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Uruguay

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Three systems of rivers drain the land. Rivers flow westward to the Río Uruguay, eastward to the Atlantic and the tidal lagoons bordering the ocean, and south to the Río de la Plata. The longest and most important of the rivers draining westward is the Río Negro, which crosses the entire country from northeast to west before emptying into the Río Uruguay. But the Río Uruguay, which marks the border with Argentina, has low banks. During heavy rains, the river overflows, causing disastrous floods over enormous areas. Adam on the Río Negro at Paso de los Toros helps control the flow into the Río Uruguay. Behind the dam is a huge reservoir —Lago Rincón del Bonete. This reservoir is the largest artificial lake in South America. Flowing into the Río Negro is the Río Yi, its main tributary .

Cars ride down a street covered by

ocean foam during a heavy winter wind- storm. High winds can be a problem in Uruguay, particularly in the winter when the pampero blows from Argentina. (Because of its location in the Southern Hemisphere, seasons in Uruguay are the opposite of those in the United States.)