Spanish World Academy

Bolivia

Introduction

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 counter-coups. Comparatively democratic civilian rule was established in the 1980s, but leaders have faced difficult problems of deep-seated poverty, social unrest, and drug production. Current goals include attracting foreign investment, strengthening the educational system, continuing the privatization program, and waging an anti-corruption campaign. La Paz

Bolivia

Geography

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:  6,743 km border countries:  Argentina 832 km, Brazil 3,400 km, Chile 861 km, Paraguay 750 km, Peru 900 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% permanent crops:  0% permanent pastures:  24% forests and woodland:  53% other:  21% (1993 est.)

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, Nuclear Test Ban, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified:  Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, 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 Plaza Murillo

Bolivia

People

Population:

8,989,046 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:

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.)

Population growth rate:

1.45% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:

23.3 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:

7.53 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:

-1.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:

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:

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:

total population: 65.84 years male: 63.21 years female: 68.61 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.85 children born/woman (2006 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: 87.2% male: 93.1% female: 81.6% (2003 est.)

Bolivia

Government

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 (adminstrative 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); Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, Beni, 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

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); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government 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; 69 are directly elected from their districts and 61 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:

Bolivian Socialist Falange or FSB [Romel PANTOJA]; Civic Solidarity Union or UCS [Johnny FERNANDEZ]; Free Bolivia Movement or MBL [Franz BARRIOS]; Marshal of Ayacucho Institutional Vanguard or VIMA [Freddy ZABALA]; Movement of the Revolutionary Left or MIR [Jaime PAZ Zamora]; Movement Toward Socialism or MAS [Juan Evo MORALES Ayma]; Movement Without Fear or MSM [Juan DEL GRANADO]; National Revolutionary Movement or MNR [Gonzalo SANCHEZ DE LOZADA]; New Republican Force or NFR [Manfred REYES-VILLA]; Pachakuti Indigenous Movement or MIP [Felipe QUISPE Huanca]; Poder Democratico Nacional or PODEMOS [Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ramirez]; Socialist Party or PS [Jeres JUSTINIANO]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Cocalero groups; indigenous organizations; labor unions; Sole Confederation of Campesino Workers of Bolivia or CSUTCB [Roman LOAYZA]

International organization participation:

CAN, CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MONUC, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNTAET, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

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

Bolivia

Economy

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 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 imposes on the oil and gas firms significantly higher taxes as well as new contracts that give the state control of their operations. Bolivian officials are in the process of implementing the law; meanwhile, foreign investors have stopped investing and have taken the first legal steps to secure their investments. Real GDP growth in 2003-05 - 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, but the country remains dependent on foreign aid from multilateral lenders and foreign governments to meet budget shortfalls. In 2005, the G8 announced a $2 billion debt-forgiveness plan over the next few decades that should help reduce some fiscal pressures on the government in the near term.

GDP:	$25.82 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

4.1% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita:

purchasing power parity - $2,900 (2005est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 12.8% industry: 35.2% services: 52% (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line:

64% (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 1.3% highest 10%: 32% (1999)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

5.4% (2005 est.)

Labor force:

4.22 million (2005 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%

Unemployment rate:

8% in urban areas; widespread underemployment (2005 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $2.848 billion expenditures: $3.189 billion; including capital expenditures of $741 million (2005 est.)

Industries:

mining, smelting, petroleum, food and beverages, tobacco, handicrafts, clothing

Industrial production growth rate:

5.7% (2004 est.)

Electricity - production:

4.25 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 44.4% hydro: 54% nuclear: 0% other: 1.5% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:

3.963 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:

10 million kWh (2003)

Agriculture - products:

soybeans, coffee, coca, cotton, corn, sugarcane, rice, potatoes; timber

Exports:

$1.26 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Exports - commodities:

soybeans, natural gas, zinc, gold, wood

Exports - partners:

UK 16%, US 12%, Peru 11%, Argentina 10%, Colombia 7% (1998)

Imports:

$1.86 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Imports - commodities:

capital goods, raw materials and semi-manufactures, chemicals, petroleum, food

Imports - partners:

US 32%, Japan 24%, Brazil 12%, Argentina 12%, Chile 7%, Peru 4%, Germany 3%, other 6% (1998)

Debt - external:

$6.6 billion (2000)

Economic aid - recipient:

$588 million (1997)

Currency:

boliviano (BOB)

Currency code:

BOB

Exchange rates:

bolivianos per US dollar - 6.4071 (January 2001), 6.1835 (2000), 5.8124 (1999), 5.5101 (1998), 5.2543 (1997), 5.0746 (1996)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Bolivia

Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:

646,300 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

2.421 million (2005)

Telephone system:

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:  satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 171, FM 73, shortwave 77 (1999)

Radios:

5.25 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

48 (1997)

Televisions:

900,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.bo

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

9 (2000)

Internet users:

480,000 (2005)

Bolivia

Transportation

Railways:

total: 3,519 km narrow gauge: 3,519 km 1.000-m gauge (2005)

Highways:

total:  49,400 km paved:  2,500 km (including 30 km of expressways) unpaved:  46,900 km (1996)

Waterways:

10,000 km (commercially navigable) (2005)

Pipelines:

crude oil 1,800 km; petroleum products 580 km; natural gas 1,495 km

Ports and harbors:

none; however, Bolivia has free port privileges in maritime ports in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Paraguay

Merchant marine:

total:  42 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 141,017 GRT/211,058 DWT ships by type:  bulk 5, cargo 20, chemical tanker 3, container 1, petroleum tanker 10, roll on/roll off 3 (2000 est.)

Airports:

1,084 (2006)

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 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

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)

Bolivia

Military

Military branches:

Bolivian Armed Forces: Bolivian Army (Ejercito Boliviano), Bolivian Navy (Armada Boliviana; includes marines), Bolivian Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Boliviana, FAB) (2006)

Military manpower - military age:

males age 18-49: 101,101 females age 18-49: 98,671 (2005 est.)

Military manpower - availability:

males age 15-49:  2,005,660 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:

males age 15-49:  1,306,452 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:

males age 18-49: 101,101 females age 18-49: 98,671 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:

$130 million (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:

1.4% (