Overviews
An Overview of Bolivia
One of only two land-locked countries in South America, Bolivia is a mountainous country. Here is an overview of the country
The official name of Bolivia is the Republic of Bolivia. Bolivia covers an area of 425,000 square miles, a surprisingly large country. The capital is La Paz, which has a population of just over 800,000 people. Santa Cruz is the largest city by population with over 1.4 million residents.
The terrain of Bolivia is one of high mountains and plains with some elevations so high as to result in altitude sickness. La Paz, in fact, is located at an elevation of nearly 12,000 feet above sea level. This makes the highest capital city in the world. The climate varies from arid in the high elevations to tropical in lower locations.
Historically, Bolivia was considered to be part of Peru during the reign of the colonial Spanish. When Spain was weekend through wars with the French, independence was sought by many of their colonies. In 1809, the country known today as Bolivia declared independence, naming itself after a general of the same name. It took another 16 years to actually gain autonomy from the Spanish.
Independence did not bring peace or stability to Bolivia. The country was rife with corruption and coups by various factions. This weakness led to disastrous results during the late 1800s when Chile annexed the entire area of coastline held by Bolivia on the Pacific Ocean. Bolivia has never recovered the land in question and has suffered economically for it.
The people of Bolivia are known as Bolivians. The total population for the country is 8.973 million as of the last census in 2004. Growth rate is a strong 2.7 percent per year, meaning an additional 230,000 people may have been added from 2004 to 2005.
The ethnic breakdown of Bolivians is 62 percent indigenous and 38 percent European and mixed race. The people primarily adhere to the Roman Catholic faith, but a small Protestant group of adherents is present. The official language is Spanish, with Quechua, Aymara and Guarani indigenous languages also used. The literacy rate is 85 percent. Life expectancy figures are currently unknown.
Bolivia is a country that seems to sway between chaos and moves towards stability. The future of the country is hard to predict as there appears to be no steadying influence in the region.
Richard Monk is with FactsMonk.com - a site with facts about everything. Visit us to read more about Bolivia. |
Richard Monk
Similar articles
An Overview of China for Travelers
China is often left out of discussions of early civilization which is a mistake since it was one of the first. If you are taking a trip to China, here is some background information your should know. Read more →An Overview of Mexican Celebrations for Travelers
Mexico is very popular travel destination for travelers. If you are considering a trip, timing it to coincide with one of the celebration periods is a good idea. Read more →Bus Travel in the U.S. - An Overview for Visitors
Bus travel takes a different role in the car-driven culture of the United States than it does in most countries. Because the area of the US is so vast, flying is often the most attractive transportation option for traveling between cities and can be priced quite competitively when factoring in time and convenience. Read more →Overview of Cozumel in Mexico
The island of Cozumel is only 12 miles (19 km) off the Mexican Yucatan Peninsula's east coast and 44 miles (71 km) south of Cancun. For years, Cozumel was a quiet sleepy island that didn't get many visitors until Jacques Cousteau did a documentary on it after discovering the world class scuba diving at the Palancar Reefs nearby. Read more →Aphorism
The routines of tourism are even more monotonous than those of daily life.