The 2008 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency
DC during Standard Time) note: Sucre (constitutional capital)
Administrative divisions:
9 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Beni, Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, La Paz, Oruro, Pando, Potosi, Santa Cruz, Tarija
Independence:
6 August 1825 (from Spain)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 6 August (1825)
Constitution:
2 February 1967; revised in August 1994; possible referendum on new constitution to be held in 2008
Legal system:
based on Spanish law and Napoleonic Code; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age, universal and compulsory (married); 21 years of age, universal and compulsory (single)
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Juan Evo MORALES Ayma (since 22 January 2006); Vice President Alvaro GARCIA Linera (since 22 January 2006); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Juan Evo MORALES Ayma (since 22 January 2006); Vice President Alvaro GARCIA Linera (since 22 January 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a single five-year term; election last held 18 December 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: Juan Evo MORALES Ayma elected president; percent of vote - Juan Evo MORALES Ayma 53.7%; Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ramirez 28.6%; Samuel DORIA MEDINA Arana 7.8%; Michiaki NAGATANI Morishit 6.5%; Felipe QUISPE Huanca 2.2%; Guildo ANGULA Cabrera 0.7%
Legislative branch:
bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (27 seats; members are elected by proportional representation from party lists to serve five-year terms) and Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (130 seats; 70 members are directly elected from their districts and 60 are elected by proportional representation from party lists to serve five-year terms) elections: Chamber of Senators and Chamber of Deputies - last held 18 December 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PODEMOS 13, MAS 12, UN 1, MNR 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MAS 73, PODEMOS 43, UN 8, MNR 6
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges appointed for 10-year terms by National Congress); District Courts (one in each department); provincial and local courts (to try minor cases); Constitutional Tribunal (five primary or titulares and five alternate or suplente magistrates appointed by Congress; to rule on constitutional issues); National Electoral Court (six members elected by Congress, Supreme Court, the President, and the political party with the highest vote in the last election for 4-year terms)
Political parties and leaders:
Free Bolivia Movement or MBL [Franz BARRIOS]; Movement Toward
Socialism or MAS [Juan Evo MORALES Ayma]; Movement Without Fear or
MSM [Juan DEL GRANADO]; National Revolutionary Movement or MNR
[Mirta QUEVEDO]; National Unity [Samuel DORIA MEDINA Arana]; Poder
Democratico Nacional or PODEMOS [Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ramirez];
Social Alliance [Rene JOAQUINO]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Sole Confederation of Campesino Workers of Bolivia or CSUTCB other: Cocalero groups; indigenous organizations; labor unions
International organization participation:
CAN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent),
ITSO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINURCAT,
MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNASUR,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI,
UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Erika DUENAS chancery: 3014 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483–4410 FAX: [1] (202) 328–3712 consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Oklahoma City, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, DC
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Krishna URS embassy: Avenida Arce 2780, Casilla 425, La Paz mailing address: P. O. Box 425, La Paz; APO AA 34032 telephone: [591] (2) 216–8000 FAX: [591] (2) 216–8111
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with the coat of arms centered on the yellow band note: similar to the flag of Ghana, which has a large black five-pointed star centered in the yellow band
Economy
Bolivia
Economy - overview:
Bolivia is one of the poorest and least developed countries in Latin America. Following a disastrous economic crisis during the early 1980s, reforms spurred private investment, stimulated economic growth, and cut poverty rates in the 1990s. The period 2003–05 was characterized by political instability, racial tensions, and violent protests against plans - subsequently abandoned - to export Bolivia's newly discovered natural gas reserves to large northern hemisphere markets. In 2005, the government passed a controversial hydrocarbons law that imposed significantly higher royalties and required foreign firms then operating under risk-sharing contracts to surrender all production to the state energy company, which was made the sole exporter of natural gas. The law also required that the state energy company regain control over the five companies that were privatized during the 1990s - a process that is still underway. In 2006, higher earnings for mining and hydrocarbons exports pushed the current account surplus to about 12% of GDP and the government's higher tax take produced a fiscal surplus after years of large deficits. Debt relief from the G8 - announced in 2005 - also has significantly reduced Bolivia's public sector debt burden. Private investment as a share of GDP, however, remains among the lowest in Latin America, and inflation reached double-digit levels in 2007.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$39.75 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$13.19 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
4.6% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$4,400 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 14.5% industry: 30.5% services: 55% (2006 est.)
Labor force:
4.377 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 40% industry: 17% services: 43% (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate:
7.5% in urban areas; widespread underemployment (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
60% (2006 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 0.3% highest 10%: 47.2% (2002)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
59.2 (2006)
Investment (gross fixed):
16.1%