About  |   Contact  |  Mongabay on Facebook  |  Mongabay on Twitter  |  Subscribe
Rainforests | Tropical fish | Environmental news | For kids | Madagascar | Photos

Bolivia Historical and Political Profile








MONGABAY.COM
Mongabay.com seeks to raise interest in and appreciation of wild lands and wildlife, while examining the impact of emerging trends in climate, technology, economics, and finance on conservation and development (more)







WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
Email:


Bolivia Index

  • Bolivia-The United States FOREIGN MILITARY ASSISTANCE IN THE 1980s
  • Bolivia-Mission and Organization THE ARMED FORCES
  • Bolivia-Natural Regions
  • Bolivia-Mountains and Altiplano
  • Bolivia-Attitudes Toward Antinarcotics Forces
  • Bolivia-Altiplano, Yungas, and Valley Indians
  • Bolivia-Rural Society SOCIAL ORGANIZATION
  • Bolivia-RELIGION
  • Bolivia-The Private Sector
  • Bolivia-Revolutionary Nationalism: Ovando and Torres
  • Bolivia-Informal Sector
  • Bolivia-Radical Military Government PRELUDE TO REVOLUTION, 1935-52
  • Bolivia-Lowlands
  • Bolivia-Struggle for Independence INDEPENDENCE FROM SPAIN AND THE EARLY NATIONAL PERIOD, 1809-39
  • Bolivia-The Rise of New Political Groups
  • Bolivia-The Media
  • Bolivia-Migration MIGRATION AND URBANIZATION
  • Bolivia-Petroleum and Natural Gas
  • Bolivia-General Procedures
  • Bolivia-The Middle Class
  • Bolivia-GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
  • Bolivia-Regional Civic Committees
  • Bolivia-Whites
  • Bolivia-MINING
  • Bolivia-Transition to Democracy
  • Bolivia -COUNTRY PROFILE
  • Bolivia-Electricity
  • Bolivia-The "Sexenio," 1946-52
  • Bolivia-Civic Action
  • Bolivia-Formal Sector LABOR
  • Bolivia-The Economy of Upper Peru
  • Bolivia-Radical Reforms THE BOLIVIAN NATIONAL REVOLUTION, 1952-64
  • Bolivia-The Banzer Regime
  • Bolivia-State, Church, and Society
  • Bolivia-HEALTH AND SOCIAL SECURITY
  • Bolivia-War of the Pacific FROM THE WAR OF THE PACIFIC TO THE CHACO WAR, 1879- 1935
  • Bolivia-Chapter 1 - Historical Setting
  • Bolivia-Mestizos and Cholos
  • Bolivia-Reorganization of the Armed Forces, 1952-66
  • Bolivia-Livestock
  • Bolivia-The United States
  • Bolivia-Other Foreign Military Ties
  • Bolivia-Chapter 5 - National Security
  • Bolivia-TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATIONS
  • Bolivia-Fiscal Policy ECONOMIC POLICY
  • Bolivia-The Military
  • Bolivia-Coca
  • Bolivia-Foreword
  • Bolivia-Narcoterrorism
  • Bolivia-Political Forces and Interest Groups
  • Bolivia-Regional Police Structure
  • Bolivia-Land Use
  • Bolivia-Chapter 3 - The Economy
  • Bolivia-Construction of Bolivia: Bolívar, Sucre, and Santa Cruz
  • Bolivia-BOLIVIA
  • Bolivia-The Peasantry
  • Bolivia-SOCIETY
  • Bolivia-Cash Crops
  • Bolivia-Democracy and Economic Stabilization
  • Bolivia-Military Justice
  • Bolivia-Chapter 4 - Government and Politics
  • Bolivia-Narcotics Corruption
  • Bolivia-Early History EVOLUTION OF THE MILITARY ROLE IN SOCIETY AND GOVERNMENT
  • Bolivia-MANUFACTURING AND CONSTRUCTION
  • Bolivia-Foreign Trade FOREIGN ECONOMIC RELATIONS
  • Bolivia-The Presidency of Barrientos MILITARY RULE, 1964-82
  • Bolivia-Revenues
  • Bolivia-The Republican Party and the Great Depression
  • Bolivia-POLITICAL INSTABILITY AND ECONOMIC DECLINE, 1839-79
  • Bolivia-The 1989 Elections
  • Bolivia-AGRICULTURE
  • Bolivia-Crops
  • Bolivia-Family and Kin
  • Bolivia-The Counterinsurgency Decade
  • Bolivia-NATIONAL SECURITY:
  • Bolivia-The Unfinished Revolution
  • Bolivia-Subversive Groups
  • Bolivia-Land Reform and Land Policy
  • Bolivia-Urbanization
  • Bolivia-ETHNIC GROUPS
  • Bolivia-Reconstruction and the Rule of the Conservatives
  • Bolivia-POPULATION AND REGIONAL DISTRIBUTION
  • Bolivia-Communications
  • Bolivia-The Criminal Justice System CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
  • Bolivia-PRE-COLUMBIAN CIVILIZATIONS
  • Bolivia-Conscription MANPOWER AND TRAINING
  • Bolivia-CONSTITUTIONAL BACKGROUND
  • Bolivia-ECONOMY
  • Bolivia-Special Police Forces
  • Bolivia-EDUCATION
  • Bolivia-Departmental and Local Government
  • Bolivia-Farming Technology
  • Bolivia-The Penal System
  • Bolivia-Recruitment and Training
  • Bolivia-The Third World
  • Bolivia-Forestry and Fishing
  • Bolivia-GEOGRAPHY
  • Bolivia-Expenditures
  • Bolivia-Acknowledgments
  • Bolivia-Military Schools
  • Bolivia-Organized Labor
  • Bolivia-Air Force
  • Bolivia-Foreign Assistance
  • Bolivia-Preface
  • Bolivia-Monetary and Exchange Rate Policies
  • Bolivia-ENERGY
  • Bolivia
  • Bolivia-Civil Aeronautics
  • Bolivia-Land Tenure
  • Bolivia-Defense Budget
  • Bolivia-Narcotics Trafficking THREATS TO INTERNAL SECURITY
  • Bolivia-The Electoral System
  • Bolivia-The Legislature
  • Bolivia-Conquest and Settlement CONQUEST AND COLONIAL RULE, 1532-1809
  • Bolivia-Incidence of Crime
  • Bolivia
  • Bolivia-The Legacy of the 1952 Revolution POLITICAL DYNAMICS
  • Bolivia-Extradition
  • Bolivia-The Judiciary
  • Bolivia-Tin and Related Metals
  • Bolivia-Transportation
  • Bolivia
  • Bolivia-Army
  • Bolivia
  • Bolivia-Structure of the Mining Industry
  • Bolivia-Other Metals and Minerals
  • Bolivia-Balance of Payments
  • Bolivia-Banking and Financial Services SERVICES
  • Bolivia-The Executive GOVERNMENTAL STRUCTURE
  • Bolivia
  • Bolivia-The Soviet Union
  • Bolivia-Military Intervention in Politics, 1970-85
  • Bolivia-Bilateral and Legislative Antinarcotics Measures
  • Bolivia
  • Bolivia-Yungas and Other Valleys
  • Bolivia-GROWTH AND STRUCTURE OF THE ECONOMY
  • Bolivia-Chapter 2 - The Society and Its Environment
  • Bolivia-The Legacy of the Chaco War
  • Bolivia-Neighboring Countries
  • Bolivia-The Chaco War
  • Bolivia-GEOGRAPHY
  • Bolivia-Lowland Indians
  • Bolivia-Urban Society
  • Bolivia-Navy
  • Bolivia-INTRODUCTION
  • Bolivia-The Liberal Party and the Rise of Tin
  • Bolivia-FOREIGN RELATIONS
  • Bolivia
  • Bolivia-Debt
  • Bolivia-The Upper Class
  • Bolivia-Climate
  • Bolivia-Impact of Narcotics Trafficking
    • BackgroundBolivia, 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, indigenous 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. In December 2009, President MORALES easily won reelection, and his party took control of the legislative branch of the government, which will allow him to continue his process of change.
    LocationCentral South America, southwest of Brazil
    Area(sq km)total: 1,098,581 sq km
    land: 1,083,301 sq km
    water: 15,280 sq km
    Geographic coordinates17 00 S, 65 00 W
    Land boundaries(km)total: 6,940 km
    border countries: Argentina 832 km, Brazil 3,423 km, Chile 860 km, Paraguay 750 km, Peru 1,075 km
    Coastline(km)0 km (landlocked)
    Climatevaries with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and semiarid
    Elevation extremes(m)lowest point: Rio Paraguay 90 m
    highest point: Nevado Sajama 6,542 m
    Natural resourcestin, 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(sq km)1,320 sq km (2003)
    Total renewable water resources(cu km)622.5 cu km (2000)
    Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)total: 1.44 cu km/yr (13%/7%/81%)
    per capita: 157 cu m/yr (2000)
    Natural hazardsflooding in the northeast (March-April)
    Environment - current issuesthe 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 agreementsparty 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
    Geography - notelandlocked; shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake (elevation 3,805 m), with Peru
    Population9,775,246 (July 2009 est.)
    Age structure(%)0-14 years: 35.5% (male 1,767,310/female 1,701,744)
    15-64 years: 60% (male 2,877,605/female 2,992,043)
    65 years and over: 4.5% (male 193,196/female 243,348) (2009 est.)
    Median age(years)total: 21.9 years
    male: 21.3 years
    female: 22.6 years (2009 est.)
    Population growth rate(%)1.772% (2009 est.)
    Birth rate(births/1,000 population)25.82 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
    Death rate(deaths/1,000 population)7.05 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
    Net migration rate(migrant(s)/1,000 population)-1.05 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
    Urbanization(%)urban population: 66% of total population (2008)
    rate of urbanization: 2.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
    Sex ratio(male(s)/female)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: 0.79 male(s)/female
    total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
    Infant mortality rate(deaths/1,000 live births)total: 44.66 deaths/1,000 live births
    male: 48.56 deaths/1,000 live births
    female: 40.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
    Life expectancy at birth(years)total population: 66.89 years
    male: 64.2 years
    female: 69.72 years (2009 est.)
    Total fertility rate(children born/woman)3.17 children born/woman (2009 est.)
    Nationalitynoun: 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 60.7% (official), Quechua 21.2% (official), Aymara 14.6% (official), foreign languages 2.4%, other 1.2% (2001 census)
    Country nameconventional long form: Plurinational State of Bolivia
    conventional short form: Bolivia
    local long form: Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia
    local short form: Bolivia
    Government typerepublic; note - the new constitution defines Bolivia as a "Social Unitarian State"
    Capitalname: 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 divisions9 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Beni, Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, La Paz, Oruro, Pando, Potosi, Santa Cruz, Tarija
    Constitution7-Feb-09
    Legal systembased on Spanish law and Napoleonic Code; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; the 2009 Constitution incorporates indigenous community justice into Bolivia's judicial system
    Suffrage18 years of age, universal and compulsory (married); 21 years of age, universal and compulsory (single)
    Executive branchchief 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 6 December 2009 (next to be held in 2014); note - per the new constitution, presidents can serve for a total of two consecutive terms
    election results: Juan Evo MORALES Ayma elected president; percent of vote - Juan Evo MORALES Ayma 64%; Manfred REYES VILLA 26%; Samuel DORIA MEDINA Arana 6%; Rene JOAQUINO 2%; other 2%
    Legislative branchbicameral Plurinational Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa Plurinacional consists of Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (36 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; 76 members are directly elected from their districts [7 or 8 of these are chosen from indigenous districts] and 54 are elected by proportional representation from party lists to serve five-year terms).
    elections: Chamber of Senators and Chamber of Deputies - last held 6 December 2009 (next to be held in 2015)
    election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MAS 26, PPB-CN 10; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MAS 89, PPB-CN 36, UN 3, AS 2
    Judicial branchSupreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges elected by popular vote from list of candidates pre-selected by Assembly for six-year terms); District Courts (one in each department); Plurinational Constitutional Court (five primary or titulares and five alternate or suplente magistrates elected by popular vote from list of candidates pre-selected by Assembly for six-year terms; to rule on constitutional issues); Plurinational Electoral Organ (seven members elected by the Assembly and the president; one member must be of indigenous origin to six-year terms); Agro-Environmental Court (judges elected by popular vote from list of candidates pre-selected by Assembly for six-year terms; to run on agro-environmental issues); provincial and local courts (to try minor cases)
    Political pressure groups and leadersBolivian Workers Central or COR; Federation of Neighborhood Councils of El Alto or FEJUVE; Landless Movement or MST; National Coordinator for Change or CONALCAM; Sole Confederation of Campesino Workers of Bolivia or CSUTCB
    other: Cocalero groups; indigenous organizations (including Confederation of Indigenous Peoples of Eastern Bolivia or CIDOB and National Council of Ayullus and Markas of Quollasuyu or CONAMAQ); labor unions (including the Central Bolivian Workers' Union or COB and Cooperative Miners Federation or FENCOMIN)
    International organization participationCAN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, 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, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
    Flag descriptionthree equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with the coat of arms centered on the yellow band
    note: similar to the flag of Ghana, which has a large black five-pointed star centered in the yellow band; in 2009, a presidential decree made it mandatory for a so-called wiphala - a square, multi-colored flag representing the country's indigenous peoples - to be used alongside the traditional flag
    Economy - overviewBolivia is one of the poorest and least developed countries in Latin America. Following a disastrous economic crisis during the early 1980s, reforms spurred private investment, stimulated economic growth, and cut poverty rates in the 1990s. The period 2003-05 was characterized by political instability, racial tensions, and violent protests against plans - subsequently abandoned - to export Bolivia's newly discovered natural gas reserves to large northern hemisphere markets. In 2005, the government passed a controversial hydrocarbons law that imposed significantly higher royalties and required foreign firms then operating under risk-sharing contracts to surrender all production to the state energy company. In early 2008, higher earnings for mining and hydrocarbons exports pushed the current account surplus to 9.4% of GDP and the government's higher tax take produced a fiscal surplus after years of large deficits. Private investment as a share of GDP, however, remains among the lowest in Latin America, and inflation remained at double-digit levels in 2008. The decline in commodity prices in late 2008, the lack of foreign investment in the mining and hydrocarbon sectors, and the suspension of trade benefits with the United States will pose challenges for the Bolivian economy in 2009.
    GDP (purchasing power parity)$43.38 billion (2008 est.)
    $40.88 billion (2007 est.)
    $39.08 billion (2006 est.)
    note: data are in 2008 US dollars
    GDP (official exchange rate)$16.6 billion (2008 est.)
    GDP - real growth rate(%)6.1% (2008 est.)
    4.6% (2007 est.)
    4.8% (2006 est.)
    GDP - per capita (PPP)$4,500 (2008 est.)
    $4,300 (2007 est.)
    $4,200 (2006 est.)
    note: data are in 2008 US dollars
    GDP - composition by sector(%)agriculture: 11.3%
    industry: 36.9%
    services: 51.8% (2008 est.)
    Labor force4.454 million (2008 est.)
    Labor force - by occupation(%)agriculture: 40%
    industry: 17%
    services: 43% (2006 est.)
    Unemployment rate(%)7.5% (2008 est.)
    7.5% (2007 est.)
    note: data are for urban areas; widespread underemployment
    Population below poverty line(%)60% (2006 est.)
    Household income or consumption by percentage share(%)lowest 10%: 0.5%
    highest 10%: 44.1% (2005)
    Distribution of family income - Gini index59.2 (2006)
    44.7 (1999)
    Investment (gross fixed)(% of GDP)18% of GDP (2008 est.)
    Budgetrevenues: $8.039 billion
    expenditures: $7.5 billion (2008 est.)
    Inflation rate (consumer prices)(%)14% (2008 est.)
    8.7% (2007 est.)
    Stock of money$3.998 billion (31 December 2008)
    $3.032 billion (31 December 2007)
    Stock of quasi money$6.339 billion (31 December 2008)
    $4.729 billion (31 December 2007)
    Stock of domestic credit$5.433 billion (31 December 2008)
    $4.759 billion (31 December 2007)
    Market value of publicly traded shares$NA (31 December 2008)
    $2.263 billion (31 December 2007)
    $2.223 billion (31 December 2006)
    Economic aid - recipient$582.9 million (2005 est.)
    Public debt(% of GDP)45.2% of GDP (2008 est.)
    46.3% of GDP (2007 est.)
    Agriculture - productssoybeans, coffee, coca, cotton, corn, sugarcane, rice, potatoes; timber
    Industriesmining, smelting, petroleum, food and beverages, tobacco, handicrafts, clothing
    Industrial production growth rate(%)10.6% (2008 est.)
    Current account balance$2.015 billion (2008 est.)
    $1.984 billion (2007 est.)
    Exports$6.448 billion (2008 est.)
    $4.49 billion (2007 est.)
    Exports - commodities(%)natural gas, soybeans and soy products, crude petroleum, zinc ore, tin
    Exports - partners(%)Brazil 60.1%, US 8.3%, Japan 4.1% (2008)
    Imports$4.641 billion (2008 est.)
    $3.24 billion (2007 est.)
    Imports - commodities(%)petroleum products, plastics, paper, aircraft and aircraft parts, prepared foods, automobiles, insecticides, soybeans
    Imports - partners(%)Brazil 26.7%, Argentina 16.3%, US 10.5%, Chile 9.5%, Peru 7.1%, China 4.8% (2008)
    Reserves of foreign exchange and gold$7.722 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
    $5.318 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
    Debt - external$5.931 billion (31 December 2008)
    $5.385 billion (31 December 2007)
    Stock of direct foreign investment - at home$5.998 billion (31 December 2008)
    Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad$NA
    Exchange ratesbolivianos (BOB) per US dollar - 7.253 (2008 est.), 7.8616 (2007), 8.0159 (2006), 8.0661 (2005), 7.9363 (2004)
    Currency (code)boliviano (BOB)
    Telephones - main lines in use690,000 (2008)
    Telephones - mobile cellular4.83 million (2008)
    Telephone systemgeneral assessment: privatization begun 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 slighly exceeds 50 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) (2008)
    Internet country code.bo
    Internet users1 million (2008)
    Airports952 (2009)
    Pipelines(km)gas 4,883 km; liquid petroleum gas 47 km; oil 2,475 km; refined products 1,589 km (2008)
    Roadways(km)total: 62,479 km
    paved: 3,749 km
    unpaved: 58,730 km (2004)
    Ports and terminalsPuerto 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 branchesBolivian Armed Forces: Bolivian Army (Ejercito Boliviano, EB), Bolivian Navy (Fuerza Naval Boliviana, FNB; includes marines), Bolivian Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Boliviana, FAB) (2009)
    Military service age and obligation(years of age)18-49 years of age for 12-month compulsory military service; when annual number of volunteers falls short of goal, compulsory recruitment is effected, including conscription of boys as young as 14; 15-19 years of age for voluntary premilitary service, provides exemption from further military service (2009)
    Manpower available for military servicemales age 16-49: 2,295,746
    females age 16-49: 2,366,828 (2008 est.)
    Manpower fit for military servicemales age 16-49: 1,666,697
    females age 16-49: 1,906,396 (2009 est.)
    Manpower reaching militarily significant age annuallymale: 108,304
    female: 104,882 (2009 est.)
    Military expenditures(% of GDP)1.9% of GDP (2006)
    Disputes - internationalChile and Peru rebuff Bolivia's reactivated claim to restore the Atacama corridor, ceded to Chile in 1884, but Chile offers instead unrestricted but not sovereign maritime access through Chile for Bolivian natural gas and other commodities; an accord placed the long-disputed Isla Suarez/Ilha de Guajara-Mirim, a fluvial island on the Rio Mamore, under Bolivian administration in 1958, but sovereignty remains in dispute
    Electricity - production(kWh)5.495 billion kWh (2007 est.)
    Electricity - production by source(%)fossil fuel: 44.4%
    hydro: 54%
    nuclear: 0%
    other: 1.5% (2001)
    Electricity - consumption(kWh)4.665 billion kWh (2007 est.)
    Electricity - exports(kWh)0 kWh (2008 est.)
    Electricity - imports(kWh)0 kWh (2008 est.)
    Oil - production(bbl/day)51,360 bbl/day (2008 est.)
    Oil - consumption(bbl/day)60,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
    Oil - exports(bbl/day)10,950 bbl/day (2007 est.)
    Oil - imports(bbl/day)6,172 bbl/day (2007 est.)
    Oil - proved reserves(bbl)465 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
    Natural gas - production(cu m)14.2 billion cu m (2008 est.)
    Natural gas - consumption(cu m)2.41 billion cu m (2008 est.)
    Natural gas - exports(cu m)11.79 billion cu m (2008)
    Natural gas - proved reserves(cu m)750.4 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
    HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate(%)0.2% (2007 est.)
    HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS8,100 (2007 est.)
    HIV/AIDS - deathsfewer than 500 (2007 est.)
    Major infectious diseasesdegree of risk: high
    food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
    vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and yellow fever
    water contact disease: leptospirosis (2009)
    Literacy(%)definition: age 15 and over can read and write
    total population: 86.7%
    male: 93.1%
    female: 80.7% (2001 census)
    Education expenditures(% of GDP)6.4% of GDP (2003)
    BackgroundBolivia, 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, indigenous 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. In December 2009, President MORALES easily won reelection, and his party took control of the legislative branch of the government, which will allow him to continue his process of change.
    LocationCentral South America, southwest of Brazil
    Area(sq km)total: 1,098,581 sq km
    land: 1,083,301 sq km
    water: 15,280 sq km
    Geographic coordinates17 00 S, 65 00 W
    Land boundaries(km)total: 6,940 km
    border countries: Argentina 832 km, Brazil 3,423 km, Chile 860 km, Paraguay 750 km, Peru 1,075 km
    Coastline(km)0 km (landlocked)
    Climatevaries with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and semiarid
    Elevation extremes(m)lowest point: Rio Paraguay 90 m
    highest point: Nevado Sajama 6,542 m
    Natural resourcestin, 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(sq km)1,320 sq km (2003)
    Total renewable water resources(cu km)622.5 cu km (2000)
    Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)total: 1.44 cu km/yr (13%/7%/81%)
    per capita: 157 cu m/yr (2000)
    Natural hazardsflooding in the northeast (March-April)
    Environment - current issuesthe 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 agreementsparty 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
    Geography - notelandlocked; shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake (elevation 3,805 m), with Peru
    Population9,775,246 (July 2009 est.)
    Age structure(%)0-14 years: 35.5% (male 1,767,310/female 1,701,744)
    15-64 years: 60% (male 2,877,605/female 2,992,043)
    65 years and over: 4.5% (male 193,196/female 243,348) (2009 est.)
    Median age(years)total: 21.9 years
    male: 21.3 years
    female: 22.6 years (2009 est.)
    Population growth rate(%)1.772% (2009 est.)
    Birth rate(births/1,000 population)25.82 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
    Death rate(deaths/1,000 population)7.05 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
    Net migration rate(migrant(s)/1,000 population)-1.05 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
    Urbanization(%)urban population: 66% of total population (2008)
    rate of urbanization: 2.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
    Sex ratio(male(s)/female)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: 0.79 male(s)/female
    total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
    Infant mortality rate(deaths/1,000 live births)total: 44.66 deaths/1,000 live births
    male: 48.56 deaths/1,000 live births
    female: 40.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
    Life expectancy at birth(years)total population: 66.89 years
    male: 64.2 years
    female: 69.72 years (2009 est.)
    Total fertility rate(children born/woman)3.17 children born/woman (2009 est.)
    Nationalitynoun: 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 60.7% (official), Quechua 21.2% (official), Aymara 14.6% (official), foreign languages 2.4%, other 1.2% (2001 census)
    Country nameconventional long form: Plurinational State of Bolivia
    conventional short form: Bolivia
    local long form: Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia
    local short form: Bolivia
    Government typerepublic; note - the new constitution defines Bolivia as a "Social Unitarian State"
    Capitalname: 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 divisions9 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Beni, Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, La Paz, Oruro, Pando, Potosi, Santa Cruz, Tarija
    Constitution7-Feb-09
    Legal systembased on Spanish law and Napoleonic Code; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; the 2009 Constitution incorporates indigenous community justice into Bolivia's judicial system
    Suffrage18 years of age, universal and compulsory (married); 21 years of age, universal and compulsory (single)
    Executive branchchief 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 6 December 2009 (next to be held in 2014); note - per the new constitution, presidents can serve for a total of two consecutive terms
    election results: Juan Evo MORALES Ayma elected president; percent of vote - Juan Evo MORALES Ayma 64%; Manfred REYES VILLA 26%; Samuel DORIA MEDINA Arana 6%; Rene JOAQUINO 2%; other 2%
    Legislative branchbicameral Plurinational Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa Plurinacional consists of Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (36 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; 76 members are directly elected from their districts [7 or 8 of these are chosen from indigenous districts] and 54 are elected by proportional representation from party lists to serve five-year terms).
    elections: Chamber of Senators and Chamber of Deputies - last held 6 December 2009 (next to be held in 2015)
    election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MAS 26, PPB-CN 10; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MAS 89, PPB-CN 36, UN 3, AS 2
    Judicial branchSupreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges elected by popular vote from list of candidates pre-selected by Assembly for six-year terms); District Courts (one in each department); Plurinational Constitutional Court (five primary or titulares and five alternate or suplente magistrates elected by popular vote from list of candidates pre-selected by Assembly for six-year terms; to rule on constitutional issues); Plurinational Electoral Organ (seven members elected by the Assembly and the president; one member must be of indigenous origin to six-year terms); Agro-Environmental Court (judges elected by popular vote from list of candidates pre-selected by Assembly for six-year terms; to run on agro-environmental issues); provincial and local courts (to try minor cases)
    Political pressure groups and leadersBolivian Workers Central or COR; Federation of Neighborhood Councils of El Alto or FEJUVE; Landless Movement or MST; National Coordinator for Change or CONALCAM; Sole Confederation of Campesino Workers of Bolivia or CSUTCB
    other: Cocalero groups; indigenous organizations (including Confederation of Indigenous Peoples of Eastern Bolivia or CIDOB and National Council of Ayullus and Markas of Quollasuyu or CONAMAQ); labor unions (including the Central Bolivian Workers' Union or COB and Cooperative Miners Federation or FENCOMIN)
    International organization participationCAN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, 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, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
    Flag descriptionthree equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with the coat of arms centered on the yellow band
    note: similar to the flag of Ghana, which has a large black five-pointed star centered in the yellow band; in 2009, a presidential decree made it mandatory for a so-called wiphala - a square, multi-colored flag representing the country's indigenous peoples - to be used alongside the traditional flag
    Economy - overviewBolivia is one of the poorest and least developed countries in Latin America. Following a disastrous economic crisis during the early 1980s, reforms spurred private investment, stimulated economic growth, and cut poverty rates in the 1990s. The period 2003-05 was characterized by political instability, racial tensions, and violent protests against plans - subsequently abandoned - to export Bolivia's newly discovered natural gas reserves to large northern hemisphere markets. In 2005, the government passed a controversial hydrocarbons law that imposed significantly higher royalties and required foreign firms then operating under risk-sharing contracts to surrender all production to the state energy company. In early 2008, higher earnings for mining and hydrocarbons exports pushed the current account surplus to 9.4% of GDP and the government's higher tax take produced a fiscal surplus after years of large deficits. Private investment as a share of GDP, however, remains among the lowest in Latin America, and inflation remained at double-digit levels in 2008. The decline in commodity prices in late 2008, the lack of foreign investment in the mining and hydrocarbon sectors, and the suspension of trade benefits with the United States will pose challenges for the Bolivian economy in 2009.
    GDP (purchasing power parity)$43.38 billion (2008 est.)
    $40.88 billion (2007 est.)
    $39.08 billion (2006 est.)
    note: data are in 2008 US dollars
    GDP (official exchange rate)$16.6 billion (2008 est.)
    GDP - real growth rate(%)6.1% (2008 est.)
    4.6% (2007 est.)
    4.8% (2006 est.)
    GDP - per capita (PPP)$4,500 (2008 est.)
    $4,300 (2007 est.)
    $4,200 (2006 est.)
    note: data are in 2008 US dollars
    GDP - composition by sector(%)agriculture: 11.3%
    industry: 36.9%
    services: 51.8% (2008 est.)
    Labor force4.454 million (2008 est.)
    Labor force - by occupation(%)agriculture: 40%
    industry: 17%
    services: 43% (2006 est.)
    Unemployment rate(%)7.5% (2008 est.)
    7.5% (2007 est.)
    note: data are for urban areas; widespread underemployment
    Population below poverty line(%)60% (2006 est.)
    Household income or consumption by percentage share(%)lowest 10%: 0.5%
    highest 10%: 44.1% (2005)
    Distribution of family income - Gini index59.2 (2006)
    44.7 (1999)
    Investment (gross fixed)(% of GDP)18% of GDP (2008 est.)
    Budgetrevenues: $8.039 billion
    expenditures: $7.5 billion (2008 est.)
    Inflation rate (consumer prices)(%)14% (2008 est.)
    8.7% (2007 est.)
    Stock of money$3.998 billion (31 December 2008)
    $3.032 billion (31 December 2007)
    Stock of quasi money$6.339 billion (31 December 2008)
    $4.729 billion (31 December 2007)
    Stock of domestic credit$5.433 billion (31 December 2008)
    $4.759 billion (31 December 2007)
    Market value of publicly traded shares$NA (31 December 2008)
    $2.263 billion (31 December 2007)
    $2.223 billion (31 December 2006)
    Economic aid - recipient$582.9 million (2005 est.)
    Public debt(% of GDP)45.2% of GDP (2008 est.)
    46.3% of GDP (2007 est.)
    Agriculture - productssoybeans, coffee, coca, cotton, corn, sugarcane, rice, potatoes; timber
    Industriesmining, smelting, petroleum, food and beverages, tobacco, handicrafts, clothing
    Industrial production growth rate(%)10.6% (2008 est.)
    Current account balance$2.015 billion (2008 est.)
    $1.984 billion (2007 est.)
    Exports$6.448 billion (2008 est.)
    $4.49 billion (2007 est.)
    Exports - commodities(%)natural gas, soybeans and soy products, crude petroleum, zinc ore, tin
    Exports - partners(%)Brazil 60.1%, US 8.3%, Japan 4.1% (2008)
    Imports$4.641 billion (2008 est.)
    $3.24 billion (2007 est.)
    Imports - commodities(%)petroleum products, plastics, paper, aircraft and aircraft parts, prepared foods, automobiles, insecticides, soybeans
    Imports - partners(%)Brazil 26.7%, Argentina 16.3%, US 10.5%, Chile 9.5%, Peru 7.1%, China 4.8% (2008)
    Reserves of foreign exchange and gold$7.722 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
    $5.318 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
    Debt - external$5.931 billion (31 December 2008)
    $5.385 billion (31 December 2007)
    Stock of direct foreign investment - at home$5.998 billion (31 December 2008)
    Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad$NA
    Exchange ratesbolivianos (BOB) per US dollar - 7.253 (2008 est.), 7.8616 (2007), 8.0159 (2006), 8.0661 (2005), 7.9363 (2004)
    Currency (code)boliviano (BOB)
    Telephones - main lines in use690,000 (2008)
    Telephones - mobile cellular4.83 million (2008)
    Telephone systemgeneral assessment: privatization begun 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 slighly exceeds 50 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) (2008)
    Internet country code.bo
    Internet users1 million (2008)
    Airports952 (2009)
    Pipelines(km)gas 4,883 km; liquid petroleum gas 47 km; oil 2,475 km; refined products 1,589 km (2008)
    Roadways(km)total: 62,479 km
    paved: 3,749 km
    unpaved: 58,730 km (2004)
    Ports and terminalsPuerto 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 branchesBolivian Armed Forces: Bolivian Army (Ejercito Boliviano, EB), Bolivian Navy (Fuerza Naval Boliviana, FNB; includes marines), Bolivian Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Boliviana, FAB) (2009)
    Military service age and obligation(years of age)18-49 years of age for 12-month compulsory military service; when annual number of volunteers falls short of goal, compulsory recruitment is effected, including conscription of boys as young as 14; 15-19 years of age for voluntary premilitary service, provides exemption from further military service (2009)
    Manpower available for military servicemales age 16-49: 2,295,746
    females age 16-49: 2,366,828 (2008 est.)
    Manpower fit for military servicemales age 16-49: 1,666,697
    females age 16-49: 1,906,396 (2009 est.)
    Manpower reaching militarily significant age annuallymale: 108,304
    female: 104,882 (2009 est.)
    Military expenditures(% of GDP)1.9% of GDP (2006)
    Disputes - internationalChile and Peru rebuff Bolivia's reactivated claim to restore the Atacama corridor, ceded to Chile in 1884, but Chile offers instead unrestricted but not sovereign maritime access through Chile for Bolivian natural gas and other commodities; an accord placed the long-disputed Isla Suarez/Ilha de Guajara-Mirim, a fluvial island on the Rio Mamore, under Bolivian administration in 1958, but sovereignty remains in dispute
    Electricity - production(kWh)5.495 billion kWh (2007 est.)
    Electricity - production by source(%)fossil fuel: 44.4%
    hydro: 54%
    nuclear: 0%
    other: 1.5% (2001)
    Electricity - consumption(kWh)4.665 billion kWh (2007 est.)
    Electricity - exports(kWh)0 kWh (2008 est.)
    Electricity - imports(kWh)0 kWh (2008 est.)
    Oil - production(bbl/day)51,360 bbl/day (2008 est.)
    Oil - consumption(bbl/day)60,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
    Oil - exports(bbl/day)10,950 bbl/day (2007 est.)
    Oil - imports(bbl/day)6,172 bbl/day (2007 est.)
    Oil - proved reserves(bbl)465 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
    Natural gas - production(cu m)14.2 billion cu m (2008 est.)
    Natural gas - consumption(cu m)2.41 billion cu m (2008 est.)
    Natural gas - exports(cu m)11.79 billion cu m (2008)
    Natural gas - proved reserves(cu m)750.4 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
    HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate(%)0.2% (2007 est.)
    HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS8,100 (2007 est.)
    HIV/AIDS - deathsfewer than 500 (2007 est.)
    Major infectious diseasesdegree of risk: high
    food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
    vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and yellow fever
    water contact disease: leptospirosis (2009)
    Literacy(%)definition: age 15 and over can read and write
    total population: 86.7%
    male: 93.1%
    female: 80.7% (2001 census)
    Education expenditures(% of GDP)6.4% of GDP (2003)








    Copyright mongabay 2000-2013