Bolivia

republicIndependence 6 August 1825 (from Spain)

Bolivia as the 1994 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 120 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalLa Paz (seat of government)
LocationCentral South America, between Brazil and Chile
1994

Every edition of Bolivia

Populationas each edition published it
7.72 million July 1994 est. · 6.71m in 1990
Population growth% a year
2.28% 1994 est. · 2.31% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 20.8 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
Not in this edition 62.77 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
4.21 children per woman 1994 est. · 4.7 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
73.7 deaths per 1,000 live births 1994 est. · 125 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$2,100 1993 est. · $670 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
2.2% 1993 · 3.8% in 1993

Geography

Central South America, between Brazil and Chile

22 fields
Coastline
0km
(landlocked)Maritime claims: none; landlocked
Land boundaries
6,743km
total · Argentina 832 km, Brazil 3,400 km, Chile 861 km, Paraguay 750 km, Peru 900 km
Irrigated land
1,650sq km
(1989 est.)

Location

Central South America, between Brazil and Chile

Map references

South America, Standard Time Zones of the World

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

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

Natural resources

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

arable land

3%

permanent crops

0%

meadows and pastures

25%

forest and woodland

52%

other

20%

current issues

  • deforestation contributing to loss of biodiversity;
  • overgrazing;
  • soil erosion;
  • desertification;
  • industrial pollution of water supplies used for drinking and irrigation

natural hazards

flooding in the northeast (March to April)

international agreements

  • party to - Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Wetlands;
  • signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Tropical Timber

Note

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

People

21 fields
Population
7,719,445
(July 1994 est.)growth rate: 2.28% (1994 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1994 est.)

Birth
32.22Death
8.37Net migration
-1.04
Labor force
3.54million
Literacy
15and over can read and write
age · (1990 est.)

Infant mortality rate

73.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

total population

63.31 years

male

60.86 years

female

65.88 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.21 children born/woman (1994 est.)

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)

total population

78%

male

85%

female

71%

by occupation

agriculture NA, services and utilities 20%, manufacturing, mining and construction 7% (1993)

Government

Republic

32 fields

Legislature, 130 seatsone dot, one seat

MNR 52UCS 20ADN 17MIR 17CONDEPA 13MBL 7ARBOL 1ASD 1EJE 1PDC 1

Legislature, 27 seatsone dot, one seat

MNR 17ADN 4MIR 4CONDEPA 1UCS 1

conventional long form

Republic of Bolivia

conventional short form

Bolivia

local long form

Republica de Bolivia

local short form

Bolivia

Type

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

Suffrage

18 years of age, universal and compulsory (married); 21 years of age, universal and compulsory (single)

chief of state and head of government

  • President Gonzalo SANCHEZ DE LOZADA Bustamente (since 6 August 1993);
  • Vice President Victor Hugo CARDENAS Conde (since 6 August 1993);
  • election last held 6 June 1993 (next to be held 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

cabinet

Cabinet; appointed by the president from panel 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 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, PDC 1

Chamber of Senators (Camara de Senadores)

  • elections last held 6 June 1993 (next to be held 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)

Political parties and leaders

  • Movement of the Revolutionary Left (MIR), Jaime PAZ Zamora;
  • Nationalist Democratic Action (ADN), Jorge LANDIVAR;
  • Nationalist Revolutionary Movement (MNR), Gonzalo SANCHEZ DE LOZADA;
  • Civic Solidarity Union (UCS), Max FERNANDEZ Rojas;
  • Conscience of the Fatherland (CONDEPA), Carlos PALENQUE Aviles;
  • Free Bolivia Movement (MBL), Antonio ARANIBAR;
  • Tupac Katari Revolutionary Liberation Movement (MRTK-L), Victor Hugo CARDENAS Conde;
  • Christian Democrat Party (PDC), Jorge AGREDA

Member of

AG, ECLAC, FAO, GATT, G-11, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

chief of mission

Ambassador Andres PETRICEVIC

chancery

3014 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone

(202) 483-4410 through 4412

FAX

(202) 328-3712

consulate(s) general

Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Francisco

chief of mission

Ambassador Charles R. BOWERS

embassy

Banco Popular del Peru Building, corner of Calle Mercado and Calle Colon, La Paz

mailing address

P. O. Box 425, La Paz, or APO AA 34032

telephone

[591] (2) 350251 or 350120

FAX

[591] (2) 359875

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

26 fields
GDP per capita, PPP
$2,100
(1993 est.)
Real growth rate
2.2%
(1993)industrial production growth: growth rate 7% (1992); accounts for almost 30% of GDP

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 government market-oriented economic reforms he helped launch as PAZ Estenssoro's Planning Minister. A major privatization bill was passed by the Bolivian legislature in late March 1994.

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $15.8 billion (1993 est.)

revenues

$3.19 billion

expenditures

$3.19 billion, including capital expenditures of $552.4 million (1994 est.)

Exports

$752 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.)

commodities

metals 35%, natural gas 26%, other 39% (coffee, soybeans, sugar, cotton, timber)

partners

US 16% , Argentina (1992 est.)

Imports

$1.17 billion (c.i.f., 1993 est.)

commodities

food, petroleum, consumer goods, capital goods

partners

US 23.3% (1992)

External debt

$3.8 billion (January 1994)

capacity

865,000 kW

production

1.834 billion kWh

consumption per capita

250 kWh (1992)

Industries

mining, smelting, petroleum, food and beverage, tobacco, handicrafts, clothing; illicit drug industry reportedly produces 15% of its revenues

Agriculture

  • accounts for about 21% of GDP (including forestry and fisheries);
  • principal commodities - coffee, coca, cotton, corn, sugarcane, rice, potatoes, timber;
  • self-sufficient in food

Illicit drugs

  • world's second-largest producer of coca (after Peru) with an estimated 45,500 hectares under cultivation in 1992;
  • voluntary and forced eradication program unable to prevent production from rising to 80,300 metric tons in 1992 from 78,200 tons in 1989;
  • 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

recipient

  • US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $990 million;
  • Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $2.025 billion;
  • Communist countries (1970-89), $340 million

Currency

1 boliviano ($B) = 100 centavos

Exchange rates

bolivianos ($B) per US$1 - 4.5 (March 1994), 4.4604 (November 1993), 3.9005 (1992), 3.5806 (1991), 3.1727 (1990), 2.6917 (1989), 2.3502 (1988)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

15 fields

Railroads

3,684 km total, all narrow gauge; 3,652 km 1.000-meter gauge and 32 km 0.760-meter gauge, all government owned, single track

total

42,815 km

paved

1,865 km

unpaved

gravel 12,000 km; improved/unimproved earth 28,950 km

Inland 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; maritime outlets are Arica and Antofagasta in Chile, Matarani and Ilo in Peru

Merchant marine

1 cargo ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,214 GRT/6,390 DWT

total

1,395

usable

1,188

with permanent-surface runways

9

with runways over 3,659 m

2

with runways 2,440-3,659 m

7

with runways 1,220-2,439 m

165

Telecommunications

  • very poor telephone service for the general population;
  • 144,300 telephones - 18.7 telephones per 1,000 persons;
  • microwave radio relay system being expanded;
  • improved international services;
  • broadcast stations - 129 AM, no FM, 43 TV, 68 shortwave;
  • 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

Defense Forces

Army (Ejercito Boliviano), Navy includes Marines (La Fuerza Naval | Boliviana), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Boliviana), National Police Force | ( Policia Nacional de Bolivia)

4 fields

Branches

Army (Ejercito Boliviano), Navy includes Marines (La Fuerza Naval Boliviana), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Boliviana), National Police Force ( Policia Nacional de Bolivia)

Manpower availability

  • males age 15-49 1,835,661;
  • fit for military service 1,194,077;
  • reach military age (19) annually 79,580 (1994 est.)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $130.48 million; NA% of GDP (1994 est.)

Note

Bosnia and Herzegovina is suffering from interethnic civil strife which began in March 1992 after the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina held a referendum on independence. Bosnia's Serbs - supported by neighboring Serbia - responded with armed resistance aimed at partitioning the republic along ethnic lines and joining Serb-held areas to a "greater Serbia."

Since the onset of the conflict, which has driven approximately half of the pre-war population of 4.4 million from their homes, both the Bosnian Serbs and the Bosnian Croats have asserted control of more than three-quarters of the territory formerly under the control of the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The UN and the EU are continuing to try to mediate a plan for peace. In March 1994 Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats signed an agreement in Washington, DC, creating a Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is to include territories in which Muslims or Croats predominated, according to the 1991 census. Bosnian Serbs refused to become a part of this Federation.

Central Intelligence Agency. “Bolivia.” The World Factbook 1994. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/bolivia/1994.

How to cite ← 1993 edition 1995 edition →