Lost in Uruguay Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sun

The Sun of May is one of the symbols of both Uruguay and Argentina and appears on the flags of both countries. The sun has sixteen rays surrounding the centre, which has the representation of a face, and is designed to represent the Incan sun god. The current design has been in use since July 1830, and was partially based on the flag of the United States.

Answer: It's the longest in duration

The full version of the anthem has eleven verses, each followed by the chorus, 105 bars of music and lasts about five minutes when played in full. Normally, only one verse and the chorus are sung. The words were written by Francisco Acuña de Figuero, who also wrote the lyrics for the Paraguayan anthem, with music by Francisco José Debali.

The final version was adopted in 1848, and the opening lines (in English) are 'Orientals, our nation or the grave. Liberty or with glory we die'. Information has been taken from www.nationalanthems.info. The Greek national anthem has the most verses with 158, but the Uruguary national anthemn last the longest.

Answer: Brazil

Brazil was still under the control of Portugal at the time, and the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo was captured by Portuguese troops in 1817. Brazil gained its independence in 1822, and Uruguay declared its independence from Brazil on 25 August 1825 under the leadership of Juan Antonio Lavalleja and the 'Thirty Three Orientals'.

This led to war with Brazil, with Uruguay supported by the country now known as Argentina, which was brought to an end by the Treaty of Montevideo in 1828, when Uruguay was officially recognised as an independent country.

Answer: Roman Catholic

The complete separation of state and church was formalised in 1917, although religious instruction in schools had already been banned in 1909. According to Wikipedia, Uruguay is the most secular country in South America and was among the first to introduce civil marriage (in 1837) and divorce (in 1907).

Despite this, the 2008 survey carried out by the Institute of Statistics found that 45.7% of the population described themselves as Catholic with a further 9% being Protestant. 30.1% believed in a god, without being part of any formal denomination, and only 14% were atheist or agnostic.

Answer: Steak

There are several variations of the chivito, but the main ingredient is a piece of steak. The Uruguayans are great eaters of beef, often grilled, and the export of beef and beef products is a big part of their economy. The chivito variations include the addition of bacon, cheese, eggs and tomatoes, but the sandwich must always include steak.

Answer: Football (soccer)

Association football is considered the most popular sport in the country and the one at which they have had greatest success. The country won Olympic gold medals in both 1924 and 1928 and Uruguay was the first country to host the football World Cup. This was held in Montevideo in 1930 and was won by Uruguay, who also won in 1950, beating Brazil in the final. Uruguay has also had success in rugby union, qualifying for the Rugby World Cup in both 1999 and 2003.

Answer: Herbal tea

Mate is infused from the dried leaves and twigs of the yerba mate shrub, which is a member of the holly family. The leaves are steeped in hot water in a gourd and the resultant drink is sucked up through a silver straw, called a bombilla. The use of yerba mate for drinking dates back to at least the 16th century.

Answer: Peso

The peso is the unit of currency in Uruguay, Argentina, Chile and Colombia, differentiated by the name of the country. The present currency is the peso uruguayo and was introduced in 1993 following a devaluation of the previous version, the nuevo peso (new peso). US dollars are often used for high value items due to inflation in the value of the peso.

The real is used in Brazil, and dollars in Ecuador, Guyana and Suriname. The bolívar is the currency of Venezuela.

Answer: Painted birds

The Uruguay River forms the western boundary of the country, and flows into the estuary of the Río de la Plata. Argentina borders Uruguay on the other side of both these rivers. To the east lies the Atlantic Ocean, so the only true land border is with Brazil.

The official name of Uruguay is 'The Oriental Republic of Uruguay', to reflect its position east of the river, and is why the inhabitants refer to themselves as 'orientals' (as in the anthem).

Answer: Corned beef

The Fray Bentos brand is now owned by Premier Foods, and their website refers to the original company being set up in 1899 under the name of 'Anglo'. Other sources refer to a company named 'Leibig' being set up in 1873 and using Fray Bentos as its brand. Whichever is correct, they all agree that corned beef was their first product. Fray Bentos products are still available in the 21st century, although they have now diversified into all types of canned food including pies, fruit and meatballs. Some of these have been rebranded from 'Campbells', who were the owners until 2006.