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Capital La Paz, Sucre1
17°00? S 65°00? W Largest city Santa Cruz Official language(s) Spanish, Quechua, Aymara From Spain
August 6, 1825 Area
• Total
• Water (%)
8,857,870 (86th)
8.274.325
8/km² (177th)
{{{population_densitymi²}}}/mi² 2006 estimate
$25,892 million (103rd)
$3,049 (126th) 0.687 (113th) – medium Currency Time zone
• Summer (DST) — (UTC-4)
— (UTC?) Internet TLD .bo Calling code +591 |
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Bolivia Information
Main article: Politics of Bolivia
 La Paz is the political capital of Bolivia.
La Paz is the political capital of Bolivia.
The Supreme Court and departmental and lower courts, has long been riddled with corruption and inefficiency. Through revisions to the constitution in 1994, and subsequent laws, the government has initiated potentially far-reaching reforms in the judicial system and processes.
Bolivia's nine departments received greater autonomy under the Administrative Decentralization law of 1995. Departmental autonomy further increased with the first popular elections for departmental governors, known as prefects, on 18 December 2005. Bolivian cities and towns are governed by directly elected mayors and councils. Municipal elections were held on 5 December 2004, with councils elected to five-year terms. The Popular Participation Law of April 1994, which distributes a significant portion of national revenues to municipalities for discretionary use, has enabled previously neglected communities to make striking improvements in their facilities and services.
The president is elected to a five-year term by popular vote. Elected president United States government.
Legislative Branch: The Congreso Nacional (National Congress) has two chambers. The Cámara de Diputados (Chamber of Deputies) has 130 members, elected to five-year terms by proportional representation. The Cámara de Senadores (Chamber of Senators) has 27 members (three per department), elected to five-year terms by proportional representation. Bolivian people is called "bolitas" by other South-American people with refuse sentiment.
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Main article: Demographics of Bolivia
Bolivia is one of only three countries in Latin America whose largest population segment is comprised of unmixed La Paz city.
Bolivia is one of the least developed countries in South America. Almost two-thirds of its people, many of whom are subsistence farmers, live in poverty. Population density ranges from less than one person per square kilometer in the southeastern plains to about 10 per square kilometer. (25 per sq. mi.) in the central highlands. The annual population growth rate is about 2.74% (2002).
La Paz is the world's highest capital city at 3,600 meters (11,800 ft.) above sea level. The adjacent city of El Alto, at 4,200 meters above sea level, is one of the fastest growing in the hemisphere. Santa Cruz, the commercial and industrial hub of the eastern lowlands, also is experiencing rapid population and economic growth.
The great majority of Bolivians are Iskanwaya. The country abounds in other sites that are difficult to reach and have seen little archaeological exploration.
The Spanish brought their own tradition of religious art which, in the hands of local indigenous and mestizo builders and artisans, developed into a rich and distinctive style of architecture, painting, and sculpture known as "Mestizo Baroque". The colonial period produced not only the paintings of Pérez de Holguín, Flores, Bitti, and others but also the works of skilled but unknown stonecutters, woodcarvers, goldsmiths, and silversmiths. An important body of native baroque religious music of the colonial period was recovered in recent years and has been performed internationally to wide acclaim since 1993.
Bolivian artists of stature in the 20th century include, among others, Guzmán de Rojas, Arturo Borda, María Luisa Pacheco, and Marina Núñez del Prado. Bolivia has rich folklore. Its regional folk music is distinctive and varied. The "devil dances" at the annual carnival of Oruro are one of the great folkloric events of South America, as is the lesser known carnival at Tarabuco.
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Herbert S. Klein, "A Concise History of Bolivia", Cambridge 2003
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