16 September 1810 (declared); 27 September 1821 (recognized by Spain)
6 August 1825 (from Spain)
Religions
Roman Catholic 76.5%, Protestant 6.3% (Pentecostal 1.4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.1%, other 3.8%), other 0.3%, unspecified 13.8%, none 3.1% (2000 census)
Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant (Evangelical Methodist) 5%
Languages
Spanish only 92.7%, Spanish and indigenous languages 5.7%, indigenous only 0.8%, unspecified 0.8%; note - indigenous languages include various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional languages (2005)
Spanish 60.7% (official), Quechua 21.2% (official), Aymara 14.6% (official), foreign languages 2.4%, other 1.2% (2001 census)
natural gas, soybeans and soy products, crude petroleum, zinc ore, tin
External Debt
$210,800,000,000 $
$5,491,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
Mexican pesos (MXN) per US dollar - 11.016 (2008 est.), 10.8 (2007), 10.899 (2006), 10.898 (2005), 11.286 (2004)
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
0.500%
1.300%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
3
0
Location
Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, between Belize and the US and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and the US
Central South America, southwest of Brazil
Area
1,964,375 km sq
1,098,581 km sq
Coastline
9,330 km
0 km
Climate
varies from tropical to desert
varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and semiarid
