Bolivia

agricultural land:

34.3%;

• arable land 3.6%;
• permanent crops 0.2%;
• permanent pasture 30.5%

forest:

52.5%

other:

13.2% (2011 est.)

• a high altitude plain in the west between two cordillera of the Andes, known as the Altiplano, is the focal area for most of the population;
• a dense settlement pattern is also found in and around the city of Santa Cruz, located on the eastern side of the Andes

• 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

noun:

Bolivian(s)

adjective:

Bolivian

• a high altitude plain in the west between two cordillera of the Andes, known as the Altiplano, is the focal area for most of the population;
• a dense settlement pattern is also found in and around the city of Santa Cruz, located on the eastern side of the Andes

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:

0.95 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.86 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.79 male(s)/female

total population:

0.98 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

total number:

757,352

percentage:

26.4%

note: data represent children ages 5-17 (2008 est.)

conventional long form:

Plurinational State of Bolivia

conventional short form:

Bolivia

local long form:

Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia

local short form:

Bolivia

etymology:

the country is named after Simon BOLIVAR, a 19th-century leader in the South American wars for independence

name:

La Paz (administrative capital); Sucre (constitutional [legislative and judicial] capital)

geographic coordinates:

16 30 S, 68 09 W

time difference:

UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

• many previous;
• latest drafted 6 August 2006 - 9 December 2008, approved by referendum 25 January 2009, effective 7 February 2009;
• amended 2013;
• note - in early 2016, a proposed amendment allowing the president and vice-president to run for a third term was defeated in a referendum (2016)

citizenship by birth:

yes

citizenship by descent:

yes

dual citizenship recognized:

yes

residency requirement for naturalization:

3 years

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/appointments:

• president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 12 October 2014 (next to be held in 2019);
• note - a presidential candidate wins an election one of 3 ways

election results:

• Juan Evo MORALES Ayma reelected president;
• percent of vote - Juan Evo MORALES Ayma 61%;
• Samuel DORIA MEDINA Arana 24.5%;
• Jorge QUIROGA 9.1%;
• other 5.4%

description:

bicameral Plurinational Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa Plurinacional consists of the Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (36 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (130 seats; 70 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote, 53 indirectly elected in single-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote, and 7 - apportioned to non-contiguous, rural areas in 7 of the 9 states - directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote; members serve 5-year terms)

elections:

Chamber of Senators and Chamber of Deputies - last held on 12 October 2014 (next to be held in 2019)

election results:

• Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA;
• seats by party - MAS 25, UD 9, PDC 2;
• Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA;
• seats by party - MAS 88, UD 32, PDC 10

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;
• note - the 2009 constitution reformed the procedure for selecting judicial officials for the Supreme Court, Constitutional Tribunal, and the Plurinational Electoral Organ by direct national vote, which occurred in October 2011

subordinate courts:

• Agro-Environmental Court;
• Council of the Judiciary;
• District Courts (in each of the 9 administrative departments)

• Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ramirez]
• Movement Toward Socialism or MAS [Juan Evo MORALES Ayma]
• United Democrats or UD [Samuel DORIA MEDINA Arana]

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Freddy BERSATTI Tudela

chancery:

3014 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 328-4155

FAX:

[1] (202) 328-3712

consulate(s) general:

Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Washington,DC

note: as of September 2008, the US expelled the Bolivian ambassador to the US

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Peter Brennan (since June 2014

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

name:

"Cancion Patriotica" (Patriotic Song)

lyrics/music:

Jose Ignacio de SANJINES/Leopoldo Benedetto VINCENTI

note: adopted 1852

agriculture:

13.5%

industry:

38.6%

services:

53.2% (2015 est.)

agriculture:

32%

industry:

20%

services:

47.9% (2009 est.)

lowest 10%:

0.8%

highest 10%:

33.6% (2012 est.)

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 2015, teledensity reached about 95 per 100 persons

international:

country code - 591; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2015)

• 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)

number of registered air carriers:

7; inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 39

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

2,578,959

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

9,456,548 mt-km (2015)

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

total:

3,504 km

narrow gauge:

3,504 km 1.000-m gauge (2014)

country comparison to the world: 51

total:

80,488 km

paved:

6,850 km

unpaved:

73,638 km (2010)

country comparison to the world: 59

total:

18

by type:

bulk carrier 1, cargo 14, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 2

foreign-owned:

5 (Syria 4, UK 1, (2010)

country comparison to the world: 98

• 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)

• 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

current situation:

• Bolivia is a source country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking domestically and abroad;
• indigenous children are particularly vulnerable;
• Bolivia is a source country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking domestically and abroad;
• rural and poor Bolivians, most of whom are indigenous, and LGBT youth are particularly vulnerable;
• Bolivians perform forced labor domestically in mining, ranching, agriculture, and domestic service, and a significant number are in forced labor abroad in sweatshops, agriculture, domestic service, and the informal sector;
• women and girls are sex trafficked within Bolivia and in neighboring countries, such as Argentina, Peru, and Chile;
• a limited number of women from nearby countries are sex trafficked in Bolivia

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch List – Bolivia does not comply fully with the minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking;
• however, it is making significant efforts to do so;
• the government did not demonstrate overall increasing anti-trafficking efforts, and poor data collection made it difficult to assess the number of investigations, prosecutions, and victim identifications and referrals to care services;
• authorities did not adequately differentiate between human trafficking and other crimes, such as domestic violence and child abuse;
• law enforcement failed to implement an early detection protocol for identifying trafficking cases and lacked a formal process for identifying trafficking victims among vulnerable populations;
• specialized victim services were inadequately funded and virtually non-existent for adult women and male victims (2015)

• world's third-largest cultivator of coca (after Colombia and Peru) with an estimated 30,000 hectares under cultivation in 2011, a decrease of 13 percent over 2010;
• third largest producer of cocaine, estimated at 265 metric tons potential pure cocaine in 2011, a 29 percent increase over 2010;
• transit country for Peruvian and Colombian cocaine destined for Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Europe;
• weak border controls;
• some money-laundering activity related to narcotics trade;
• major cocaine consumption (2013)