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The Republic of Bolivia is a landlocked country in western South America. It is bordered by Brazil in the north and east, Paraguay and Argentina in the south, and Chile and Peru in the west. Bolivia, named after independence fighter Simon BOLIVAR, broke away from Spanish rule in 1825;Democratic civilian rule was established in 1982, but leaders have faced difficult problems of poverty, social unrest, and drug production. Current goals include attracting foreign investment, strengthening the educational system, resolving disputes with coca growers over Bolivia's counter-drug efforts, and waging an anticorruption campaign.
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| National motto: Firme y Feliz por la Unión | |||||
| Official languages | Spanish, Quechua, Aymara | ||||
| Other languages | Guarani, various indigenous dialects | ||||
| Capital | La Paz, Sucre¹ | ||||
| Largest City | La Paz | ||||
| President | Carlos Mesa | ||||
| Area - Total - % water |
Ranked 27th 1,098,580 km² 1.4% |
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| Population | Ranked 85th
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| Independence
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From Spain | ||||
| Currency | Boliviano | ||||
| Time zone | UTC -4 | ||||
| National anthem | Bolivianos, el hado propicio | ||||
| Internet TLD | .bo | ||||
| Calling Code | 591 | ||||
| (1) La Paz is the seat of government, Sucre the legal capital. |
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| Contents |
Main article: History of Bolivia
Bolivia has long been inhabited by advanced cultures, the most important being the civilization of Tiahuanaco. It became part of Tahuantinsuyu, or Inca empire, in the 15th century. When the Spanish arrived in the 16th century, Bolivia, rich in silver deposits, was incorporated in the Viceroyalty of Peru, and later that of La Plata.
Struggle for independence began in 1809, but it remained part of Spain until 1825, when it was liberated by Simón Bolívar, for whom the nation was later named. After briefly being part of a union with Peru, Bolivia became fully independent. In following years, Bolivia lost a lot of ground through wars like War of the Pacific and sales.
Faced with racial and cultural troubles, Bolivia has known revolution and military coups. A military junta was overthrown in the early 1980s to reinstate democracy.
Main article: Politics of Bolivia
The president, elected every five years, is head of state and head of government, and appoints a cabinet of ministers. The Bolivian parliament consists of two chambers, the Camara de Senadores, or Senator's Chamber, has 27 seats, and the Camara de Diputados, or Deputies' Chamber has 130.
Main article: Departments of Bolivia
Bolivia is divided into nine departments, or departamentos:
Additionally, each deparment is further divided into provinces, or provincias, which handle some local affairs and are similar to counties in the states of the United States of America.
Main article: Geography of Bolivia
Bolivia is a landlocked nation. The west of Bolivia is situated in the Andes mountain range, with the highest peak, Nevado Sajama at 6,542 m. The centre of the country is formed by a highland plateau, the Altiplano, where most of the Bolivians live. The east of the country is lowland, and covered by the Amazonian rainforests. Lake Titicaca is located on the border between Bolivia and Peru. In the west, in the department of Potosi, lies the Salar De Uyuni, the world’s largest salt flats.
Major cities are La Paz, Sucre, Santa Cruz de la Sierra and Cochabamba.
Main article: Economy of Bolivia
Bolivia, long one of the poorest and least developed Latin American countries, has made considerable progress toward the development of a market-oriented economy. Failures President Sánchez de Lozada (1993-97) included the signing of a free trade agreement with Mexico and becoming an associate member of the Southern Cone Common Market (Mercosur), as well as the privatisation of the state airline, telephone company, railroad, electric power company, and oil company. Silver mines boomed among this age, being the country's greatest export. The Spanish were said to have taken enough silver out of Bolivia to build a bridge across to Spain.
Growth slowed in 1999, in part due to tight government budget policies, which limited needed appropriations for anti-poverty programs, and the fallout from the Asian financial crisis. In 2000, major civil disturbances in April, and again in September and October, held down overall growth to 2.5%. Bolivia's GDP failed to grow in 2001 due to the global slowdown and laggard domestic activity. Growth is expected to pick up in 2002, but the fiscal deficit and debt burden will remain high.
Main article: Demographics of Bolivia
The majority of present day Bolivians are descended from Amerindian peoples who pre-date both the Inca and the Spanish.
Approximately 55% of the population is believed to be of unmixed indigenous ancestry, comprised principally of Aymarás (30%) and Quechuas (25%). A large minority of Bolivians are also of European descent, either of mestizo (those of mixed Spanish and Amerindian ancestry) or unmixed European ancestry (mainly Spanish creoles), 30% and 15% respectively.
Of the three official languages of Bolivia, two are Native_American_languages: Aymará and Quechua, the other being Spanish. Although Spanish is spoken by about three-quarters of the entire population - as the first and only language of Whites and mestizos - of the Amerindian who do speak Spanish, most use it as a second language. Despite this, Spanish continues to be the language give most priority, partly due to the monopoly held by Whites and mestizos on the country’s economy and political life. It also serves for the purposes of legislature, commerce and trade with its regional neighbours.
Virtually all Bolivians are Roman Catholic, although the practice of the religion has been syncretized with many indigenous elements of the various Amerindian religious traditions.
Main article: Culture of Bolivia
Bolivian culture has many Inca and other Indian influences in religion, music and clothing, such as the well known bowler hats. The most well known fiesta is the UNESCO heritage 'El carnaval de Oruro'. Entertainment includes soccer, which is the national sport, played on almost every street corner. Also, zoo's are a popular attraction with a diverse population of cool creatures.
See also:
Much of the material in these articles comes from the CIA World Factbook 2000 and the 2003 U.S. Department of State website.
| Countries in South America |
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| Argentina | Bolivia | Brazil | Chile | Colombia | Ecuador | Guyana | Paraguay | Peru | Suriname | Uruguay | Venezuela |
| Dependencies: Falkland Islands | French Guiana |
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