|
|
 |
| GENERAL INFORMATION |
| |
| 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 |
|
| |
Location:
Central South America, southwest of Brazil
Geographic coordinates:
17 00 S, 65 00 W
Map references:
South America
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
Land boundaries:
total: 6,743 km border countries: Argentina
832 km, Brazil 3,400 km, Chile 861 km, Paraguay 750
km, Peru 900 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and
semiarid
Terrain:
rugged Andes Mountains with a highland plateau (Altiplano),
hills, lowland plains of the Amazon Basin
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Rio Paraguay 90 m highest point:
Nevado Sajama 6,542 m
Natural resources:
tin, natural gas, petroleum, zinc, tungsten, antimony,
silver, iron, lead, gold, timber, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 2% permanent crops: 0% other: 98% (1998
est.)
Irrigated land:
1,280 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
flooding in the northeast (March-April)
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
Geography - note:
landlocked; shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's
highest navigable lake (elevation 3,805 m), with Peru
|
| |
| PEOPLE |
|
| |
Population:
8,445,134 (July 2002 est.)
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.)
Population growth
rate:
1.69% (2002 est.)
Birth rate:
26.41 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death
rate:
8.05 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net
migration rate:
-1.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 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: 0.82 male(s)/female total population:
0.98 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality
rate:
57.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 64.42 years female: 67.1 years
(2002 est.) male: 61.86 years
Total fertility rate: 3.37 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult
prevalence rate:
0.1% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS:
4,200 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS
- deaths:
380 (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Bolivian(s) adjective: Bolivian
Ethnic
groups:
Quechua 30%, mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry)
30%, Aymara 25%, white 15%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant (Evangelical Methodist)
Languages:
Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara (official)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83.1% male: 90.5% female: 76% (1995
est.) |
| |
| GOVERNMENT |
|
| |
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Bolivia
conventional short form: Bolivia local long form: Republica
de Bolivia local short form: Bolivia
Government type:
republic
Capital:
La Paz (seat of government); Sucre (legal capital and
seat of judiciary)
Administrative
divisions:
9 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento);
Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, Beni, La Paz, Oruro, Pando, Potosi,
Santa Cruz, Tarija
Independence:
6 August 1825 (from Spain)
National
holiday:
Independence Day, 6 August (1825)
Constitution:
2 February 1967; revised in August 1994
Legal system: based on Spanish law and Napoleonic Code;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age, universal and compulsory (married); 21
years of age, universal and compulsory (single)
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 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
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: 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 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: Cabinet
appointed by the president
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)
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)
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]
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
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
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
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 |
|
| |
Economy - overview:
Bolivia, long one of the poorest and least developed Latin
American countries, has made considerable progress toward
the development of a market-oriented economy. Successes
under President SANCHEZ DE LOZADA (1993-97) included the
signing of a free trade agreement with Mexico and becoming
an associate member of the Southern Cone Common Market
(Mercosur), as well as the privatization of the state
airline, telephone company, railroad, electric power company,
and oil company. Growth slowed in 1999, in part due to
tight government budget policies, which limited needed
appropriations for anti-poverty programs, and the fallout
from the Asian financial crisis. In 2000, major civil
disturbances in April, and again in September and October,
held down overall growth to 2.5%. Bolivia's GDP failed
to grow in 2001 due to the global slowdown and laggard
domestic activity. Growth is expected to pick up in 2002,
but the fiscal deficit and debt burden will remain high.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $21.4 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
0% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $2,600 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 14% industry: 31% services: 55% (2000 est.)
Population
below poverty line:
70% (1999 est.)
Household
income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 0.5% highest 10%: 45.7% (1997)
Distribution
of family income - Gini index:
58.9 (1997)
Inflation
rate (consumer prices):
2% (2001 est.)
Labor
force:
2.5 million
Labor
force - by occupation:
agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%
Unemployment rate:
7.6% (2000) note: widespread underemployment
Budget: revenues:
$4 billion expenditures: $4 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA (2002 est.)
Industries:
mining, smelting, petroleum, food and beverages, tobacco,
handicrafts, clothing
Industrial
production growth rate:
3.9% (1998)
Electricity
- production:
3.87 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity
- production by source:
fossil fuel: 48.37% hydro: 50.13% other: 1.5% (2000) nuclear:
0%
Electricity -
consumption:
3.605 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity
- exports:
5 million kWh (2000)
Electricity
- imports:
11 million kWh (2000)
Agriculture
- products:
soybeans, coffee, coca, cotton, corn, sugarcane, rice,
potatoes; timber
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)
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)
Debt - external:
$5.8 billion (2001 est.)
Economic
aid - recipient:
$588 million (1997)
Currency:
boliviano (BOB)
Currency
code:
BOB
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)
Fiscal year:
calendar year |
| COMMUNICATIONS |
|
| |
Telephones
- main lines in use:
327,600 (1996)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
116,000 (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)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 171, FM 73, shortwave 77 (1999)
Radios:
5.25 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
48 (1997)
Televisions:
900,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.bo
Internet Service Providers
(ISPs):
9 (2000)
Internet users:
78,000 (2000)
|
| |
| TRANSPORTATION |
|
| |
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.)
Highways:
total: 49,400 km
paved: 2,500 km (including 30 km of expressways)
unpaved: 46,900 km (1996)
Waterways:
10,000 km (commercially navigable)
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
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.)
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:
total: 1,096
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 65
914 to 1,523 m: 236
under 914 m: 790 (2001) |
| |
| MILITARY |
|
| |
Military branches:
Army (Ejercito Boliviano), Navy (Fuerza Naval, includes
Marines), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Boliviana), National
Police Force (Policia Nacional de Bolivia)
Military
manpower - military age:
19 years of age (2002 est.)
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 - reaching military age annually:
males: 90,120 (2002 est.)
Military
expenditures - dollar figure:
$147 million (FY99)
Military
expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.8% (FY99) |
| |
| 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 |
| |
| |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
