Basic data Capital The official capital is Sucre, the administrative center of the country is La Paz Population 11,758,869 (est. 2022) Language There are several official languages: Spanish 60.7%, Quechua 21.2%, Aymara 14.6%, Guarani 0.6% Religion Roman Catholic 76.8%, Evangelical and Pentecostal 8.1%, Protestant 7.9%, other 1.7%, no religion 5.5% State system Republic Head of… Read More »
Basic information about the territory Subchapters: System of governance and political tendencies in the country Foreign policy of the country Population The system of governance and political tendencies in the country Plurinational State of Bolivia – Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia Bolivia is a republic headed by a president elected directly by the population for a… Read More »
Copacabana (Bolivia) The city of Copacabana was founded in 1574 on the southwestern shore of Lake Titicaca in Bolivia. Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world, it is located at an altitude of 3812 m, its area is 8446 square meters. km. The lake was formed in a tectonic basin. Its name… Read More »
From ancient times, the territory of modern Bolivia was inhabited by Indian tribes, who created the highly developed cultures of Viscachan (10-8 centuries BC) and Tiwanaku (1st millennium BC – 1st millennium AD). In the 14th century a significant part of present-day Bolivia was conquered by the Incas and became one of the provinces of… Read More »
Bolivia is located in South America, bordering Peru, Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. The country is one of the poorest countries in South America and is particularly interesting because of its landscape. The impressive Andes, the world’s largest salt lake, Lake Titicaca, beautiful, colorful lagoons – there are so many beautiful and impressive landscapes to… Read More »
Bolivia is one of the poorest countries in Latin America, despite being economically growing. Located in the center of the subcontinent, for some years now it has been experiencing a profound political and social transformation linked to the success of the trade unionist and former coca farmer Juan Evo Morales, who in October 2014 obtained… Read More »
Population, society and rights The democratic status of Bolivia is not fully realized, so much so that the country is classified as ‘partially free’ according to the Freedom House index. Among the major problems are widespread corruption and continuous violations of the principle of autonomy of the judiciary. Numerous procedural procedures have been interfered with,… Read More »
The natural area of Bolivia is extremely multifaceted and also includes extremes. Due to the diverse topographical conditions in the country, there is a rich variety of plants, flowers and trees. There are also various bodies of water that influence the landscape and climate. In Bolivia there are also extreme differences in the altitude of… Read More »
Location of Bolivia in the middle of South America Bolivia is a landlocked country in the heart of South America (17 00 S and 65 00 W), surrounded by Brazil (border length 3,423 km) in the north and east, Paraguay (750 km) and Argentina (832 km) in the south and Chile (869 km) km) and… Read More »
Social policy With regard to social policy, the MAS government pursued a policy of redistributing state revenues in the early years. In addition, Bolivia was able to benefit from the high world market price and the good conditions for gas sales to Argentina and Brazil until 2014. The Bolivian state was not only able to… Read More »
Natural resources The Uyuni Salt Lake The Madidi National Park The national parks Noel Kempff Mercado (registered in the UNESCO World Heritage List), Madidi, Tunari, Eduardo Avaroa Andean fauna, Kaa-lya del Gran Chaco and Carrasco are among the many protected areas (see also Amazonia) of Bolivia. These national parks are not only important for Bolivia’s… Read More »
Deforestation Despite its size and low population density, as well as poor industrial development, the country’s environmental problems are considerable. The main reasons for this are the inadequate use of sensitive ecosystems by people and the lack of enforcement of existing environmental laws. Perhaps the most serious is deforestation, to which, according to various reports,… Read More »
The pre-Columbian cultures Bolivia’s roots go back much further than the arrival of the Spaniards or the Inca Empire. According to thesciencetutor, it is no coincidence that Peru and Bolivia are considered the cradles of the pre-Columbian civilization in South America. This is important to keep in mind, because today’s indigenous population (Aymaras, Quechuas, Guaranís,… Read More »
Spanish conquest and colonial rule Cerro Rico de Potosí View of the old coin in Potosí When the Spaniards arrived in present-day Peru in 1531, the Inca Empire was divided between the Atahuallpa and Huascar brothers. This situation made the capture and murder of the last Inca ruler Atahuallpa by the Spanish conqueror Francisco Pizarro… Read More »
Simón Bolivar Antonio José de Sucre Andrés de Santa Cruz On August 6, 1825, the representatives of the high Peruvian provinces met in a constituent assembly and declared the independence of their territory and the establishment of the Republic of Bolivia. It should not be overlooked, however, that only a fraction of the population has… Read More »
The 2019 presidential election The renewed candidacy of the duo Evo Morales / Álvaro García Linera for the office of President and Vice-President was a scandal for many viewers. Since their currently ending third term in office is an open breach of the constitution – the new Bolivian constitution passed under the MAS in 2009… Read More »
Evo Morales in front of the congress Domestically, Morales was able to steadily consolidate his power since the beginning of his term in office, although the country was strongly polarized at the beginning. Morales used among other things a with-us-or-against-us rhetoric, which the members of the government apparatus and their employees divided into supporters and… Read More »
Based on clearly anti-capitalist and anti-American discourses, Bolivia, Venezuela, Cuba, Ecuador and Nicaragua were close allies until a few years ago and formed the “Bolivarian Alliance of the Americas” (ALBA) according to thedressexplorer. But this close relationship has waned significantly after Hugo Chavez’s death and the fall in crude oil prices. With the assumption of… Read More »
Bolivia at the 7th Summit of the Americas in Panama in April 2015 No access to the sea for Bolivia Historically, Bolivian foreign policy has been largely dominated by the drive to regain sea access to the Pacific. This has increased under Evo Morales. To date, the government has invested a remarkable amount of political… Read More »
Cattle farming in the lowlands The most important economic sectors for Bolivia are natural gas and oil production, mining (zinc, tin and silver) and agriculture (soy, coffee, corn, rice and, in recent years, quinoa). Since the beginning of the millennium, natural gas deposits have proven to be the economic backbone of the country. Especially between… Read More »
Bolivia Economy Estimated GDP: US $ 40.3 billion (World Bank 2018) Income per capita: 6,886 US $ (HDR 2018) Rank of human development: Rank 114 (HDI 2019) Proportion of poverty (under $ 1.90 per day): 9.7% (HDI 2018) Distribution of income (Gini): 44.6 (HDR 2018) Economic Transformation Index (BTI): Rank 66 of 137 (BTI 2020)… Read More »
According to the IMF, economic growth in Bolivia developed positively in the period 2006-2015 and rose to 5% per year. One of the main reasons for this was the tripling of government revenues from exports, which in turn was not only a consequence of the increase in exports (mainly natural gas, but also agricultural products… Read More »
Mine entrance in Potosi Refinery in Tarija, 2006 Foreign trade The exports Until a few years ago, Bolivia’s foreign trade situation had developed positively for almost a decade. In 2016, the country’s most important exports were natural gas (32%) and traditional export products such as minerals (tin, zinc, gold and silver are particularly important here).… Read More »
Poverty and Poverty Reduction German-Bolivian cooperation At the heart of the reform policy of the former President Sánchez de Lozada (1993-97) was the ” Participación Popular ” (People’s Participation Act). It transferred decision-making authority for health, schools, road construction, irrigation and culture to the communities. In order for them to be able to perform these… Read More »
With the return to democracy at the beginning of the 1980’s, a period of opening up of Bolivian society began, which was accompanied by the establishment of a number of NGOs dedicated to improving the situation of women in Bolivian society. During the three decades that followed, the women’s movement achieved various successes, culminating in… Read More »
Education Sign of the school of Chacahuaya The rural school in Chacahuaya School bell in rural Bolivia The educational system has undergone significant reforms over the past two decades. There were two reforms: in 1994, during the tenure of Sánchez de Lozada, the promotion of bilingual and participatory education was introduced and more space was… Read More »
Currency: Boliviano (BOB) Exchange rate: 7.69 per € (BCB, Dec. 2019) Time zone: CET -5 Country code (phone): +591 Climate (for seat of government): subtropical mountain climate International Airports (IATA): VVI (Santa Cruz), LPB (El Alto / La Paz), CBB (Cbba) Entry and residence regulations Bolivian visa No visa is required to enter Bolivia as… Read More »
Security Road blockade on the Altiplano According to homosociety, Bolivia is one of the safest countries in Latin America. In view of the still widespread poverty, this appears to be a paradox, but corresponds to reality, even if there has been a significant increase in crime in recent years. This particularly applies to the lowlands… Read More »
Colonial Paintings Contemporary painting Before the presidency of Evo Morales, the dominant culture in the country’s major cities was the so-called Western culture of Europeans and the bourgeoisie. However, a clear influence of Indian culture can also be found in art, literature, music and architecture of the colonial era, which has led to an independent… Read More »
Bolivia Life Current coronavirus warning Due to the current coronavirus epidemic, the Federal Foreign Office has issued a general travel warning that is updated regularly. Information about return campaigns for stranded German vacationers is also posted here. Travel in the country is currently not possible. Further information can also be found on the website of… Read More »