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 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. In October 2011, the country held its first judicial elections to appoint judges to the four highest courts.

Central South America, southwest of Brazil

17 00 S, 65 00 W

South America

total: 1,098,581 sq km
country comparison to the world: 28
land: 1,083,301 sq km
water: 15,280 sq km

slightly less than three times the size of Montana

total: 6,940 km
border countries: Argentina 832 km, Brazil 3,423 km, Chile 860 km, Paraguay 750 km, Peru 1,075 km

0 km (landlocked)

none (landlocked)

varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and semiarid

rugged Andes Mountains with a highland plateau (Altiplano), hills, lowland plains of the Amazon Basin

lowest point: Rio Paraguay 90 m
highest point: Nevado Sajama 6,542 m

tin, natural gas, petroleum, zinc, tungsten, antimony, silver, iron, lead, gold, timber, hydropower

arable land: 3.49%
permanent crops: 0.2%
other: 96.31% (2011)

1,282 sq km (2003)

622.5 cu km (2011)

total: 2.64 cu km/yr (25%/14%/61%)
per capita: 305.8 cu m/yr (2005)

flooding in the northeast (March to April)
volcanism: volcanic activity in Andes Mountains on the border with Chile; historically active volcanoes in this region are Irruputuncu (elev. 5,163 m), which last erupted in 1995, and Olca-Paruma

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

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

landlocked; shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake (elevation 3,805 m), with Peru

noun: Bolivian(s)
adjective: Bolivian

Quechua 30%, mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry) 30%, Aymara 25%, white 15%

Spanish (official) 60.7%, Quechua (official) 21.2%, Aymara (official) 14.6%, foreign languages 2.4%, other 1.2% (2001 census)

Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant (Evangelical Methodist) 5%

Bolivia ranks at or near the bottom among Latin American countries in several areas of health and development, including poverty, education, fertility, malnutrition, mortality, and life expectancy. On the positive side, more children are being vaccinated and more pregnant women are getting prenatal care and having skilled health practitioners attend their births. Bolivia's income inequality is the highest in Latin America and one of the highest in the world. Public education is of poor quality, and educational opportunities are among the most unevenly distributed in Latin America, with girls and indigenous and rural children less likely to be literate or to complete primary school. The lack of access to education and family planning services helps to sustain Bolivia's high fertility rate - approximately three children per woman. Bolivia's lack of clean water and basic sanitation, especially in rural areas, contributes to health problems.

10,461,053 (July 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 83

0-14 years: 33.8% (male 1,800,381/female 1,733,366)
15-24 years: 19.9% (male 1,053,952/female 1,028,169)
25-54 years: 35.9% (male 1,825,535/female 1,928,945)
55-64 years: 5.6% (male 272,980/female 311,312)
65 years and over: 4.8% (male 223,933/female 282,480) (2013 est.)

total dependency ratio: 66 %
youth dependency ratio: 57.9 %
elderly dependency ratio: 8.1 %
potential support ratio: 12.3 (2013)

total: 23.1 years
male: 22.3 years
female: 23.8 years (2013 est.)

1.63% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 74

23.77 births/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 68

6.67 deaths/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 145

-0.76 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 145

urban population: 67% of total population (2010)
rate of urbanization: 2.2% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

LA PAZ (capital) 1.715 million; Santa Cruz 1.584 million; Sucre 307,000 (2011)

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.88 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2013 est.)

21.2
note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2008 est.)

180 deaths/100,000 live births (2008)
country comparison to the world: 60

total: 39.76 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 58
male: 43.44 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 35.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2013 est.)

total population: 68.22 years
country comparison to the world: 161
male: 65.47 years
female: 71.11 years (2013 est.)

2.87 children born/woman (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 67

60.5% (2008)

4.9% of GDP (2011)
country comparison to the world: 144

1.22 physicians/1,000 population (2001)

1.1 beds/1,000 population (2011)

0.2% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 107

12,000 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 93

fewer than 1,000 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 66

degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and yellow fever (2013)

17.9% (2008)
country comparison to the world: 109

4.5% (2008)
country comparison to the world: 92

7.6% of GDP (2010)
country comparison to the world: 16

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 91.2%
male: 95.8%
female: 86.8% (2009 est.)

total: 14 years
male: 14 years
female: 13 years (2007)

total number: 553,323
percentage: 26 %
note: data represents children ages 5-13 (2008 est.)

total: 6.2%
country comparison to the world: 132
male: 4.8%
female: 7.8% (2009)

conventional long form: Plurinational State of Bolivia
conventional short form: Bolivia
local long form: Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia
local short form: Bolivia

republic; note - the new constitution defines Bolivia as a "Social Unitarian State"

name: 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)

9 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Beni, Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, La Paz, Oruro, Pando, Potosi, Santa Cruz, Tarija

6 August 1825 (from Spain)

Independence Day, 6 August (1825)

many previous; latest drafted 6 August 2006 - 9 December 2008, approved by referendum 25 January 2009, effective 7 February 2009; amended 2013 (2013)

civil law system with influences from Roman, Spanish, canon (religious), French, and indigenous law

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age, universal and compulsory

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)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president

elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a five-year term and are eligible for re-election once; election last held on 6 December 2009 (next to be held in 2014)
election results: Juan Evo MORALES Ayma reelected president; percent of vote - Juan Evo MORALES Ayma 64%; Manfred REYES VILLA 26%; Samuel DORIA MEDINA Arana 6%; Rene JOAQUINO 2%; other 2%

bicameral 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 total; 70 uninominal deputies directly elected from a single district, 7 "special" indigenous deputies directly elected from non-contiguous indigenous districts, and 53 plurinominal deputies elected by proportional representation from party lists; all deputies serve five-year terms)
elections: Chamber of Senators and Chamber of Deputies - last held on 6 December 2009 (next to be held in 2014)
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; note - as of 15 February 2013, the current composition of the Chamber of Deputies is: MAS 88, PPB-CN 37, UN 3, AS 2

highest court(s): Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo de Justicia (consists of 12 judges); Plurinational Constitutional Tribunal (consists of 7 primary and 7 alternate magistrates); Plurinational Electoral Organ (consists of 7 members)
judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court and Plurinational Constitutional Tribunal judges elected by popular vote from list of candidates pre-selected by Plurinational Legislative Assembly for 6-year terms); Plurinational Electoral Organ members - 6 judges elected by the Assembly and 1 appointed by the president; judges and members serve 6-year terms
subordinate courts: Agro-Environmental Court; Council of the Judiciary; District Courts (in each of the 9 administrative departments)

Bacada Indigena or BI

Bolivian Workers Central or COB
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); Interculturales union or CSCIB; labor unions (including the Central Bolivian Workers' Union or COB and Cooperative Miners Federation or FENCOMIN)

CAN, CD, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUSCO, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Freddy BERSATTI Tudela
chancery: 3014 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 483-4410
FAX: [1] (202) 328-3712
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, Miami, New York
note: as of September 2008, the US has expelled the Bolivian ambassador to the US

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Larry L. MEMMOTT (since 14 July 2012)
embassy: Avenida Arce 2780, Casilla 425, La Paz
mailing address: P. O. Box 425, La Paz; APO AA 34032
telephone: [591] (2) 216-8000
FAX: [591] (2) 216-8111
note: in September 2008, the Bolivian Government expelled the US Ambassador to Bolivia, and the countries have yet to reinstate ambassadors

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with the coat of arms centered on the yellow band; red stands for bravery and the blood of national heroes, yellow for the nation's mineral resources, and green for the fertility of the land
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

llama; Andean condor

name: "Cancion Patriotica" (Patriotic Song)
lyrics/music: Jose Ignacio de SANJINES/Leopoldo Benedetto VINCENTI
note: adopted 1852

Bolivia 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 exchange for a predetermined service fee. The global recession slowed growth, but Bolivia recorded the highest growth rate in South America during 2009. During 2010-12 high world commodity prices sustained rapid growth and large trade surpluses. However, a lack of foreign investment in the key sectors of mining and hydrocarbons, along with growing conflict among social groups pose challenges for the Bolivian economy.

$54.6 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 93
note: data are in 2012 US dollars

$26.86 billion (2012 est.)

5.2% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 61

$5,000 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 158
note: data are in 2012 US dollars

26.9% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 38

household consumption: 59.5%
government consumption: 13.5%
investment in fixed capital: 18.2%
investment in inventories: -0.6%
exports of goods and services: 47.3%
imports of goods and services: -37.9%

agriculture: 13.8%
industry: 38.8%
services: 52.5% (2012 est.)

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

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

5.2% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 51

4.724 million (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 82

agriculture: 32%
industry: 20%
services: 48% (2010 est.)

7.5% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 83
note: data are for urban areas; widespread underemployment

49.6%
note: based on percent of population living on less than the international standard of $2/day (2010 est.)

lowest 10%: 1%
highest 10%: 45.4% (2007)

53 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 14

revenues: $12.64 billion
expenditures: $12.17 billion (2012 est.)

47.1% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 19

1.8% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 27

34% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 108
note: data cover general government debt, and includes debt instruments issued by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities

calendar year

4.5% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 137

4% (31 December 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 103

11.14% (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 78

$7.32 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 88

$17.13 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 91

$9.044 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 101

$7.69 billion (31 December 2012)
country comparison to the world: 81

$2.127 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 38

$11.11 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 91

natural gas, soybeans and soy products, crude petroleum, zinc ore, tin

Brazil 41.8%, US 18.4%, Argentina 7.3%, Peru 4.9% (2012)

$7.694 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 112

petroleum products, plastics, paper, aircraft and aircraft parts, prepared foods, automobiles, insecticides

Chile 21.3%, Brazil 20.3%, Argentina 10.9%, US 10.1%, Peru 6.5%, Venezuela 6.2%, China 4.9% (2012)

$13.93 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 68

$6.89 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 109

$8.81 billion (31 December 2012)
country comparison to the world: 84

$8 million (31 December 2011)
country comparison to the world: 97

bolivianos (BOB) per US dollar -

6.94 billion kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 110

6.301 billion kWh (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 103

0 kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 167

0 kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 163

1.655 million kW (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 112

58.9% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 137

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 50

39.3% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 61

1.7% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 73

56,570 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 62

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 87

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 161

209.8 million bbl (1 January 2013 es)
country comparison to the world: 58

314,700 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 41

45,840 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 101

864.7 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 109

14,150 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 122

48.97 billion cu m (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 19

8.59 billion cu m (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 53

40.28 billion cu m (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 11

0 cu m (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 162

281.5 billion cu m (1 January 2013 es)
country comparison to the world: 42

13.98 million Mt (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 93

880,600 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 80

9.494 million (2012)
country comparison to the world: 82

general assessment: Bolivian National Telecommunications Company was privatized in 1995 but re-nationalized in 2007; the primary trunk system is being expanded and employs digital microwave radio relay; some areas are served by fiber-optic cable; system operations, reliability, and coverage have steadily improved.
domestic: most telephones are concentrated in La Paz, Santa Cruz, and other capital cities; mobile-cellular telephone use expanding rapidly and, in 2011, teledensity reached about 80 per 100 persons
international: country code - 591; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2011)

large number of radio and TV stations broadcasting with private media outlets dominating; state-owned and private radio and TV stations generally operating freely, although both pro-government and anti-government groups have attacked media outlets in response to their reporting (2010)

.bo

180,988 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 75

1.103 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 95

855 (2013)
country comparison to the world: 7

total: 21
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 6 (2013)

total: 834
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 47
914 to 1,523 m: 151
under 914 m:

gas 5,457 km; liquid petroleum gas 51 km; oil 2,511 km; refined products 1,627 km (2013)

total: 3,652 km
country comparison to the world: 47
narrow gauge: 3,652 km 1.000-m gauge (2010)

total: 80,488 km
country comparison to the world: 60
paved: 11,993 km
unpaved: 68,495 km (2010)

10,000 km (commercially navigable almost exclusively in the northern and eastern parts of the country) (2012)
country comparison to the world: 13

total: 18
country comparison to the world: 98
by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 14, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 2
foreign-owned: 5 (Syria 4, UK 1, (2010)

river port(s): Puerto Aguirre (Paraguay/Parana)
note: Bolivia has free port privileges in maritime ports in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Paraguay

Bolivian Armed Forces: Bolivian Army (Ejercito Boliviano, EB), Bolivian Naval Force (Fuerza Naval Boliviana, FNB; includes Marines), Bolivian Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Boliviana, FAB) (2013)

18-49 years of age for 12-month compulsory male and female military service; Bolivian citizenship required; 17 years of age for voluntary 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 (2013)

males age 16-49: 2,472,490
females age 16-49: 2,535,768 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49: 1,762,260
females age 16-49: 2,013,281 (2010 est.)

male: 108,334
female: 104,945 (2010 est.)

1.47% of GDP (2012)
country comparison to the world: 200

Chile 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; contraband smuggling, human trafficking, and illegal narcotic trafficking are problems in the porous areas of the border with Argentina