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Communications

Internet country code [time series]

.bo

Internet users (Internet hosts) [time series]

7,080 (2003)

Internet users [time series]

270,000 (2002)

Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]

AM 171, FM 73, shortwave 77 (1999)

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

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)

Telephones - fixed lines (Telephones - main lines in use) [time series]

600,100 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]

1,401,500 (2003)

Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]

48 (1997)

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]

soybeans, coffee, coca, cotton, corn, sugarcane, rice, potatoes; timber

Budget [time series]

revenues: $2.346 billion expenditures: $2.957 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2003)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

boliviano (BOB)

Exchange rates (Currency code) [time series]

BOB

Current account balance [time series]

$50 million (2003)

Debt - external [time series]

$5.332 billion (2003 est.)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income (Distribution of family income - Gini index) [time series]

44.7 (1999)

Economic aid (Economic aid - recipient) [time series]

$588 million (1997)

Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]

Bolivia, long one of the poorest and least developed Latin American countries, made considerable progress in the 1990s toward the development of a market-oriented economy. Successes under President SANCHEZ DE LOZADA (1993-97) included the signing of a free trade agreement with Mexico and becoming an associate member of the Southern Cone Common Market (Mercosur), as well as the privatization of the state airline, telephone company, railroad, electric power company, and oil company. Growth slowed in 1999, in part due to tight government budget policies, which limited needed appropriations for anti-poverty programs, and the fallout from the Asian financial crisis. In 2000, major civil disturbances held down growth to 2.5%. Bolivia's GDP failed to grow in 2001 due to the global slowdown and laggard domestic activity. Growth picked up slightly in 2002, but the first quarter of 2003 saw extensive civil riots and looting and loss of confidence in the government. Bolivia will remain highly dependent on foreign aid unless and until it can develop its substantial natural resources.

Electricity - consumption [time series]

3.634 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports [time series]

3 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports [time series]

9 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - production [time series]

3.901 billion kWh (2001)

Exchange rates [time series]

bolivianos per US dollar - 7.6592 (2003), 7.17 (2002), 6.6069 (2001), 6.1835 (2000), 5.8124 (1999)

Exports [time series]

$1.495 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities [time series]

soybeans, natural gas, zinc, gold, wood (2000)

Exports - partners [time series]

Brazil 37%, Venezuela 12.9%, Colombia 11.9%, US 11.5%, Peru 5.1% (2003)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

purchasing power parity - $21.01 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP - composition by sector) [time series]

agriculture: 15% industry: 33.2% services: 51.9% (2003 est.)

Real GDP per capita (GDP - per capita) [time series]

purchasing power parity - $2,400 (2003 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (GDP - real growth rate) [time series]

2.5% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]

lowest 10%: 1.3% highest 10%: 32% (1999)

Imports [time series]

$1.505 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities [time series]

capital goods, raw materials and semi-manufactures, chemicals, petroleum, food

Imports - partners [time series]

Brazil 25.2%, Argentina 22.3%, US 12%, Chile 9.3%, Peru 5.8% (2003)

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

3.9% (1998)

Industries [time series]

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

3.3% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed) [time series]

12.4% of GDP (2003)

Labor force [time series]

4.1 million (2003)

Labor force - by occupation [time series]

agriculture NA, industry NA, services NA

Natural gas - consumption [time series]

1.15 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports [time series]

2.9 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports [time series]

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - production [time series]

4.05 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves [time series]

727.2 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

Oil - consumption [time series]

49,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports [time series]

NA (2001)

Oil - imports [time series]

NA (2001)

Oil - production [time series]

44,340 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - proved reserves [time series]

458.8 million bbl (1 January 2002)

Population below poverty line [time series]

70% (1999 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold (Reserves of foreign exchange & gold) [time series]

$1.096 billion (2003)

Unemployment rate [time series]

11.7% note: widespread underemployment (2003)

Geography

Area [time series]

total: 1,098,580 sq km land: 1,084,390 sq km water: 14,190 sq km

Area - comparative [time series]

slightly less than three times the size of Montana

Climate [time series]

varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and semiarid

Coastline [time series]

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]

lowest point: Rio Paraguay 90 m highest point: Nevado Sajama 6,542 m

Environment - current issues [time series]

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

International environmental agreements (Environment - international agreements) [time series]

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

Geographic coordinates [time series]

17 00 S, 65 00 W

Geography - note [time series]

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

Irrigated land [time series]

1,280 sq km (1998 est.)

Land boundaries [time series]

total: 6,743 km border countries: Argentina 832 km, Brazil 3,400 km, Chile 861 km, Paraguay 750 km, Peru 900 km

Land use [time series]

arable land: 2.67% permanent crops: 0.19% other: 97.54% (2001)

Location [time series]

Central South America, southwest of Brazil

Map references [time series]

South America

Maritime claims [time series]

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards [time series]

flooding in the northeast (March-April)

Natural resources [time series]

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

Terrain [time series]

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

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

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

Capital [time series]

La Paz (seat of government); Sucre (legal capital and seat of judiciary)

Constitution [time series]

2 February 1967; revised in August 1994

Country name [time series]

conventional long form: Republic of Bolivia conventional short form: Bolivia local long form: Republica de Bolivia local short form: Bolivia

Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]

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

Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]

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 consulate(s): Washington, DC

Executive branch [time series]

chief of state: President Carlos Diego MESA Gisbert (since 17 October 2003); Vice President (vacant); note - the president is both the 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 the 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 NA 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

Flag (Flag description) [time series]

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

Government type [time series]

republic

Independence [time series]

6 August 1825 (from Spain)

International organization participation [time series]

CAN, 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

Judicial branch [time series]

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)

Legal system [time series]

based on Spanish law and Napoleonic Code; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch [time series]

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 NA 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

National holiday [time series]

Independence Day, 6 August (1825)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

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]

Political parties (Political pressure groups and leaders) [time series]

Cocalero Groups; indigenous organizations; labor unions; Sole Confederation of Campesino Workers of Bolivia or CSUTCB [Roman LOAYZA]

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age, universal and compulsory (married); 21 years of age, universal and compulsory (single)

Introduction

Background [time series]

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 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.

Military

Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]

Army (Ejercito Boliviano), Navy (Fuerza Naval, includes Marines), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Boliviana)

Military expenditures - dollar figure [time series]

$127 million (2003)

Military expenditures (Military expenditures - percent of GDP) [time series]

1.6% (2003)

Military manpower - availability [time series]

males age 15-49: 2,175,384 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service [time series]

males age 15-49: 1,417,804 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - military age and obligation [time series]

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)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually [time series]

males: 98,155 (2004 est.)

People

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 36.4% (male 1,619,950; female 1,557,883) 15-64 years: 59.1% (male 2,522,086; female 2,631,944) 65 years and over: 4.5% (male 175,193; female 217,100) (2004 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

24.65 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate [time series]

7.77 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Ethnic groups [time series]

Quechua 30%, mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry) 30%, Aymara 25%, white 15%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate [time series]

0.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths [time series]

less than 500 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS [time series]

4,900 (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate [time series]

total: 54.58 deaths/1,000 live births male: 58.23 deaths/1,000 live births female: 50.75 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)

Languages [time series]

Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara (official)

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 65.14 years male: 62.54 years female: 67.86 years (2004 est.)

Literacy [time series]

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 87.2% male: 93.1% female: 81.6% (2003 est.)

Median age [time series]

total: 21.1 years male: 20.4 years female: 21.8 years (2004 est.)

Nationality [time series]

noun: Bolivian(s) adjective: Bolivian

Net migration rate [time series]

-1.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Population [time series]

8,724,156 (July 2004 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

1.56% (2004 est.)

Religions [time series]

Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant (Evangelical Methodist)

Sex ratio [time series]

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: 0.81 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate [time series]

3.08 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international [time series]

has reactivated its claim to restore the Atacama corridor, ceded to Chile in 1884, to secure sovereign maritime access for Bolivian natural gas

Illicit drugs [time series]

world's third-largest cultivator of coca (after Colombia and Peru) with an estimated 28,450 hectares under cultivation in June 2003, a 23% increase from June 2002; intermediate coca products and cocaine exported mostly to or through Brazil, Argentina, and Chile to European and US drug markets; eradication and alternative crop programs under the MESA administration have been unable to keep pace with farmers' attempts to increase cultivation; money-laundering activity related to narcotics trade, especially along the borders with Brazil and Paraguay

Transportation

Airports [time series]

1,067 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways [time series]

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.)

Airports - with unpaved runways [time series]

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.)

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

total: 53,790 km paved: 3,496 km (including 13 km of expressways) unpaved: 50,294 km (2000 est.)

Merchant marine [time series]

total: 56 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 413,407 GRT/699,901 DWT by type: bulk 3, cargo 26, chemical tanker 4, container 3, livestock carrier 1, multi-functional large load carrier 1, petroleum tanker 10, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 1, short-sea/passenger 3, specialized tanker 2 foreign-owned: Argentina 1, British Virgin Islands 1, Cambodia 1, China 1, Cyprus 1, Egypt 1, Eritrea 1, Germany 2, Greece 1, Hong Kong 1, Indonesia 1, Iran 1, Italy 2, Latvia 2, Panama 3, Romania 1, Russia 1, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Saudi Arabia 2, Singapore 3, Syria 1, Turkey 1, United Kingdom 1, United States 3, Yemen 2 registered in other countries: 1 (2004 est.)

Pipelines [time series]

gas 4,860 km; liquid petroleum gas 47 km; oil 2,457 km; refined products 1,589 km; unknown (oil/water) 247 km (2004)

Ports (Ports and harbors) [time series]

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

Railways [time series]

total: 3,519 km narrow gauge: 3,519 km 1.000-m gauge (2003)

Waterways [time series]

10,000 km (commercially navigable) (2004)