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This page was last updated on 15 March, 2007


Map of Bolivia



Legend: DefinitionDefinition Field ListingField Listing Rank OrderRank Order
   Introduction    Bolivia Top of Page
Background:
Definition Field Listing
Bolivia, named after independence fighter Simon BOLIVAR, broke away from Spanish rule in 1825; much of its subsequent history has consisted of a series of nearly 200 coups and countercoups. Democratic civilian rule was established in 1982, but leaders have faced difficult problems of deep-seated poverty, social unrest, and illegal drug production. In December 2005, Bolivians elected Movement Toward Socialism leader Evo MORALES president - by the widest margin of any leader since the restoration of civilian rule in 1982 - after he ran on a promise to change the country's traditional political class and empower the nation's poor majority. However, since taking office, his controversial strategies have exacerbated racial and economic tensions between the Amerindian populations of the Andean west and the non-indigenous communities of the eastern lowlands.
   Geography    Bolivia Top of Page
Location:
Definition Field Listing
Central South America, southwest of Brazil
Geographic coordinates:
Definition Field Listing
17 00 S, 65 00 W
Map references:
Definition Field Listing
South America
Area:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 1,098,580 sq km
land: 1,084,390 sq km
water: 14,190 sq km
Area - comparative:
Definition Field Listing
slightly less than three times the size of Montana
Land boundaries:
Definition Field Listing
total: 6,940 km
border countries: Argentina 832 km, Brazil 3,423 km, Chile 860 km, Paraguay 750 km, Peru 1,075 km
Coastline:
Definition Field Listing
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
Definition Field Listing
none (landlocked)
Climate:
Definition Field Listing
varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and semiarid
Terrain:
Definition Field Listing
rugged Andes Mountains with a highland plateau (Altiplano), hills, lowland plains of the Amazon Basin
Elevation extremes:
Definition Field Listing
lowest point: Rio Paraguay 90 m
highest point: Nevado Sajama 6,542 m
Natural resources:
Definition Field Listing
tin, natural gas, petroleum, zinc, tungsten, antimony, silver, iron, lead, gold, timber, hydropower
Land use:
Definition Field Listing
arable land: 2.78%
permanent crops: 0.19%
other: 97.03% (2005)
Irrigated land:
Definition Field Listing
1,320 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
Definition Field Listing
flooding in the northeast (March-April)
Environment - current issues:
Definition Field Listing
the clearing of land for agricultural purposes and the international demand for tropical timber are contributing to deforestation; soil erosion from overgrazing and poor cultivation methods (including slash-and-burn agriculture); desertification; loss of biodiversity; industrial pollution of water supplies used for drinking and irrigation
Environment - international agreements:
Definition Field Listing
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection
Geography - note:
Definition Field Listing
landlocked; shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake (elevation 3,805 m), with Peru
   People    Bolivia Top of Page
Population:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
8,989,046 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
Definition Field Listing
0-14 years: 35% (male 1,603,982/female 1,542,319)
15-64 years: 60.4% (male 2,660,806/female 2,771,807)
65 years and over: 4.6% (male 182,412/female 227,720) (2006 est.)
Median age:
Definition Field Listing
total: 21.8 years
male: 21.2 years
female: 22.5 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
Definition Field Listing
1.45% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
23.3 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
7.53 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
Definition Field Listing
-1.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
Definition Field Listing
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 51.77 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 55.31 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 48.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total population: 65.84 years
male: 63.21 years
female: 68.61 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.85 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0.1% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
4,900 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
less than 500 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
Definition Field Listing
noun: Bolivian(s)
adjective: Bolivian
Ethnic groups:
Definition Field Listing
Quechua 30%, mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry) 30%, Aymara 25%, white 15%
Religions:
Definition Field Listing
Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant (Evangelical Methodist) 5%
Languages:
Definition Field Listing
Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara (official)
Literacy:
Definition Field Listing
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 87.2%
male: 93.1%
female: 81.6% (2003 est.)
   Government    Bolivia Top of Page
Country name:
Definition Field Listing
conventional long form: Republic of Bolivia
conventional short form: Bolivia
local long form: Republica de Bolivia
local short form: Bolivia
Government type:
Definition Field Listing
republic
Capital:
Definition Field Listing
name: La Paz (administrative capital)
geographic coordinates: 16 30 S, 68 09 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
note: Sucre (constitutional capital)
Administrative divisions:
Definition Field Listing
9 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Beni, Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, La Paz, Oruro, Pando, Potosi, Santa Cruz, Tarija
Independence:
Definition Field Listing
6 August 1825 (from Spain)
National holiday:
Definition Field Listing
Independence Day, 6 August (1825)
Constitution:
Definition Field Listing
2 February 1967; revised in August 1994; referendom on new constitution to be held 6 August 2007
Legal system:
Definition Field Listing
based on Spanish law and Napoleonic Code; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
Definition Field Listing
18 years of age, universal and compulsory (married); 21 years of age, universal and compulsory (single)
Executive branch:
Definition Field Listing
chief of state: President Juan Evo MORALES Ayma (since 22 January 2006); Vice President Alvaro GARCIA Linera (since 22 January 2006); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Juan Evo MORALES Ayma (since 22 January 2006); Vice President Alvaro GARCIA Linera (since 22 January 2006)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a single five-year term; election last held 18 December 2005 (next to be held in 2010)
election results: Juan Evo MORALES Ayma elected president; percent of vote - Juan Evo MORALES Ayma 53.7%; Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ramirez 28.6%; Samuel DORIA MEDINA Arana 7.8%; Michiaki NAGATANI Morishit 6.5%; Felipe QUISPE Huanca 2.2%; Guildo ANGULA Cabrera 0.7%
Legislative branch:
Definition Field Listing
bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (27 seats; members are elected by proportional representation from party lists to serve five-year terms) and Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (130 seats; 70 are directly elected from their districts and 60 are elected by proportional representation from party lists to serve five-year terms)
elections: Chamber of Senators and Chamber of Deputies - last held 18 December 2005 (next to be held in 2010)
election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PODEMOS 13, MAS 12, UN 1, MNR 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - MAS 73, PODEMOS 43, UN 8, MNR 6
Judicial branch:
Definition Field Listing
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges appointed for 10-year terms by National Congress); District Courts (one in each department); provincial and local courts (to try minor cases)
Political parties and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
Free Bolivia Movement or MBL [Franz BARRIOS]; Movement Toward Socialism or MAS [Juan Evo MORALES Ayma]; Movement Without Fear or MSM [Juan DEL GRANADO]; National Revolutionary Movement or MNR [Mirta QUEVEDO]; National Unity [Samuel DORIA Medina]; Poder Democratico Nacional or PODEMOS [Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ramirez]; Social Alliance [Rene JOAQUINO]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
Cocalero groups; indigenous organizations; labor unions; Sole Confederation of Campesino Workers of Bolivia or CSUTCB
International organization participation:
Definition Field Listing
CAN, CSN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMISET, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Ambassador Gustavo GUZMAN Saldana
chancery: 3014 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 483-4410
FAX: [1] (202) 328-3712
consulate(s) general: Houston, Miami, New York, Oklahoma City, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, DC
Diplomatic representation from the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Ambassador Philip S. GOLDBERG
embassy: Avenida Arce 2780, La Paz
mailing address: P. O. Box 425, La Paz; APO AA 34032
telephone: [591] (2) 216-8000
FAX: [591] (2) 216-8111
Flag description:
Definition Field Listing
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with the coat of arms centered on the yellow band; similar to the flag of Ghana, which has a large black five-pointed star centered in the yellow band
   Economy    Bolivia Top of Page
Economy - overview:
Definition Field Listing
Bolivia, long one of the poorest and least developed Latin American countries, reformed its economy after suffering a disastrous economic crisis in the early 1980s. The reforms spurred real GDP growth, which averaged 4% in the 1990s, and poverty rates fell. Economic growth, however, lagged again beginning in 1999 because of a global slowdown and homegrown factors such as political turmoil, civil unrest, and soaring fiscal deficits, all of which hurt investor confidence. In 2003, violent protests against the pro-foreign investment economic policies of President SANCHEZ DE LOZADA led to his resignation and the cancellation of plans to export Bolivia's newly discovered natural gas reserves to large northern hemisphere markets. In 2005, the government passed a controversial natural gas law that imposed significantly higher taxes on the oil and gas firms and required production firms to sign new operating contracts, which were completed in October 2006. Bolivian officials are in the process of revamping the defunct state-owned oil company and acquiring majority ownership of five gas production, transportation, refining, and storage companies. The MORALES administration has indicated plans to increase state control over other sectors as well, including mining, electricity, telecommunications, transportation, and forestry. Real GDP growth in 2003-06 - helped by increased demand for natural gas in neighboring Brazil - was positive, but still below the levels seen during the 1990s. Bolivia's fiscal position has improved in recent years, and the country had a record 6% fiscal surplus for 2006. In 2005, the G8 announced a $2 billion debt-forgiveness plan over the next few decades. The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank forgave a total of approximately $1.8 billion of Bolivian debt in 2006 that has helped reduce fiscal pressures on the government.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$27.21 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
Definition Field Listing
$10.22 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3.3% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$3,000 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 12.8%
industry: 36.1%
services: 51.2% (2006 est.)
Labor force:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
4.3 million (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Unemployment rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
7.8% in urban areas; widespread underemployment (2006 est.)
Population below poverty line:
Definition Field Listing
64% (2004 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Definition Field Listing
lowest 10%: 1.3%
highest 10%: 32% (1999)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
Definition Field Listing
60.6 (2002)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
4.3% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
12.4% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget:
Definition Field Listing
revenues: $4.153 billion
expenditures: $3.619 billion; including capital expenditures of $741 million (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products:
Definition Field Listing
soybeans, coffee, coca, cotton, corn, sugarcane, rice, potatoes; timber
Industries:
Definition Field Listing
mining, smelting, petroleum, food and beverages, tobacco, handicrafts, clothing
Industrial production growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
5.7% (2004 est.)
Electricity - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
4.472 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
4.168 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports:
Definition Field Listing
0 kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports:
Definition Field Listing
9 million kWh (2004)
Oil - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
42,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
47,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA bbl/day
Oil - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
458.8 million bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
10.05 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.14 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
7.91 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
679.6 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)
Current account balance:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$688 million (2006 est.)
Exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$3.668 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Exports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
natural gas, soybeans and soy products, crude petroleum, zinc ore, tin
Exports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
Brazil 44.2%, US 12.5%, Argentina 10.9%, Colombia 7.8%, Peru 4.8% (2005)
Imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$2.934 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Imports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
petroleum products, plastics, paper, aircraft and aircraft parts, prepared foods, automobiles, insecticides, soybeans
Imports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
Brazil 21.9%, Argentina 16.7%, US 13.8%, Chile 6.9%, Peru 6.5%, Japan 6.1%, China 5.8% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$3.303 billion (2006 est.)
Debt - external:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$5.916 billion (2006 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
Definition Field Listing
$221 million (2005 est.)
Currency (code):
Definition Field Listing
boliviano (BOB)
Exchange rates:
Definition Field Listing
bolivianos per US dollar - 8.0159 (2006), 8.0661 (2005), 7.9363 (2004), 7.6592 (2003), 7.17 (2002)
Fiscal year:
Definition Field Listing
calendar year
   Communications    Bolivia Top of Page
Telephones - main lines in use:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
646,300 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.421 million (2005)
Telephone system:
Definition Field Listing
general assessment: new subscribers face bureaucratic difficulties; most telephones are concentrated in La Paz and other cities; mobile cellular telephone use expanding rapidly
domestic: primary trunk system, which is being expanded, employs digital microwave radio relay; some areas are served by fiber-optic cable; mobile cellular systems are being expanded
international: country code - 591; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
AM 171, FM 73, shortwave 77 (1999)
Television broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
48 (1997)
Internet country code:
Definition Field Listing
.bo
Internet hosts:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
20,085 (2006)
Internet users:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
480,000 (2005)
   Transportation    Bolivia Top of Page
Airports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1,084 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 16
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 1,068
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 60
914 to 1,523 m: 207
under 914 m: 797 (2006)
Pipelines:
Definition Field Listing
gas 4,860 km; liquid petroleum gas 47 km; oil 2,475 km; refined products 1,589 km; unknown (oil/water) 247 km (2006)
Railways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 3,519 km
narrow gauge: 3,519 km 1.000-m gauge (2005)
Roadways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 62,479 km
paved: 3,749 km
unpaved: 56,730 km (2004)
Waterways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
10,000 km (commercially navigable) (2005)
Merchant marine:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 24 ships (1000 GRT or over) 127,297 GRT/198,525 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 8, chemical tanker 1, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 10
foreign-owned: 10 (Argentina 1, China 1, Egypt 2, Iran 1, Singapore 3, Taiwan 1, Yemen 1) (2006)
Ports and terminals:
Definition Field Listing
Puerto Aguirre (on the Paraguay/Parana waterway, at the Bolivia/Brazil border); also, Bolivia has free port privileges in maritime ports in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Paraguay
   Military    Bolivia Top of Page
Military branches:
Definition Field Listing
Bolivian Armed Forces: Bolivian Army (Ejercito Boliviano), Bolivian Navy (Armada Boliviana; includes marines), Bolivian Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Boliviana, FAB) (2007)
Military service age and obligation:
Definition Field Listing
18 years of age for voluntary military service; when annual number of volunteers falls short of goal, compulsory recruitment is effected, including conscription of boys as young as 14; one estimate holds that 40% of the armed forces are under the age of 18, with 50% of those under the age of 16; conscript tour of duty - 12 months (2002)
Manpower available for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 18-49: 1,923,234
females age 18-49: 2,007,315 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 18-49: 1,311,414
females age 18-49: 1,502,177 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
Definition Field Listing
males age 18-49: 101,101
females age 18-49: 98,671 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2% (2006 est.)
   Transnational Issues    Bolivia Top of Page
Disputes - international:
Definition Field Listing
Chile rebuffs Bolivia's reactivated claim to restore the Atacama corridor, ceded to Chile in 1884, offering instead unrestricted but not sovereign maritime access through Chile for Bolivian natural gas and other commodities
Trafficking in persons:
Definition Field Listing
current situation: Bolivia is a source and transit country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of labor and sexual exploitation to Argentina, Brazil, and Chile, as well as to Spain; children are trafficked internally for sexual exploitation, forced mining, and agricultural labor; illegal migrants from Asia transiting Bolivia are vulnerable as trafficking victims
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Bolivia has failed to show evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in the areas of prosecutions and victim protection
Illicit drugs:
Definition Field Listing
world's third-largest cultivator of coca (after Colombia and Peru) with an estimated 26,500 hectares under cultivation in August 2005, an 8% increase from 2004; transit country for Peruvian and Colombian cocaine destined for Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Europe; cultivation steadily increasing despite eradication and alternative crop programs; money-laundering activity related to narcotics trade, especially along the borders with Brazil and Paraguay; major cocaine consumption

This page was last updated on 15 March, 2007


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