Key Facts about Bolivia

About Bolivia

• Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in western-central South America.
• It is named after independence fighter Simon Bolivar.
• The country is located in the rugged Andes Mountain, with a highland plateau and lowland plains in the Amazon basin.
• One-third of the country is within the Andean mountain range. 
• Bordering Countries: It borders the countries of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Peru.
• Capital: The constitutional capital is Sucre, while the seat of government and executive capital is La Paz.
• Bolivia shares control of Lago Titicaca, the world’s highest lake navigable to large vessels, at 12,500 feet above sea level.
• History:
  • During the 15th and 16th centuries, an ancient civilization called the Inca reigned over the region.
  • In 1538, Spanish conquistadors (or ‘conquerors’) arrived from Europe and gained control of the territory.
  • It broke away from Spanish rule in 1825.
  • Much of its subsequent history has consisted of a series of coups and countercoups, with the last coup occurring in 1978. 
  • Democratic civilian rule was established in 1982.
• Government:
  • The government system is a republic; the new constitution defines Bolivia as a “Social Unitarian State.” 
  • The chief of state and head of government is the president. 
• Currency: Bolivian boliviano
• Official Language: It has 37 official languages, including Spanish.
• Bolivia has a mixed economic system that includes a variety of private freedoms combined with centralized economic planning and government regulation.

Q1) What is a Republic?

A republic is a form of government where the head of state is not a monarch or a dictator but a representative of the people, who is usually elected. The people have the power to control the country’s decisions instead of the elite doing so arbitrarily. 

Source: Bolivia severs ties with Israel, others recall envoys over Gaza

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