Arab Uruguayans () are residents or citizens of Uruguay of

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

ethnicity, whose ancestry predominantly traces back to any of various waves of immigrants from the

Arab world The Arab world ( '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, comprises a large group of countries, mainly located in West Asia and North Africa. While the majority of people in ...

, especially

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

and

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

Overview

Arab Uruguayans originated mainly from what is now

(of which there may be over 50,000 descendants); a notable trend was immigration during Ottoman times; for this reason, Arab Uruguayans are traditionally (and wrongly) denominated "turcos" (Turks). There are also individuals from other Arab countries such as

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

, Morocco and

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

. Most Uruguayans of Arabic descent are Christians (

Maronites Maronites (; ) are a Syriac Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant (particularly Lebanon) whose members belong to the Maronite Church. The largest concentration has traditionally resided near Mount ...

), with some Muslim minorities. There was also a small influx of

Arab Jews Arab Jews ( '; ') is a term for Jews living in or originating from the Arab world. Many left or were expelled from Arab countries in the decades following the founding of Israel in 1948, and took up residence in Israel, Western Europe, the Un ...

, who have since lost their Arab cultural identity. Arab Uruguayans are among the smallest Arab diaspora groups in the world. There are some 500 Arab-speaking people in the border towns of

Chuy Chuy () is a city in the extreme east of Uruguay, in the Rocha Department, northeast of Montevideo. It lies on the border with Brazil, separated from its Brazilian sister town of Chuí only by a shared avenue that serves as the border, and by the ...

and

Rivera Rivera () is the capital of Rivera Department of Uruguay. The border with Brazil joins it with the Brazilian city of Santana do Livramento, which is only a block away from it, at the north end of Route 5 (Uruguay), Route 5. Together, they form an ...

. Lately there are two noticeable trends: * Syrian refugees who flee from the Syrian Civil War, * Arab investors interested in Uruguay, who created the Uruguayan-Arab Chamber (in cooperation with the

Gulf Cooperation Council The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (), also known as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC; ), is a Regional integration, regional, intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental, political, and economic union comprising Ba ...

Notable people

Alberto Abdala Alberto Abdala (; 8 April 1920 – 13 January 1986) was an Uruguayan List of Uruguayan lawyers, attorney, politician, painter and Vice-President from 1967 to 1972. Background Alberto Abdala was born in Maldonado, Uruguay in 1920. He was of Lebane ...

, Vice President of Uruguay 1967-1972, of Lebanese descent *

Washington Abdala Manuel Juan Washington Abdala Remerciari, aka el Turco (born 8 September 1959, in Montevideo) is a List of Uruguayan lawyers, Uruguayan lawyer and politician. He was a National Representative for the Colorado Party (Uruguay), Colorado Party from ...

, lawyer and politician,

President of the Chamber of Deputies President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsidente ...

(2000), of Lebanese descent *

Hebert Abimorad Hebert Abimorad (born 1946 in Montevideo) is a Uruguayan-born journalist, translator and poet. Abimorad went into exile to Sweden due to the civic-military dictatorship in Uruguay. He settled in Gothenburg and developed a journalist career, writ ...

, journalist and poet of Lebanese descent * Matías Abisab, footballer * Alejandro Apud, football manager *

Cacho de la Cruz Arturo de la Cruz Feliciani, better known for his stage name Cacho de la Cruz (Chunk of the cross) (Buenos Aires, 8 May 1937) is an Argentine-born television presenter, humorist and entertainer who developed almost all his career in Uruguay. Son ...

, entertainer, of Moroccan descent * Amir Hamed, writer and translator, of Syrian descent * Christian Mirza, academic, of Egyptian descentInterview with Christian Mirza
/ref> *

Jorge Nasser Jorge Nasser (born 6 December 1956) is a Uruguayan singer, productor and composer. He used to be a member of the band Níquel. References External links Website 1956 births Uruguayan people of Lebanese descent 20th-century Uruguayan ...

, musician, of Lebanese descent * Amin Niffouri, politician, of Syrian descent

References

* {{Uruguay-hist-stub

Overview

Notable people

See also

References