1996 Edition

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

Location

17 00 S, 65 00 W -- Central South America, southwest of Brazil Flag ----

Area

comparative area

slightly less than three times the size of Montana

land area

1,084,390 sq km

total area

1,098,580 sq km

Climate

varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and semiarid

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

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

international agreements

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

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)

Geographic coordinates

17 00 S, 65 00 W

Geographic note

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

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

Irrigated land

1,650 sq km (1989 est.)

Land boundaries

border countries

Argentina 832 km, Brazil 3,400 km, Chile 861 km, Paraguay 750 km, Peru 900 km

total

6,743 km

Land use

arable land

3%

forest and woodland

52%

meadows and pastures

25%

other

20%

permanent crops

0%

Location

Central South America, southwest of Brazil

Map references

South America

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural resources

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

Terrain

rugged Andes Mountains with a highland plateau (Altiplano), hills, lowland plains of the Amazon Basin

highest point

Cerro Illimani 6,882 m

lowest point

Rio Paraguay 90 m

Age structure

0-14 years: 39% (male 1,422,313; female 1,390,885) 15-64 years: 56% (male 1,959,989; female 2,042,135) 65 years and over: 5% (male 153,111; female 196,824) (July 1996 est.)

Birth rate

32.37 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate

10.75 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Quechua 30%, Aymara 25%, mestizo (mixed European and Indian ancestry) 25%-30%, European 5%-15%

Infant mortality rate

67.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

female

62.82 years (1996 est.)

male

56.94 years

total population

59.81 years

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)

female

76%

male

90.5%

total population

83.1%

Nationality

adjective

Bolivian

noun

Bolivian(s)

Net migration rate

-3.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Population

7,165,257 (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate

1.82% (1996 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant (Evangelical Methodist)

Sex ratio

all ages

0.97 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years

1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female

Total fertility rate

4.25 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Administrative divisions

9 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, Beni, La Paz, Oruro, Pando, Potosi, Santa Cruz, Tarija

Capital

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

Center-Left parties

Nationalist Revolutionary Movement (MNR), Gonzalo SANCHEZ DE LOZADA; Movement of the Revolutionary Left (MIR), Jaime PAZ Zamora, Oscar EID; Christian Democrat (PCD), Jorge AGREDA

Center-Right party

Nationalist Democratic Action (ADN), Jorge LANDIVAR, Hugo BANZER

Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados)

elections last held 6 June 1993 (next to be held NA 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, PCD 1

Chamber of Senators (Camara de Senadores)

elections last held 6 June 1993 (next to be held NA May 1997); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (27 total) MNR 17, ADN 4, MIR 4, CONDEPA 1, UCS 1

Constitution

2 February 1967

Data code

BL

Diplomatic representation in US

chancery

3014 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Fernando Alvaro COSSIO

telephone

[1] (202) 483-4410 through 4412

Evangelical

Bolivian Renovating Alliance (ARBOL), Hugo VILLEGAS

indigenous

Tupac Katari Revolutionary Liberation Movement (MRTK-L), Victor Hugo CARDENAS Conde; Patriotic Axis of Convergence (EJE-P), Ramiro BARRANCHEA; National Katarista Movement (MKN), Fernando UNTOJA

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet was appointed by the president from panel of candidates proposed by the Senate

chief of state and head of government

President Gonzalo SANCHEZ DE LOZADA Bustamente (since 6 August 1993) and Vice President Victor Hugo CARDENAS Conde (since 6 August 1993) were elected for four-year terms by popular vote; election last held 6 June 1993 (next to be held NA 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; FERNANDEZ died in a plane crash 26 November 1995

FAX

[1] (202) 328-3712

[591] (2) 433900

consulate(s) general

Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Francisco

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

Independence

6 August 1825 (from Spain)

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

Judicial branch

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

Left parties

Free Bolivia Movement (MBL), Antonio ARANIBAR; April 9 Revolutionary Vanguard (VR-9), Carlos SERRATE; Alternative of Democratic Socialism (ASD), Jerjes JUSTINIANO; Revolutionary Front of the Left (FRI), Oscar ZAMORA; Bolivian Socialist Falange (FSB); Socialist Unzaguista Movement (MAS); Socialist Party One (PS-1); Bolivian Communist Party (PCB)

Legal system

based on Spanish law and Napoleonic Code; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional)

Name of country

conventional long form

Republic of Bolivia

conventional short form

Bolivia

local long form

Republica de Bolivia

local short form

Bolivia

National holiday

Independence Day, 6 August (1825)

Populist parties

Civic Solidarity Union (UCS), Johnny FERNANDEZ; Conscience of the Fatherland (CONDEPA), Carlos PALENQUE Aviles; Popular Patriotic Movement (MPP), Julio MANTILLA; Unity and Progress Movement (MUP), Ivo KULJIS

Suffrage

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

Type of government

republic

US diplomatic representation

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

Agriculture

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

Budget

expenditures

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

revenues

$3.75 billion

Currency

1 boliviano ($B) = 100 centavos

Economic aid

recipient

ODA, $362 million (1993)

Economic 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 so far have included the signing of a free trade agreement with Mexico and progress on his unique privatization plan. The main privatization bill was passed by the Bolivian legislature in late March 1994. Since that time, the administration has privatized the electric power generation sector, the state airline, the state telephone company, and the national railroad. The state mining and petroleum companies are expected to be privatized in 1996.

Electricity

capacity

756,200 kW

consumption per capita

367 kWh (1994)

production

2.116 billion kWh

Exchange rates

bolivianos ($B) per US$1 - 4.9137 (December 1995), 4.8003 (1995), 4.6205 (1994), 4.2651 (1993), 3.9005 (1992), 3.5806 (1991)

Exports

$1.1 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)

commodities

metals 39%, natural gas 9%, soybeans 11%, jewelry 11%, wood 8%

partners

US 26%, Argentina 15% (1993 est.)

External debt

$4.4 billion (November 1995)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $20 billion (1995 est.)

GDP composition by sector

agriculture

NA%

industry

NA%

services

NA%

GDP per capita

$2,530 (1995 est.)

GDP real growth rate

3.7% (1995 est.)

Illicit drugs

world's third-largest cultivator of coca (after Peru and Colombia) with an estimated 48,600 hectares under cultivation in 1995, a one percent increase in overall cultivation of coca over 1994 levels; Bolivia, however, is the second-largest producer of harvested coca leaf; even so, voluntary and forced eradication programs resulted in leaf production dropping from 89,800 metric tons in 1994 to 85,000 tons in 1995; 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

Imports

$1.21 billion (c.i.f., 1994 est.)

commodities

capital goods 48%, chemicals 11%, petroleum 5%, food 5% (1993 est.)

partners

US 24%, Argentina 13%, Brazil 11%, Japan 11% (1993 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

5% (1994 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

12% (1995 est.)

Labor force

3.54 million

by occupation

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

Unemployment rate

urban rate 8% (1995 est.)

Branches

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

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $145 million; 1.9% of GDP (1996)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49

1,685,572

males fit for military service

1,098,948

males reach military age (19) annually

76,035 (1996 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 129, FM 0, shortwave 68

Radios

NA

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)

Telephones

144,300 (1987 est.)

Television broadcast stations

43

Televisions

500,000 (1993 est.) Defense

Airports

total

1,017

with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m

3

with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m

4

with paved runways over 3 047 m

3

with paved runways under 914 m

750

with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m

69

with unpaved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m

2

with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m

186 (1995 est.)

Highways

paved

1,940 km (including 27 km of expressways)

total

46,311 km

unpaved

44,371 km (1991 est.)

Merchant marine

total

1 cargo ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,214 GRT/6,390 DWT (1995 est.)

Pipelines

crude oil 1,800 km; petroleum products 580 km; natural gas 1,495 km

Ports

none; however, Bolivia has free port privileges in the maritime ports of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Paraguay

Railways

narrow gauge

3,652 km 1.000-m gauge; 39 km 0.760-m gauge (13 km electrified) (1995)

total

3,691 km (single track)

Waterways

10,000 km of commercially navigable waterways