Bolivia

Plurinational State of Bolivia Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia  (Spanish) Bulivya Mamallaqta  (Quechua) Wuliwya Suyu  (Aymara)
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: ¡La unión es la fuerza! "Unity is Strength!" (Spanish)
Anthem: Himno Nacional de Bolivia (Spanish) also known as Bolivianos: el hado
Capital		Sucre (constitutional)a La Paz (administrative)
Largest city		Santa Cruz de la Sierra 17°48′S 63°10′W
Official languages		Spanish Quechua Aymara and 34 other native languages
Ethnic groups		55% Amerindian (Quechua, Aymara and 34 other ethnic groups) 30% Mestizo 15% White
Demonym		Bolivian
Government		Unitary presidential constitutional republic
-	President	Evo Morales
-	Vice President	Álvaro García Linera
Legislature		Plurinational Legislative Assembly
-	Upper house	Senate
-	Lower house	Chamber of Deputies
Independence from Spain
-	Declared	6 August 1825
-	Recognized	21 July 1847
-	Current constitution	7 February 2009
Area
-	Total	1,098,581 km2 (28th) 424,163 sq mi
-	Water (%)	1.29
Population
-	2010 estimate	10,907,778 (84th)
-	2001 census	8,280,184
-	Density	8.9/km2 (220th) 23/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2011 estimate
-	Total	$50.904 billion
-	Per capita	$4,789
GDP (nominal)		2011 estimate
-	Total	$24.604 billion
-	Per capita	$2,314
Gini (2009)		58.2 high
HDI (2011)		0.663 medium · 108th
Currency		Boliviano (BOB)
Time zone		BOT (UTC−4)
Drives on the		right
Calling code		+591
Internet TLD		.bo

Bolivia (officially called Plurinational State of Bolivia) is a country in South America. It is land locked by Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Peru, and Chile. Evo Morales became the president of Bolivia in January 2006. The population of Bolivia is 10.67 million (2013).

Bolivia is named after Simón Bolívar. The main languages are Spanish and Quechua, but there are other languages too.

History

Bolivia used to be a colony of Spain. The silver mines in Bolivia made most of Spain's money, and Spain used Bolivians as slaves to work in the mines. After many wars, Simón Bolívar helped Bolivia to be an independent country.

Geography

Map of Bolivia from the CIA World Factbook

Uyuni

Bolivia is 424,135 mi² (1,098,581 km²). This means that Bolivia is the world's 28th-largest country (after Ethiopia). It is the same sort of size as Mauritania.

Bolivia is a landlocked nation, which means every border of Bolivia is a border with another country, and so it does not have a sea. It used to own some of the Pacific coast, but it lost it in 1879 in the War of the Pacific. The west of Bolivia is on the Andes mountain range. The highest mountain in Bolivia is called Nevado de Sajama and it is near the city of Oruro. Although this part of the country is very high with lots of mountains, there are also parts of Bolivia which are very flat, and parts of the country which are very near sea level. There is also a bit of Bolivia covered by the Amazon rainforest, and a big lake which is the highest lake in the world. This lake is called Lake Titicaca.

The major cities are La Paz, El Alto, Santa Cruz de la Sierra and Cochabamba. For other places in Bolivia see List of cities in Bolivia.

Demographics

The population of Bolivia is approximately 10,907,778 people. The ethnic composition of the country is like the following:

• 55%: Native American.
• 30%: Mestizo.
• 15%: White.

Economy

Bolivia suffers from poverty, with 75.7% of the population living below the poverty line^[source?].

Divisions

Bolivia is divided into nine departments. The departments are divided into 112 provinces. The provinces are divided into 339 municipalities and into native community lands.

Culture

Bolivian culture has many Inca, Aymara and other native influences in religion, music and clothing. There is a big festival in Oruro, which is called "El carnaval de Oruro". People in Bolivia like playing football, and football, which is often played in the street. Zoos are also very popular, but they do not have much money.

National symbols

The Cantuta (often spelled kantuta or qantuta) (Cantua buxifolia or Fuchsia buxifolia) is a flower found in the Yungas, and is the national flower of Bolivia along with the patujú (Heliconia rostrata) found in the tropical regions of Bolivia.

Related pages

• Bolivia at the Olympics
• Bolivia national football team
• List of rivers of Bolivia