Bolivia, a landlocked country in South America, is known for its cultural wealth. It is bounded by Brazil on the east; while its other neighbors are Peru and Chile on the west and Argentina and Paraguay on the south. It has vastly varied Amazonian and Andean landscapes, as well as remnants of civilizations of the yesteryears. The western part of the country, enclosed by two chains of the Andes, is a great plateau. The Oriente, a lowland region having rain forests and grasslands, comprises the northern and eastern two-thirds of the country. Climate of Bolivia varies with altitude. It ranges from humid and tropical to cold and semi arid. Christened after independence fighter Simon Bolivar, Bolivia achieved independence from Spanish rule in 1825.
Fun & Interesting Facts About Bolivia
- Bolivia is the highest and most isolated of the Latin American republics.
- Capital of Bolivia is La Paz. It is situated at an altitude of 11,910 ft (3,630 m), and is the highest administrative capital city in the world.
- Lake Titicaca, located at an altitude of 12,507 ft (3,812 m), is the highest commercially navigable body of water in the world.
- Almost half the population of Bolivia resides on Altiplano plateau, with an average altitude of 12,000 ft (3,658 m).
- Bolivian plateau contains the towns of Oruro, Potosí, and La Paz.
- Industrial resources of Bolivia are tin, natural gas, petroleum, silver, iron, lead, gold, zinc, tungsten, antimony and hydropower.
- Major agricultural products of Bolivia are soybeans, coffee, coca, cotton, corn, sugarcane, rice, potatoes and timber. Soyabeans is the major cash crop.
- Bolivia has only 1,320 sq km of irrigated land.
- Ethnic groups in Bolivia are Quechua 30%, Mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry) 30%, Aymara 25%, and White 15%.
- Religions practiced in Bolivia are Roman Catholic 95%, and Protestant (Evangelical Methodist) 5%.
- Languages spoken in Bolivia are Spanish, Quechua and Aymara.
- Bolivia has Republican form of government. However, much of its subsequent history consists of a series of nearly 200 coups and counter-coups.
- Legal system of Bolivia is based on Spanish law and Napoleonic Code. It has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction.
- President of Bolivia is both the chief of state and the head of the Government.
- Bolivia is one of the poorest and least developed countries in Latin America.
- Bolivia is the world’s largest cultivator of coca, with an estimated 24,400 hectares under cultivation in June 2002.
- The United States is the largest trading partner of Bolivia.
- Currency of Bolivia is Boliviano.
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