2007 Edition

Administrative divisions

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 35% (male 1,603,982/female 1,542,319) 15-64 years: 60.4% (male 2,660,806/female 2,771,807) 65 years and over: 4.6% (male 182,412/female 227,720) (2006 est.)

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 countercoups. Democratic civilian rule was established in 1982, but leaders have faced difficult problems of deep-seated poverty, social unrest, and illegal drug production. In December 2005, Bolivians elected Movement Toward Socialism leader Evo MORALES president - by the widest margin of any leader since the restoration of civilian rule in 1982 - after he ran on a promise to change the country's traditional political class and empower the nation's poor majority. However, since taking office, his controversial strategies have exacerbated racial and economic tensions between the Amerindian populations of the Andean west and the non-indigenous communities of the eastern lowlands. Geography Bolivia

Birth rate

23.3 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Capital

geographic coordinates

16 30 S, 68 09 W

name

La Paz (administrative capital)

note

Sucre (constitutional capital)

time difference

UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

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

Death rate

7.53 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

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%

Executive branch

chief of state

President Juan Evo MORALES Ayma (since 22 January 2006); Vice President Alvaro GARCIA Linera (since 22 January 2006); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government

head of government

President Juan Evo MORALES Ayma (since 22 January 2006); Vice President Alvaro GARCIA Linera (since 22 January 2006); note - the president is both chief of state and head of

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

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.)

Independence

6 August 1825 (from Spain)

Infant mortality rate

female

48.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

male

55.31 deaths/1,000 live births

total

51.77 deaths/1,000 live births

Irrigated land

1,320 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

border countries

Argentina 832 km, Brazil 3,423 km, Chile 860 km, Paraguay 750 km, Peru 1,075 km

total

6,940 km

Land use

arable land

2.78%

other

97.03% (2005)

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

Life expectancy at birth

female

68.61 years (2006 est.)

male

63.21 years

total population

65.84 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

Map references

South America

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Median age

female

22.5 years (2006 est.)

male

21.2 years

total

21.8 years

National holiday

Independence Day, 6 August (1825)

Nationality

adjective

Bolivian

noun

Bolivian(s)

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

-1.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Population

8,989,046 (July 2006 est.)

Population growth rate

1.45% (2006 est.)

Religions

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

Sex ratio

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

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

Suffrage

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

Terrain

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

Total fertility rate

2.85 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products

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

Airports

1,084 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways

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 (2006)

total

16

Airports - with unpaved runways

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

total

1,068

under 914 m

797 (2006)

Bolivian Armed Forces

Bolivian Army (Ejercito Boliviano), Bolivian Navy (Armada Boliviana; includes marines), Bolivian Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Boliviana, FAB) (2006)

Budget

expenditures

$3.619 billion; including capital expenditures of $741 million (2006 est.)

revenues

$4.153 billion

Currency (code)

boliviano (BOB)

Currency code

BOB

Current account balance

$688 million (2006 est.)

Debt - external

$5.916 billion (2006 est.)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Philip S. GOLDBERG

embassy

Avenida Arce 2780, La Paz

mailing address

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

telephone

[591] (2) 216-8000

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

3014 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Gustavo GUZMAN Saldana

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

60.6 (2002)

Economic aid - recipient

$221 million (2005 est.)

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% 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. In 2005, the government passed a controversial natural gas law that imposes on the oil and gas firms significantly higher taxes as well as new contracts that give the state control of their operations. Bolivian officials are in the process of implementing the law; meanwhile, foreign investors have stopped investing and have taken the first legal steps to secure their investments. Real GDP growth in 2003-06 - helped by increased demand for natural gas in neighboring Brazil - was positive, but still below the levels seen during the 1990s. Bolivia's fiscal position has improved in recent years, but the country remains dependent on foreign aid from multilateral lenders and foreign governments to meet budget shortfalls. In 2005, the G8 announced a $2 billion debt-forgiveness plan over the next few decades that should help reduce some fiscal pressures on the government in the near term.

Electricity - consumption

4.168 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports

9 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - production

4.472 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

44.4%

hydro

54%

nuclear

0%

other

1.5% (2001)

Exchange rates

bolivianos per US dollar - 8.01039 (2006), 8.0661 (2005), 7.9363 (2004), 7.6592 (2003), 7.17 (2002)

Exports

$3.668 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities

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

Exports - partners

Brazil 44.2%, US 12.5%, Argentina 10.9%, Colombia 7.8%, Peru 4.8% (2005)

FAX

[1] (202) 328-3712

[591] (2) 216-8111

consulate(s) general

Houston, Miami, New York, Oklahoma City, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, DC

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

12.8%

industry

36.1%

services

51.2% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$3,000 (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

3.3% (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$10.22 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$27.21 billion (2006 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

32% (1999)

lowest 10%

1.3%

Illicit drugs

world's third-largest cultivator of coca (after Colombia and Peru) with an estimated 26,500 hectares under cultivation in August 2005, an 8% increase from 2004; intermediate coca products and cocaine exported mostly to or through Brazil, Argentina, and Chile to European drug markets; cultivation steadily increasing despite eradication and alternative crop programs; money-laundering activity related to narcotics trade, especially along the borders with Brazil and Paraguay This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

Imports

$2.934 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities

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

Imports - partners

Brazil 21.9%, Argentina 16.7%, US 13.8%, Chile 6.9%, Peru 6.5%, Japan 6.1%, China 5.8% (2005)

Industrial production growth rate

5.7% (2004 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

4.3% (2006 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, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMISET, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Internet country code

.bo

Internet hosts

20,085 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

9 (2000)

Internet users

480,000 (2005) Transportation Bolivia

Investment (gross fixed)

12.4% of GDP (2006 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

4.3 million (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

NA%

industry

NA%

services

NA%

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; 70 are directly elected from their districts and 60 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 - PODEMOS 13, MAS 12, UN 1, MNR 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - MAS 73, PODEMOS 43, UN 8, MNR 6

elections

Chamber of Senators and Chamber of Deputies - last held 18 December 2005 (next to be held in 2010)

Manpower available for military service

females age 18-49

2,007,315 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49

1,923,234

Manpower fit for military service

females age 18-49

1,502,177 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49

1,311,414

Manpower reaching military service age annually

females age 18-49

98,671 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49

101,101

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 2, cargo 8, chemical tanker 1, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 10

foreign-owned

10 (Argentina 1, China 1, Egypt 2, Iran 1, Singapore 3, Taiwan 1, Yemen 1) (2006)

total

24 ships (1000 GRT or over) 127,297 GRT/198,525 DWT

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$130 million (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.4% (2005 est.) 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)

Natural gas - consumption

2.14 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - exports

7.91 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - production

10.05 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

679.6 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)

Oil - consumption

47,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports

NA bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports

NA bbl/day (2001)

Oil - production

42,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

458.8 million bbl (1 January 2002)

Pipelines

gas 4,860 km; liquid petroleum gas 47 km; oil 2,475 km; refined products 1,589 km; unknown (oil/water) 247 km (2006)

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 [Juan Evo MORALES Ayma]; Movement Without Fear or MSM [Juan DEL GRANADO]; National Revolutionary Movement or MNR [Gonzalo SANCHEZ DE LOZADA]; New Republican Force or NFR [Manfred REYES-VILLA]; Pachakuti Indigenous Movement or MIP [Felipe QUISPE Huanca]; Poder Democratico Nacional or PODEMOS [Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ramirez]; 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 below poverty line

64% (2004 est.)

Ports and terminals

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 Military Bolivia

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 (2005)

total

3,519 km

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$3.303 billion (2006 est.)

Roadways

paved

3,749 km

total

62,479 km

unpaved

56,730 km (2004)

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

646,300 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular

2.421 million (2005)

Television broadcast stations

48 (1997)

Televisions

900,000 (1997)

Trafficking in persons

current situation

Bolivia is a source and transit country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of labor and sexual exploitation to Argentina, Brazil, and Chile, as well as to Spain; children are trafficked internally for sexual exploitation, forced mining, and agricultural labor; illegal migrants from Asia transiting Bolivia are vulnerable as trafficking victims

tier rating

Tier 2 Watch List - Bolivia has failed to show evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in the areas of prosecutions and victim protection

Unemployment rate

7.8% in urban areas; widespread underemployment (2006 est.)

Waterways

10,000 km (commercially navigable) (2005)