Irrigated land:
1,280 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
flooding in the northeast (March-April)

Environment - current issues:
the clearing of land for agricultural purposes and the
international demand for tropical timber are contributing to
deforestation; soil erosion from overgrazing and poor cultivation
methods (including slash-and-burn agriculture); desertification;
loss of biodiversity; industrial pollution of water supplies used
for drinking and irrigation

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,
Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine
Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection

Geography - note:
landlocked; shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest
navigable lake (elevation 3,805 m), with Peru

People Bolivia

Population:
8,586,443 (July 2003 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 37.1% (male 1,624,366; female 1,562,501)
15-64 years: 58.4% (male 2,452,892; female 2,561,873)
65 years and over: 4.5% (male 172,292; female 212,519) (2003 est.)

Median age:
total: 20.8 years
male: 20.1 years
female: 21.5 years (2002)

Population growth rate:
1.63% (2003 est.)