South America.

GMT - 4.

1,098,581 sq km (424,164 sq miles).

9 million (UN estimate 2005).

7.6 per sq km.

Legal: Sucre. Population: 223,436 (official estimate 2000). Administrative: La Paz. Population: 1 million (official estimate 2000).

Bolivia is a landlocked country bordered by Peru to the northwest, Brazil to the north and east, Paraguay to the southeast, Argentina to the south and Chile to the west. There are three main areas: the first is a high plateau known as the ‘Altiplano’, a largely barren region lying approximately 4000m (13,000ft) above sea level. It comprises 10 per cent of the country’s area and contains 70 per cent of the population, nearly one-third of whom are urban dwellers. The second area is a fertile valley situated 1800m (5900ft) to 2700m (8850ft) above sea level. The third area comprises the lowland tropics which stretch down to the frontiers with Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, taking up some 70 per cent of the land area. Rainfall in this region is high, and the climate is hot.

The bicameral congress is the legislature. This is made up of the 27-member Senate and 130-member Chamber of Deputies. Both the Congress and the president, who is Head of State and wields executive power with a Cabinet of Ministers, are directly elected for terms of four years.

Republic. Gained independence from Spain in 1825. Head of State and Government: President Evo Morales since January 2006. Recent history: The 2002 presidential election returned the Movimiento Nacional Revolucionario's Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada as President, his party dominating both houses of Congress. However, a police revolt stemming from multiple fractious factors, such as economic recession and longstanding ethnic tensions, nearly toppled the government of President Lozada, who eventually resigned - following further bloody demonstrations - in 2003. Carlos Mesa assumed presidency and, for a while, seemed the man for the job of quieting this turbulent country. However, he resigned in June 2005 after a surge of protests swept the country. The protests were triggered in May when Congress approved an increase in taxes on foreign gas companies. Demonstrators, drawn mainly from Bolivia's indigenous majority and left-wing groups, claimed that these rises were not enough and were asking for nationalisation of Bolivia's primary - one might say only - source of wealth: energy reserves, namely, oil. There were also cries for constitution re-writes so that more power was distributed to the indigenous peoples. La Paz was at a virtual standstill with road blockades catalysing exhausts in fuel supplies and rising prices. Matters subsided somewhat following Mesa's resignation (although protests weren't really specifically aimed at Mesa), and the appointment of interim President, Eduardo Rodriguez. Presidential elections took place in December 2005. The frontrunners were Evo Morales, a leftist candidate from Bolivia's indigenous peoples, and former President Jorge Quiroga. Morales won a decisive victory and was inaugurated as president in January 2006. Irrespective of the complexion of the government, the most important domestic issue for the government for the last decade has been the US-sponsored ‘war on drugs’ – coca and its products, in the case of Bolivia – which is widely unpopular in a country where coca is considered to be both a traditional product and a valuable cash crop. The government had originally announced that all coca plantations would be eradicated by the end of 2002. This was always highly unlikely and the government eventually conceded 12,000 hectares (approximately 50 sq miles) of plantation for ‘traditional’ purposes. However, since the economic crisis in Argentina and Brazil, which has affected Bolivia badly, impoverished farming communities are making strong demands to be allowed to grow coca once again. The government faces a difficult balancing act between two determined parties; the American administration (which controls most of the purse strings) and an increasingly restless population. Other important foreign policy issues for Bolivia are the development of regional cooperation, principally concerned with trade and economic harmonisation and – on a bilateral level – Bolivia’s persistently problematic relations with Chile.
The bicameral congress is the legislature. This is made up of the 27-member Senate and 130-member Chamber of Deputies. Both the Congress and the president, who is Head of State and wields executive power with a Cabinet of Ministers, are directly elected for terms of four years.

The official languages are Spanish, Quechua, Aymará and Tupi Guaraní. English is also spoken by a small number of officials and businesspeople in commercial centres.

Roman Catholic with a Protestant minority.

Normal social courtesies in most Bolivian families and respect for traditions should be observed. Remember to refer to rural Bolivians as campesinos rather than Indians, which is considered an insult. Western dress and diet are gradually being adopted by the campesinos (although great poverty remains further to the north); a suit and tie for men and dress for women should be worn for smart social occasions. Casual wear is otherwise suitable. Smoking is accepted except where indicated.