2005 Edition

Administrative divisions

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 35.7% (male 1,613,049/female 1,551,023) 15-64 years: 59.8% (male 2,591,328/female 2,701,892) 65 years and over: 4.5% (male 178,486/female 222,092) (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products

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

Airports

1,065 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total

16 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

1,049 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 60 914 to 1,523 m: 207 under 914 m: 778 (2004 est.) Military Bolivia

Area

land

1,084,390 sq km

total

1,098,580 sq km

water

14,190 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly less than three times the size of Montana

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 1982, but leaders have faced difficult problems of deep-seated poverty, social unrest, and illegal drug production. Current goals include attracting foreign investment, strengthening the educational system, resolving disputes with coca growers over Bolivia's counterdrug efforts, and waging an anticorruption campaign. Geography Bolivia

Birth rate

23.76 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$2.769 billion, including capital expenditures of $741 million (2004 est.)

revenues

$2.264 billion

Capital

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

Climate

varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and semiarid

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

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

Currency (code)

boliviano (BOB)

Currency code

BOB

Current account balance

$273 million (2004 est.)

Death rate

7.64 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Debt - external

$5.439 billion (June 2004 est.)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador David N. GREENLEE

embassy

Avenida Arce 2780, San Jorge, La Paz

FAX

[591] (2) 2433900

mailing address

P. O. Box 425, La Paz; APO AA 34032

telephone

[591] (2) 2430120, 2430251

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

3014 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Jaime APARICIO Otero

consulate(s) general

Miami, New York, and San Francisco

FAX

[1] (202) 328-3712

telephone

[1] (202) 483-4410

Disputes - international

Chile rebuffs Bolivia's reactivated claim to restore the Atacama corridor, ceded to Chile in 1884, offering instead unrestricted but not sovereign maritime access through Chile for Bolivian natural gas and other commodities

Distribution of family income - Gini index

44.7 (1999)

Economic aid - recipient

$681 million (2002)

Economy - overview

Bolivia, long one of the poorest and least developed Latin American countries, reformed its economy after suffering a disastrous economic crisis in the early 1980s. The reforms spurred real GDP growth, which averaged 4 percent in the 1990s, and poverty rates fell. Economic growth, however, lagged again beginning in 1999 because of a global slowdown and homegrown factors such as political turmoil, civil unrest, and soaring fiscal deficits, all of which hurt investor confidence. In 2003, violent protests against the pro-foreign investment economic policies of President SANCHEZ DE LOZADA led to his resignation and the cancellation of plans to export Bolivia's newly discovered natural gas reserves to large northern hemisphere markets. Foreign investment dried up as companies adopted a wait-and-see attitude regarding new President Carlos MESA's willingness to protect investor rights in the face of increased demands by radical groups that the government expropriate foreign-owned assets. Real GDP growth in 2003 and 2004 - helped by increased demand for natural gas in neighboring Brazil - was positive, but still below the levels seen during the 1990s. Bolivia remains dependent on foreign aid from multilateral lenders and foreign governments.

Electricity - consumption

3.848 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports

3 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports

9 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - production

4.132 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

44.4%

hydro

54%

nuclear

0%

other

1.5% (2001)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Nevado Sajama 6,542 m

lowest point

Rio Paraguay 90 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, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection

Ethnic groups

Quechua 30%, mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry) 30%, Aymara 25%, white 15%

Exchange rates

bolivianos per US dollar - 7.9363 (2004), 7.6592 (2003), 7.17 (2002), 6.6069 (2001), 6.1835 (2000)

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet appointed by the president

chief of state

President Eduardo RODRIGUEZ Veltze (since 9 June 2005); Vice President (vacant); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government

election results

as a result of no candidate winning a majority in the 30 June 2002 election, Gonzalo SANCHEZ DE LOZADA Bustamante was chosen president by Congress; congressional votes - Gonzalo SANCHEZ DE LOZADA Bustamante 84, Evo MORALES 43; note - following the resignation of the elected president on 17 October 2003 and Vice President Carlos Diego MESA Gisbert on 9 June 2005, Eduardo RODRIGUEZ Veltze, President of the Supreme Court and constitutional successor, became president.

elections

president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for five-year terms; election last held 30 June 2002 (next to be held June 2007)

head of government

President Eduardo RODRIGUEZ Veltze (since 9 June 2005); Vice President (vacant); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government

Exports

$1.986 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities

natural gas, soybeans and soy products, crude petroleum, zinc ore, tin

Exports - partners

Brazil 40%, US 13.9%, Colombia 8.7%, Peru 6.3%, Japan 4.5% (2004)

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications Bolivia

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 Economy Bolivia

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

13%

industry

28%

services

59% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $2,600 (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

3.7% (2004 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$22.33 billion (2004 est.)

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 People Bolivia

Government type

republic

Highways

paved

3,979 km

total

60,282 km

unpaved

56,303 km (2002)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

less than 500 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

4,900 (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 1.3% highest 10%: 32% (1999)

Illicit drugs

world's third-largest cultivator of coca (after Colombia and Peru) with an estimated 28,450 hectares under cultivation in June 2003, a 23% increase from June 2002; intermediate coca products and cocaine exported mostly to or through Brazil, Argentina, and Chile to European and US drug markets; eradication and alternative crop programs under the MESA administration have been unable to keep pace with farmers' attempts to increase cultivation; money-laundering activity related to narcotics trade, especially along the borders with Brazil and Paraguay This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005 ======================================================================

Imports

$1.595 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities

petroleum products, plastics, paper, aircraft and aircraft parts, prepared foods, automobiles, insecticides, soybeans

Imports - partners

Brazil 29.7%, Argentina 17.6%, US 10.8%, Chile 7.7%, Peru 7.3% (2004)

Independence

6 August 1825 (from Spain)

Industrial production growth rate

5.7% (2004 est.)

Industries

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

Infant mortality rate

female

49.33 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

male

56.7 deaths/1,000 live births

total

53.11 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

4.9% (2004 est.)

International organization participation

CAN, CSN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS, ONUB, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNMISET, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Internet country code

.bo

Internet hosts

7,080 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

9 (2000)

Internet users

270,000 (2002) Transportation Bolivia

Investment (gross fixed)

10.4% of GDP (2003 est.)

Irrigated land

1,280 sq km (1998 est.)

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)

Labor force

3.8 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%

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

2.67%

other

97.14% (2001)

permanent crops

0.19%

Languages

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

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 elected by proportional representation from party lists to serve five-year terms) and Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (130 seats; 68 are directly elected from their districts and 62 are elected by proportional representation from party lists to serve five-year terms)

election results

Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - MNR 11, MAS 8, MIR 5, NFR 2, other 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - MNR 36, MAS 27, MIR 26, NFR 25, others 16

elections

Chamber of Senators and Chamber of Deputies - last held 30 June 2002 (next to be held June 2007)

Life expectancy at birth

female

68.25 years (2005 est.)

male

62.89 years

total population

65.5 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

female

81.6% (2003 est.) Government Bolivia

male

93.1%

total population

87.2%

Location

Central South America, southwest of Brazil

Manpower available for military service

males age 18-49: 1,923,234 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 18-49: 1,311,414 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually

males

101,101 (2005 est.)

Map references

South America

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Median age

female

22.17 years (2005 est.)

male

20.79 years

total

21.47 years

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 2, cargo 16, chemical tanker 1, container 1, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 9, refrigerated cargo 1

foreign-owned

11 (Argentina 1, Egypt 2, Eritrea 1, Germany 1, Iran 1, Singapore 2, United Kingdom 1, United States 2) (2005)

total

32 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 413,407 GRT/699,901 DWT

Military branches

Army (Ejercito Boliviano), Navy (Fuerza Naval; includes Marines), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Boliviana) (2004)

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$132.2 million (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.6% (2004) Transnational Issues Bolivia

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for voluntary military service; when annual number of volunteers falls short of goal, compulsory recruitment is effected, including conscription of boys as young as 14; one estimate holds that 40% of the armed forces are under the age of 18, with 50% of those under the age of 16; conscript tour of duty - 12 months (2002)

National holiday

Independence Day, 6 August (1825)

Nationality

adjective

Bolivian

noun

Bolivian(s)

Natural gas - consumption

1.15 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports

2.9 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - production

8.44 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

727.2 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

Natural hazards

flooding in the northeast (March-April)

Natural resources

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

Net migration rate

-1.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption

49,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA

Oil - imports

NA

Oil - production

39,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

458.8 million bbl (1 January 2002)

Pipelines

gas 4,860 km; liquid petroleum gas 47 km; oil 2,457 km; refined products 1,589 km; unknown (oil/water) 247 km (2004)

Political parties and leaders

Bolivian Socialist Falange or FSB [Romel PANTOJA]; Civic Solidarity Union or UCS [Johnny FERNANDEZ]; Free Bolivia Movement or MBL [Franz BARRIOS]; Marshal of Ayacucho Institutional Vanguard or VIMA [Freddy ZABALA]; Movement of the Revolutionary Left or MIR [Jaime PAZ Zamora]; Movement Toward Socialism or MAS [Evo MORALES]; Movement Without Fear or MSM [Juan DEL GRANADO]; Nationalist Democratic Action or ADN [Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ramirez]; Nationalist Revolutionary Movement or MNR [leader NA]; New Republican Force or NFR [Manfred REYES-VILLA]; Pachakuti Indigenous Movement or MIP [Felipe QUISPE]; Socialist Party or PS [Jeres JUSTINIANO]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Cocalero Groups; indigenous organizations; labor unions; Sole Confederation of Campesino Workers of Bolivia or CSUTCB [Roman LOAYZA]

Population

8,857,870 (July 2005 est.)

Population below poverty line

64% (2004 est.)

Population growth rate

1.49% (2005 est.)

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

Radio broadcast stations

AM 171, FM 73, shortwave 77 (1999)

Radios

5.25 million (1997)

Railways

narrow gauge

3,519 km 1.000-m gauge (2004)

total

3,519 km

Religions

Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant (Evangelical Methodist) 5%

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$1.214 billion (2004 est.)

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: 0.8 male(s)/female

total population

0.98 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Suffrage

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

Telephone system

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

general assessment

new subscribers face bureaucratic difficulties; most telephones are concentrated in La Paz and other cities; mobile cellular telephone use expanding rapidly

international

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

Telephones - main lines in use

600,100 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular

1,401,500 (2003)

Television broadcast stations

48 (1997)

Televisions

900,000 (1997)

Terrain

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

Total fertility rate

2.94 children born/woman (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate

9.2% in urban areas note: widespread underemployment (2003 est.)

Waterways

10,000 km (commercially navigable) (2004)