The capital city of Montevideo was established in the eighteenth century, under the Spanish, as a military stronghold. The nineteenth century was strewn with fights between the English, Spanish and French for dominance in the Argentina-Brazil-Uruguay region. Uruguay finally gained independence in 1828. The government led by President Joe Battle, in the twentieth century, carried out many reforms. But a massive guerrilla movement—Tupamaros—led to the fall of the government and subsequent military control in 1973. Civilian rule was finally restored in 1985.

The culture of Uruguay has a rich heritage. Tango, folk and waltz is enjoyed along with the traditional music forms of murga, candombe and milonga. Perhaps Uruguay’s greatest contribution in literature comes in the form of ‘Ariel’ written by José Enrique Rodó.