+591 is the dialing code for Bolivia.
Bolivia in the western part of South America’s inland extends from the Andes in the west to lowland forests to the east. Mining, especially the extraction of silver and tin, has dominated the country’s economy for centuries. About half of the residents belong to indigenous people. A new constitution, adopted in 2009, strengthens their rights and gives the state control over the important natural gas reserves.
- Abbreviationfinder: Brief profiles of Bolivia, including geography, history, politics, economics as well as common acronyms about this country.
Geography and climate
Bolivia is more than twice as large as Sweden and is located in South America’s inland. In the mountain range of Andes in the west, there is the second largest high plateau in the world, after Tibet. To the east and north, the country slopes down towards the Amazon rainforest and to the southeast, the Gran Chaco plateau area.
The Andes extend all over South America but are the widest in Bolivia and divide here into two chains, the Cordillera Occidental and the Cordillera Oriental (or the Western and Eastern mountain ranges). Both have peaks over 6,000 meters above sea level. Between them, the high plateau, altiplano, spreads out. Here at the 3 6 50 meters above sea level, La Paz called the world’s highest capital (government and parliament sits in La Paz but formal capital is Sucre).
- BarbleJewelry: General information about Bolivia, covering geography, climate, travel tips and popular sights.
In the high-altitude area is also Latin America’s largest lake, Lake Titicaca, which is one and a half times larger than Lake Vänern.
S island derut is the salty poopó lake, a foundation lake with no outlet. Its propagation range is much of the seasons and the lake has dried up on several occasions. Even further south on the high plateau is also the world’s largest salt desert, Salar de Uyuni. Salar de Uyuni is quite flat and huge to the surface (like twice Lake Vänern) with thick salt layers (see also Natural Resources, Energy and Environment).
Country Facts
Geography
| Cultivated land | 34.3 % |
| Land area | 1098581 km 2 |
Population and health
| Population development | 1.56 ‰ |
| Urban population (Urbanization) | 68.5 % |
| Death rate | 6.52 per 1000 residents |
| Life expectancy: Women | 71.78 years |
| Life expectancy: Men | 66.08 years |
| Birth rate | 22.76 births per 1000 residents |
| HDI index | 0.662 |
| Population | 10800882 |
| Infant mortality | 37.49 deaths / 1000 births |
Population Graph Source: Countryaah.com
Energy
| Electricity, production | 7375 million kWh |
| Energy consumption per resident | 831.5 kg. oil per resident |
| Natural gas, production | 20800 million cubic meters |
| Crude oil, production | million tons |
Infrastructure
| Internet users | 36.6 per 100 residents |
| Mobile subscriptions | 98 per 100 residents |
| Passenger cars | 68 per 1000 residents |
Business and economics
| Unemployment | 7.4% of the workforce |
| GDP | 6500 per resident |
| Primary occupations | 32 % |
| Secondary profession | 20 % |
| Tertiary professions | 48 % |
Cordillera Oriental’s eastern slope is pierced by narrow valleys in a fertile but largely uninhabited forest belt, Yungas.
Thereafter, the extensive lowland, Oriente, covers two-thirds of the country’s surface. In the northeast towards the long border with Brazil, Oriente is dominated by rainforests and swamps. In the southeast, the terrain consists more of bushlands in the drier Gran Chaco, which extends into Argentina and Paraguay.
Bolivia is located in the tropical area south of the equator, but the climate varies greatly due to the elevation differences. On the almost desert high altiplano plateau, where it only rains during the high summer of January-February, there is a harsh climate with cold nights.
In Oriente in eastern and northeastern Bolivia, it is warm and humid, especially in the northern part which is reached by winds from the Amazon. The annual rainfall varies widely in the country, from a few hundred millimeters in parts of altiplano to up to 2,000 millimeters in northern Oriente.
Temperature and weather changes in Bolivia are often as violent as the landscape’s shift from one region to another.
FACTS – GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE
Surface
1,098,581 km2 (2018)
Time
Swedish – 5 hours
Adjacent country (s)
Peru, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile
Capital with number of residents
La Paz (administrative capital) 765,000, Sucre
Other major cities
Santa Cruz 1,454,000, El Alto 849,000, Cochabamba 630,000, Oruro 265,000 (Census 2012)
Highest mountain
Sajama (6,554 m asl)
Important rivers
Mamoré, Beni
Largest lake
Lake Titicaca
Average Precipitation / month
La Paz 140 mm (Jan), 8 mm (June)
Average / day
La Paz 8 °C (Nov), 5 °C (July)
2015
September
A referendum shall determine re-election
The Legislative Assembly decides that a referendum will be held in February 2016, to decide whether Evo Morales should be allowed to stand for a fourth term.
July
Big block in Potosí
Protesters are blocking roads to the city of Potosí, due to a conflict with the state over infrastructure investment. After eleven days, it is reported that food, fuel and money in the city are getting scarce.
Mutually-accused football chairman is arrested
The Bolivian Football Association President Carlos Chávez is arrested as part of the international investigation into corruption within the International Football Association (FIFA). Earlier, Secretary-General Alberto Lozada has also been arrested.
Pope visiting
Pope Francis arrives in La Paz where he is greeted by President Morales who supplies him with a bag of cookie sheets. The pope talks about the need to protect the most vulnerable in society from the effects of capitalism. He praises Bolivia for encouraging the poor to be active citizens. From La Paz, Francis goes on to Santa Cruz.
May
Bakers goes on strike
Bakers embark on a two-day strike set in protest against a government decision to abolish subsidies on wheat flour. Soldiers are then deployed to bake bread.
March
Morales kicks Defense Minister
Defense Minister Jorge Ledezma travels to Chile in one of the Air Force’s plans to deliver drinking water to a flood-affected area. He is dressed in a vest with the text “The sea belongs to Bolivia” (see also Foreign Policy and Defense). It triggers criticism from the Chilean government – and results in Morales firing Ledezma. New Defense Minister Reymi Ferreira.
National police chief grips
Former National Police Chief Oscar Nina, who was also responsible for the fight against drugs, is arrested on suspicion of conspiring with drug dealers. His wife, son and daughter are also arrested, suspected of having enriched themselves illegally. Nina was dismissed as police chief just two weeks after the arrest of René Sanabria (see September 2011) but it is unclear if there is any connection.