Jorge Luis Batlle Ibañez
President

(pronounced "HOR-hay loo-EES BAH-zhay ih-BAHN-yez")

"Why don't we just legalize the drugs?…If this powder was worth only ten cents, there would not be organizations dedicated to make a billion dollars to fund armies in Colombia."

Slightly more than halfway down the South Atlantic coast of South America lies the Eastern Republic of Uruguay, second smallest country in South America, and a state where sheep outnumber people eight to one. Nestled between the southern tip of Brazil and a section of Argentina's eastern border, Uruguay covers 176,215 sq km (68,037 sq mi). Its seaside capital and largest city is Montevideo, with a population of 1.4 million.

The population was estimated at 3,386,575 in 2002. Almost 90% of the country's people are of Spanish or Italian heritage. The population is 66% Roman Catholic, 2% Protestant...