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This page was last updated on 13 December, 2007
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| Introduction | Bolivia | Top of Page

Background: | 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: | Central South America, southwest of Brazil
Geographic coordinates: | 17 00 S, 65 00 W
Map references: | South America
Area: | total: 1,098,580 sq km land: 1,084,390 sq km water: 14,190 sq km
Area - comparative: | slightly less than three times the size of Montana
Land boundaries: | total: 6,940 km border countries: Argentina 832 km, Brazil 3,423 km, Chile 860 km, Paraguay 750 km, Peru 1,075 km
Coastline: | 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: | none (landlocked)
Climate: | varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and semiarid
Terrain: | rugged Andes Mountains with a highland plateau (Altiplano), hills, lowland plains of the Amazon Basin
Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Rio Paraguay 90 m highest point: Nevado Sajama 6,542 m
Natural resources: | tin, natural gas, petroleum, zinc, tungsten, antimony, silver, iron, lead, gold, timber, hydropower
Land use: | arable land: 2.78% permanent crops: 0.19% other: 97.03% (2005)
Irrigated land: | 1,320 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards: | flooding in the northeast (March-April)
Environment - current issues: | 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: | 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: | landlocked; shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake (elevation 3,805 m), with Peru

| People | Bolivia | Top of Page

Population: | 9,119,152 (July 2007 est.)
Age structure: | 0-14 years: 34.3% (male 1,593,509/female 1,532,155) 15-64 years: 61.1% (male 2,730,359/female 2,841,872) 65 years and over: 4.6% (male 187,123/female 234,134) (2007 est.)
Median age: | total: 22.2 years male: 21.5 years female: 22.9 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate: | 1.42% (2007 est.)
Birth rate: | 22.82 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate: | 7.44 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate: | -1.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.961 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.799 male(s)/female total population: 0.979 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | total: 50.43 deaths/1,000 live births male: 53.93 deaths/1,000 live births female: 46.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 66.19 years male: 63.53 years female: 68.97 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate: | 2.76 children born/woman (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.1% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 4,900 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: | less than 500 (2003 est.)
Nationality: | noun: Bolivian(s) adjective: Bolivian
Ethnic groups: | Quechua 30%, mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry) 30%, Aymara 25%, white 15%
Religions: | Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant (Evangelical Methodist) 5%
Languages: | Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara (official)
Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 86.7% male: 93.1% female: 80.7% (2001 census)

| Government | Bolivia | Top of Page

Country name: | conventional long form: Republic of Bolivia conventional short form: Bolivia local long form: Republica de Bolivia local short form: Bolivia
Government type: | republic
Capital: | 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: | 9 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Beni, Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, La Paz, Oruro, Pando, Potosi, Santa Cruz, Tarija
Independence: | 6 August 1825 (from Spain)
National holiday: | Independence Day, 6 August (1825)
Constitution: | 2 February 1967; revised in August 1994; referendum on new constitution to be held 6 August 2007
Legal system: | based on Spanish law and Napoleonic Code; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: | 18 years of age, universal and compulsory (married); 21 years of age, universal and compulsory (single)
Executive branch: | 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: | 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 members 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: | 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: | 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 Arana]; Poder Democratico Nacional or PODEMOS [Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ramirez]; Social Alliance [Rene JOAQUINO]
Political pressure groups and leaders: | Cocalero groups; indigenous organizations; labor unions; Sole Confederation of Campesino Workers of Bolivia or CSUTCB
International organization participation: | CAN, CSN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMISET, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US: | 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: | 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: | 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: | 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 ex-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 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): | $27.87 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): | $10.33 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: | 4.5% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP): | $3,100 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 12.6% industry: 35.6% services: 51.8% (2006 est.)
Labor force: | 4.297 million (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%
Unemployment rate: | 7.8% in urban areas; widespread underemployment (2006 est.)
Population below poverty line: | 64% (2004 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 0.3% highest 10%: 47.2% (2002)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 60.1 (2002)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 4.3% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed): | 12.9% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget: | revenues: $4.48 billion expenditures: $3.95 billion (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products: | soybeans, coffee, coca, cotton, corn, sugarcane, rice, potatoes; timber
Industries: | mining, smelting, petroleum, food and beverages, tobacco, handicrafts, clothing
Industrial production growth rate: | 5.7% (2004 est.)
Electricity - production: | 5.041 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - consumption: | 4.207 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2005)
Oil - production: | 42,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption: | 47,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports: | NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: | NA bbl/day
Oil - proved reserves: | 440.5 million bbl (1 January 2006)
Natural gas - production: | 11.84 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: | 2.024 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - exports: | 9.821 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - imports: | 0 cu m (2005)
Natural gas - proved reserves: | 651.8 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance: | $1.32 billion (2006 est.)
Exports: | $3.696 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Exports - commodities: | natural gas, soybeans and soy products, crude petroleum, zinc ore, tin
Exports - partners: | Brazil 45.6%, US 10.8%, Argentina 9.2%, Colombia 6.8%, Japan 5.5%, South Korea 4.3% (2006)
Imports: | $2.636 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Imports - commodities: | petroleum products, plastics, paper, aircraft and aircraft parts, prepared foods, automobiles, insecticides, soybeans
Imports - partners: | Brazil 29.3%, Argentina 16%, Chile 12.1%, US 9.1%, Peru 8.1% (2006)
Economic aid - recipient: | $582.9 million (2005 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $3.194 billion (2006 est.)
Debt - external: | $4.455 billion (2006 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: | $NA
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: | $NA
Market value of publicly traded shares: | $2.2 billion (2005)
Currency (code): | boliviano (BOB)
Exchange rates: | bolivianos per US dollar - 8.0159 (2006), 8.0661 (2005), 7.9363 (2004), 7.6592 (2003), 7.17 (2002)
Fiscal year: | calendar year

| Communications | Bolivia | Top of Page

Telephones - main lines in use: | 646,300 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular: | 2.421 million (2005)
Telephone system: | general assessment: privatization beginning in 1995; reliability has steadily improved; new subscribers face bureaucratic difficulties; most telephones are concentrated in La Paz and other cities; mobile- cellular telephone use expanding rapidly; fixed-line teledensity of 7 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density of 27 per 100 persons 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) (2007)
Radio broadcast stations: | AM 171, FM 73, shortwave 77 (1999)
Television broadcast stations: | 48 (1997)
Internet country code: | .bo
Internet hosts: | 24,363 (2007)
Internet users: | 580,000 (2006)

| Transportation | Bolivia | Top of Page

Airports: | 1,061 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways: | 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 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 1,045 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 57 914 to 1,523 m: 183 under 914 m: 800 (2007)
Pipelines: | 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: | total: 3,504 km narrow gauge: 3,504 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)
Roadways: | total: 62,479 km paved: 3,749 km unpaved: 58,730 km (2004)
Waterways: | 10,000 km (commercially navigable) (2007)
Merchant marine: | total: 25 ships (1000 GRT or over) 73,877 GRT/110,148 DWT by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 12, carrier 1, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 9 foreign-owned: 9 (Argentina 1, China 1, Egypt 1, Iran 1, Italy 1, Singapore 1, Syria 1, Taiwan 1, Yemen 1) (2007)
Ports and terminals: | Puerto Aguirre (inland port on the Paraguay/Parana waterway at the Bolivia/Brazil border); Bolivia has free port privileges in maritime ports in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Paraguay

| Military | Bolivia | Top of Page

Military branches: | 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: | 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 (2004)
Manpower available for military service: | males age 18-49: 1,923,234 females age 18-49: 2,007,315 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service: | males age 18-49: 1,311,414 females age 18-49: 1,502,177 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually: | males age 18-49: 101,101 females age 18-49: 98,671 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 1.9% (2006)

| Transnational Issues | Bolivia | Top of Page

Disputes - international: | 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
Illicit drugs: | 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 13 December, 2007