GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT BOLIVIAHere you can find important information about Bolivia classified into the following categories: Surface area - Population - Language - Religion - History - Politics - Economy - Food
Bolivia , with a surface of 1.098.581 km², lies in the heart of South America and borders in the west to Peru and Chile , in the south to Argentina and Paraguay and in the east and the north to Brazil . Bolivia is the only landlocked country of South America beside Paraguay. The country can be split roughly in three different regions: to the Altiplano (highland), the Yungas, a wooded region as well as the Llanos (lowland) situated in the east and the tropical rain forest areas of the Amazon . The Andean mountain chains, the Cordillera Occidental and the Cordillera Real , define the west of the country. Bolivia 's mountains reach the heights to 6.500 meter, for instance, the Sajama 6.542 meter or the Illimani 6.462 meter . On about 3.000 to 4.000 meter surrounded by the Cordillerias lies the central highland, in which about 80% of all Bolivians live, although it is only about one third of the surface of Bolivia . In the midst of the Altiplano lies the Titicaca lake, the highest navigable lake of the world and the biggest lake of South America . Between the east slope of the Andes and the east mountainous the Yungas extend by a height between 1.200 and 1.800 meter above sea level. According to the surface, the biggest part of Bolivia are the Llanos which extend from the east mountainous up to the borders to Brazil and Paraguay . This tropical-hot lowland subdivides itself into the dry savannas of the Gran Chaco and the tropical rain forest areas of the Amazon.
With approx. 60 percent of Indian population Bolivia is the land of South America with the biggest interest of Indigenas. In Bolivia live about 8.3 million people, form mestizo (26%), to white (14%) and members of Indian teams (approx. 60%). A huge number of small groups of immigrants, like the Mennonites around Santa Cruz, form together with the Crillos (purely spanish-stocky) the remaining interest of the population. The annual growth in population of 2.33 percent is high, while the population density with 7.2 inhabitants per km² is low; to the comparison: Germany has approx. 231 inhabitants per km². Approximately 60 percent of the Bolivians live in towns and the Andes are populated by the majority by Indigenas . In the lowland of Bolivia, especially in the Amazon primeval forest still live some smaller Indian's people, primarily members of the Arawak- and Tupi-Guarani . 90 percent of the Bolivians confess to the Catholic confidence. Particularly in country regions the christianization does not hinder the population from practicing their physical religions. Thus many myths and images of the Aymara and Inca live on and the superstition enters everywhere symbiosis with the Catholic belief. Some Campesinos still believe in the traditional lunar calendar and in the whole land Coca leaves and alcohol are sacrificed to "The Pachamama" (mother earth). This superstition you also can feel on every corner of the witch's market in La Paz whose visit is to be recommended very much. Healers offer here from herbs mixtures up to dehydrated llama fetus everything. The use, the application as well as remedial effect of stones, elixirs and remedial plants are exactly explained to the enthusiast.
Official languages in Bolivia are Spanish, Quechua and Aymara.
90 percent of the Bolivians confess to the Catholic confidence. Particularly in country regions the christianization does not hinder the population from practicing their physical religions. Thus many myths and images of the Aymara and Inca live on and the superstition enters everywhere symbiosis with the Catholic belief. Some Campesinos still believe in the traditional lunar calendar and in the whole land Coca leaves and alcohol are sacrificed to "The Pachamama" (mother earth).
Civilisation in the Bolivian Andes is thought to stretch back some 21.000 years. The most influential Pre-Columbian cultures were the Tiahuanaco, who were based around Lake Titicaca and who ruled the region between AD 600-1200, and the Incas, who headed a vast empire comprising most of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and northern Chile. The Spanish conquest of the country began in 1531 under Francisco Pizarro. The conquistadors made rapid progress, exploiting the trust (and later the disunity) of the Indians to secure the territory that within two years became known as Alto Peru. In 1544, deposits of silver were discovered at Potosí. The wealth generated by this find underwrote the Spanish economy (and the extravagance of its monarchs) for more than two centuries. The process of achieving independence from the profligate Spanish administration finally came in the form of Simón Bolivar's lieutenant Antonio José de Sucre, in the battle of Ayacucho in 1824. Bolivia was formally declared a republic the following year and was named after the independence fighter Simon Bolívar. Bolivia's territory had always been coveted by its neighbours,
so Chile, in the War of the Pacific (1879 - 1884), secured 850 km
of coastline leaving Bolivia landlocked. Soon after, Peru, Brazil
and Argentina also began hacking away at Bolivia's borders. The current President of the Republic of Bolivia Dr. Carlos Mesa resigned his position on 9th of june. The new President till the reelection in december is Eduardo Rodriguez Veltze.
The Republic of Bolivia has been a presidential democracy since
1825. There are 9 departamentos, headed each by prefects appointed by
the President. Departamentos are subdivided into 94 provinces, which
again consist of 1272 districts. The official capital of the country
is Sucre, although de facto it is La Paz. Since 1825 there have been 200 (world record!) violent changes of government and the constitution has been altered several times. A peculiarity is that one political session only lasts 3 months, the rest of the time is more or less like a holiday.
Bolivia, long time one of the poorest and least developed Latin
American countries, made considerable progress in the 1990s towards
the development of a market-oriented economy. 39% of the employed Bolivians work in agriculture of which the most important areas are around the Titicaca Lake and in the valley basin of the east Bolivian mountain land. Cultivated are mainly potatoes, corn and wheat in the highlands, as well as sugar cane, rice, cotton, coffee, bananas, fruits and vegetables in the lowlands. The most significant product, however, is coca covering 2/3 of the whole area under cultivation. While inflation has been reduced to around 4% annually, the country's history of economic instability still deters overseas investors. Bolivia's main structural problem is the huge gulf that seperates this divided society, half immersed in the world of 20th-century business and half who remain subsistent peasants.
The cuisine of Bolivia is extensive and eventful. Usually the Bolivian people eat for breakfast an empanada (a pastry-pocket filled with cheese). Later in the morning many people eat the national dish, a salteña. These pastry-pockets consist of beef or chicken, potatoes, one or two olives, peas and an egg. The main dish of the day is the warm lunch. Usually the people eat at home with their families and so they take a long lunch break. First a soup is served, after this the main dish follows, which often consists of chicken, rice, potatoes and vegetables. The desserts include coconut candies, ice cream, sweet pastries and fritters. |
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