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Background:
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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 1982, but leaders have faced
difficult problems of deep-seated poverty, social
unrest, and illegal drug production. Current goals
include attracting foreign investment, strengthening the
educational system, resolving disputes with coca growers
over Bolivia's counterdrug efforts, and waging an
anticorruption campaign.
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Location:
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Central
South America, southwest of Brazil |
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Geographic coordinates:
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17 00 S, 65
00 W |
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Map references:
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South
America |
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Area:
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total:
1,098,580 sq km
land: 1,084,390 sq km
water: 14,190 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly
less than three times the size of Montana |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
6,743 km
border countries: Argentina 832 km, Brazil 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: 2.67%
permanent crops: 0.19%
other: 97.14% (2001) |
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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, 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 |
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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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Population:
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8,857,870
(July 2005 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 35.7% (male 1,613,049/female 1,551,023)
15-64 years: 59.8% (male 2,591,328/female
2,701,892)
65 years and over: 4.5% (male 178,486/female
222,092) (2005 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
21.47 years
male: 20.79 years
female: 22.17 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.49% (2005
est.) |
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Birth rate:
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23.76
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate:
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7.64
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-1.27
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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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: 0.8 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
53.11 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 56.7 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 49.33 deaths/1,000 live births (2005
est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 65.5 years
male: 62.89 years
female: 68.25 years (2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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2.94
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.1% (2003
est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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4,900 (2003
est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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less than
500 (2003 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) 5% |
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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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Country name:
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conventional
long form: Republic of Bolivia
conventional short form: Bolivia
local long form: Republica de Bolivia
local short form: Bolivia |
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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 Spain) |
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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 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 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 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 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 Bolivia
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 Bolivia or CSUTCB
[Roman LOAYZA] |
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International organization participation:
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CAN, CSN,
FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO
(correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate),
MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS, ONUB, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA,
RG, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNMIL,
UNMISET, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador Jaime APARICIO Otero
chancery: 3014 Massachusetts Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 483-4410
FAX: [1] (202) 328-3712
consulate(s) general: Miami, New York, and San
Francisco |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador David N. GREENLEE
embassy: Avenida Arce 2780, San Jorge, La Paz
mailing address: P. O. Box 425, La Paz; APO AA
34032
telephone: [591] (2) 2430120, 2430251
FAX: [591] (2) 2433900 |
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Flag description:
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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
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Economy - overview:
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Bolivia,
long one of the poorest and least developed Latin
American countries, reformed its economy after suffering
a disastrous economic crisis in the early 1980s. The
reforms spurred real GDP growth, which averaged 4
percent in the 1990s, and poverty rates fell. Economic
growth, however, lagged again beginning in 1999 because
of a global slowdown and homegrown factors such as
political turmoil, civil unrest, and soaring fiscal
deficits, all of which hurt investor confidence. In
2003, violent protests against the pro-foreign
investment economic policies of President SANCHEZ DE
LOZADA led to his resignation and the cancellation of
plans to export Bolivia's newly discovered natural gas
reserves to large northern hemisphere markets. Foreign
investment dried up as companies adopted a wait-and-see
attitude regarding new President Carlos MESA's
willingness to protect investor rights in the face of
increased demands by radical groups that the government
expropriate foreign-owned assets. Real GDP growth in
2003 and 2004 - helped by increased demand for natural
gas in neighboring Brazil - was positive, but still
below the levels seen during the 1990s. Bolivia remains
dependent on foreign aid from multilateral lenders and
foreign governments. |
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GDP:
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purchasing
power parity - $22.33 billion (2004 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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3.7% (2004
est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing
power parity - $2,600 (2004 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
13%
industry: 28%
services: 59% (2004 est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed):
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10.4% of
GDP (2003 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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64% (2004
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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44.7 (1999) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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4.9% (2004
est.) |
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Labor force:
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3.8 million
(2004 est.) |
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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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9.2% in
urban areas
note: widespread underemployment (2003 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$2.264 billion
expenditures: $2.769 billion, including capital
expenditures of $741 million (2004 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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soybeans,
coffee, coca, cotton, corn, sugarcane, rice, potatoes;
timber |
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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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5.7% (2004
est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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4.132
billion kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 44.4%
hydro: 54%
nuclear: 0%
other: 1.5% (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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3.848
billion kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - exports:
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3 million
kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - imports:
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9 million
kWh (2002) |
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Oil - production:
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39,000
bbl/day (2004 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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49,000
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA |
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Oil - imports:
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NA |
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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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8.44
billion cu m (2004 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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Current account balance:
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$273
million (2004 est.) |
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Exports:
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$1.986
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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natural
gas, soybeans and soy products, crude petroleum, zinc
ore, tin |
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Exports - partners:
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Brazil
33.9%, US 12.7%, Colombia 11.8%, Venezuela 11.6%, Peru
5.1%, Japan 4.2% (2004) |
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Imports:
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$1.595
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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petroleum
products, plastics, paper, aircraft and aircraft parts,
prepared foods, automobiles, insecticides, soybeans |
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Imports - partners:
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Brazil
25.3%, Argentina 17%, US 13.1%, Chile 9.2%, Peru 7.2%
(2004) |
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Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
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$1.214
billion (2004 est.) |
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Debt - external:
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$5.439
billion (June 2004 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$681
million (2002) |
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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 - 7.9363 (2004), 7.6592 (2003), 7.17
(2002), 6.6069 (2001), 6.1835 (2000) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar
year
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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600,100
(2003) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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1,401,500
(2003) |
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Telephone system:
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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: country code - 591; satellite
earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 171, FM
73, shortwave 77 (1999) |
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Radios:
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5.25
million (1997) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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48 (1997) |
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Televisions:
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900,000
(1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.bo |
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Internet hosts:
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7,080
(2003) |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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9 (2000) |
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Internet users:
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270,000
(2002)
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Railways:
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total:
3,519 km
narrow gauge: 3,519 km 1.000-m gauge (2003) |
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Highways:
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total:
60,282 km
paved: 3,979 km
unpaved: 56,303 km (2002) |
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Waterways:
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10,000 km
(commercially navigable) (2004) |
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Pipelines:
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gas 4,860
km; liquid petroleum gas 47 km; oil 2,457 km; refined
products 1,589 km; unknown (oil/water) 247 km (2004) |
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Ports and harbors:
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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 |
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Merchant marine:
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total:
32 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 413,407 GRT/699,901 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 16, chemical
tanker 1, container 1, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum
tanker 9, refrigerated cargo 1
foreign-owned: 11 (Argentina 1, Egypt 2, Eritrea
1, Germany 1, Iran 1, Singapore 2, United Kingdom 1,
United States 2) (2005) |
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Airports:
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1,065 (2004
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total:
16
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2004 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total:
1,049
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 60
914 to 1,523 m: 207
under 914 m: 778 (2004 est.)
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Military branches:
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Army (Ejercito
Boliviano), Navy (Fuerza Naval, includes Marines), Air
Force (Fuerza Aerea Boliviana) |
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Military manpower - military age and obligation:
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18 years of
age for voluntary military service; when annual number
of volunteers falls short of goal, compulsory
recruitment is effected, including conscription of boys
as young as 14; one estimate holds that 40% of the armed
forces are under the age of 18, with 50% of those under
the age of 16; conscript tour of duty - 12 months (2002) |
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Military manpower - availability:
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males
age 18-49: 1,923,234 (2005 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males
age 18-49: 1,311,414 (2005 est.) |
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Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
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males:
101,101 (2005 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$132.2
million (2004) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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1.6% (2004)
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| Transnational
Issues |
Bolivia |
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Disputes - international:
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Chile
rebuffs Bolivia's reactivated claim to restore the
Atacama corridor, ceded to Chile in 1884, offering
instead unrestricted but not sovereign maritime access
through Chile for Bolivian natural gas and other
commodities |
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