but one that is no less fascinating. Throwing off the yoke of Spanish rule as recently as 1825, Uruguay still displays much of its erstwhile colonisers' style, evident in the architecture of old Montevideo . But the country is also the heart of that most South American of characters - the Gaucho . With much of the country's interior given over to ranching, the swaggering, macho cowboys of the plains are still alive and very much kicking.
Uruguay 's beaches are justly famous. The 500km of coastline, split between river and ocean, is littered with stretches of shimmering white sand. Punta del Este on the corner where the open mouth of the River Plate delta meets the Atlantic coast is the most famous resort, but this is just one among several on the Uruguay Riviera, which extends east from Montevideo .
The capital itself, sitting on the edge of the Plate Estuary, is also worthy of exploration. A determinedly South American city that is being brought slightly hesitantly into the 21st century, it blends the ultra-modern and the merely modern (evidenced in the concrete highrises of the mid-20th century), with the antique, as seen in the colonial relics of the old town.
The Atlantic coast towards the Brazilian border offers another terrain to explore. The sheltered waters of the lagoons here are a haven for wildlife, including extremely varied birdlife . The interior meanwhile doesn't offer the spectacular geography you find elsewhere on the continent, being largely flat and unforested, but even this is a welcome variety.
