Map
Location: 17 00 S, 65 00 W -- Central South America, southwest of Brazil
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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
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Geography
Location:
Central South America, southwest of Brazil
Geographic coordinates:
17 00 S, 65 00 W
Map references:
South America
Area:
total area:
1,098,580 sq km
land area:
1,084,390 sq km
comparative area:
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)
International disputes:
has wanted a sovereign corridor to the South Pacific Ocean since the Atacama area was lost to Chile in 1884; dispute with Chile over Rio Lauca water rights
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
lowest point:
Rio Paraguay 90 m
highest point:
Cerro Illimani 6,882 m
Natural resources:
tin, natural gas, petroleum, zinc, tungsten, antimony, silver, iron, lead, gold, timber
Land use:
arable land:
3%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
25%
forest and woodland:
52%
other:
20%
Irrigated land:
1,650 sq km (1989 est.)
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
natural hazards:
cold, thin air of high plateau is obstacle to efficient fuel combustion, as well as to physical activity by those unaccustomed to it from birth; flooding in the northeast (March-April)
international agreements:
party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Desertification, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection
Geographic note:
landlocked; shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake (elevation 3,805 m), with Peru
People
Population:
7,165,257 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years:
39% (male 1,422,313; female 1,390,885)
15-64 years:
56% (male 1,959,989; female 2,042,135)
65 years and over:
5% (male 153,111; female 196,824) (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.82% (1996 est.)
Birth rate:
32.37 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate:
10.75 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Net migration rate:
-3.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.78 male(s)/female
all ages:
0.97 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
67.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
59.81 years
male:
56.94 years
female:
62.82 years (1996 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.25 children born/woman (1996 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Bolivian(s)
adjective:
Bolivian
Ethnic divisions:
Quechua 30%, Aymara 25%, mestizo (mixed European and Indian ancestry) 25%-30%, European 5%-15%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant (Evangelical Methodist)
Languages:
Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara (official)
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)
total population:
83.1%
male:
90.5%
female:
76%
Government
Name of country:
conventional long form:
Republic of Bolivia
conventional short form:
Bolivia
local long form:
Republica de Bolivia
local short form:
Bolivia
Data code:
BL
Type of government:
republic
Capital:
La Paz (seat of government); Sucre (legal capital and seat of judiciary)
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
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 and head of government:
President Gonzalo SANCHEZ DE LOZADA Bustamente (since 6 August 1993) and Vice President Victor Hugo CARDENAS Conde (since 6 August 1993) were elected for four-year terms by popular vote; election last held 6 June 1993 (next to be held NA May 1997); results - Gonzalo SANCHEZ DE LOZADA (MNR) 34%, Hugo BANZER Suarez (ADN/MIR alliance) 20%, Carlos PALENQUE Aviles (CONDEPA) 14%, Max FERNANDEZ Rojas (UCS) 13%, Antonio ARANIBAR Quiroga (MBL) 5%; no candidate received a majority of the popular vote; Gonzalo SANCHEZ DE LOZADA won a congressional runoff election on 4 August 1993 after forming a coalition with Max FERNANDEZ and Antonio ARANIBAR; FERNANDEZ died in a plane crash 26 November 1995
cabinet:
Cabinet was appointed by the president from panel of candidates proposed by the Senate
Legislative branch:
bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional)
Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados):
elections last held 6 June 1993 (next to be held NA May 1997); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (130 total) MNR 52, UCS 20, ADN 17, MIR 17, CONDEPA 13, MBL 7, ARBOL 1, ASD 1, EJE 1, PCD 1
Chamber of Senators (Camara de Senadores):
elections last held 6 June 1993 (next to be held NA May 1997); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (27 total) MNR 17, ADN 4, MIR 4, CONDEPA 1, UCS 1
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (Corte Suprema), judges appointed for a 10-year term by National Congress
Political parties and leaders:
Left parties:
Free Bolivia Movement (MBL), Antonio ARANIBAR; April 9 Revolutionary Vanguard (VR-9), Carlos SERRATE; Alternative of Democratic Socialism (ASD), Jerjes JUSTINIANO; Revolutionary Front of the Left (FRI), Oscar ZAMORA; Bolivian Socialist Falange (FSB); Socialist Unzaguista Movement (MAS); Socialist Party One (PS-1); Bolivian Communist Party (PCB)
Center-Left parties:
Nationalist Revolutionary Movement (MNR), Gonzalo SANCHEZ DE LOZADA; Movement of the Revolutionary Left (MIR), Jaime PAZ Zamora, Oscar EID; Christian Democrat (PCD), Jorge AGREDA
Center-Right party:
Nationalist Democratic Action (ADN), Jorge LANDIVAR, Hugo BANZER
Populist parties:
Civic Solidarity Union (UCS), Johnny FERNANDEZ; Conscience of the Fatherland (CONDEPA), Carlos PALENQUE Aviles; Popular Patriotic Movement (MPP), Julio MANTILLA; Unity and Progress Movement (MUP), Ivo KULJIS
Evangelical:
Bolivian Renovating Alliance (ARBOL), Hugo VILLEGAS
indigenous:
Tupac Katari Revolutionary Liberation Movement (MRTK-L), Victor Hugo CARDENAS Conde; Patriotic Axis of Convergence (EJE-P), Ramiro BARRANCHEA; National Katarista Movement (MKN), Fernando UNTOJA
International organization participation:
AG, 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, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Fernando Alvaro COSSIO
chancery:
3014 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
[1] (202) 483-4410 through 4412
FAX:
[1] (202) 328-3712
consulate(s) general:
Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Francisco
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Curtis Warren KAMMAN
embassy:
Avenida Arce 2780, San Jorge, La Paz
mailing address:
P. O. Box 425, La Paz; APO AA 34032
telephone:
[591] (2) 430251
FAX:
[591] (2) 433900
Flag:
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
Economic overview:
With its long history of semifeudal social controls, dependence on volatile prices for its mineral exports, and bouts of hyperinflation, Bolivia has remained one of the poorest and least developed Latin American countries. However, Bolivia has experienced generally improving economic conditions since the PAZ Estenssoro administration (1985-89) introduced market-oriented policies which reduced inflation from 11,700% in 1985 to about 20% in 1988. PAZ Estenssoro was followed as president by Jaime PAZ Zamora (1989-93) who continued the free-market policies of his predecessor, despite opposition from his own party and from Bolivia's once powerful labor movement. By maintaining fiscal discipline, PAZ Zamora helped reduce inflation to 9.3% in 1993, while GDP grew by an annual average of 3.25% during his tenure. Inaugurated in August 1993, President SANCHEZ DE LOZADA has vowed to advance the market-oriented economic reforms he helped launch as PAZ Estenssoro's planning minister. His successes so far have included the signing of a free trade agreement with Mexico and progress on his unique privatization plan. The main privatization bill was passed by the Bolivian legislature in late March 1994. Since that time, the administration has privatized the electric power generation sector, the state airline, the state telephone company, and the national railroad. The state mining and petroleum companies are expected to be privatized in 1996.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $20 billion (1995 est.)
GDP real growth rate:
3.7% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita:
$2,530 (1995 est.)
GDP composition by sector:
agriculture:
NA%
industry:
NA%
services:
NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
12% (1995 est.)
Labor force:
3.54 million
by occupation:
agriculture NA%, services and utilities 20%, manufacturing, mining and construction 7% (1993)
Unemployment rate:
urban rate 8% (1995 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
$3.75 billion
expenditures:
$3.75 billion, including capital expenditures of $556.2 million (1995 est.)
Industries:
mining, smelting, petroleum, food and beverages, tobacco, handicrafts, clothing
Industrial production growth rate:
5% (1994 est.)
Electricity:
capacity:
756,200 kW
production:
2.116 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
367 kWh (1994)
Agriculture:
coffee, coca, cotton, corn, sugarcane, rice, potatoes; timber
Illicit drugs:
world's third-largest cultivator of coca (after Peru and Colombia) with an estimated 48,600 hectares under cultivation in 1995, a one percent increase in overall cultivation of coca over 1994 levels; Bolivia, however, is the second-largest producer of harvested coca leaf; even so, voluntary and forced eradication programs resulted in leaf production dropping from 89,800 metric tons in 1994 to 85,000 tons in 1995; government considers all but 12,000 hectares illicit; intermediate coca products and cocaine exported to or through Colombia and Brazil to the US and other international drug markets; alternative crop program aims to reduce illicit coca cultivation
Exports:
$1.1 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
commodities:
metals 39%, natural gas 9%, soybeans 11%, jewelry 11%, wood 8%
partners:
US 26%, Argentina 15% (1993 est.)
Imports:
$1.21 billion (c.i.f., 1994 est.)
commodities:
capital goods 48%, chemicals 11%, petroleum 5%, food 5% (1993 est.)
partners:
US 24%, Argentina 13%, Brazil 11%, Japan 11% (1993 est.)
External debt:
$4.4 billion (November 1995)
Economic aid:
recipient:
ODA, $362 million (1993)
Currency:
1 boliviano ($B) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates:
bolivianos ($B) per US$1 - 4.9137 (December 1995), 4.8003 (1995), 4.6205 (1994), 4.2651 (1993), 3.9005 (1992), 3.5806 (1991)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Transportation
Railways:
total:
3,691 km (single track)
narrow gauge:
3,652 km 1.000-m gauge; 39 km 0.760-m gauge (13 km electrified) (1995)
Highways:
total:
46,311 km
paved:
1,940 km (including 27 km of expressways)
unpaved:
44,371 km (1991 est.)
Waterways:
10,000 km of commercially navigable waterways
Pipelines:
crude oil 1,800 km; petroleum products 580 km; natural gas 1,495 km
Ports:
none; however, Bolivia has free port privileges in the maritime ports of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Paraguay
Merchant marine:
total:
1 cargo ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,214 GRT/6,390 DWT (1995 est.)
Airports:
total:
1,017
with paved runways over 3 047 m:
3
with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m:
4
with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m:
3
with paved runways under 914 m:
750
with unpaved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m:
2
with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m:
69
with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m:
186 (1995 est.)
Communications
Telephones:
144,300 (1987 est.)
Telephone system:
new subscribers face bureaucratic difficulties; most telephones are concentrated in La Paz and other cities
domestic:
microwave radio relay system being expanded
international:
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 129, FM 0, shortwave 68
Radios:
NA
Television broadcast stations:
43
Televisions:
500,000 (1993 est.)
Defense
Branches:
Army (Ejercito Boliviano), Navy (Fuerza Naval Boliviana, includes Marines), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Boliviana), National Police Force (Policia Nacional de Bolivia)
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49:
1,685,572
males fit for military service:
1,098,948
males reach military age (19) annually:
76,035 (1996 est.)
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $145 million; 1.9% of GDP (1996)
