Brazil–Uruguay relations encompass many complex relations over the span of three centuries, beginning in 1680 with the establishment of the

Colónia do Sacramento Colonia del Sacramento (; ) is a city in southwestern Uruguay, by the Río de la Plata, facing Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is one of the oldest towns in Uruguay and the capital of the Colonia Department. As of the 2023 census, it has a populati ...

, to the present day, between the

Federative Republic of Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

and the

Oriental Republic of Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

. Brazil and Uruguay are neighbouring countries in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

, and share close political, economic and cultural ties. The singularity of the

bilateral relations Bilateralism is the conduct of political, economic, or cultural relations between two sovereign states. It is in contrast to unilateralism or multilateralism, which is activity by a single state or jointly by multiple states, respectively. When ...

hip between the two countries originates from a strong historical connection, as both countries having been territories of the

Portuguese Empire The Portuguese Empire was a colonial empire that existed between 1415 and 1999. In conjunction with the Spanish Empire, it ushered in the European Age of Discovery. It achieved a global scale, controlling vast portions of the Americas, Africa ...

and sharing the same

language Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...

– marked by important events, such as the establishment of the ''

'' in 1680, the invasion of the ''

Banda Oriental Banda Oriental (Eastern Bank), or more fully Banda Oriental del Río Uruguay, was the name of the South American territories east of the Uruguay River and north of Río de la Plata that comprise the modern nation of Uruguay, the modern state of Ri ...

'' by Brazil in 1815 and the subsequent creation of the '' Província Cisplatina'', and Uruguay's independence from Brazil in 1828. The bilateral relationship was further defined by the

Uruguayan Civil War The Uruguayan Civil War, also known in Spanish as the ''Guerra Grande'' ("Great War"), was a series of armed conflicts between the leaders of Uruguayan independence. While officially the war lasted from 1839 until 1851, it was a part of armed ...

(1839–1851) and the

Paraguayan War The Paraguayan War (, , ), also known as the War of the Triple Alliance (, , ), was a South American war that lasted from 1864 to 1870. It was fought between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, the Empire of Brazil, and Uruguay. It wa ...

(1864–1870). Relations during the late-19th to late-20th centuries were overshadowed by

domestic politics Domestic policy, also known as internal policy, is a type of public policy overseeing administrative decisions that are directly related to all issues and activity within a state's borders. It differs from foreign policy, which refers to the ways ...

and resulted in a period of distancing between the two countries. The signing of the

Treaty of Asunción The Treaty of Asunción was a treaty between the countries of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay signed on March 26, 1991. The objective of the treaty, signed in Asunción, was to establish a common market among the participating countries, ...

in 1991 initiated a period of closer political, economical and cultural ties. Today, the Brazilian government defines Uruguay as a strategic ally and places the bilateral relationship as a foreign policy priority.Atos assinados por ocasião da visita da Presidenta Dilma Rousseff ao Uruguai - Montevidéu, 30 de maio de 2011
Ministério das Relações Exteriores. Retrieved on 2011-12-24. . This is met with reciprocity by Montevideo. Uruguay has supported the Brazilian bid for a permanent seat at the

United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...

History

Colonization

The

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

arrived in the territory of present-day Uruguay in 1516, but the indigenous people's fierce resistance to conquest, combined with 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

and the Portuguese

empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

s. In 1603 the Spanish began to introduce cattle, which became a source of wealth in the region. The first permanent settlement on the territory of present-day Uruguay was founded by the Spanish in 1624 at Soriano on the Río Negro. In 1669–71, the Portuguese built a

fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

at the banks of the

Río de la Plata The Río de la Plata (; ), also called the River Plate or La Plata River in English, is the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda, Colonia, Punta Gorda. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean and ...

. Founded in 1680 by

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

as ''

'', the colony was later disputed by the

who settled on the opposite bank of the river at

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

. The colony was conquered by José de Garro in 1680, but returned to Portugal the next year. It was conquered again by the Spanish in March 1705 after a siege of five months, but was eventually given back to Portugal in the

Treaty of Utrecht The Peace of Utrecht was a series of peace treaty, peace treaties signed by the belligerents in the War of the Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht between April 1713 and February 1715. The war involved three contenders for the vac ...

. Spain would try to regain the colony during the Spanish–Portuguese War of 1735. It kept changing hands from crown to crown due to treaties such as the Treaty of Madrid in 1750 and the Treaty of San Ildefonso in 1777, until it remained with the Spanish.

Annexation and independence

In 1811,

José Gervasio Artigas José Gervasio Artigas Arnal (; June 19, 1764 – September 23, 1850) was a soldier and statesman who is regarded as a national hero in Uruguay and the father of Uruguayan nationhood. Born in Montevideo, Artigas enlisted in the Spanish ...

, who became Uruguay's national hero, launched a successful revolt against Spain, defeating Spanish forces on May 18 in the

Battle of Las Piedras The Battle of Las Piedras was fought on May 18, 1811 as part of the Rio de la Plata war of independence. It was a resounding victory for the revolutionary forces, led by José Gervasio Artigas. Background and development of events In 1810, th ...

. He then liberated Montevideo from the centralizing control of Buenos Aires, and in 1815 declared the ''

Liga Federal Liga (Spanish and Portuguese: ''League'') or LIGA may refer to: Sports Basketball * Liga ACB, men's professional basketball league in Spain * Liga Femenina de Baloncesto, women's professional basketball league in Spain Football Latin Amer ...

''. In August 1816, forces from

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

invaded the ''

'' (present-day Uruguay) with the intention of destroying the ''Liga Federal''. The Brazilian forces, thanks to their numerical and material superiority, occupied

Montevideo Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

on January 20, 1817, and after struggling for three years in the countryside, defeated Artigas in the

Battle of Tacuarembó The Battle of Tacuarembó took place between the Luso-Brazilian forces under the command of José de Castelo Branco Correia, Count of Figueira, and the Artiguist forces of Andrés Latorre in Tacuarembó, modern-day Uruguay. The encounter resulted ...

. In 1821, the ''Banda Oriental'', was annexed by Brazil under the name of '' Província Cisplatina''. In response, the

Thirty-Three Orientals The ''Treinta y Tres Orientales'' (English: Thirty-Three Orientals or Thirty-Three Easterners) was a revolutionary group led by Juan Antonio Lavalleja and Manuel Oribe against the Empire of Brazil. Their actions culminated in the foundation of m ...

, led by

Juan Antonio Lavalleja Juan Antonio Lavalleja y de la Torre (June 24, 1784 – October 22, 1853) was an Uruguayan Libertadores, libertador, revolutionary, military general, and political figure. He was born in Minas, Uruguay, Minas, in a region now named after him ...

, declared independence from Brazil on August 25, 1825, supported by the

United Provinces of the Río de la Plata The United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (), earlier known as the United Provinces of South America (), was a name adopted in 1816 by the Congress of Tucumán for the region of South America that declared independence in 1816, with the Sove ...

(present-day Argentina). This led to the 500-day

Cisplatine War The Cisplatine War was an armed conflict fought in the 1820s between the Empire of Brazil and the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata over control of Brazil's Cisplatina province. It was fought in the aftermath of the United Provinces' an ...

. Neither side gained the upper hand, and in 1828 the Treaty of Montevideo, fostered by the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

, gave birth to Uruguay as an independent state.

Uruguayan civil war

The political scene in Uruguay following its independence from Brazil became split between two parties, the rural-conservative '' Blancos'' and the urban-liberal '' Colorados''. The ''Colorados'' were led by

Fructuoso Rivera José Fructuoso Rivera y Toscana (17 October 1784 – 13 January 1854) was a Uruguayan general and patriot who fought for the liberation of Banda Oriental from Brazilian rule, thrice served as President of Uruguay and was one of the instigat ...

and represented the business interests of

; the ''Blancos'' were headed by

Manuel Oribe Manuel Ceferino Oribe y Viana (August 26, 1792 – November 12, 1857) was the 2nd Constitutional president of Uruguay and founder of Uruguay's National Party, the oldest Uruguayan political party and considered one of the two Uruguayan "tr ...

, who looked after the agricultural interests of the countryside and promoted protectionism. In 1838, the

Kingdom of France The Kingdom of France is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the Middle Ages, medieval and Early modern France, early modern period. It was one of the most powerful states in Europe from th ...

started a

naval blockade A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations ...

over the port of

, in support of the

Peru–Bolivian Confederation The Peru–Bolivian Confederation () was a short-lived state that existed in South America between 1836 and 1839. The country was a loose confederation made up of three states: North Peru and South Peru—states that arose from the division of th ...

, who had declared the

War of the Confederation The War of the Confederation () was a military confrontation waged by the United Restoration Army, the alliance of the land and naval forces of Chile and the Restoration Army of Peru, formed in 1836 by Peruvian soldiers opposed to the conf ...

over the

Argentine Confederation The Argentine Confederation (Spanish: ''Confederación Argentina'') was the last predecessor state of modern Argentina; its name is still one of the official names of the country according to the Argentine Constitution, Article 35. It was the nam ...

. Unable to deploy land troops, France sought allied forces to fight

Juan Manuel de Rosas Juan Manuel José Domingo Ortiz de Rozas y López de Osornio (30 March 1793 – 14 March 1877), nicknamed "Restorer of the Laws", was an Argentine politician and army officer who ruled Buenos Aires Province and briefly the Argentine Confedera ...

- the governor of the Argentine Confederation, on their behalf. For this purpose they helped

to topple the Uruguayan president

, who was staying in good terms with Rosas.Garibaldi in Uruguay
A Reputation Reconsidered. Oribe was exiled to Buenos Aires and Rivera assumed power in October 1838. Rosas did not recognize Rivera as a legitimate president, and sought to restore Oribe in power. Rivera and

Juan Lavalle Juan Galo Lavalle (; 17 October 17979 October 1841) was an Argentine military and political figure from the Unitarian Party. Early life and education Lavalle was born in Buenos Aires to María Mercedes González Bordallo and Manuel José Laval ...

prepared troops to attack Buenos Aires. Both

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

and French troops intervened, initiating the

, or ''Guerra Grande'' (Great War). Manuel Oribe was eventually defeated in 1851, leaving the ''Colorados'' in full control of the country. Brazil followed up by intervening in Uruguay in May 1851, supporting the ''Colorados'' with financial and naval forces. In February 1852, Rosas resigned, and the pro-''Colorado'' forces lifted the siege of Montevideo. Uruguay rewarded Brazil's financial and military support by signing five treaties in 1851 that provided for perpetual alliance between the two countries. Montevideo confirmed Brazil's right to intervene in Uruguay's internal affairs. The treaties also allowed joint navigation on the

Uruguay River The Uruguay River ( ; ) is a major river in South America. It flows from north to south and forms parts of the boundaries of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, separating some of the Argentine provinces of La Mesopotamia from the other two countr ...

and its tributaries, and tax exempted cattle and salted meat exports. The treaties also acknowledged Uruguay's debt to Brazil for its aid against the ''Blancos'', and Brazil's commitment for granting an additional loan. In addition, Uruguay renounced its territorial claims north of the Quaraí River, thereby reducing its area to about 176,000 square kilometers, and recognized Brazil's exclusive right of navigation in the

Lagoa Mirim Lagoon Mirim (Portuguese, ) or Merín (Spanish, ) is a large estuarine lagoon which extends from southern Rio Grande do Sul state in Brazil into eastern Uruguay. Lagoa Mirim is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by a sandy, partially barren isthm ...

and the Jaguarão River, the natural border between the countries.The Great War, 1843–52.
Library of Congress. Retrieved on 2011-12-25.

Paraguayan War

In 1855, new conflict broke out between the parties. It reached its high point during the

. In 1863, the Colorado general

Venancio Flores Venancio Flores Barrios (18 May 1808 – 19 February 1868) was a Uruguayan political leader and general who served as President of Uruguay from 1854 to 1855 (interim) and from 1865 to 1868. Background and early career In 1839, he was made polit ...

organized an armed uprising against the Blanco president, Bernardo Prudencio Berro. Flores won backing from Brazil and, this time, from Argentina, who supplied him with troops and weapons, while Berro made an alliance with the Paraguayan leader

Francisco Solano López Francisco Solano López Carrillo (24 July 1827 or 1826 – 1 March 1870) was a Paraguay, Paraguayan statesman, Officer (armed forces), military officer and politician who served as President of Paraguay between 1862 and 1870, of which he serve ...

. When Berro's government was overthrown in 1864 with Brazilian help, López used it as a pretext to declare war. The result was the Paraguayan War, a five-year conflict in which Uruguayan, Brazilian and Argentinian armies fought Paraguay, and which Flores finally won, but only after great loss of his own troops. Flores did not enjoy his militar success for long. In 1868, he was murdered on the same day as his rival Berro. Both parties were weary of the chaos. In 1870, they came to an agreement to define spheres of influence: the Colorados would control Montevideo and the coastal region, the Blancos would rule the hinterland with its agricultural estates. In addition, the Blancos were paid half a million dollars to compensate them for the loss of their stake in Montevideo. But the

caudillo A ''caudillo'' ( , ; , from Latin language, Latin , diminutive of ''caput'' "head") is a type of Personalist dictatorship, personalist leader wielding military and political power. There is no precise English translation for the term, though it ...

mentality was difficult to erase from Uruguay and political feuding continued culminating in the Revolution of the Lances (''Revolución de las Lanzas'') (1870–1872), and later with the uprising of

Aparicio Saravia Aparicio Saravia da Rosa (August 16, 1856 – September 10, 1904) was a Uruguayan politician and military leader. He was a member of the Uruguayan National Party (Uruguay), National Party and was a revolutionary leader against the Uruguayan ...

, who was fatally injured at the

Battle of Masoller The Battle of Masoller, which occurred on September 1, 1904, was the final battle of the Aparicio Saravia, Aparicio Saravia revolt, resulting in the victory of the Colorado Party (Uruguay), Colorado forces. Location and historical background Ma ...

(1904).

Recent years

On 30 July 2010, President

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (; born Luiz Inácio da Silva; 27 October 1945), known Mononym, mononymously as Lula, is a Brazilian politician, trade unionist and former metalworker who has served as the 39th president of Brazil since 2023. A mem ...

of Brazil and Uruguays'

José Mujica José Alberto "Pepe" Mujica Cordano (20May 193513May 2025) was a Uruguayan politician, revolutionary and farmer who served as the 40th president of Uruguay from 2010 to 2015. A former guerrilla with the Tupamaros, he was tortured and imprisone ...

signed cooperation agreements on defence, science, technology, energy, river transportation and fishing with the hope of accelerating political and economic integration between these two neighbouring countries. In February 2021, The new President of Uruguay,

Luis Lacalle Pou Luis Alberto Aparicio Alejandro Lacalle Pou (, ; born 11 August 1973), is a Uruguayan politician and lawyer, who served as the 42nd president of Uruguay from 2020 to 2025. The son of former president Luis Alberto Lacalle, Lacalle Pou attended ...

, made his first presidential trip overseas to meet with Brazilian President

Jair Bolsonaro Jair Messias Bolsonaro (; born 21 March 1955) is a Brazilian politician and former military officer who served as the 38th president of Brazil from 2019 to 2023. He previously served as a member of Brazil's Chamber of Deputies (Brazil), Chamb ...

. On 1 March 2020, Bolsonaro had attended the inauguration ceremony of Luis Lacalle Pou in Uruguayan capital, Montevideo.

Cross-border region

The Brazil–Uruguay border extends . The close geographic proximity of some Brazilian and Uruguayan cities or urban centers have led them to be called "

twin cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in stat ...

".''Relações Brasil-Uruguai: A Nova Agenda para a Cooperação e o Desenvolvimento Fronteiriço''
Aveiro, Thais Mere. University of Brasília. Retrieved on 2011-12-24. . These cities usually share close demographic, economic, and political bonds. The following are twin cities:

Border disputes

A longstanding border dispute involving territory in the vicinity of

Masoller Masoller is a village or populated centre of the Rivera Department in northern Uruguay, next to the ''de facto'' border with Brazil, in an area where that border is disputed. Geography The village is located on Route 30, on the tripoint with Salto ...

exists between Uruguay and Brazil, although this has not harmed close diplomatic and economic relations between the two countries. The disputed area is called Rincón de Artigas/Rincão de Artigas Location -31.00, -55.95), and the dispute arises from the fact that the treaty that delimited the Brazil-Uruguay border in 1861 determined that the border in that area would be a creek called Arroio da Invernada, but the two countries disagree on which actual stream is the so-named one. Another disputed territory is

Brazilian Island Brazilian Island (; in Standard ; in Portuñol/Portunhol: ''Isla Brasilera'') is a small uninhabited river island at the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Quaraí (Cuareim) River, between the borders of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, w ...

at the confluence of the Quaraí River and the

.Borders and Limits of Brazil: Ilha Brasileira
Wilson R.M. Krukoski, LNCC. Retrieved on 2009-06-23. .

Trade and investment

Resident diplomatic missions

;Of Brazil *

(Embassy) *

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 ...

(Consulate-General) *

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 ...

(Consulate) * Artigas (Vice-Consulate) * Río Branco (Vice-Consulate) ;Of Uruguay *

Brasília Brasília ( ; ) is the capital city, capital of Brazil and Federal District (Brazil), Federal District. Located in the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region, it was founded by President Juscelino ...

(Embassy) *

Florianópolis Florianópolis () is the capital and second largest city of the state of Santa Catarina (state), Santa Catarina, in the South Region, Brazil, South region of Brazil. The city encompasses Santa Catarina Island and surrounding small islands, as we ...

(Consulate-General) *

Porto Alegre Porto Alegre (, ; , ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian Federative units of Brazil, state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population of roughly 1.4 million inhabitants (2022) makes it the List of largest cities in Brazil, 11th-most p ...

(Consulate-General) *

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

(Consulate-General) *

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

(Consulate-General) *

Bagé Bagé () is a Brazilian municipality located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. In 2020, its population was 121,335 in a total area of 4,096 km2. It is the seventeenth largest city in the state according to the 2011 census. The city was f ...

(Consulate) *

Belo Horizonte Belo Horizonte is the List of largest cities in Brazil, sixth-largest city in Brazil, with a population of around 2.3 million, and the third largest metropolitan area, containing a population of 6 million. It is the List of cities in Sout ...

(Consulate) * Chuí (Consulate) * Jaguarão (Consulate) *

Paranaguá Paranaguá (Tupi language, Tupi, 'Great Round Sea') is a city in the state of Paraná (state), Paraná in Brazil. Founded in 1648, it is Paraná's oldest city. It is known for the Port of Paranaguá, which serves as both the sea link for Curitiba, ...

(Consulate) *

Quaraí Quarai is a Brazilian Municipalities of Brazil, municipality located near the border with Uruguay on the Rio Quaraí. The population is 22,607 (2020 est.) in an area of 3,147.63 km2, making it one of the largest municipalities in the state. ...

(Consulate) * Santana do Livramento (Consulate) File:Embaixada de brasil en uruguay.jpg, Embassy of Brazil in Montevideo File:Atlântica Business Center5.jpg, Building hosting the Consulate-General of Uruguay in Rio de Janeiro File:Consulado de Uruguay, Santana do Livramento.jpg, Building hosting the Consulate of Uruguay in Santana do Livramento, alt=Consulate of Uruguay in Santana do Livramento

References

External links

Embassy of Brazil in Montevideo
Official website
Embassy of Uruguay in Brasília
Official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Brazil-Uruguay relations

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

Bilateral relations of Uruguay

History

Colonization

Annexation and independence

Uruguayan civil war

Paraguayan War

Recent years

Cross-border region

Border disputes

Trade and investment

Resident diplomatic missions

See also

References

External links