Country name: Republic of Bolivia

Currency: Boliviano (BOB)

Government type: Republic

Capital: La Paz (seat of government); Sucre (legal capital and seat of judiciary)

Time: GMT/UTC minus 4 hours

Administrative divisions: 9 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, Beni, La Paz, Oruro, Pando, Potosi, Santa Cruz, Tarija.

Independence: August 6, 1825 (from Spain)

National holiday: Independence Day, August 6, (1825)

Location: Bolivia is located in Central South America.

Geographic Coordinates: 17 00 s, 65 00 w

Total Area: 1,098,580 sq km. water: 14,190 sq km. land: 1,084,390 sq km.

Geographical note: Landlocked; shares control of Titicaca Lake with Peru, world's highest navigable lake (elevation 3,805 m) the highlands and high plateau can be cold in the winter and wet in the summer, the only serious barrier to travel will be the odd road washout.

Terrain: Rugged Andes Mountains with a highland plateau (Altiplano), hills, lowland plains of the Amazon Basin.

Elevation extremes:

• Lowest point: Rio Paraguay 90 m
• Highest point: Nevado Sajama 6,942 m

Natural resources: Tin, Natural gas, petroleum, zinc, tungsten, antimony, silver, iron, lead, gold, timber, hydropower.

Major industries: Agriculture, narcotics, smelting, petroleum, food and beverages, tobacco, handicrafts, clothing, tin mining, natural gas
Major trading partners: USA, Brazil, Japan

Population: 8,586,43 (July 2003 est) It is the most indigenous country on the continent, with more than 50% of the population maintaining traditional values and beliefs.
Population growth rate: 1.63% (2003 est.)

Birth rate: 25.53 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate: 7.91 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

Total: 56.05 deaths/1,000 live births

Female: 52.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)

Male: 59.75 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy: 64.78 years male: 62.2 years female: 67.48 years (2003 est.)

Ethnic groups: Quechua 30%, mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry) 30%, Aymara 25%, white 15%

Religions: Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant (Evangelical Methodist)

Languages: Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara (official)

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 87.2%
male: 93.1% female: 81.6% (2003 est.)

Government: Democracy

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 On January 22 he officially received power in a ceremony in La Paz. He is the first indigenious President for 470 years since the time of the Spanish conquests.

Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president

Elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for five-year terms

Legislative branch: Bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (27 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (130 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms; note - some members are drawn from party lists, thus not directly elected)

Elections: Chamber of Senators and Chamber of Deputies.

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)

ECONOMY Debt - external: $5.9 billion (2002 est.)

Industries: mining, smelting, petroleum, food and beverages, tobacco, handicrafts, clothing

Railways total: 3,519 km

Narrow gauge: 3,519 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)

Highways: 53,790 km

Paved: 3,496 km (including 13 km of expressways)

Unpaved: 50,294 km (2000 est.)

Electricity: 220V, 50 Hz (except in La Paz which has 110V & 220V, 50 Hz) Weights & measures: Metric

MIGRATION FACTS
Visas: Regulations change frequently, but currently citizens of most EU countries can stay 90 days without a visa; citizens of the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Africa and Israel can stay 30 days without a visa. Most other nationalities require a visa in advance - usually issued for a 30-day stay.

Health risks: Altitude sickness, Chagas disease, cholera, dengue fever, hepatitis, malaria, polio, rabies, tetanus, typhoid, yellow-fever

VACCINE RECOMENDATIONS:  No vaccinations are required to enter Bollvia unless you are going to the Amazon Rainforest or other jungle areas. The Yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers arriving from infected areas and incoming travellers from non-infected zones visiting risk areas, is valid for 10 years and must be administered at least 10 days before your arrival in the rainforest. Malaria is only a concern for travel to the jungle areas and there is no official requirement for preventive treatment. The Typhoid vaccination is recommended 10 days before travel, The Hepatitis A vaccination is recommended 2 weeks before travel and Hepatitis B vaccination sometimes is recommended and must be administered 2 months before.

MIGRATION
Servicio Nacional de Migración (National Migration Service) SENAMIG http://www.bolivia.gov.bo