no permanent national government; transitional, parliamentary federal government
Independence date
6 August 1825 (from Spain)
Religions
Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant (Evangelical Methodist) 5%
Sunni Muslim
Languages
Spanish 60.7% (official), Quechua 21.2% (official), Aymara 14.6% (official), foreign languages 2.4%, other 1.2% (2001 census)
Somali (official), Arabic, Italian, English
Exports
natural gas, soybeans and soy products, crude petroleum, zinc ore, tin
External Debt
$5,491,000,000 $
Exchange Rate
bolivianos (BOB) per US dollar - 7.253 (2008 est.), 7.8616 (2007), 8.0159 (2006), 8.0661 (2005), 7.9363 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
1.300%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
Location
Central South America, southwest of Brazil
Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, east of Ethiopia
Area
1,098,581 km sq
637,657 km sq
Coastline
0 km
3,025 km
Climate
varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and semiarid
principally desert; northeast monsoon (December to February), moderate temperatures in north and hot in south; southwest monsoon (May to October), torrid in the north and hot in the south, irregular rainfall, hot and humid periods (tangambili) between monsoons
