Bolivia

Statistics

Capital: La Paz, Sucre Largest City: Santa Cruz Official Language: Spanish, Quechua, Aymara, Guaran Government: Unitary republic President: Evo Morales Declared Independence: August 6, 1825 Independence Recognized: August 6, 1825 Area: 1,098,581 km Percent of Area is Water: 1.29% Population (2005): 8,857,870 Population Density: 21/mi GDP (2005): $25,892 million GDP Per Capita: $3,049 Currency: Boliviano Time Zone: UTC-4 Internet TLD: .bo Calling Code: +591 Major Universities:

Geography

The Republic of Bolivia is a landlocked country in South America bordered by Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, and Peru. Bolivia does have access to the Atlantic via the Paraguay River, however. The west of Bolivia is situated in the Andes mountain range, with the highest peak, Nevado del Sajama at 21,463 ft. The west of the country is formed by a highland plateau, the Altiplano. The east of the country is lowland, and covered by the Amazonian rainforests. Lake Titicaca is located on the border between Bolivia and Peru. In the west, in the department of Potos, lies the Salar de Uyuni, the world's largest salt flats. Major cities are La Paz, Santa Cruz de la Sierra and Cochabamba.

Culture

Pagan rites from the pre-Columbian era are still common during the religious festivals of the Indians. The clothing used during the festivals reminds the visitor of the pre-Columbian Indians and the 16th century Spaniards. Many dances and songs contain elements from both the native and the Mediterranean culture. The dance of palla-palla or loco palla-palla, practiced by the Indians, symbolize the European invaders. The dance of Waka-tokoris of the Native Americans is a symbolic satire of the bullfights. Music is played during the festivals and the dances. Some tunes contain strong Spanish influences.

History

Spain didn't conquer Bolivia until 1538 where it was under the authority of Viceroy of Lima. Local government came from the Audiencia de Charcas located in Chuquisaca (La Plata - modern Sucre). Bolivian silver mines produced much of the Spanish empire's wealth, and Potos, site of the famed Cerro Rico - "Rich Hill" - was, for many years, the largest city in the Western Hemisphere. Independence was declared in 1809 but 16 years of struggle followed before the establishment of the republic. During the presidency of Mariscal Andres de Santa Cruz, Bolivia enjoyed the most glorious period of her history with great social and economic advancement; afterward, war and other struggles sent Bolivia down. Going through a vicious economic and political crisis, Bolivia's weakness was demonstrated during the War of the Pacific (1879-83), when it lost its seacoast, and the adjoining rich nitrate fields, together with the port of Antofagasta, to Chile. Since independence, Bolivia has lost over half of its territory to neighboring countries due to wars. An increase in the world price of silver brought Bolivia a measure of relative prosperity and political stability in the late 1800s. In the mid-20th century the unhappy public elected the Nationalist Revolutionary Movement (MNR). Under President Victor Paz Estenssoro, the MNR introduced universal adult suffrage, carried out a sweeping land reform, promoted rural education, and nationalized the country's largest tin mines. The troubled economy and politics led the nation in many other drastic changes in government. In 2005 Juan Evo Morales Ayma of the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) Party was elected president of Bolivia. For the first time since the Spanish Conquest in the early 1500's, Bolivia, a nation with a majority indigenous population, has an indigenous leader, and Morales has stated that the 500 years of colonialism are now over, and that the era of autonomy has begun. Morales has said his government will try to interdict drugs, but he wants to preserve the legal market for coca leaves and promote export of legal coca products.

Economy

Bolivia remains the poorest country in South America, in part, due to high corruption levels. Bolivia's 2002 gross domestic product (GDP) totaled USD $7.9 billion. Economic growth is about 2.5% a year and inflation is expected to be between 3% and 4% in 2002 (it was under 1% in 2001). Bolivia's current lackluster economic situation can be linked to several factors from the past two decades. The first major blow to the Bolivian economy came with a dramatic fall in silver prices during the early 1980s. Another economic blow came from the U.S. sponsored eradication of the Bolivian coca crop which was used in 80% of the worlds' cocaine production at its peak. The United States remains Bolivia's largest trading partner. Bolivia's major exports to the United States are tin, gold, jewelry, and wood products. Its major imports from the United States are computers, vehicles, wheat, and machinery. Agriculture accounts for roughly 15% of Bolivia's GDP. The amount of land cultivated by modern farming techniques is increasing rapidly in the Santa Cruz area, where weather allows for two crops a year. Soybeans are the major cash crop, sold into the Andean Community market. The extraction of minerals and hydrocarbons accounts for another 10% of GDP and manufacturing less than 17%.

Study Abroad

• Bridge-Linguatec
• SIT Study Abroad
• Spanish Language Programs In Bolivia