The 1992 CIA World Factbook

by United States. Central Intelligence Agency

Long-form name:
Republic of Bolivia
Type:
republic
Capital:
La Paz (seat of government); Sucre (legal capital and seat of judiciary)
Administrative divisions:
9 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Chuquisaca,
Cochabamba, Beni, La Paz, Oruro, Pando, Potosi, Santa Cruz, Tarija
Independence:
6 August 1825 (from Spain)
Constitution:
2 February 1967
Legal system:
based on Spanish law and Code Napoleon; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
National holiday:
Independence Day, 6 August (1825)
Executive branch:
president, vice president, Cabinet
Legislative branch:
bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional) consists of an upper chamber
or Chamber of Senators (Camara de Senadores) and a lower chamber or Chamber
of Deputies (Camara de Diputados)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government:
President Jaime PAZ Zamora (since 6 August 1989); Vice President Luis OSSIO
Sanjines (since 6 August 1989)
Political parties and leaders:
Movement of the Revolutionary Left (MIR), Jaime PAZ Zamora; Nationalist
Democratic Action (ADN), Hugo BANZER Suarez; Nationalist Revolutionary
Movement (MNR), Gonzalo SANCHEZ de Lozada; Civic Solidarity Union (UCS), Max
FERNANDEZ Rojas; Conscience of the Fatherland (CONDEPA), Carlos PALENQUE
Aviles; Christian Democratic Party (PDC), Jorge AGREDO; Free Bolivia
Movement (MBL), led by Antonio ARANIBAR; United Left (IU), a coalition of
leftist parties that includes Patriotic National Convergency Axis (EJE-P)
led by Walter DELGADILLO, and Bolivian Communist Party (PCB) led by Humberto
RAMIREZ; Revolutionary Vanguard - 9th of April (VR-9), Carlos SERRATE Reich
Suffrage:
universal and compulsory at age 18 (married) or 21 (single)
Elections:
Chamber of Deputies:
last held 7 May 1989 (next to be held May 1993); results - percent of vote
by party NA; note - legislative and presidential candidates run on a unified
slate, so vote percentages are the same as in section on presidential
election results; seats - (130 total) MNR 40, ADN 35, MIR 33, IU 10, CONDEPA
9, PDC 3
Chamber of Senators:
last held 7 May 1989 (next to be held May 1993); results - percent of vote
by party NA; note - legislative and presidential candidates run on a unified
slate, so vote percentages are the same as in section on presidential
election results; seats - (27 total) MNR 9, ADN 7, MIR 8, CONDEPA 2, PDC 1

:Bolivia Government

President:
last held 7 May 1989 (next to be held May 1993); results - Gonzalo SANCHEZ
de Lozada (MNR) 23%, Hugo BANZER Suarez (ADN) 22%, Jaime PAZ Zamora (MIR)
19%; no candidate received a majority of the popular vote; Jaime PAZ Zamora
(MIR) formed a coalition with Hugo BANZER (ADN); with ADN support PAZ Zamora
won the congressional runoff election on 4 August and was inaugurated on 6
August 1989
Member of:
AG, ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF,
IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL,
PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Jorge CRESPO; Chancery at 3014 Massachusetts Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 483-4410 through 4412; there are
Bolivian Consulates General in Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San
Francisco
US:
Ambassador Charles R. BOWERS; Embassy at Banco Popular del Peru Building,
corner of Calles Mercado y Colon, La Paz (mailing address is P. O. Box 425,
La Paz, or APO AA 34032); telephone [591] (2) 350251 or 350120; FAX [591]
(2) 359875
Flag:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with the coat
of arms centered on the yellow band; similar to the flag of Ghana, which has
a large black five-pointed star centered in the yellow band

:Bolivia Economy

Overview:
The Bolivian economy steadily deteriorated between 1980 and 1985 as La Paz
financed growing budget deficits by expanding the money supply, and
inflation spiraled - peaking at 11,700%. An austere orthodox economic
program adopted by then President Paz Estenssoro in 1985, however, succeeded
in reducing inflation to between 10% and 20% annually since 1987, eventually
restarting economic growth. Since August 1989, President Paz Zamora has
retained the economic policies of the previous government, keeping inflation
down and continuing moderate growth. Nevertheless, Bolivia continues to be
one of the poorest countries in Latin America, with widespread poverty and
unemployment, and it remains vulnerable to price fluctuations for its
limited exports - agricultural products, minerals, and natural gas.
Moreover, for many farmers, who constitute half of the country's work force,
the main cash crop is coca, which is sold for cocaine processing.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $4.6 billion, per capita $630; real growth rate
4% (1991)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
15% (1991)
Unemployment rate:
7% (1991 est.)
Budget:
revenues $900 million; expenditures $825 million, including capital
expenditures of $300 million (1991 est.)
Exports:
$970 million (f.o.b., 1991)
commodities:
metals 45%, natural gas 25%, other 30% (coffee, soybeans, sugar, cotton,
timber)
partners:
US 15%, Argentina
Imports:
$760 million (c.i.f., 1991)
commodities:
food, petroleum, consumer goods, capital goods
partners:
US 22%
External debt:
$3.3 billion (December 1991)
Industrial production:
growth rate 6% (1991); accounts for almost 30% of GDP
Electricity:
849,000 kW capacity; 1,798 million kWh produced, 251 kWh per capita (1991)
Industries:
mining, smelting, petroleum, food and beverage, tobacco, handicrafts,
clothing; illicit drug industry reportedly produces significant revenues
Agriculture:
accounts for about 20% of GDP (including forestry and fisheries); principal
commodities - coffee, coca, cotton, corn, sugarcane, rice, potatoes, timber;
self-sufficient in food
Illicit drugs:
world's second-largest producer of coca (after Peru) with an estimated
47,900 hectares under cultivation; voluntary and forced eradication program
unable to prevent production from rising to 78,400 metric tons in 1991 from
74,700 tons in 1989; government considers all but 12,000 hectares illicit;
intermediate coca products and cocaine exported to or through Colombia and
Brazil to the US and other international drug markets

:Bolivia Economy

Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $990 million; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $2,025 million;
Communist countries (1970-89), $340 million
Currency:
boliviano (plural - bolivianos); 1 boliviano ($B) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates:
bolivianos ($B) per US$1 - 3.7534 (January 1992), 3.5806 (1991), 3.1727
(1990), 2.6917 (1989), 2.3502 (1988), 2.0549 (1987)
Fiscal year:
calendar year

:Bolivia Communications

Railroads:
3,684 km total, all narrow gauge; 3,652 km 1.000-meter gauge and 32 km
0.760-meter gauge, all government owned, single track
Highways:
38,836 km total; 1,300 km paved, 6,700 km gravel, 30,836 km improved and
unimproved earth
Inland waterways:
10,000 km of commercially navigable waterways
Pipelines:
crude oil 1,800 km; petroleum products 580 km; natural gas 1,495 km
Ports:
none; maritime outlets are Arica and Antofagasta in Chile, Matarani and Ilo
in Peru
Merchant marine:
2 cargo and 1 container ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 16,951 GRT/26,320
DWT
Civil air:
56 major transport aircraft
Airports:
1,105 total, 943 usable; 9 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways
over 3,659 m; 7 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 146 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
radio relay system being expanded; improved international services; 144,300
telephones; broadcast stations - 129 AM, no FM, 43 TV, 68 shortwave; 1
Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

:Bolivia Defense Forces