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272 lines
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272 lines
22 KiB
Plaintext
BOLIVIA
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 1,098,580 km2; land area: 1,084,390 km2
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Comparative area: slightly less than three times the size of
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Montana
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Land boundaries: 6,743 km total; Argentina 832 km, Brazil 3,400
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km, Chile 861 km, Paraguay 750 km, Peru 900 km
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Coastline: none--landlocked
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Maritime claims: none--landlocked
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Disputes: has wanted a sovereign corridor to the South Pacific
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Ocean since the Atacama area was lost to Chile in 1884; dispute with
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Chile over Rio Lauca water rights
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Climate: varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and
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semiarid
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Terrain: high plateau, hills, lowland plains
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Natural resources: tin, natural gas, crude oil, zinc, tungsten,
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antimony, silver, iron ore, lead, gold, timber
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Land use: arable land 3%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and
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pastures 25%; forest and woodland 52%; other 20%; includes irrigated
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NEGL%
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Environment: cold, thin air of high plateau is obstacle to
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efficient fuel combustion; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
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Note: landlocked; shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's
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highest navigable lake, with Peru
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PEOPLE
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Population: 7,156,591 (July 1991), growth rate 2.4% (1991)
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Birth rate: 34 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: - 1 migrant/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 83 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 59 years male, 64 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 4.6 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Bolivian(s); adjective Bolivian
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Ethnic divisions: Quechua 30%, Aymara 25%, mixed 25-30%,
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European 5-15%
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Religion: Roman Catholic 95%; active Protestant minority,
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especially Evangelical Methodist
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Language: Spanish, Quechua, and Aymara (all official)
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Literacy: 78% (male 85%, female 71%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1990 est.)
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Labor force: 1,700,000; agriculture 50%, services and utilities
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26%, manufacturing 10%, mining 4%, other 10% (1983)
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Organized labor: 150,000-200,000, concentrated in mining, industry,
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construction, and transportation; mostly organized under Bolivian
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Workers' Central (COB) labor federation
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Republic of Bolivia
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Type: republic
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Capital: La Paz (seat of government); Sucre (legal capital and seat
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of judiciary)
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Administrative divisions: 9 departments (departamentos,
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singular--departamento); Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, El Beni, La Paz, Oruro,
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Pando, Potosi, Santa Cruz, Tarija
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Independence: 6 August 1825 (from Spain)
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Constitution: 2 February 1967
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Legal system: based on Spanish law and Code Napoleon; has not
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accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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National holiday: Independence Day, 6 August (1825)
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Executive branch: president, vice president, Cabinet
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Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional)
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consists of an upper chamber or Chamber of Senators (Camara de
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Senadores) and a lower chamber or Chamber of Deputies (Camara de
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Diputados)
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Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)
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Leaders:
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Chief of State and Head of Government--President Jaime
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PAZ Zamora (since 6 August 1989); Vice President Luis OSSIO Sanjines
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(since 6 August 1989)
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Political parties and leaders:
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Movement of the Revolutionary Left (MIR), Jaime PAZ Zamora;
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Nationalist Democratic Action (ADN), Hugo BANZER Suarez;
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Nationalist Revolutionary Movement (MNR), Gonzalo SANCHEZ de Lozada;
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Christian Democratic Party (PDC), Jorge AGREDO;
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Free Bolivia Movement (MBL), led by Antonio ARANIBAR;
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United Left (IU), a coalition of leftist parties which includes
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Patriotic National Convergency Axis (EJE-P) led by Walter DELGADILLO,
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and Bolivian Communist Party (PCB) led by Humberto RAMIREZ;
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Conscience of the Fatherland (CONDEPA), Carlos PALENQUE Aviles;
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Revolutionary Vanguard-9th of April (VR-9), Carlos SERRATE Reich;
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Civic Union Solidarity (UCS), Max FERNANDEZ
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Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18 (married) or 21
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(single)
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Elections:
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President--last held 7 May 1989 (next to be held May 1993);
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results--Gonzalo SANCHEZ de Lozada (MNR) 23%, Hugo BANZER Suarez
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(ADN) 22%, Jaime PAZ Zamora (MIR) 19%; no candidate received a
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majority of the popular vote; Jaime PAZ Zamora (MIR) formed a
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coalition with Hugo BANZER (ADN); with ADN support PAZ Zamora
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won the congressional runoff election on 4 August and was inaugurated
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on 6 August 1989;
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Senate--last held 7 May 1989 (next to be held May 1993);
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results--percent of vote NA;
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seats (27 total) MNR 9, ADN 7, MIR 8, CONDEPA 2, PDC 1;
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Chamber of Deputies--last held 7 May 1989 (next to be held May
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1993); results--percent of vote by party NA;
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seats (130 total) MNR 40, ADN 35, MIR 33, IU 10, CONDEPA 9,
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PDC 3
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Member of: AG, ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD,
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ICO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM,
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ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
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UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Jorge CRESPO; Chancery at
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3014 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202)
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483-4410 through 4412; there are Bolivian Consulates General in Houston,
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Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, and San Francisco;
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US--Ambassador Robert S. GELBARD; Embassy at Banco Popular del Peru
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Building, corner of Calles Mercado y Colon, La Paz (mailing address is
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P. O. Box 425, La Paz, or APO Miami 34032); telephone 591 (2)
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350251 or 350120
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Flag: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green
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with the coat of arms centered on the yellow band; similar to the flag of
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Ghana, which has a large black five-pointed star centered in the yellow
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band
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ECONOMY
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Overview: The Bolivian economy steadily deteriorated between
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1980 and 1985 as La Paz financed growing budget deficits by expanding
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the money supply and inflation spiraled--peaking at 11,700%. An austere
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orthodox economic program adopted by newly elected President Paz
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Estenssoro in 1985, however, succeeded in reducing inflation to between
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10% and 20% annually since 1987, eventually restarting economic growth.
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President Paz Zamora has retained the economic policies of the previous
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government, keeping inflation down and continuing the moderate growth
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begun under his predecessor. Nevertheless, Bolivia continues to be one of
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the poorest countries in Latin America, and it remains vulnerable to
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price fluctuations for its limited exports--agricultural products,
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minerals, and natural gas. Moreover, for many farmers, who constitute
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half of the country's work force, the main cash crop is coca, which is
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sold for cocaine processing.
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GDP: $4.85 billion, per capita $690; real growth rate 2.7% (1990)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 18% (1990)
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Unemployment rate: 21.5% (1990 est.)
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Budget: revenues $2.5 billion; expenditures $2.8 billion,
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including capital expenditures of $850 million (1990 est.)
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Exports: $927 million (f.o.b., 1990);
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commodities--metals 45%, natural gas 30%, other 25%
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(coffee, soybeans, sugar, cotton, timber);
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partners--US 15%, Argentina
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Imports: $716 million (c.i.f., 1990);
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commodities--food, petroleum, consumer goods, capital goods;
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partners--US 22%
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External debt: $3.7 billion (December 1990)
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Industrial production: growth rate 5% (1990); accounts for
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almost 30% of GDP
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Electricity: 833,000 kW capacity; 1,763 million kWh produced, 260
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kWh per capita (1990)
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Industries: mining, smelting, petroleum, food and beverage,
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tobacco, handicrafts, clothing; illicit drug industry reportedly produces
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significant revenues
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Agriculture: accounts for about 20% of GDP (including forestry and
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fisheries); principal commodities--coffee, coca, cotton, corn, sugarcane,
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rice, potatoes, timber; self-sufficient in food
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Illicit drugs: world's second-largest producer of coca
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(after Peru) with an estimated 51,900 hectares under cultivation;
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government considers all but 12,000 hectares illicit; intermediate
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coca products and cocaine exported to or through Colombia and Brazil
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to the US and other international drug markets
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Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $990
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million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
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(1970-88), $1.7 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $340 million
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Currency: boliviano (plural--bolivianos); 1 boliviano ($B) = 100
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centavos
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Exchange rates: bolivianos ($B) per US$1--3.3732 (December 1990),
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3.1727 (1990), 2.6917 (1989), 2.3502 (1988), 2.0549 (1987), 1.9220
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(1986), 0.4400 (1985)
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Fiscal year: calendar year
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Railroads: 3,675 km total; 3,643 km 1.000-meter gauge and 32 km
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0.760-meter gauge, all government owned, single track
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Highways: 38,836 km total; 1,300 km paved, 6,700 km gravel,
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30,836 km improved and unimproved earth
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Inland waterways: 10,000 km of commercially navigable waterways
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Pipelines: crude oil 1,800 km; refined products 580 km; natural gas
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1,495 km
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Ports: none; maritime outlets are Arica and Antofagasta in Chile
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and Matarani in Peru
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Merchant marine: 2 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 14,051
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GRT/22,155 DWT
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Civil air: 56 major transport aircraft
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Airports: 807 total, 659 usable; 9 with permanent-surface runways;
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1 with runways over 3,659 m; 8 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 120 with
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runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: radio relay system being expanded; improved
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international services; 144,300 telephones; stations--129 AM, no FM, 43
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TV, 68 shortwave; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Bolivian Army, Bolivian Navy (including Marines),
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Bolivian Air Force, National Police Force
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 1,679,352; 1,091,368 fit for
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military service; 72,979 reach military age (19) annually
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Defense expenditures: $162 million, 4% of GNP (1988 est.)
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