A gay Tango

A wave of reform seems to be sweeping through Uruguay.

The Congress in this tiniest of South American countries has started to debate the possible legalisation of cannabis, it passed a law to give women the right to opt for an abortion, and now it has allowed gay couples to marry.

Uruguay has become the second country in Latin America, after Argentina, to legalise same-sex marriages.

Read more on the BBC

Facts about Uruguay:

• The name Uruguay means river of the colourful birds.
• Its capital Montevideo is the southernmost capital city in the Americas, and the third most southerly in the world (only Canberra and Wellington are further south).
• During the Napoleonic Wars, Montevideo was occupied by a British force from February to September 1807.
• Uruguay has won the FIFA (Football) World Cup twice - in 1930 and 1950. It is the smallest country (in terms of population) to ever win a World Cup.
• The country is known for its secularism, liberal social laws, and well-developed social security, health, and educational systems. Uruguay is one of the few countries in Latin America and the Caribbean where the entire population has access to clean water.
• One of the best-known tangos in the world, La Cumparsita, was written by Uruguayan composer Gerardo Matos Rodríguez.

And on that note...

La Cumparsita (from Maurice Bejart's Tango-Mozart)

I like Uruguay.