| One of only two land-locked countries in South | | | | corruption and coups by various factions. This |
| America, Bolivia is a mountainous country. Here is an | | | | weakness led to disastrous results during the late |
| overview of the countryThe official name of Bolivia is | | | | 1800s when Chile annexed the entire area of coastline |
| the Republic of Bolivia. Bolivia covers an area of | | | | held by Bolivia on the Pacific Ocean. Bolivia has never |
| 425,000 square miles, a surprisingly large country. The | | | | recovered the land in question and has suffered |
| capital is La Paz, which has a population of just over | | | | economically for it.The people of Bolivia are known as |
| 800,000 people. Santa Cruz is the largest city by | | | | Bolivians. The total population for the country is 8.973 |
| population with over 1.4 million residents.The terrain of | | | | million as of the last census in 2004. Growth rate is a |
| Bolivia is one of high mountains and plains with some | | | | strong 2.7 percent per year, meaning an additional |
| elevations so high as to result in altitude sickness. La | | | | 230,000 people may have been added from 2004 to |
| Paz, in fact, is located at an elevation of nearly 12,000 | | | | 2005.The ethnic breakdown of Bolivians is 62 percent |
| feet above sea level. This makes the highest capital | | | | indigenous and 38 percent European and mixed race. |
| city in the world. The climate varies from arid in the | | | | The people primarily adhere to the Roman Catholic |
| high elevations to tropical in lower locations.Historically, | | | | faith, but a small Protestant group of adherents is |
| Bolivia was considered to be part of Peru during the | | | | present. The official language is Spanish, with Quechua, |
| reign of the colonial Spanish. When Spain was | | | | Aymara and Guarani indigenous languages also used. |
| weekend through wars with the French, independence | | | | The literacy rate is 85 percent. Life expectancy figures |
| was sought by many of their colonies. In 1809, the | | | | are currently unknown.Bolivia is a country that seems |
| country known today as Bolivia declared | | | | to sway between chaos and moves towards stability. |
| independence, naming itself after a general of the | | | | The future of the country is hard to predict as there |
| same name. It took another 16 years to actually gain | | | | appears to be no steadying influence in the |
| autonomy from the Spanish.Independence did not bring | | | | region.Richard Monk is with - a site with facts about |
| peace or stability to Bolivia. The country was rife with | | | | everything. Visit us to read more about Bolivia. |