My hometown, Uruguay

Amigos, hace un tiempo les hable de Richmond, donde vivo durante la temporada ciclista aqui en U.S.A., ahora es hora de hablar un poco de mi querido pais a mi amigos aqui.
Uruguay, officially created by the Oriental Republic of Uruguay. It is home to 3,5 million people, of which 1,7 million live in Montevideo and its metropolitan area. It is bordered by Brazil to the northeast, the Uruguay River to the west, the estuary of the Rio de la Plata( literally "River of Silver", but also known in English as "River Plate")to the southwest, with Argentina on the other bank of both, and finally the South Atlantic Ocean to the southeast. According to Transparency International, it is the second least corrupt country in Latin America. Uruguay's political and labor conditions are among the freest on the continent, then we are 9th in the world and 1st in America as "green country", means countrys without pollution.
Europeans arrived in the territory of present-day Uruguay in 1516, but the absence of gold and silver limited settlement in the region during the 16th and 17th centuries. Uruguay became a zone of contention between the Spanish and the Portuguese empires. Spanish colonization increased as Spain sought to limit Portugal's expansion of Brazil's frontier. The climate in Uruguay is temperate, it has warms summers and cold winters. It receives the periodic influence of the polar air in winter, and tropical air from Brazil in summer. Although snow is not very common, it snowed in 1913, 1918,1963, 1989, 1992, and 2007. Uruguay is heavily populated by people of Europe origin. According to study, 94% are white European descent, Spaniard, followed by italians, including numbers of British, Germans, French, Swiss, Russians, Portuguese, Poles, Dutch, Scandinavians, Irish and Armenians. The remaining 6% of Uruguay's inhabitants are of Afro-Latin America ancestry. Uruguayan food is traditionally based on its European roots, like Mediterranean food from Italy, Spain and France, but also from countries such as Germany. The Uruguayan barbecue "asado" is one of the most exquisite and famous in the world. A sweet paste, Dulce de Leche is the national obsession, used to fill cakes, pancakes, cookies and Alfajor. The national drink is the Grappamiel; is an alcoholic drink which is very popular in rural areas. It is made with alcohol and honey, consumed in winter to warm up the body. But, the traditional drink (official) is an infusion called Mate. The dried leaves of the yerba mate plant are placed in a small cup. The drink is sipped through a metal cane straw called bombilla. Hot water is poured into the gourd at near boiling point so as to not burn the herb and spoil the flavor.
My friends, you're always welcome in Uruguay. Chauu !