2002 Edition
CIA World Factbook 2002 (Project Gutenberg)
Introduction
Background
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 the 1980s, but leaders have faced difficult problems of deep-seated poverty, social unrest, and drug production. Current goals include attracting foreign investment, strengthening the educational system, continuing the privatization program, and waging an anticorruption campaign.
Geography
Area
total: 1,098,580 sq km water: 14,190 sq km land: 1,084,390 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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection
Geographic coordinates
17 00 S, 65 00 W
Irrigated land
1,280 sq km (1998 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% other: 98% (1998 est.)
Location
Central South America, southwest of Brazil
Map references
South America
Maritime claims
none (landlocked)
Natural hazards
flooding in the northeast (March-April)
Natural resources
tin, natural gas, petroleum, zinc, tungsten, antimony, silver, iron, lead, gold, timber, hydropower
Terrain
rugged Andes Mountains with a highland plateau (Altiplano), hills, lowland plains of the Amazon Basin
People and Society
Age structure
0-14 years: 37.8% (male 1,626,596; female 1,565,124) 15-64 years: 57.7% (male 2,383,852; female 2,491,823) 65 years and over: 4.5% (male 169,583; female 208,156) (2002 est.)
Birth rate
26.41 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate
8.05 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Ethnic groups
Quechua 30%, mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry) 30%, Aymara 25%, white 15%
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
0.1% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths
380 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
4,200 (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate
57.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Languages
Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara (official)
Life expectancy at birth
67.1 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility rate: 3.37 children born/woman (2002 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
-1.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Population
8,445,134 (July 2002 est.)
Population growth rate
1.69% (2002 est.)
Religions
Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant (Evangelical Methodist)
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: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2002 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)
Constitution
2 February 1967; revised in August 1994
Country name
Republic of Bolivia conventional short form: Government type: republic
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission: Ambassador V. Manuel ROCHA embassy: Avenida Arce 2780, San Jorge, La Paz mailing address: P. O. Box 425, La Paz; APO AA 34032 telephone: [591] 243-3812 FAX: [591] (2) 433854
Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Marlene FERNANDEZ del Granado FAX: [1] (202) 328-3712 consulate(s) general: Miami, New York, and San Francisco telephone: [1] (202) 483-4410 chancery: 3014 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
Executive branch
chief of state: President Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ramirez (since 7 August 2001); Vice President NA; note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government note: Vice President Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ramirez assumed the presidency upon the resignation in August 2001 of former President Hugo BANZER Suarez for health reasons head of government: President NA; note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government note: Vice President Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ramirez assumed the presidency upon the resignation in August 2001 of former President Hugo BANZER Suarez for health reasons 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 30 June 2002) election results: (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 former Christian Democratic Party (PDC); resigned 7 August 2001 and was succeeded by Vice President Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ramirez who is serving out BANZER's term; QUIROGA will step down in August 2002 when the new president is chosen by Congress, a result of no candidate winning a majority in the 30 June 2002 election cabinet: 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; note - some members are drawn from party lists, thus not directly elected) 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 - MNR 26, MIR 24, ADN 20, UCS 20, CONDEPA 19, NFR 11, MBL 5, IU 4, FSB 1 elections: Chamber of Senators and Chamber of Deputies - last held 1 June 1997 (next to be held NA June 2002)
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
Independence
6 August 1825 (from Spain)
International organization participation
CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MONUC, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNTAET, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
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)
Legal system
based on Spanish law and Napoleonic Code; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday
Independence Day, 6 August (1825)
Political parties and leaders
Bolivian Socialist Falange or FSB [Otto RICHTER]; Civic Solidarity Union or UCS [Johnny FERNANDEZ]; Conscience of the Fatherland or CONDEPA [Remedios LOZA Alvarado]; Free Bolivia Movement or MBL [Franz BARRIOS]; Movement of the Revolutionary Left or MIR [Jaime PAZ Zamora]; Nationalist Democratic Action or ADN [Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ramirez]; Nationalist Revolutionary Movement or MNR [Gonzalo SANCHEZ DE LOZADA]; New Republican Force or NFR [Manfred REYES-VILLA]; United Left or IU [Marcos DOMIC] note: the ADN, MIR, and UCS comprise the ruling coalition
Political pressure groups and leaders
Cocalero Groups; indigenous organizations; labor unions; Sole Confederation of Campesino Workers of Bolivia or CSUTCB [Felipe QUISPE]
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: $4 billion expenditures: $4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2002 est.)
Currency
boliviano (BOB)
Currency code
BOB
Debt - external
$5.8 billion (2001 est.)
Distribution of family income - Gini index
58.9 (1997)
Economic aid - recipient
$588 million (1997)
Electricity - consumption
3.605 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports
5 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports
11 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production
3.87 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel: 48.37% hydro: 50.13% other: 1.5% (2000) nuclear: 0%
Exchange rates
bolivianos per US dollar - 6.8613 (January 2002), 6.6069 (2001), 6.1835 (2000), 5.8124 (1999), 5.5101 (1998), 5.2543 (1997)
Exports
$1.2 billion (2001 est.)
Exports - commodities
soybeans, natural gas, zinc, gold, wood
Exports - partners
US 32%, Colombia 18%, UK 15%, Brazil 15%, Peru 6% (2000)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
purchasing power parity - $21.4 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture: 14% industry: 31% services: 55% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita
purchasing power parity - $2,600 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
0% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: 0.5% highest 10%: 45.7% (1997)
Imports
$1.5 billion (2001 est.)
Imports - commodities
capital goods, raw materials and semi-manufactures, chemicals, petroleum, food
Imports - partners
US 24%, Argentina 17%, Brazil 15%, Chile 9%, Peru 5 (2000)
Industrial production growth rate
3.9% (1998)
Industries
mining, smelting, petroleum, food and beverages, tobacco, handicrafts, clothing
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
2% (2001 est.)
Labor force
2.5 million
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%
Population below poverty line
70% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate
7.6% (2000) note: widespread underemployment
Communications
Internet country code
.bo
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
9 (2000)
Internet users
78,000 (2000)
Radio broadcast stations
AM 171, FM 73, shortwave 77 (1999)
Radios
5.25 million (1997)
Telephone 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: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use
327,600 (1996)
Telephones - mobile cellular
116,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations
48 (1997)
Televisions
900,000 (1997)
Transportation
Airports
1,109 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways
total: 13 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways
4 1,524 to 2,437 m: Military Bolivia
Highways
2,500 km (including 30 km of expressways) unpaved: Waterways: 10,000 km (commercially navigable)
Merchant marine
total: 36 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 196,399 GRT/320,137 DWT ships by type: bulk 3, cargo 15, chemical tanker 2, container 1, petroleum tanker 13, roll on/roll off 2 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of Belize 2, China 2, Cuba 1, Cyprus 1, Egypt 1, Honduras 1, Latvia 2, Liberia 2, Panama 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Saudi Arabia 1, Singapore 1, South Korea 3, Switzerland 1, Ukraine 1, United Arab Emirates 5, United States 1 (2002 est.)
Pipelines
crude oil 1,800 km; petroleum products 580 km; natural gas 1,495 km
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
Railways
total: 3,691 km narrow gauge: 3,652 km 1.000-m gauge; 39 km 0.760-m gauge (13 km electrified) (1995 est.)
Military and Security
Military expenditures - dollar figure
$147 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
1.8% (FY99)
Military manpower - availability
males age 15-49: 2,062,321 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service
males age 15-49: 1,343,755 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - military age
19 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually
males: 90,120 (2002 est.)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international
continues to demand a sovereign corridor to the South Pacific Ocean since the Atacama region was lost to Chile in 1884
Illicit drugs
world's third-largest cultivator of coca (after Colombia and Peru) with an estimated 19,900 hectares under cultivation in July 2001, stable from July 2000 levels; intermediate coca products and cocaine exported to or through Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile to the US and other international drug markets; eradication and alternative crop programs under the QUIROGA administration has kept pace with farmers' attempts to increase cultivation after significant reductions in 1998 and 1999 This page was last updated on 1 January 2002 Burma