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: 2.67% permanent crops: 0.19% other: 97.54% (2001)
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, 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
Geography - note:
landlocked; shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest
navigable lake (elevation 3,805 m), with Peru
People Bolivia
Population:
8,724,156 (July 2004 est.)
Age structure:
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.)
Median age:
total: 21.1 years
male: 20.4 years
female: 21.8 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.56% (2004 est.)
Birth rate:
24.65 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate:
7.77 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate:
−1.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population (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: 0.81 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
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
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 65.14 years
male: 62.54 years
female: 67.86 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.08 children born/woman (2004 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
4,900 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 500 (2003 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: 87.2%
male: 93.1%
female: 81.6% (2003 est.)
Government Bolivia
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Bolivia
conventional short form: Bolivia
local short form: Bolivia
local long form: Republica de 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 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