1999 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1999 (Internet Archive)
Introduction
Background
Bolivia broke away from Spanish rule in 1825. Its subsequent history has been marked by a seemingly endless series of coups, counter-coups, and abrupt changes in leaders and policies. Comparatively democratic civilian rule was established in the 1980s, but the leaders have faced difficult problems of deep-seated poverty, social unrest, strikes, and drug dealing. Current issues include encouraging and negotiating the terms for foreign investment; strengthening the educational system; continuing the privatization program; pursuing judicial reform and an anti-corruption campaign.
Geography
Area
total: 1,098,580 sq km land: 1,084,390 sq km water: 14,190 sq km
Area--comparative
slightly less than three times the size of Montana
Climate
varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and semiarid
Coastline
0 km (landlocked)
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Rio Paraguay 90 m highest point: Nevado Sajama 6,542 m
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 signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection
Geographic coordinates
17 00 S, 65 00 W
Geography--note
landlocked; shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake (elevation 3,805 m), with Peru
Irrigated land
1,750 sq km (1993 est.)
Land boundaries
total: 6,743 km border countries: Argentina 832 km, Brazil 3,400 km, Chile 861 km, Paraguay 750 km, Peru 900 km
Land use
arable land: 2% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 24% forests and woodland: 53% other: 21% (1993 est.)
Location
Central South America, southwest of Brazil
Map references
South America
Maritime claims
none (landlocked)
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)
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
People and Society
Age structure
0-14 years: 39% (male 1,573,391; female 1,540,123) 15-64 years: 56% (male 2,199,077; female 2,307,490) 65 years and over: 5% (male 164,213; female 198,556) (1999 est.)
Birth rate
30.72 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate
9.61 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Ethnic groups
Quechua 30%, Aymara 25%, mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry) 30%, white 15%
Infant mortality rate
62.02 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Languages
Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara (official)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 61.43 years male: 58.51 years female: 64.51 years (1999 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 83.1% male: 90.5% female: 76% (1995 est.)
Nationality
noun: Bolivian(s) adjective: Bolivian
Net migration rate
-1.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Population
7,982,850 (July 1999 est.)
Population growth rate
1.96% (1999 est.)
Religions
Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant (Evangelical Methodist)
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: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate
3.93 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Government
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
Movement of the Revolutionary Left or MIR SANCHEZ DE LOZADA] FERNANDEZ, Hugo VILLEGAS]
Constitution
2 February 1967; revised in August 1994
Country name
conventional long form: Republic of Bolivia conventional short form: Bolivia local long form: Republica de Bolivia local short form: Bolivia
Data code
BL
Executive branch
chief of state: President Hugo BANZER Suarez (since 6 August 1997); Vice President Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ramirez (since 6 August 1997); note--the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Hugo BANZER Suarez (since 6 August 1997); Vice President Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ramirez (since 6 August 1997); 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 five-year terms; election last held 1 June 1997 (next to be held June 2002) election results: Hugo BANZER Suarez elected president; percent of vote--Hugo BANZER Suarez (ADN) 22%; Jaime PAZ Zamora (MIR) 17%, Juan Carlos DURAN (MNR) 18%, Ivo KULJIS (UCS) 16%, Remedios LOZA (CONDEPA) 17%; no candidate received a majority of the popular vote; Hugo BANZER Suarez won a congressional runoff election on 5 August 1997 after forming a "megacoalition" with MIR, UCS, CONDEPA, NFR and PDC
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
Government type
republic
Independence
6 August 1825 (from Spain)
Indigenous Parties
Tupac Katari Revolutionary Liberation Movement
International organization participation
CAN, ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Marcelo PEREZ Monasterios chancery: 3014 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Francisco Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Donna Jean HRINAK embassy: Avenida Arce 2780, San Jorge, La Paz mailing address: P. O. Box 425, La Paz; APO AA 34032
Judicial branch
Supreme Court (Corte Suprema), judges appointed for a 10-year term by National Congress Political parties and leaders:
Legal system
based on Spanish law and Napoleonic Code; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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 five-year terms) and Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (130 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: Chamber of Senators and Chamber of Deputies--last held 1 June 1997 (next to be held June 2002) election results: Chamber of Senators--percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--ADN 11, MIR 7, MNR 4, CONDEPA 3, UCS 2; Chamber of Deputies--percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--ADN 32, MNR 26, MIR 23, UCS 21, CONDEPA 19, MBL 5, IU 4
National holiday
Independence Day, 6 August (1825)
Suffrage
18 years of age, universal and compulsory (married); 21 years of age, universal and compulsory (single)
Economy
Agriculture--products
soybeans, coffee, coca, cotton, corn, sugarcane, rice, potatoes; timber
Budget
revenues: $2.7 billion expenditures: $2.7 billion (1998)
Currency
1 boliviano ($B) = 100 centavos
Debt--external
$4.1 billion (1998)
Economic aid--recipient
$588 million (1997)
Economy--overview
With its long history of semifeudal social controls, dependence on 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. President SANCHEZ DE LOZADA (1993-1997) vowed to advance the market-oriented economic reforms he helped launch as PAZ Estenssoro's planning minister. His successes included 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, telephone company, railroad, electric power company, and oil company. Hugo BANZER Suarez has tried to further improve the country's investment climate with an anticorruption campaign. With the scheduled completion of a $2 billion natural gas pipeline to Brazil in 1999, Bolivia hopes to become an energy hub in the region.
Electricity--consumption
2.948 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports
2 million kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports
0 kWh (1996)
Electricity--production
2.95 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source
fossil fuel: 40.68% hydro: 59.32% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1996)
Exchange rates
bolivianos ($B) per US$1--5.6491 (January 1999), 5.5101 (1998), 5.2543 (1997), 5.0746 (1996), 4.8003 (1995), 4.6205 (1994)
Exports
$1.1 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Exports--commodities
metals 34%, natural gas 9.4%, soybeans 8.4%, jewelry 11%, wood 6.9%
Exports--partners
US 22%, UK 9.3%, Colombia 8.7%, Peru 7.4%, Argentina 7.2%
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
purchasing power parity--$23.4 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector
agriculture: 17% industry: 26% services: 57% (1995 est.)
GDP--per capita
purchasing power parity?$3,000 (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate
4.7% (1998 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: 2.3% highest 10%: 31.7% (1990)
Imports
$1.7 billion (c.i.f. 1998)
Imports--commodities
capital goods 48%, chemicals 11%, petroleum 5%, food 5% (1993 est.)
Imports--partners
US 20%, Japan 13%, Brazil 12, Chile 7.5% (1996)
Industrial production growth rate
4% (1995 est.)
Industries
mining, smelting, petroleum, food and beverages, tobacco, handicrafts, clothing
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
4.4% (1998 est.)
Labor force
2.5 million
Labor force--by occupation
agriculture NA%, services and utilities NA%, manufacturing, mining and construction NA%
Population below poverty line
66%
Unemployment rate
11.4% (1997) with widespread underemployment
Communications
Radio broadcast stations
AM 177, FM 68, shortwave 112 (1998)
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
48 (1997)
Televisions
500,000 (1993 est.)
Transportation
Airports
1,130 (1998 est.) Airports--with paved runways: total: 12 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1998 est.) Airports--with unpaved runways: total: 1,118 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 70 914 to 1,523 m: 224 under 914 m: 821 (1998 est.)
Highways
total: 52,216 km paved: 2,872 km (including 27 km of expressways) unpaved: 49,344 km (1995 est.)
Merchant marine
total: 6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 34,948 GRT/58,472 DWT ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 5 (1998 est.)
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
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)
Waterways
10,000 km of commercially navigable waterways
Military and Security
Military branches
Army (Ejercito Boliviano), Navy (Fuerza Naval Boliviana, includes Marines), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Boliviana), National Police Force (Policia Nacional de Bolivia)
Military expenditures--dollar figure
$154 million (1998)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP
1.8% (1998)
Military manpower--availability
males age 15-49: 1,908,454 (1999 est.) Military manpower--fit for military service: males age 15-49: 1,241,311 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--military age
19 years of age
Military manpower--reaching military age annually
males: 84,481 (1999 est.)
Transnational Issues
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 46,900 hectares under cultivation in 1997, a 2.5% decrease in overall cultivation of coca from 1996 levels; Bolivia, however, is the second-largest producer of coca leaf; even so, farmer abandonment and voluntary and forced eradication programs resulted in leaf production dropping from 75,100 metric tons in 1996 to 73,000 tons in 1997, a 3% decrease from 1996; government considers all but 12,000 hectares illicit; intermediate coca products and cocaine exported to or through Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile to the US and other international drug markets; alternative crop program aims to reduce illicit coca cultivation