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  Bolivia  
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  Introduction
  Geography
  People
  Government
  Economy
  Communications
  Transportation
  Military
  Transnational Issues

In general, information available as of 1 January, 2004
was used in the preparation of The World Factbook 2004.


This page was last updated on 27 January, 2005


Map of Bolivia

Legend: DefinitionDefinition Field ListingField Listing Rank OrderRank Order
   Introduction    Bolivia
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 counter-coups. Comparatively democratic civilian rule was established in 1982, 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, resolving disputes with coca growers over Bolivia's counterdrug efforts, and waging an anticorruption campaign.
   Geography    Bolivia
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: 6,743 km
border countries: Argentina 832 km, Brazil 3,400 km, Chile 861 km, Paraguay 750 km, Peru 900 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: 2.67%
permanent crops: 0.19%
other: 97.54% (2001)
Irrigated land:
Definition Field Listing
1,280 sq km (1998 est.)
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
Population:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
8,724,156 (July 2004 est.)
Age structure:
Definition Field Listing
0-14 years: 36.4% (male 1,619,950; female 1,557,883)
15-64 years: 59.1% (male 2,522,086; female 2,631,944)
65 years and over: 4.5% (male 175,193; female 217,100) (2004 est.)
Median age:
Definition Field Listing
total: 21.1 years
male: 20.4 years
female: 21.8 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate:
Definition Field Listing
1.56% (2004 est.)
Birth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
24.65 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
7.77 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate:
Definition Field Listing
-1.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 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: 0.81 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 54.58 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 58.23 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 50.75 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total population: 65.14 years
male: 62.54 years
female: 67.86 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3.08 children born/woman (2004 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)
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
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
La Paz (seat of government); Sucre (legal capital and seat of judiciary)
Administrative divisions:
Definition Field Listing
9 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, Beni, 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
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 Carlos Diego MESA Gisbert (since 17 October 2003); Vice President (vacant); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Carlos Diego MESA Gisbert (since 17 October 2003); Vice President (vacant); note - the president is both the 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 five-year terms; election last held 30 June 2002 (next to be held NA June 2007)
election results: as a result of no candidate winning a majority in the 30 June 2002 election, Gonzalo SANCHEZ DE LOZADA Bustamante was chosen president by Congress; Congressional votes - Gonzalo SANCHEZ DE LOZADA Bustamante 84, Evo MORALES 43; note - following the resignation of the elected president on 17 October 2003, Vice President Carlos Diego MESA Gisbert assumed the presidency
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; 68 are directly elected from their districts and 62 are elected by proportional representation from party lists to serve five-year terms)
elections: Chamber of Senators and Chamber of Deputies - last held 30 June 2002 (next to be held NA June 2007)
election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MNR 11, MAS 8, MIR 5, NFR 2, other 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MNR 36, MAS 27, MIR 26, NFR 25, others 16
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
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 [Evo MORALES]; Movement Without Fear or MSM [Juan DEL GRANADO]; Nationalist Democratic Action or ADN [Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ramirez]; Nationalist Revolutionary Movement or MNR [leader NA]; New Republican Force or NFR [Manfred REYES-VILLA]; Pachakuti Indigenous Movement or MIP [Felipe QUISPE]; Socialist Party or PS [Jeres JUSTINIANO]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
Cocalero Groups; indigenous organizations; labor unions; Sole Confederation of Campesino Workers of Bolivia or CSUTCB [Roman LOAYZA]
International organization participation:
Definition Field Listing
CAN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MONUC, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMISET, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Ambassador Jaime APARICIO Otero
chancery: 3014 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 483-4410
FAX: [1] (202) 328-3712
consulate(s) general: Miami, New York, and San Francisco
consulate(s): Washington, DC
Diplomatic representation from the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Ambassador David N. GREENLEE
embassy: Avenida Arce 2780, San Jorge, La Paz
mailing address: P. O. Box 425, La Paz; APO AA 34032
telephone: [591] (2) 2430120, 2430251
FAX: [591] (2) 2433900
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
Economy - overview:
Definition Field Listing
Bolivia, long one of the poorest and least developed Latin American countries, made considerable progress in the 1990s toward the development of a market-oriented economy. Successes under President SANCHEZ 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 privatization of the state airline, telephone company, railroad, electric power company, and oil company. 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 held down growth to 2.5%. Bolivia's GDP failed to grow in 2001 due to the global slowdown and laggard domestic activity. Growth picked up slightly in 2002, but the first quarter of 2003 saw extensive civil riots and looting and loss of confidence in the government. Bolivia will remain highly dependent on foreign aid unless and until it can develop its substantial natural resources.
GDP:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
purchasing power parity - $21.01 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.5% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
purchasing power parity - $2,400 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 15%
industry: 33.2%
services: 51.9% (2003 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
12.4% of GDP (2003)
Population below poverty line:
Definition Field Listing
70% (1999 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
44.7 (1999)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3.3% (2003 est.)
Labor force:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
4.1 million (2003)
Labor force - by occupation:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture NA, industry NA, services NA
Unemployment rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
11.7%
note: widespread underemployment (2003)
Budget:
Definition Field Listing
revenues: $2.346 billion
expenditures: $2.957 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2003)
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
3.9% (1998)
Electricity - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3.901 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3.634 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
Definition Field Listing
3 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
Definition Field Listing
9 million kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
44,340 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
49,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA (2001)
Oil - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA (2001)
Oil - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
458.8 million bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
4.05 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.15 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.9 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
727.2 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
Current account balance:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$50 million (2003)
Exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$1.495 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Exports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
soybeans, natural gas, zinc, gold, wood (2000)
Exports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
Brazil 37%, Venezuela 12.9%, Colombia 11.9%, US 11.5%, Peru 5.1% (2003)
Imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$1.505 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Imports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
capital goods, raw materials and semi-manufactures, chemicals, petroleum, food
Imports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
Brazil 25.2%, Argentina 22.3%, US 12%, Chile 9.3%, Peru 5.8% (2003)
Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$1.096 billion (2003)
Debt - external:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$5.332 billion (2003 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
Definition Field Listing
$588 million (1997)
Currency:
Definition Field Listing
boliviano (BOB)
Currency code:
Definition Field Listing
BOB
Exchange rates:
Definition Field Listing
bolivianos per US dollar - 7.6592 (2003), 7.17 (2002), 6.6069 (2001), 6.1835 (2000), 5.8124 (1999)
Fiscal year:
Definition Field Listing
calendar year
   Communications    Bolivia
Telephones - main lines in use:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
600,100 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1,401,500 (2003)
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
7,080 (2003)
Internet users:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
270,000 (2002)
   Transportation    Bolivia
Railways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 3,519 km
narrow gauge: 3,519 km 1.000-m gauge (2003)
Highways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 53,790 km
paved: 3,496 km (including 13 km of expressways)
unpaved: 50,294 km (2000 est.)
Waterways:
Definition Field Listing
10,000 km (commercially navigable) (2004)
Pipelines:
Definition Field Listing
gas 4,860 km; liquid petroleum gas 47 km; oil 2,457 km; refined products 1,589 km; unknown (oil/water) 247 km (2004)
Ports and harbors:
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
Merchant marine:
Definition Field Listing
total: 56 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 413,407 GRT/699,901 DWT
by type: bulk 3, cargo 26, chemical tanker 4, container 3, livestock carrier 1, multi-functional large load carrier 1, petroleum tanker 10, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 1, short-sea/passenger 3, specialized tanker 2
foreign-owned: Argentina 1, British Virgin Islands 1, Cambodia 1, China 1, Cyprus 1, Egypt 1, Eritrea 1, Germany 2, Greece 1, Hong Kong 1, Indonesia 1, Iran 1, Italy 2, Latvia 2, Panama 3, Romania 1, Russia 1, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Saudi Arabia 2, Singapore 3, Syria 1, Turkey 1, United Kingdom 1, United States 3, Yemen 2
registered in other countries: 1 (2003 est.)
Airports:
Definition Field Listing
1,067 (2003 est.)
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 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 1,049
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: 778 (2004 est.)
   Military    Bolivia
Military branches:
Definition Field Listing
Army (Ejercito Boliviano), Navy (Fuerza Naval, includes Marines), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Boliviana)
Military manpower - military 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)
Military manpower - availability:
Definition Field Listing
males age 15-49: 2,175,384 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 15-49: 1,417,804 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
Definition Field Listing
males: 98,155 (2004 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$127 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.6% (2003)
   Transnational Issues    Bolivia
Disputes - international:
Definition Field Listing
has reactivated its claim to restore the Atacama corridor, ceded to Chile in 1884, to secure sovereign maritime access for Bolivian natural gas
Illicit drugs:
Definition Field Listing
world's third-largest cultivator of coca (after Colombia and Peru) with an estimated 28,450 hectares under cultivation in June 2003, a 23% increase from June 2002; intermediate coca products and cocaine exported mostly to or through Brazil, Argentina, and Chile to European and US drug markets; eradication and alternative crop programs under the MESA administration have been unable to keep pace with farmers' attempts to increase cultivation; money-laundering activity related to narcotics trade, especially along the borders with Brazil and Paraguay

This page was last updated on 27 January, 2005


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