Bolivia. Republic of Bolivia

Bolivia. Republic of Bolivia

A country in the center of South America. Area - 1,098.6 thousand km². Capital (official) - Sucre (216 thousand), actual (seat of government) - La Paz (1.3 million), other largest cities: Santa Cruz, Cochabamba, Oruro, Potosí, Tarija. Administrative-territorial division - 9 departments. Population - 8.3 million (2001); Bolivians, of which over 45% are indigenous people from the Quechua and Aymara tribes, in the tropical part of the country live the so-called "forest Indians," the rest of the population consists of whites and mestizos. Official languages - Spanish, Quechua, Aymara. Dominant religion - Catholicism. Currency - boliviano = 100 centavos.

Has diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation (established with the USSR on April 18, 1945).

National holiday - August 6 - Independence Day (1825).

The Republic of Bolivia is a unitary republic. According to the constitution adopted by parliament on August 13, 1994, the head of state and government is the president; elected for a term of 5 years by an absolute majority of votes. If none of the candidates receives 50%, the final decision is made by Congress, which elects the president by open voting among the two candidates who received the maximum number of valid ballots. On August 4, 2002, Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada was elected president (in October 2003, after mass protests accompanied by human casualties, he was forced to resign and leave the country).

According to the constitution, he was succeeded by Vice President Carlos Mesa, who resigned under pressure from the dissatisfied populace in June 2005. Eduardo Rodríguez took over as head of state. On December 18, 2005, Evo Morales won the presidential elections in the first round.

The highest legislative authority is the National Congress, consisting of the Senate (27 members) and the Chamber of Deputies (130 deputies); elected by universal direct voting for a term of 4 years (the last elections were held on June 30, 2002). Since 1997, the procedure for electing deputies of the lower house of Congress has changed - 50% by party lists, the other half by direct voting. The executive power is exercised by the president and the government he appoints.

Leading political parties: Nationalist Democratic Action (NDC) - founded in 1979; represents the interests of the large national bourgeoisie. Leader - M. Bertero; Nationalist Revolutionary Movement (NRM) - founded in 1941, reformist direction. Leader - M. Quevedo; Left Revolutionary Movement (LRM) - founded in 1971; adheres to social-democratic orientation. Leader - J. Paz Zamora; Movement Towards Socialism (MAS). Leader - E. Morales.

The largest trade unions: Bolivian Workers' Center (founded in 1952; 800 thousand members, leader - J. Solarés) and the Federation of Peasant Unions (leader - F. Kispé).

Spanish conquerors, having broken the resistance of the Incas in 1532-38, seized the territory of modern Bolivia. Under the name Upper Peru, it became part of the Viceroyalty of Peru in 1542, and from 1776 - in the Viceroyalty of La Plata. As a result of the struggle for independence, on August 6, 1825, Upper Peru became an independent republic and was named Bolivia - after Simón Bolívar, the outstanding leader of the struggle for independence of Spanish colonies in Latin America. After the proclamation of Bolivia's independence, English, French, German, and later American capital flowed into the country. An important event in the history of the country was the bourgeois-democratic revolution of 1952 (tin mines were nationalized, agrarian reform was carried out).

Bolivia is a member of the UN (since 1945), OAS (since 1948), LAI (since 1981), LAES (since 1975), the Rio Group, the Amazon Pact, the Andean Community, the Andean Development Corporation, ECLAC, and an associated member of MERCOSUR. Since 1979, Bolivia has been a member of the Non-Aligned Movement.

Bolivia is one of the least developed countries in Latin America. The most important sectors of the economy are mining and gas extraction, non-ferrous metallurgy, the export of which provides the main share of foreign currency earnings (1st place in the world in antimony production, 5th in tin production).

Natural gas (2nd place in Latin America in proven reserves), oil, zinc, gold, silver, bismuth, and tungsten are also extracted.

Agriculture, where about half of the economically active population of the country is employed, is low-productive and backward. It does not meet internal food needs, about 40% of which (mainly grain) Bolivia imports. The traditional sector is pasture livestock. Cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, llamas, and alpacas are raised.

Widespread illegal drug production and trafficking have a significant impact on Bolivia's economy. In 2002, the area of coca plantations was about 25 thousand hectares (3rd place in the world). Bolivia is fighting against the "laundering" of drug money and promotes alternative development programs.

For several years, Bolivia has experienced a prolonged financial and economic crisis, exacerbated by low prices for tin and gas. In order to overcome the crisis, starting in the mid-1980s, Bolivia implemented a program of neoliberal economic measures in accordance with IMF recommendations, which included reducing the role of the state sector in the economy, predominantly market mechanisms of regulation, attracting foreign investment, creating free industrial and trade zones, reducing customs duties on imported goods, and cutting allocations for social needs. In 2004, GDP growth was 3.7%, and the inflation rate increased to 4%. External debt - 4.6 billion dollars. The unemployment rate is 14%. Internal political instability has led to a decrease in foreign investment inflow to 100 million dollars in 2004 (the lowest figure in the last 10 years).

The standard of living of the population is extremely low. Over 65% of the urban population and about 90% of the rural population live below the poverty line.

The minimum wage is about 69 dollars. Bolivia is characterized by high social polarization: the poorest 10% of the population account for only 1% of GDP, while the wealthiest 10% account for 46%.

Railways - 3,691 km, highways - about 50 thousand km, including paved roads - 2,500 km. Air transport is developed, with 12 airports having paved runways, and 3 national and 11 foreign airlines operating.

In 2004, Bolivia's exports amounted to 2.1 billion dollars, imports - 1.8 billion dollars. Exports include: gas, oil, antimony, lithium, tin, silver, tungsten, soybeans and their derivatives, valuable timber. Imports include: food products, consumer goods, raw materials and semi-finished products, machinery and equipment. Main trading partners: Brazil, the USA, Japan, Argentina, Venezuela, Peru. Trade volume with Russia amounts to less than 1 million dollars (2004).

There are 9 universities: 2 each in Cochabamba and La Paz, and 1 each in Potosí, Santa Cruz, Tarija, Oruro, and Sucre.
Main newspapers: "Diario" (55 thousand copies), "Prensa" (50 thousand), "Rasoi" (45 thousand), "Última Hora" (35 thousand). The news agency Fides (ANF) - founded in 1979 and owned by the Catholic Church. There are 189 radio stations, most of which are commercial, and 8 nationwide television channels.