Facts About Bolivia

Bolivia, republic in central South America, bounded on the north and east by Brazil, on the southeast by Paraguay, on the south by Argentina, and on the west by Chile and Peru. Bolivia and Paraguay are the only South American countries without direct access to the sea. The maximum length of Bolivia from north to south is about 1,530 km (about 950 mi); its maximum breadth is about 1,450 km (about 900 mi). Its area is 1,098,581 sq km (424,164 sq mi), making it fifth in size (after Brazil, Argentina, Peru, and Colombia) of South American countries. The constitutional capital of Bolivia is Sucre; La Paz is the largest city and administrative capital.

Nicknamed the Rooftop of the World because of its high elevation in the Andes Mountains, Bolivia has a landscape of snow-topped mountain peaks and broad, windswept plateaus 4 km (2.5 m) above sea level. To the east of the mountains, vast grassy plains give way to lowland tropical rain forests. Most of the people live in the Andes Mountains, which occupy a third of the country. Since the 1950s, however, the sparsely settled, eastern lowland plains have gradually become more populous because of significant discoveries of oil and gas.

The principal physical feature of Bolivia is the Andes mountain range, which extends generally north to south across the western part of the country. The Andes form two ranges in Bolivia, the western range (Cordillera Occidental), which runs along the Chilean border, and the eastern range (Cordillera Oriental), the main range, which crosses the west central part of Bolivia. The Cordillera Oriental contains some of the highest Andean peaks, notably Ancohuma (6,388 m/20,958 ft), Illampu (6,360 m/20,867 ft), and Illimani (6,462 m/21,201 ft).

• LA PAZ: There is a little left of the old colonial and nineteenth-century town with the exception of some steep narrow streets and layout of some squares. The Plaza Murillo, with the city's cathedral, legislative buildings, and government institutions, is the focal area of the central part of the city, which has many modern buildings, including skyscrapers.
• LAKE TITICACA: The highest lake in the world (3,800 meters, 12,507 feet), it is 200 kilometers (125 miles) long, with a maximum width of 110 kilometers (69 miles), maximum depth of 280 meters (918 feet), and an area of 8,300 square kilometers (3,240 square miles). It is a fresh-water lake fed by a number of rivers coming mainly from the Cordillera Real (part of the Cordillera Oriental) near its eastern shores.

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