countries in South America. Almost twothirds of its people, many of whom are
subsistence farmers, live in poverty. However, the recent discovery of rich petroleum and natural gas reserves in the eastern lowlands of the country has brought
considerable economic development to
this region.
The Amerindians were once part of the
great Inca Empire. When the Spanish took
control in the 1500s, however, they reduced the Amerindian population to slavery. Named after the famous leader who
liberated much of South America from
Spain, Simón Bolívar, Bolivia broke away
from Spanish rule in 1825.
Although Bolivia’s area is three-fourths
the size of Alaska, it lost sizable portions
of its territory in wars with Chile (1879-84),
Brazil (1903) and Paraguay (1938). Lost to
Chile was Bolivia’s only outlet to the Pacific Ocean, isolating it commercially. In 1965,
est margin of any leader since the restoration of civilian rule in 1982. A member of
the Movement Toward Socialism party
and an Aymara, Morales won the election
on promises to change the country’s traditional political class and empower Bolivia’s poor majority.
Since taking office, however, Morales’
controversial policies have inflamed racial
Neal Lineback
and economic tensions between Bolivia’s
non-indigenous communities of the eastand Mandy Lineback Gritzner
ern lowlands and the Amerindian populations of the Andean west.
While Morales’ support in the country’s
administrative capital of La Paz remains
strong, most of his opposition comes from
Bolivia’s leftist president Evo Morales
regional governors and outlying departis facing increased opposition from the
ments, especially in the oil and natural
eastern lowland departments of his coungas-rich lowlands. Morales is pressuring
try. In these areas, where most of Bolivia’s
that region to share more of its oil and gas
petroleum reserves exist and a Europeanroyalties. He would use the money to aldescended elite class resides, the resistance
leviate some of the devastating poverty
recently turned violent .
that affects the majority of the
Ethnic Divides in Bolivia
Bolivia is located near the
country.
center of the Andes MounMorales has the support
Tropical Lowlands
tains, where the mountain
of neighboring governments
Yungas and Temperate Valleys
range is? the widest. At this
who fear the turmoil will
point, the Andes consist of
threaten their energy supDepartment Boundaries
PANDO
northeast-southwest trendplies and want Bolivia’s situ©2008
ing mountain ranges, called
ation stabilized. Venezuelan
PERU
cordillera. The Andes divide
President Hugo Chávez is an
Bolivia into three geographic
especially avid defender of
BRAZIL
BENI
zones: the rugged, towering
Morales. This worries U.S. ofmountains and high plateau
ficials who see Chávez, a demof the Altiplano in the west;
ocratic socialist, as a threat to
the semi-tropical Yungas and
democracy in Latin America.
LA PAZ
Lake
temperate valleys of the eastNow, Morales has ousted
Titicaca
ern mountain slopes; and the
the U.S. ambassador to BoLa Paz
SANTA CRUZ
COCHABAMBA
tropical lowlands that occulivia and arrested the goverpy roughly the eastern twonor of Pando, a small Bolivian
thirds of the country.
department where resistance
ORURO
Bolivia, with an area of
is strong, accusing both of
424,135 square miles (1.1
inciting violent protests. The
PA C I F I C
million sq. km.), is one of
charges appear unfounded.
CHUQUISACA
POTOSI
OCEAN
only two landlocked South
Meanwhile, the U.S. governPARAGUAY
TARIJA
American countries. The
ment is moving to suspend
other is Paraguay. Brazil borlongtime trade benefits to Bo0
150 mi
CHILE
ders Bolivia on the north and
livia, citing the government’s
0
150 km
ARGENTINA
east, Paraguay and Argenfailure to cooperate in drugGeography in the News 10/24/08
C. Franko/R. Huerta
tina on the south, and Chile
fighting efforts in the past
and Peru on the west
year. Morales calls the charge
Sources: GITN #582, “Bolivia’s Beauty and the Beast,” July 27, 2001;
Approximately 9.2 million
“revenge” for expelling the
and http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/28/world/americas/28bolivia.
people inhabit Bolivia. The
ambassador.
html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=americas
country’s ethnic distribution
Fears are growing that Bois approximately 55 percent
livia could face a civil war or
full Amerindian, 30 percent Mestizo (mixed
an unsuccessful guerrilla movement led
at least continued bloody conflict across its
Amerindian and European) and around 15
by Cuban General Ché Guevara brought
rebellious eastern lowlands.
percent white. The four largest of the apworld attention to Bolivia.
And that is Geography in the News™. Ocproximately three-dozen native groups
Bolivia established democratic civilian
tober 24, 2008. #960.
are the Quechuas (2.5 million), Aymaras
rule in 1982, but leaders have faced diffiCo-authors are Neal Lineback, Appalachian
(2 million), then Chiquitano (180,000) and
cult problems of crushing poverty, social
State University Professor Emeritus of
Guaraní (125,000). Spanish, Quechua and
unrest and illegal drug production.
Geography, and Geographer Mandy Lineback
Aymara are all official languages.
In December 2005, Bolivians elected
Gritzner. University News Director Jane
Bolivia is one of the least developed
leader Evo Morales president by the widNicholson serves as technical editor.
Geography
In The
News™
BITTERLY
DIVIDED BOLIVIA
es
tip
nd
An
A
lan
Mt
o
ns
©2008 Maps.com