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 coups and countercoups, with the last coup occurring in 1978. Democratic civilian rule was established in 1982, but leaders have faced difficult problems of deep-seated poverty, social unrest, and illegal drug production.

In December 2005, Bolivians elected Movement Toward Socialism leader Evo MORALES president - by the widest margin of any leader since the restoration of civilian rule in 1982 - after he ran on a promise to change the country's traditional political class and empower the nation's poor, indigenous majority. In December 2009 and October 2014, President MORALES easily won reelection. His party maintained control of the legislative branch of the government, which has allowed him to continue his process of change. In February 2016, MORALES narrowly lost a referendum to approve a constitutional amendment that would have allowed him to compete in the 2019 presidential election. Despite the loss, MORALES has already been chosen by his party to run again in 2019, via a still-undetermined method for him to appear on the ballot.

Central South America, southwest of Brazil

17 00 S, 65 00 W

South America

slightly less than three times the size of Montana

0 km (landlocked)

none (landlocked)

varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and semiarid

rugged Andes Mountains with a highland plateau (Altiplano), hills, lowland plains of the Amazon Basin

highest point: Nevado Sajama 6,542 m

tin, natural gas, petroleum, zinc, tungsten, antimony, silver, iron, lead, gold, timber, hydropower

arable land 3.6%; permanent crops 0.2%; permanent pasture 30.5%

3,000 sq km (2012)

a high altitude plain in the west between two cordillera of the Andes, known as the Altiplano, is the focal area for most of the population; a dense settlement pattern is also found in and around the city of Santa Cruz, located on the eastern side of the Andes

flooding in the northeast (March to April)

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

landlocked; shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake (elevation 3,805 m), with Peru

11,138,234 (July 2017 est.)

mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry) 68%, indigenous 20%, white 5%, cholo/chola 2%, black 1%, other 1%, unspecified 3% ; 44% of respondents indicated feeling part of some indigenous group, predominantly Quechua or Aymara

Spanish (official) 60.7%, Quechua (official) 21.2%, Aymara (official) 14.6%, foreign languages 2.4%, Guarani (official) 0.6%, other native languages 0.4%, none 0.1%

Roman Catholic 76.8%, Evangelical and Pentecostal 8.1%, Protestant 7.9%, other 1.7%, none 5.5% (2012 est.)

Bolivia ranks at or near the bottom among Latin American countries in several areas of health and development, including poverty, education, fertility, malnutrition, mortality, and life expectancy. On the positive side, more children are being vaccinated and more pregnant women are getting prenatal care and having skilled health practitioners attend their births. Bolivia's income inequality is the highest in Latin America and one of the highest in the world. Public education is of poor quality, and educational opportunities are among the most unevenly distributed in Latin America, with girls and indigenous and rural children less likely to be literate or to complete primary school. The lack of access to education and family planning services helps to sustain Bolivia's high fertility rate - approximately three children per woman. Bolivia's lack of clean water and basic sanitation, especially in rural areas, contributes to health problems.

Almost 7% of Bolivia's population lives abroad, primarily to work in Argentina, Brazil, Spain, and the United States. In recent years, more restrictive immigration policies in Europe and the United States have increased the flow of Bolivian emigrants to neighboring Argentina and Brazil.

1.51% (2017 est.)

22 births/1,000 population (2017 est.)

6.4 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.)

-0.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.)

a high altitude plain in the west between two cordillera of the Andes, known as the Altiplano, is the focal area for most of the population; a dense settlement pattern is also found in and around the city of Santa Cruz, located on the eastern side of the Andes

Santa Cruz 2.107 million; LA PAZ (capital) 1.816 million; Cochabamba 1.24 million; Sucre (constitutional capital) 372,000 (2015)

21.2 years

206 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)

2.63 children born/woman (2017 est.)

60.5% (2008)

6.3% of GDP (2014)

0.47 physicians/1,000 population (2011)

1.1 beds/1,000 population (2012)

urban: 96.7% of population

rural: 75.6% of population

total: 90% of population

urban: 3.3% of population

rural: 24.4% of population

total: 10% of population (2015 est.)

urban: 60.8% of population

rural: 27.5% of population

total: 50.3% of population

urban: 39.2% of population

rural: 72.5% of population

total: 49.7% of population (2015 est.)

0.3% (2016 est.)

19,000 (2016 est.)

<1000 (2016 est.)

20.2% (2016)

3.6% (2012)

7.3% of GDP (2014)

presidential republic

9 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Beni, Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, La Paz, Oruro, Pando, Potosi, Santa Cruz, Tarija

6 August 1825 (from Spain)

Independence Day, 6 August (1825)

many previous; latest drafted 6 August 2006 - 9 December 2008, approved by referendum 25 January 2009, effective 7 February 2009; amended 2013 (2015)

civil law system with influences from Roman, Spanish, canon (religious), French, and indigenous law

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age, universal and compulsory

Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ramirez]

Movement Toward Socialism or MAS [Juan Evo MORALES Ayma]

National Unity or UN [Samuel DORIA MEDINA Arana]

Bolivian Workers Central or COB

Central Bolivian Workers' Union or COB

Confederation of Indigenous Peoples of Eastern Bolivia or CIDOB

Federation of Neighborhood Councils of El Alto or FEJUVE-El Alto

Landless Movement or MST

National Confederation of Native Rural Indigenous Women of Bolivia or Bartolina Sisa

National Coordination for Change or CONALCAM

National Council of Ayullus and Markas of Quollasuyu or CONAMAQ

Sole Confederation of Campesino Workers of Bolivia or CSUTCB [Jacinto HERRARA]

Interculturales union or CSCIB

various federations of neighborhood councils or FEJUVEs (including the national organization)

CAN, CD, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUSCO, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNAMID, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with the coat of arms centered on the yellow band; red stands for bravery and the blood of national heroes, yellow for the nation's mineral resources, and green for the fertility of the land

llama, Andean condor; national colors: red, yellow, green

Bolivia is a resource rich country with strong growth attributed to captive markets for natural gas exports to Brazil and Argentina. However, the country remains one of the least developed countries in Latin America because of state-oriented policies that deter investment and growth.

Following a disastrous economic crisis during the early 1980s, reforms spurred private investment, stimulated economic growth, and cut poverty rates in the 1990s. The period 2003-05 was characterized by political instability, racial tensions, and violent protests against plans - subsequently abandoned - to export Bolivia's newly discovered natural gas reserves to large Northern Hemisphere markets. In 2005, the government passed a controversial hydrocarbons law that imposed significantly higher royalties and required foreign firms then operating under risk-sharing contracts to surrender all production to the state energy company in exchange for a predetermined service fee. High commodity prices between 2010 and 2014 sustained rapid growth and large trade surpluses with GDP growing 6.8% in 2013 and 5.4% in 2014. The global decline in oil prices that began in late 2014 exerted downward pressure on the price Bolivia receives for exported gas and resulted in lower GDP growth rates - 4.9% in 2015 and 4.3% in 2016 - and losses in government revenue as well as fiscal and trade deficits.

A lack of foreign investment in the key sectors of mining and hydrocarbons, along with conflict among social groups, pose challenges for the Bolivian economy. In 2015, President Evo MORALES expanded efforts to court international investment and boost Bolivia’s energy production capacity. MORALES passed an investment law and promised not to nationalize additional industries in an effort to improve the investment climate. In early 2016, the Government of Bolivia approved the 2016-20 National Economic and Social Development Plan aimed at maintaining growth of 5% and reducing poverty.

$78.77 billion (2016 est.)

$74.59 billion (2015 est.)

$70.37 billion (2014 est.)

$34.05 billion (2016 est.)

4.3% (2016 est.)

4.9% (2015 est.)

5.5% (2014 est.)

$7,200 (2016 est.)

$7,000 (2015 est.)

$6,800 (2014 est.)

15.1% of GDP (2016 est.)

14.2% of GDP (2015 est.)

20.8% of GDP (2014 est.)

soybeans, quinoa, Brazil nuts, sugarcane, coffee, corn, rice, potatoes, chia, coca

mining, smelting, petroleum, food and beverages, tobacco, handicrafts, clothing, jewelry

4% (2016 est.)

4.992 million (2016 est.)

4% (2016 est.)

7.4% (2015 est.)

38.6%

47 (2016 est.)

57.9 (1999)

41.9% of GDP (2016 est.)

-6.4% of GDP (2016 est.)

44.8% of GDP (2016 est.)

39.1% of GDP (2015 est.)

calendar year

3.6% (2016 est.)

4.1% (2015 est.)

1.5% (31 December 2016 est.)

2.5% (31 December 2015 est.)

7.95% (31 December 2016 est.)

8.07% (31 December 2015 est.)

$9.09 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$8.946 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$14.85 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$15.45 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$22.39 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$18.9 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$12.3 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$11.11 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$9.833 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$-1.928 billion (2016 est.)

$-1.879 billion (2015 est.)

$7 billion (2016 est.)

$8.673 billion (2015 est.)

natural gas, silver, zinc, lead, tin, gold, quinoa, soybeans and soy products

Brazil 19.3%, US 13.6%, Argentina 11.4%, Colombia 8.8%, China 6.8%, Japan 5.9%, South Korea 5.4%, Peru 4.8%, Belgium 4.6% (2016)

$7.888 billion (2016 est.)

$9.004 billion (2015 est.)

machinery, petroleum products, vehicles, iron and steel, plastics

China 19.9%, Brazil 17.5%, Argentina 10.5%, US 9.8%, Peru 6.9%, Japan 4.9%, Chile 4.1% (2016)

$10.08 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$13.06 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$11.65 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$9.849 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$1.059 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$1.084 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$0 (31 December 2016 est.)

$0 (31 December 2015 est.)

bolivianos (BOB) per US dollar -

6.91 (2016 est.)

6.91 (2015 est.)

6.91 (2014 est.)

6.91 (2013 est.)

6.94 (2012 est.)

8.147 billion kWh (2015 est.)

7.332 billion kWh (2015 est.)

0 kWh (2016 est.)

0 kWh (2016 est.)

2.362 million kW (2015 est.)

71.9% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

21% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

8% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

59,330 bbl/day (2016 est.)

0 bbl/day (2014 est.)

0 bbl/day (2014 est.)

211.5 million bbl (1 January 2017 es)

59,050 bbl/day (2014 est.)

86,000 bbl/day (2015 est.)

8,642 bbl/day (2014 est.)

22,340 bbl/day (2014 est.)

21.1 billion cu m (2016 est.)

5.366 billion cu m (2016 est.)

15.73 billion cu m (2016 est.)

0 cu m (2015 est.)

295.9 billion cu m (1 January 2017 es)

16 million Mt (2013 est.)

large number of radio and TV stations broadcasting with private media outlets dominating; state-owned and private radio and TV stations generally operating freely, although both pro-government and anti-government groups have attacked media outlets in response to their reporting (2010)

.bo

CP (2016)

855 (2013)

gas 5,457 km; liquid petroleum gas 51 km; oil 2,511 km; refined products 1,627 km (2013)

10,000 km (commercially navigable almost exclusively in the northern and eastern parts of the country) (2012)

1.68% of GDP (2016)

1.74% of GDP (2015)

1.9% of GDP (2014)

1.84% of GDP (2013)

1.85% of GDP (2012)

Bolivian Armed Forces: Bolivian Army (Ejercito Boliviano, EB), Bolivian Naval Force (Fuerza Naval Boliviana, FNB, includes Marines), Bolivian Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Boliviana, FAB) (2017)

16-49 years of age for 12-month voluntary male and female military service; Bolivian citizenship required; minimum age of combat is 18; when annual number of volunteers falls short of goal, compulsory recruitment is effected, including conscription of boys as young as 14; 15-19 years of age for voluntary premilitary service, provides exemption from further military service (2017)

Chile and Peru rebuff Bolivia's reactivated claim to restore the Atacama corridor, ceded to Chile in 1884, but Chile offers instead unrestricted but not sovereign maritime access through Chile for Bolivian products; contraband smuggling, human trafficking, and illegal narcotic trafficking are problems in the porous areas of its border regions with all of its neighbors (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Peru)

world's third-largest cultivator of coca (after Colombia and Peru) with an estimated 36,500 hectares under cultivation in 2015, a 3 percent increase over 2014; third largest producer of cocaine, estimated at 255 metric tons potential pure cocaine in 2015; transit country for Peruvian and Colombian cocaine destined for Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Europe; weak border controls; some money-laundering activity related to narcotics trade; major cocaine consumption