Bolivia Facts

Official Name: The Republic of Bolivia

Capital: La Paz

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

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

Population: 8,724,156 (as of July 2004)

Language: Three official languages in order of use: Spanish, Quechua and Aymara

Government: Republic. President Evo Morales (since December 2005); Vice President (Alvaro Garcia Linera). (The president is both the chief of state and head of government.)

Economic Facts: As of 2004, the unemployment rate is estimated at 11.7, while 70% of the population is below the poverty line. External debt 5.332 billion.

Agriculture: soybeans, coffee, coca, cotton, corn, sugarcane, rice, potatoes; timber

Main exports: soybeans, natural gas, zinc, gold, wood

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

Provinces: Bolivia is divided into nine departments: Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, El BEni, La Paz, Oruro, Pando, Potosí, Santa Cruz, Tarija.

Time: GMT minus 4

Electricity: 110/220 Volts AC in La Paz. 220 Volts AC in the rest of the country, 50 Hz. Plugs: most houses have 2-pin sockets for both electrical currents.