1981 Edition

Area

1,098,160 km2; 2% cultivated and fallow, 11% pasture and meadow, 45% urban, desert, waste, or other, 40% forest, 2% inland water

Communists

no overt Communist presence

Elections

popular elections on village level held every three years

Government leader

King Jigme Singye WANGCHUCK

Land boundaries

6,083 km

Member of

Colombo Plan, G-77, IBRD, IFAD, IMF, NAM, UPU, UN

Other political or pressure groups

Buddhist clergy

Political parties

all parties illegal

Suffrage

each family has one vote

Ethnic divisions

50%-75% Indian, 20%-35% mestizo, 5%-15% white

Labor force

2.8 million (1977); 70% agriculture, 3% mining, 10% services and utilities, 7% manufacturing, 10% other

Language

Spanish, Aymara, Quechua

Literacy

35%-40%

Nationality

noun — Bolivian(s); adjective — Bolivian

Organized labor

150,000-200,000, concentrated in mining, industry, construction, and transportation

Population

5,633,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 2.6%

Religion

predominantly Roman Catholic; active Protestant minority, especially Methodist

Branches

executive; congress of two chambers — Senate and Chamber of Deputies — has not met since the 17 July 1980 coup; judiciary

Capital

La Paz (seat of government); Sucre (legal capital and seat of judiciary)

Communists

three parties; PCB/Soviet led by Jorge Kolle Cueto, about 300 members; PCB/Chinese led by Oscar Zamora, 150 (including 100 in exile); POR (Trotskyist), about 50 members divided between three factions led by Hugo Gonzalez Moscoso, Guillermo Lora Escobar, and Amadeo Arze

Elections

presidential and congressional elections held on 1 July 1979; since no presidential candidate won required simple majority, the contest was decided in the Congress where a compromise candidate, Senate President Walter Guevara Arce, was elected interim president; Guevara was overthrown on 1 November 1979 by a military coup led by Col. Alberto Natusch Busch; popular repudiation of Natusch forced his resignation after 16 days in power and Congress chose Chamber of Deputies President Lidia Gueiler de Moller as interim president; Gueiler presided over new elections on 29 June 1980, which were won by the UDP coalition candidate, Hernan Siles Zuazo; however, before the planned August inauguration, the government was overthrown when a military coup led by Gen. Luis Garcia Meza occurred on 17 July 1980; Garcia Meza was replaced in August 1981 by a ruling junta of service commanders, which in turn was replaced on 4 September 1981 by Maj. Gen. Celso Torrelio Villa Political parties and leaders: ban on political parties was lifted in December 1977; however, all political party activity banned since the 17 July 1980 coup; the two traditional political parties in Bolivia are the Nationalist Revolutionary Movement (MNR) and the Bolivian Socialist Phalange (FSB), both are seriously factionalized; Bolivian Socialist Falange (Mario Gutierrez); Nationalist Revolutionary Movement of the People (Jaime Arellano); Nationalist Revolutionary Movement of Left (MNRI; Hernan Siles Zuazo); Movement of the Revolutionary Left (MIR; Jaime Paz Zamora); Authentic Revolutionary Party (Walter Guevara Arce); Christian Democratic Party (Benjamin Miguel); Nationalist Revolutionary Party of Left (Juan Lechin Oquendo); Paz Estenssorista MNR (Leonidas Sanchez); Nationalist Democratic Action Party (ADN; Hugo Banzer) Voting strength (1980 elections): UDP— Democratic Popular Unity Front, a coalition of the MNRI, MIR and several smaller groups 38.5%; MNR 20.5%; ADN 16.8%

Government leaders

Maj. Gen. Celso TORRELIO Villa (since 4 September 1981)

Legal system

based on Spanish law and Code Napoleon; constitution adopted 1967; constitution in force except where contrary to dispositions dictated by governments since 1969; legal education at University of San Andres and several others; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Member of

FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IATP, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IDE, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, ISO, ITC, ITU, IWC— International Wheat Council, LAFTA and Andean Sub-Regional Group (created in May 1969 within LAFTA), NAM, OAS, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPO, WHO, WMO, WTO

National holiday

Independence Day, 6 August BOLIVIA (Continued)

Official name

Republic of Bolivia

Political subdivisions

nine departments with limited autonomy

Suffrage

universal and compulsory at age 18 if married, 21 if single

Type

republic; military dictatorship since 17 July 1980

Agriculture

rice, barley, wheat, potatoes, fruit

main crops — potatoes, corn, rice, sugarcane, yucca, bananas; imports significant quantities of wheat; caloric intake, 83% of requirements (1978)

Aid

economic— India (FY61-72), $180 million

Budget

domestic revenue $12.9 million, expenditures $39.3 million (FY81 est.)

$470 million revenues, $780 million expenditures (1980 est.)

Electric power

3,000 kW capacity (1981); 8 million kWh produced (1981), 6 kWh per capita

460,000 kW capacity (1981); 1.6 billion kWh produced (1981), 273 kWh per capita

Exports

$12 million (FY81); fruit and vegetables, timber, coal, and cardamom

$1.1 billion (f.o.b., 1980 est.); tin, petroleum, lead, zinc, silver, tungsten, antimony, bismuth, gold, coffee, sugar, cotton, natural gas

Fiscal year

1 April-31 March

calendar year

GNP

$116 million (FY81), $97 per capita; 3.6% growth in FY81

$6 billion (1980), $1,050 per capita; 75% private consumption, 15% public consumption, 12% gross domestic investment, —2.0% net foreign balance (1980); 1980 growth, 1%

Imports

about $19 million (FY81); textiles, cereals, vehicles

$1.2 billion (f.o.b., 1980 est.); foodstuffs, chemicals, capital goods, Pharmaceuticals, transportation

Major industries

handicrafts (particularly textiles)

mining, smelting, petroleum refining, food processing, textiles, and clothing

Major trade partner

India

Major trade partners

exports — Western Europe, 19% (of which UK is largest market); Latin America, 38%; US, 30%; Japan, 3.9%; imports— US, 24%; Western Europe, 15.4% (of which West Germany is largest supplier); Japan, 15.7%; Latin America, 33.6% (1975)

Monetary conversion rate

both ngultrums and Indian rupees are legal tender; 9.16 ngultrums=9.16 Indian rupees=US$l as of October 1981

24.75 pesos=US$l (October 1981)

Airfields

2 total; 2 usable; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

583 total, 535 usable; 6 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m, 7 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 127 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air

no major transport aircraft

57 major transport aircraft

Freight carried

not available, very light traffic

Highways

1,304 km total; 418 km surfaced, 515 km improved, 371 km unimproved earth

39,650 km total; 1,400 km paved, 7,880 km gravel, 6,800 km improved earth, 23,650 km unimproved earth

Inland waterways

officially estimated to be 10,000 km of commercially navigable waterways

Military budget

proposed for fiscal year ending 31 December 1981, $177.7 million; 15.9% of central government budget

Military manpower

males 15-49, 332,000; 178,000 fit for military service; about 16,000 reach military age (18) annually

males 15-49, 1,241,000; 812,000 fit for military service; 56,000 reach military age (19) annually

Pipelines

crude oil, 1,670 km; refined products, 1,495 km; natural gas, 580 km

Ports

none (Bolivian cargo moved through Arica and Antofagasta, Chile, and Matarani, Peru)

Railroads

3,651 km total; 3,514 km meter gauge (1.000 m) and 32 km 0.760-meter gauge, all government owned, single track; 105 km meter gauge (1.000 m) privately owned

Supply

dependent on India Pacific Ocean

Telecommunications

facilities inadequate; 1,300 telephones (0.1 per 100 popl.); 6,000 est. radio sets; no TV sets; 1 AM station and no TV stations DEFENSE FORCES

radio-relay system from La Paz to Santa Cruz; improved international services; 125,300 telephones (2.0 per 100 pop!.); 135 AM, 19 FM, and 32 TV stations; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT station DEFENSE FORCES