Bolivia

Republic of BoliviaRepublica de Bolivia

republicIndependence 6 August 1825 (from Spain)

Bolivia as the 1997 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 106 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)
Position17 00 S, 65 00 W
Area1,098,580 sq km
LocationCentral South America, southwest of Brazil
1997

Every edition of Bolivia

Populationas each edition published it
7.67 million July 1997 est. · 6.71m in 1990
Population growth% a year
2.04% 1997 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
4.18 children per woman 1997 est. · 4.7 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
65.7 deaths per 1,000 live births 1997 est. · 125 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$3,000 1996 est. · $670 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
3.9% 1996 · 3.8% in 1993

Geography

Central South America, southwest of Brazil

18 fields

Land useshare of 1,098,580 sq km

arable land 2%permanent crops 0%permanent pastures 24%forests and woodland 53%other 21% (1993 est.)irrigated 1,750 sq km (1993 est.)
Area
1,098,580sq km
land: 1,084,390 sq kmwater : 14,190 sq kmslightly less than three times the size of Montana
Coastline
0km
(landlocked)Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Highest point
6,882m
Cerro Illimanilowest point : Rio Paraguay 90 m
Land boundaries
6,743km
border countries: Argentina 832 km, Brazil 3,400 km, Chile 861 km, Paraguay 750 km, Peru 900 km

Location

Central South America, southwest of Brazil

Geographic coordinates

17 00 S, 65 00 W

Map references

South America

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, lead, gold, timber

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)

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

Environment - international agreements

party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:
Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection

Geography - note

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

People

15 fields
Population
7,669,868
(July 1997 est.)growth rate: 2.04% (1997 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1997 est.)

Birth
32.14Death
10.18Net migration
-1.56
Literacy
83.1%
definition : age 15 and over can read and writemale: 90.5%female: 76% (1995 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years:
40% (male 1,543,641; female 1,511,579)
15-64 years:
56% (male 2,081,792; female 2,184,876) 65 years and over : 4% (male 158,409; female 189,571) (July 1997 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over : 0.84 male(s)/female
total population:
0.97 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate

65.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population :
60.34 years
male:
57.46 years
female :
63.38 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.18 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Nationality

noun:
Bolivian(s)
adjective:
Bolivian

Ethnic groups

Quechua 30%, Aymara 25%, mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry) 25%-30%, white 5%-15%

Religions

Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant (Evangelical Methodist)

Languages

Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara (official)

Government

Republic; President Gonzalo SANCHEZ DE LOZADA Bustamente (since 6 August 1993)

26 fields

Chamber of Senators, 130 seatsone dot, one seat

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

Country name

conventional long form:
Republic of Bolivia
conventional short form:
Bolivia
local long form:
Republica de Bolivia
local short form :
Bolivia

National 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; revised in August 1994

Suffrage

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

Executive branch

chief of state :
  • President Gonzalo SANCHEZ DE LOZADA Bustamente (since 6 August 1993);
  • Vice President Victor Hugo CARDENAS Conde (since 6 August 1993);
  • note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government:
  • President Gonzalo SANCHEZ DE LOZADA Bustamente (since 6 August 1993);
  • Vice President Victor Hugo CARDENAS Conde (since 6 August 1993);
  • note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet:
Cabinet appointed by the president from a panel of candidates proposed by the Senate
elections:
  • president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms;
  • election last held 6 June 1993 (next to be held June 1997);
  • Constitutional reforms extend presidential and vice presidential terms to 5 years beginning in 1997
election results:
  • Gonzalo SANCHEZ DE LOZADA elected president;
  • percent of vote - 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

Legislative branch

bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (27 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (130 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections:
  • Chamber of Senators and Chamber of Deputies - last held 6 June 1993 (next to be held June 1997);
  • Constitutional reforms extend congressional terms to 5 years beginning in 1997
election results:
  • Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA;
  • seats by party - MNR 17, ADN 4, MIR 4, CONDEPA 1, UCS 1;
  • Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA;
  • seats by party - MNR 52, UCS 20, ADN 17, MIR 17, CONDEPA 13, MBL 7, ARBOL 1, ASD 1, EJE 1, PDC 1

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (Corte Suprema), judges appointed for a 10-year term by National Congress

Left Parties

  • Free Bolivia Movement or MBL [Antonio ARANIBAR];
  • Patriotic Axis of Convergence or EJE-P [Ramiro BARRANECHEA];
  • April 9 Revolutionary Vanguard or VR-9 [Carlos SERRATE];
  • Alternative of Democratic Socialism or ASD [Jerjes JUSTINIANO];
  • Revolutionary Front of the Left or FRI [Oscar ZAMORA];
  • Bolivian Communist Party or PCB [Marcos DOMIC];
  • United Left or IU [Marcos DOMIC];
  • Assembly for the Sovereignty of the People or ASP [Evo MORALES];
  • Front of National Salvation or FSN [Manual MORALES Davila];
  • Socialist Party One or PS-1;
  • Bolivian Socialist Falange or FSB;
  • Socialist Unzaguista Movement or MAS

Center-Left Parties

  • Movement of the Revolutionary or MIR [Jaime PAZ ZAMORA];
  • Christian Democrat or PDC [Benjamin MIGUEL];
  • New Youth Force [Alfonso SAAVEDRA Bruno]

Center Party

Nationalist Revolutionary Movement or MNR [Gonzalo SANCHEZ DE LOZADA]

Center-Right Parties

Nationalist Democratic Action or ADN [Hugo BANZER]; New Republican Force or NFR [Manfred REYES VILLA]

Populist Parties

  • Civic Solidarity Union or UCS [Johnny FERNANDEZ];
  • Conscience of the Fatherland or CONDEPA [Remedios LOZA Alvarado];
  • Solidarity and Democracy or SYD;
  • Unity and Progress Movement or MUP [Ivo KULJIS];
  • Popular Patriotic Movement or MPP [Julio MANTILLA]

Evangelical Party

Bolivian Renovating Alliance or ARBOL [Marcelo FERNANDEZ, Hugo VILLEGAS]

Indigenous Parties

  • Tupac Katari Revolutionary Liberation Movement or MRTK-L [Victor Hugo CARDENAS Conde];
  • Nationalist Katarista Movement or MKN [Fernando UNTOJA];
  • Front of Katarista Unity or FULKA [Genaro FLORES];
  • Katarismo National Unity or KND [Filepe KITTELSON]

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, ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the 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

Diplomatic representation from the US

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 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

Economy

22 fields
Real growth rate
3.9%
(1996)industrial production growth: 4% (1995 est.)
Unemployment rate
18.8%
(1995 est.)
Labor force
2.3million
by occupation: agriculture NA%, services and utilities NA%, manufacturing, mining and construction NA%

GDP - composition by sector(1995 est.)

agriculture 17%industry 31%services 52% (1995 est.)

Budget

Revenues
$3.75 billionExpenditures
$3.75 billion (1995 est.)
expenditures including capital expenditures of $556.2 million

Economy - 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 include the signing of a free trade agreement with Mexico and the Southern Cone Common Market (Mercosur) as well as the privatization of the state airline, phone company, railroad, electric power company, and oil company.

Furthermore, SANCHEZ DE LOZADA sponsored legislation creating private social security accounts for all adult Bolivians and capitalized these new accounts with the state's remaining 50% share in the privatized companies.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $21.5 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $3,000 (1996 est.)

Industries

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

Electricity - capacity

804,300 kW (1995)

Electricity - production

3.02 billion kWh (1995)

Agriculture - products

coffee, coca, cotton, corn, sugarcane, rice, potatoes; timber

Exports

total value:
$1.1 billion (f.o.b., 1995)
commodities:
metals 39%, natural gas 9%, soybeans 11%, jewelry 11%, wood 8%
partners:
US 26%, Argentina 17%, UK 15%, Peru 14% (1995)

Imports

total value :
$1.4 billion (c.i.f., 1995)
commodities:
capital goods 48%, chemicals 11%, petroleum 5%, food 5% (1993 est.)
partners:
US 18%, Brazil 15%, Japan 13%, Argentina 8% (1995)

Debt - external

$4.3 billion (November 1996)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $362 million (1993)

Currency

1 boliviano ($B) = 100 centavos

Exchange rates

bolivianos ($B) per US$1 - 5.1720 (November 1996), 4.8003 (1995), 4.6205 (1994), 4.2651 (1993), 3.9005 (1992)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

6 fields
Fixed lines
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

Televisions

500,000 (1993 est.)

Transportation

9 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved only

under 914 m
683
over 3,047 m : 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3

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:
55,487 km
paved:
2,663 km (including 27 km of expressways)
unpaved :
52,824 km (1995 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 and harbors

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 (1996 est.)

Airports

941 (1996 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total : 248 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 68 914 to 1,523 m: 178 (1996 est.)

Military

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

7 fields

Military branches

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

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49 : 1,811,952 (1997 est.)

Transnational Issues

2 fields

Disputes - international

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

Illicit drugs

  • world's third-largest cultivator of coca (after Peru and Colombia) with an estimated 48,100 hectares under cultivation in 1996, a one percent decrease in overall cultivation of coca over 1995 levels;
  • Bolivia, however, is the second-largest producer of coca leaf;
  • even so, voluntary and forced eradication programs resulted in leaf production dropping from 85,000 metric tons in 1995 to 75,100 tons in 1996;
  • 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 BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Introduction

1 field

Current issues

On 21 November 1995, in Dayton, Ohio, the former Yugoslavia's three warring parties signed a peace agreement that brought to a halt over three years of interethnic civil strife in Bosnia and Herzegovina (the final agreement was signed in Paris on 14 December 1995). The Dayton Agreement, signed by Bosnian President IZETBEGOVIC, Croatian President TUDJMAN, and Serbian President MILOSEVIC, divides Bosnia and Herzegovina roughly equally between the Muslim/Croat Federation and the Bosnian Serbs while maintaining Bosnia's currently recognized borders.

In 1995-96, a NATO-led international peacekeeping force (IFOR) of 60,000 troops served in Bosnia to implement and monitor the military aspects of the agreement. IFOR was succeeded by a smaller, NATO-led Stabilization Force (SFOR) whose mission is to deter renewed hostilities. SFOR will remain in place until June 1998.

A High Representative appointed by the UN Security Council is responsible for civilian implementation of the accord, including monitoring implementation, facilitating any difficulties arising in connection with civilian implementation, and coordinating activities of the civilian organizations and agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Bosnian conflict began in the spring of 1992 when the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina held a referendum on independence and the Bosnian Serbs - supported by neighboring Serbia - responded with armed resistance aimed at partitioning the republic along ethnic lines and joining Serb-held areas to form a "greater Serbia."

In March 1994, Bosnia's Muslims and Croats reduced the number of warring factions from three to two by signing an agreement in Washington creating their joint Muslim/Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Federation, formed by the Muslims and Croats in March 1994, is one of two entities (the other being the Bosnian Serb-led Republika Srpska) that comprise Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Central Intelligence Agency. “Bolivia.” The World Factbook 1997. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/bolivia/1997.

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