INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS - MERCOSUR

International Organizations

Mercosur

Characteristics :

Type : Intergovermental

Establishment : Treaty of Asunción (March 26th 1991) and
Protocol of Ouro Preto (December 16th 1994)
Headquarters : Montevideo, San Pablo, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Caracas
Official Languages : Spanish, Portuguese, Guarani

Full Members : 5 (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela)
Associated Members : 5 (Chile, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Perú)
Observer Members : 2 (México, New Zealand)

Area : 19.326.961 km2 (Full members only)
Population : 288.996.820 (2012)
Density : 15 / km2

Description :

Mercosur or Mercosul (Spanish: Mercado Común del Sur, Portuguese: Mercado Comum do Sul, Guarani: Ñemby Ñemuha, in English: “Southern Common Market”) is a sub-regional bloc.

Its full members are Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela. Its associate countries are Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Suriname. And, Observer countries are New Zealand and Mexico.

Its purpose is to promote free trade and the fluid movement of goods, people, and currency. The official languages are Spanish, Portuguese and Guarani. It has been updated, amended, and changed many times since. It is now a full customs union and a trading bloc. Mercosur and the Andean Community of Nations are customs unions that are components of a continuing process of South American integration connected to the Union of South American Nations.

Geography :

The territory of Mercosur consists of the combined territories of five of the 12 countries of South America and their population. Including the overseas territories of member states, Mercosur experiences most types of climate from Antarctic to tropical, rendering meteorological averages for Mercosur as a whole meaningless. The majority of the population lives in areas with a subtropical climate (Uruguay, Southern Paraguay, Northeastern Argentina and Southern and Southeastern Brazil), or a tropical climate (Venezuela and Northeastern Brazil).

Merchandise Trade :

Intra-Mercosur merchandise trade (excluding Venezuela) grew from US$10 billion at the inception of the trade bloc in 1991, to US$88 billion in 2010; Brazil and Argentina each accounted for 43% of this total. The trade balance within the bloc has historically been tilted toward Brazil, which recorded an intra-Mercosur balance of over US$5 billion in 2010. Trade within Mercosur amounted to only 16% of the four countries' total merchandise trade in 2010, however; trade with the European Union (20%), China (14%), and the United States (11%) was of comparable importance. Exports from the bloc are highly diversified, and include a variety of agricultural, industrial, and energy goods. Merchandise trade with the rest of the world in 2010 resulted in a surplus for Mercosur of nearly US$7 billion; trade in services, however, was in deficit by over US$28 billion. The EU and China maintained a nearly balanced merchandise trade with Mercosur in 2010, while the United States reaped a surplus of over US$14 billion; Mercosur, in turn, earned significant surpluses (over US$4 billion each in 2010) in its trade with Chile and Venezuela. The latter became a full member in 2012.

Philatelic Issues

2016 – Uruguay – Unique Stamp, from Mercosur Series

Issue information:

Country: Uruguay
Date: April 25th, 2016
Printed: 15.000 Copies
Type: Unique Stamp from Series
Value: UYP 60

Stamp: Rectangular
Size: 39 mm. x 27 mm.
Perforation: Circular
Gum: Water Activated