Bolivia
Republic of BoliviaRepublica de Bolivia
republicIndependence 6 August 1825 (from Spain)
Bolivia as the 2005 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 126 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.
No fields match. Try a shorter word.
Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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 counter-coups. Comparatively democratic civilian rule was established in 1982, but leaders have faced difficult problems of deep-seated poverty, social unrest, and illegal drug production. Current goals include attracting foreign investment, strengthening the educational system, resolving disputes with coca growers over Bolivia's counterdrug efforts, and waging an anticorruption campaign.
Geography
Central South America, southwest of Brazil
18 fieldsLand useshare of 1,098,580 sq km
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, hydropower
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, 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, Ozone Layer Protection
Geography - note
landlocked; shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake (elevation 3,805 m), with Peru
People
19 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2005 est.)
Per 1,000 population(2005 est.)
Male · female
Sex ratio
- 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:
- 0.8 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 0.98 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Government
Republic; President Eduardo RODRIGUEZ Veltze (since 9 June 2005); President Eduardo RODRIGUEZ Veltze (since 9 June 2005)
18 fieldsChamber of Senators, 130 seatsone dot, one seat
Country name
- conventional long form:
- Republic of Bolivia
- conventional short form:
- Bolivia
- local long form:
- Republica de Bolivia
- local short form:
- Bolivia
Administrative divisions
9 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, Beni, La Paz, Oruro, Pando, Potosi, Santa Cruz, Tarija
Suffrage
18 years of age, universal and compulsory (married); 21 years of age, universal and compulsory (single)
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President Eduardo RODRIGUEZ Veltze (since 9 June 2005);
- Vice President (vacant);
- note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
- head of government:
- President Eduardo RODRIGUEZ Veltze (since 9 June 2005);
- Vice President (vacant);
- note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
- cabinet:
- Cabinet appointed by the president
- elections:
- president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for five-year terms; election last held 30 June 2002 (next to be held June 2007)
- election results:
- as a result of no candidate winning a majority in the 30 June 2002 election, Gonzalo SANCHEZ DE LOZADA Bustamante was chosen president by Congress;
- congressional votes - Gonzalo SANCHEZ DE LOZADA Bustamante 84, Evo MORALES 43;
- note - following the resignation of the elected president on 17 October 2003 and Vice President Carlos Diego MESA Gisbert on 9 June 2005, Eduardo RODRIGUEZ Veltze, President of the Supreme Court and constitutional successor, became president.
Legislative branch
bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (27 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; 68 are directly elected from their districts and 62 are elected by proportional representation from party lists to serve five-year terms)
- elections:
- Chamber of Senators and Chamber of Deputies - last held 30 June 2002 (next to be held June 2007)
- election results:
- Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA%;
- seats by party - MNR 11, MAS 8, MIR 5, NFR 2, other 1;
- Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%;
- seats by party - MNR 36, MAS 27, MIR 26, NFR 25, others 16
Judicial branch
- Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges appointed for 10-year terms by National Congress);
- District Courts (one in each department);
- provincial and local courts (to try minor cases)
Political parties and leaders
- Bolivian Socialist Falange or FSB [Romel PANTOJA];
- Civic Solidarity Union or UCS [Johnny FERNANDEZ];
- Free Bolivia Movement or MBL [Franz BARRIOS];
- Marshal of Ayacucho Institutional Vanguard or VIMA [Freddy ZABALA];
- Movement of the Revolutionary Left or MIR [Jaime PAZ Zamora];
- Movement Toward Socialism or MAS [Evo MORALES];
- Movement Without Fear or MSM [Juan DEL GRANADO];
- Nationalist Democratic Action or ADN [Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ramirez];
- Nationalist Revolutionary Movement or MNR [leader NA];
- New Republican Force or NFR [Manfred REYES-VILLA];
- Pachakuti Indigenous Movement or MIP [Felipe QUISPE];
- Socialist Party or PS [Jeres JUSTINIANO]
Political pressure groups and leaders
- Cocalero Groups;
- indigenous organizations;
- labor unions;
- Sole Confederation of Campesino Workers of Bolivia or CSUTCB [Roman LOAYZA]
International organization participation
CAN, CSN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS, ONUB, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNMISET, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Jaime APARICIO Otero
- chancery:
- 3014 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 483-4410
- FAX:
- [1] (202) 328-3712
- consulate(s) general:
- Miami, New York, and San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador David N. GREENLEE
- embassy:
- Avenida Arce 2780, San Jorge, La Paz
- mailing address:
- P. O. Box 425, La Paz; APO AA 34032
- telephone:
- [591] (2) 2430120, 2430251
- FAX:
- [591] (2) 2433900
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
Bolivia, long one of the poorest and least developed Latin American countries, reformed its economy after suffering a disastrous economic crisis in the early 1980s.
44 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2004 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
Economy - overview
Bolivia, long one of the poorest and least developed Latin American countries, reformed its economy after suffering a disastrous economic crisis in the early 1980s. The reforms spurred real GDP growth, which averaged 4 percent in the 1990s, and poverty rates fell. Economic growth, however, lagged again beginning in 1999 because of a global slowdown and homegrown factors such as political turmoil, civil unrest, and soaring fiscal deficits, all of which hurt investor confidence.
In 2003, violent protests against the pro-foreign investment economic policies of President SANCHEZ DE LOZADA led to his resignation and the cancellation of plans to export Bolivia's newly discovered natural gas reserves to large northern hemisphere markets. Foreign investment dried up as companies adopted a wait-and-see attitude regarding new President Carlos MESA's willingness to protect investor rights in the face of increased demands by radical groups that the government expropriate foreign-owned assets.
Real GDP growth in 2003 and 2004 - helped by increased demand for natural gas in neighboring Brazil - was positive, but still below the levels seen during the 1990s. Bolivia remains dependent on foreign aid from multilateral lenders and foreign governments.
Imports - commodities
petroleum products, plastics, paper, aircraft and aircraft parts, prepared foods, automobiles, insecticides, soybeans
Exchange rates
bolivianos per US dollar - 7.9363 (2004), 7.6592 (2003), 7.17 (2002), 6.6069 (2001), 6.1835 (2000)
Communications
8 fieldsTelephone system
- general assessment:
- new subscribers face bureaucratic difficulties;
- most telephones are concentrated in La Paz and other cities;
- mobile cellular telephone use expanding rapidly
- 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)
Transportation
9 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right
Networkskm
Pipelines
- gas 4,860 km;
- liquid petroleum gas 47 km;
- oil 2,457 km;
- refined products 1,589 km;
- unknown (oil/water) 247 km (2004)
Ports and harbors
- Puerto Aguirre (on the Paraguay/Parana waterway, at the Bolivia/Brazil border);
- also, Bolivia has free port privileges in maritime ports in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Paraguay
Merchant marine
- total:
- 32 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 413,407 GRT/699,901 DWT
- by type:
- bulk carrier 2, cargo 16, chemical tanker 1, container 1, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 9, refrigerated cargo 1
- foreign-owned:
- 11 (Argentina 1, Egypt 2, Eritrea 1, Germany 1, Iran 1, Singapore 2, United Kingdom 1, United States 2) (2005)
Military
Army (Ejercito Boliviano), Navy (Fuerza Naval; includes Marines), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Boliviana) (2004)
7 fieldsMilitary branches
Army (Ejercito Boliviano), Navy (Fuerza Naval; includes Marines), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Boliviana) (2004)
Military service age and obligation
- 18 years of age for voluntary military service;
- when annual number of volunteers falls short of goal, compulsory recruitment is effected, including conscription of boys as young as 14;
- one estimate holds that 40% of the armed forces are under the age of 18, with 50% of those under the age of 16;
- conscript tour of duty - 12 months (2002)
Transnational Issues
2 fieldsDisputes - international
Chile rebuffs Bolivia's reactivated claim to restore the Atacama corridor, ceded to Chile in 1884, offering instead unrestricted but not sovereign maritime access through Chile for Bolivian natural gas and other commodities
Illicit drugs
- world's third-largest cultivator of coca (after Colombia and Peru) with an estimated 28,450 hectares under cultivation in June 2003, a 23% increase from June 2002;
- intermediate coca products and cocaine exported mostly to or through Brazil, Argentina, and Chile to European and US drug markets;
- eradication and alternative crop programs under the MESA administration have been unable to keep pace with farmers' attempts to increase cultivation;
- money-laundering activity related to narcotics trade, especially along the borders with Brazil and Paraguay
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Bolivia.” The World Factbook 2005. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/bolivia/2005.