Alle Länder der Welt Bolivien , 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, resolving
disputes with coca growers over Bolivien 's counterdrug efforts, continuing the
privatization program, and waging an anticorruption campaign.
Geographie : Bolivien
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Location:
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Central South America,
southwest of Brasilien |
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Geographic coordinates:
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17 00 S, 65 00 W |
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Area:
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total: 1,098,580 sq
km
water: 14,190 sq km
land: 1,084,390 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
|
slightly less than three
times the size of Montana |
|
Land boundaries:
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total: 6,743 km
border countries: Argentinien 832 km, Brasilien 3,400 km, Chile 861
km, Paraguay 750 km, Peru 900 km |
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Coastline:
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0 km (landlocked) |
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Maritime claims:
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none (landlocked) |
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Climate:
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varies with altitude; humid
and tropical to cold and semiarid |
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Terrain:
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rugged Andes Mountains with
a highland plateau (Altiplano), hills, lowland plains of the Amazon
Basin |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Rio
Paraguay 90 m
highest point: Nevado Sajama 6,542 m |
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Natural resources:
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tin, natural gas,
petroleum, zinc, tungsten, antimony, silver, iron, lead, gold, timber,
hydropower |
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Land use:
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arable land: 1.73%
permanent crops: 0.21%
other: 98.06% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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1,280 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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flooding in the northeast
(March-April) |
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Environment - current issues:
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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 |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to:
Biodiversity, 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:
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landlocked; shares control
of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake (elevation 3,805 m),
with Peru
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More Geography
Bevölkerung : Bolivien
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Population:
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8,724,156 (July 2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 36.4% (male 1,619,950;
female 1,557,883)
15-64 years: 59.1% (male 2,522,086; female 2,631,944)
65 years and over: 4.5% (male 175,193; female 217,100) (2004 est.) |
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Median age:
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total: 21.1 years
male: 20.4 years
female: 21.8 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.56% (2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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24.65 births/1,000 |
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Death rate:
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7.77 deaths/1,000 |
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Net migration rate:
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-1.32 migrant(s)/1,000 |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 54.58 deaths/1,000 live
births
female: 50.75 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 58.23 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 65.14 years
male: 62.54 years
female: 67.86 years (2004 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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3.08 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.1% - note: no country specific models
provided (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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4,600 (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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290 (2001 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Bolivian(s)
adjective: Bolivian |
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Ethnic groups:
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Quechua 30%, mestizo (mixed white and
Amerindian ancestry) 30%, Aymara 25%, white 15% |
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant (Evangelical
Methodist) |
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Languages:
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Spanish (official), Quechua (official),
Aymara (official) |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
total population: 87.2%
male: 93.1%
female: 81.6% (2003 est.)
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Regierung
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Republic of
Bolivia
conventional short form: Bolivien
local short form: Bolivien
local long form: Republica de Bolivien |
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Government type:
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republic |
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Capital:
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La Paz (seat of government); Sucre (legal
capital and seat of judiciary) |
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Administrative divisions:
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9 departments (departamentos, singular -
departamento); Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, Beni, La Paz, Oruro, Pando, Potosi, Santa Cruz,
Tarija |
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Independence:
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6 August 1825 (from Spanien ) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 6 August (1825) |
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Constitution:
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2 February 1967; revised in August 1994 |
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Legal system:
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based on Spanish law and Napoleonic Code;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age, universal and compulsory
(married); 21 years of age, universal and compulsory (single) |
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: President Carlos
Diego MESA Gisbert (since 17 October 2003); Vice President (vacant); note - the president
is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Carlos Diego MESA Gisbert (since 17 October 2003);
Vice President (vacant); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the 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 NA June 2007)
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, Vice President
Carlos Diego MESA Gisbert assumed the presidency |
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Legislative branch:
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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)
elections: Chamber of Senators and Chamber of Deputies - last held 30 June 2002
(next to be held NA June 2007)
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 |
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Judicial branch:
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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) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Bolivian Socialist Falange or FSB [Romel
PANTOJA]; Civic Solidarity Union or UCS [Johnny FERNANDEZ]; Free Bolivien 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] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Cocalero Groups; indigenous organizations;
labor unions; Sole Confederation of Campesino Workers of Bolivien or CSUTCB [Roman LOAYZA] |
Economy
Bolivien , long one of the poorest and least developed Latin American countries, made
considerable progress in the 1990s 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 Mexiko 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 held down growth to 2.5%. Bolivien 's GDP failed to grow in 2001 due to the
global slowdown and laggard domestic activity. Growth picked up slightly in 2002, but
the first quarter of 2003 saw extensive civil riots and looting and loss of confidence
in the government. Bolivien will remain highly dependent on foreign aid unless and until
it can develop its substantial natural resources.
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $20.88 billion
(2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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2.1% (2003 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $2,400 (2003
est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 20%
industry: 20%
services: 60% (2002 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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70% (1999 est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: 1.3%
highest 10%: 32% (1999) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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58.9 (1997) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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2% (2001 est.) |
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Labor force:
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2.5 million (2001) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA% |
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Unemployment rate:
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7.6%
note: widespread underemployment (2000) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $4 billion
expenditures: $4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2002 est.) |
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Industries:
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mining, smelting, petroleum, food and
beverages, tobacco, handicrafts, clothing |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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3.9% (1998) |
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Electricity - production:
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3.901 billion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 44.4%
hydro: 54%
other: 1.5% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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3.634 billion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - exports:
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3 million kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - imports:
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9 million kWh (2001) |
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Oil - production:
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44,340 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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49,000 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - proved reserves:
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458.8 million bbl (1 January 2002) |
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Natural gas - production:
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4.05 billion cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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1.15 billion cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - exports:
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2.9 billion cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - imports:
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0 cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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727.2 billion cu m (1 January 2002) |
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Agriculture - products:
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soybeans, coffee, coca, cotton, corn,
sugarcane, rice, potatoes; timber |
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Exports:
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$1.495 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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soybeans, natural gas, zinc, gold, wood
(2000) |
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Exports - partners:
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Brasilien 24.3%, Die Schweiz 15.7%, US 14.1%,
Venezuela 12.8%, Kolumbien 10.2%, Peru 5.4% (2002) |
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Imports:
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$1.505 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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capital goods, raw materials and
semi-manufactures, chemicals, petroleum, food |
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Imports - partners:
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Brasilien 22%, Argentinien 17.4%, US 15.6%,
Chile 6.9%, Japan 5.5%, Peru 5.4%, China 4.8% (2002) |
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Debt - external:
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$5.9 billion (2002 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$588 million (1997) |
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Currency:
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boliviano (BOB) |
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Currency code:
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BOB |
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Exchange rates:
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bolivianos per US dollar - 7.66 (2003),
7.17 (2002), 6.61 (2001), 6.18 (2000), 5.81 (1999) |
SOURCES: The CIA World Factbook, U.S. Department of State, Area Handbook of the US Library of Congress
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