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bolivia

Capital:	Sucre
Population:	10,389,913
Official Languages:	Spanish, Quechua, Aymara, Guaraní and 34 languages
Time Zone:	-4
Dialing Code:	+591

Government:	Unitary presidential
Area:	1,098,581 km2
Ethnic Groups:	55% Amerindian, 30% Mestizo, 15% White
Currency :	Boliviano (BOB)
ISO 3166 code:	BO

Basic Info

Bolivia, officially known as the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Quechua: Bulivya Mamallaqta, Aymara: Wuliwya Suyu), is a landlocked country in central South America. It is bordered by Brazil to the north and east, Paraguay and Argentina to the south, Chile to the southwest, and Peru to the west.

Geography

Bolivia is located in the central zone of South America, between the meridians 57° 26´ and 69° 38´ longitude west of the Prime Meridian, and the parallels 9° 38´ and 22° 53´ of southern latitude. At 1,098,580 square kilometres (424,160 sq mi), Bolivia is the world's 28th-largest country. Its surface extends from the Central Andes, going partially through the Gran Chaco, as far as the Amazon. The geographic center of the country is the so-called Puerto Estrella ("Star Port") on the Río Grande, in Ñuflo de Chávez Province, Santa Cruz Department.

Climate

The climate of Bolivia varies drastically from one ecoregion to the other, from the tropics in the eastern llanos to polar climates in the western Andes. The summers are warm, humid in the east and dry in the west, with rains that often modify temperatures, humidity, winds, atmospheric pressure and evaporation, giving place to very different climates. When the climatological phenomenon known as El Nino takes place, it provokes great alterations in the weather. Winters are very cold in the west, and it snows around the mountain ranges, while in the western regions, windy days are more usual. The autumn is dry in the non-tropical regions.

Religion

According to the 2001 census done by the Bolivian National Statistics Institute, the 78% of the Bolivian population follows Roman Catholicism, while a 19% follows the Protestantism, and 3% has different Christian beliefs. The Protestantism along with traditional indigenous beliefs are expanding rapidly.

Administrative divisions

Bolivia is divided into nine departments, further subdivided into 112 provinces and these ones into 339 municipalities and into native community lands.