based on agriculture and forestry, which provide the main livelihood
for more than 60% of the population. Agriculture consists largely of
subsistence farming and animal husbandry. Rugged mountains dominate
the terrain and make the building of roads and other infrastructure
difficult and expensive. The economy is closely aligned with India's
through strong trade and monetary links and dependence on India's
financial assistance. The industrial sector is technologically
backward, with most production of the cottage industry type. Most
development projects, such as road construction, rely on Indian
migrant labor. Model education, social, and environment programs are
underway with support from multilateral development organizations.
Each economic program takes into account the government's desire to
protect the country's environment and cultural traditions. For
example, the government, in its cautious expansion of the tourist
sector, encourages visits by upscale, environmentally conscientious
tourists. Detailed controls and uncertain policies in areas such as
industrial licensing, trade, labor, and finance continue to hamper
foreign investment. Hydropower exports to India have boosted
Bhutan's overall growth, even though GDP fell in 2008 as a result of
a slowdown in India, its predominant export market. New hydropower
projects will be the driving force behind Bhutan's ability to create
employment and sustain growth in the coming years.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$3.533 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 169
$2.91 billion (2007 est.)
$2.738 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$1.389 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
21.4% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 1
6.3% (2007 est.)
6.5% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$5,200 (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 138
$4,300 (2007 est.)
$4,100 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 22.3%
industry: 37.9%
services: 39.8% (2006)
Labor force:
NA
note: major shortage of skilled labor
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 63%
industry: 6%
services: 31% (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate:
2.5% (2004)
country comparison to the world: 28
Population below poverty line:
31.7% (2003)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $272 million
expenditures: $350 million
note: the government of India finances nearly three-fifths of
Bhutan's budget expenditures (2005)
Public debt:
81.4% of GDP (2004)
country comparison to the world: 11
81.4% of GDP (2004)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.9% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 84
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
NA% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 54
14% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$381.1 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$220.3 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$169.9 million (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Agriculture - products:
rice, corn, root crops, citrus, foodgrains; dairy products, eggs
Industries:
cement, wood products, processed fruits, alcoholic beverages,
calcium carbide, tourism
Industrial production growth rate:
NA
Electricity - production:
4.475 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 116
Electricity - consumption:
528.8 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 160
Electricity - exports:
3.644 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
11 million kWh (2007 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 203
Oil - consumption:
1,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 187
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 140
Oil - imports:
1,168 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 187
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 201
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 98
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 203
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008)
country comparison to the world: 199
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 72
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 200
Current account balance:
$116 million (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 57
Exports:
$350 million (2006)
country comparison to the world: 169
Exports - commodities:
electricity (to India), cardamom, gypsum, timber, handicrafts,
cement, fruit, precious stones, spices
Exports - partners:
India 89%, Bangladesh 6.5%, Italy 1.2% (2008)
Imports:
$320 million (2006)
country comparison to the world: 192
Imports - commodities:
fuel and lubricants, grain, aircraft, machinery and parts, vehicles,
fabrics, rice
Imports - partners:
India 59.5%, Japan 13.4%, China 5.6% (2008)
Debt - external:
$713.3 million (2006)
country comparison to the world: 158
Exchange rates:
ngultrum (BTN) per US dollar - 41.487 (2007), 45.279 (2006), 44.101
(2005), 45.317 (2004), 46.583 (2003)
note: the ngultrum is pegged to the Indian rupee
Communications ::Bhutan
Telephones - main lines in use:
27,500 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 181
Telephones - mobile cellular:
251,000 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 170
Telephone system:
general assessment: urban towns and district headquarters have
telecommunications services
domestic: low teledensity; domestic service is very poor especially
in rural areas; wireless service available since 2003
international: country code - 975; international telephone and
telegraph service via landline and microwave relay through India;
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 0, FM 9, shortwave 1 (2007)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (2007)
Internet country code:
.bt
Internet hosts:
9,096 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 119
Internet users:
40,000 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 174
Transportation ::Bhutan
Airports:
2 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 197
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2009)
Roadways:
total: 8,050 km
country comparison to the world: 140
paved: 4,991 km
unpaved: 3,059 km (2003)
Military ::Bhutan
Military branches:
Royal Bhutan Army (includes Royal Bodyguard and Royal Bhutan Police)
(2009)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription
(2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 190,104
females age 16-49: 167,289 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 150,210
females age 16-49: 135,991 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 7,668
female: 7,379 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
1% of GDP (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 134
Transnational Issues ::Bhutan
Disputes - international:
Bhutan cooperates with India to expel Indian Nagaland separatists;
lacking any treaty describing the boundary, Bhutan and China
continue negotiations to establish a common boundary alignment to
resolve territorial disputes arising from substantial cartographic
discrepancies, the largest of which lie in Bhutan's northwest and
along the Chumbi salient
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Bolivia (South America)
Introduction ::Bolivia
Background:
Bolivia, named after independence fighter Simon BOLIVAR, broke away
from Spanish rule in 1825; much of its subsequent history has
consisted of a series of nearly 200 coups and countercoups.
Democratic civilian rule was established in 1982, but leaders have
faced difficult problems of deep-seated poverty, social unrest, and
illegal drug production. In December 2005, Bolivians elected
Movement Toward Socialism leader Evo MORALES president - by the
widest margin of any leader since the restoration of civilian rule
in 1982 - after he ran on a promise to change the country's
traditional political class and empower the nation's poor,
indigenous majority. However, since taking office, his controversial
strategies have exacerbated racial and economic tensions between the
Amerindian populations of the Andean west and the non-indigenous
communities of the eastern lowlands.
Geography ::Bolivia
Location:
Central South America, southwest of Brazil
Geographic coordinates:
17 00 S, 65 00 W
Map references:
South America
Area:
total: 1,098,581 sq km
country comparison to the world: 28
land: 1,083,301 sq km
water: 15,280 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly less than three times the size of Montana
Land boundaries:
total: 6,940 km
border countries: Argentina 832 km, Brazil 3,423 km, Chile 860 km,
Paraguay 750 km, Peru 1,075 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and semiarid
Terrain:
rugged Andes Mountains with a highland plateau (Altiplano), hills,
lowland plains of the Amazon Basin
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Rio Paraguay 90 m
highest point: Nevado Sajama 6,542 m
Natural resources:
tin, natural gas, petroleum, zinc, tungsten, antimony, silver, iron,
lead, gold, timber, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 2.78%
permanent crops: 0.19%
other: 97.03% (2005)
Irrigated land:
1,320 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
622.5 cu km (2000)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 1.44 cu km/yr (13%/7%/81%)
per capita: 157 cu m/yr (2000)
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, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life
Conservation
Geography - note:
landlocked; shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest
navigable lake (elevation 3,805 m), with Peru
People ::Bolivia
Population:
9,775,246 (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 84
Age structure:
0-14 years: 35.5% (male 1,767,310/female 1,701,744)
15-64 years: 60% (male 2,877,605/female 2,992,043)
65 years and over: 4.5% (male 193,196/female 243,348) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 21.9 years
male: 21.3 years
female: 22.6 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.772% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 74
Birth rate:
25.82 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 66
Death rate:
7.05 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 130
Net migration rate:
-1.05 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 123
Urbanization:
urban population: 66% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 2.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 44.66 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 58
male: 48.56 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 40.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 66.89 years
country comparison to the world: 156
male: 64.2 years
female: 69.72 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.17 children born/woman (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 66
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.2% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 108
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
8,100 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 112
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 500 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 99
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and
typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and yellow fever
water contact disease: leptospirosis (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Bolivian(s)
adjective: Bolivian
Ethnic groups:
Quechua 30%, mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry) 30%,
Aymara 25%, white 15%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant (Evangelical Methodist) 5%
Languages:
Spanish 60.7% (official), Quechua 21.2% (official), Aymara 14.6%
(official), foreign languages 2.4%, other 1.2% (2001 census)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 86.7%
male: 93.1%
female: 80.7% (2001 census)
Education expenditures:
6.4% of GDP (2003)
country comparison to the world: 32
Government ::Bolivia
Country name:
conventional long form: Plurinational State of Bolivia
conventional short form: Bolivia
local long form: Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia
local short form: Bolivia
Government type:
republic; note - the new constitution defines Bolivia as a "Social
Unitarian State"
Capital:
name: La Paz (administrative capital)
geographic coordinates: 16 30 S, 68 09 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
note: Sucre (constitutional capital)
Administrative divisions:
9 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Beni,
Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, La Paz, Oruro, Pando, Potosi, Santa Cruz,
Tarija
Independence:
6 August 1825 (from Spain)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 6 August (1825)
Constitution:
2 February 1967; revised in August 1994; voters approved a new
constitution on 25 January 2009
Legal system:
based on Spanish law and Napoleonic Code; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; the 2009 Constitution incorporates
indigenous community justice into Bolivia's judicial system
Suffrage:
18 years of age, universal and compulsory (married); 21 years of
age, universal and compulsory (single)
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Juan Evo MORALES Ayma (since 22 January
2006); Vice President Alvaro GARCIA Linera (since 22 January 2006);
note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Juan Evo MORALES Ayma (since 22
January 2006); Vice President Alvaro GARCIA Linera (since 22 January
2006)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket
by popular vote for a single five-year term; election last held 18
December 2005 (next to be held in December 2009)
election results: Juan Evo MORALES Ayma elected president; percent
of vote - Juan Evo MORALES Ayma 53.7%; Jorge Fernando QUIROGA
Ramirez 28.6%; Samuel DORIA MEDINA Arana 7.8%; Michiaki NAGATANI
Morishit 6.5%; Felipe QUISPE Huanca 2.2%; Guildo ANGULA Cabrera 0.7%
Legislative branch:
bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of Chamber
of Senators or Camara de Senadores (27 seats; members are elected by
proportional representation from party lists to serve five-year
terms) and Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (130 seats; 70
members are directly elected from their districts and 60 are elected
by proportional representation from party lists to serve five-year
terms); note - under representational rules established by the 2009
Constitution, the National Congress will become the Plurinational
Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa Plurinacional; the
number of Deputies will remain at 130, but the number of Senators
will rise to 36
elections: Chamber of Senators and Chamber of Deputies - last held
18 December 2005 (next to be held in December 2009)
election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party -
NA; seats by party - PODEMOS 13, MAS 12, UN 1, MNR 1; Chamber of
Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MAS 73,
PODEMOS 43, UN 8, MNR 6
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges appointed for 10-year terms
by National Congress); District Courts (one in each department);
provincial and local courts (to try minor cases); Constitutional
Tribunal (five primary or titulares and five alternate or suplente
magistrates appointed by Congress; to rule on constitutional
issues); National Electoral Court (six members elected by Congress,
Supreme Court, the president, and the political party with the
highest vote in the last election for four-year terms); note - under
the 2009 Constitution, all Constitutional and Supreme Court judges
will be elected by popular vote
Political parties and leaders:
Free Bolivia Movement or MBL [Franz BARRIOS]; Movement Toward
Socialism or MAS [Juan Evo MORALES Ayma]; Movement Without Fear or
MSM [Juan DEL GRANADO]; National Revolutionary Movement or MNR
[Mirta QUEVEDO]; National Unity [Samuel DORIA MEDINA Arana]; Poder
Democratico Nacional or PODEMOS [Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ramirez];
Social Alliance [Rene JOAQUINO]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Sole Confederation of Campesino Workers of Bolivia or CSUTCB
other: Cocalero groups; indigenous organizations; labor unions
International organization participation:
CAN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent),
ITSO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINURCAT,
MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNASUR,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI,
UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Erika
Angela DUENAS Loayza
chancery: 3014 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 483-4410
FAX: [1] (202) 328-3712
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco
note: as of September 2008, the US has expelled the Bolivian
ambassador to the US
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Krishna URS
embassy: Avenida Arce 2780, Casilla 425, La Paz
mailing address: P. O. Box 425, La Paz; APO AA 34032
telephone: [591] (2) 216-8000
FAX: [591] (2) 216-8111
note: as of September 2008, the Bolivian Government has expelled the
US Ambassador to Bolivia
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with
the coat of arms centered on the yellow band
note: similar to the flag of Ghana, which has a large black
five-pointed star centered in the yellow band; in 2009, a
presidential decree made it mandatory for a so-called wiphala - a
square, multi-colored flag representing the country's indigenous
peoples - to be used alongside the traditional flag
Economy ::Bolivia
Economy - overview:
Bolivia is one of the poorest and least developed countries in Latin
America. Following a disastrous economic crisis during the early
1980s, reforms spurred private investment, stimulated economic
growth, and cut poverty rates in the 1990s. The period 2003-05 was
characterized by political instability, racial tensions, and violent
protests against plans - subsequently abandoned - to export
Bolivia's newly discovered natural gas reserves to large northern
hemisphere markets. In 2005, the government passed a controversial
hydrocarbons law that imposed significantly higher royalties and
required foreign firms then operating under risk-sharing contracts
to surrender all production to the state energy company. In early
2008, higher earnings for mining and hydrocarbons exports pushed the
current account surplus to 9.4% of GDP and the government's higher
tax take produced a fiscal surplus after years of large deficits.
Private investment as a share of GDP, however, remains among the
lowest in Latin America, and inflation remained at double-digit
levels in 2008. The decline in commodity prices in late 2008, the
lack of foreign investment in the mining and hydrocarbon sectors,
and the suspension of trade benefits with the United States will
pose challenges for the Bolivian economy in 2009.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$43.38 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 92
$40.88 billion (2007 est.)
$39.08 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$16.6 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
6.1% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 57
4.6% (2007 est.)
4.8% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$4,500 (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 147
$4,300 (2007 est.)
$4,200 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 11.3%
industry: 36.9%
services: 51.8% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
4.454 million (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 80
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 40%
industry: 17%
services: 43% (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate:
7.5% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 98
7.5% (2007 est.)
note: data are for urban areas; widespread underemployment
Population below poverty line:
60% (2006 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 0.5%
highest 10%: 44.1% (2005)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
59.2 (2006)
country comparison to the world: 7
44.7 (1999)
Investment (gross fixed):
18% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 130
Budget:
revenues: $8.039 billion
expenditures: $7.5 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
45.2% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 43
46.3% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
14% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 184
8.7% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
13% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 59
6.5% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
13.87% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 62
12.86% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$3.998 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 59
$3.032 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$6.339 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 59
$4.729 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$5.433 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 81
$4.759 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 97
$2.263 billion (31 December 2007)
$2.223 billion (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products:
soybeans, coffee, coca, cotton, corn, sugarcane, rice, potatoes;
timber
Industries:
mining, smelting, petroleum, food and beverages, tobacco,
handicrafts, clothing
Industrial production growth rate:
10.6% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 10
Electricity - production:
5.495 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 111
Electricity - consumption:
4.665 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 111
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
51,360 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 62
Oil - consumption:
60,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 92
Oil - exports:
10,950 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 94
Oil - imports:
6,172 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 151
Oil - proved reserves:
465 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 47
Natural gas - production:
14.2 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 35
Natural gas - consumption:
2.41 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 78
Natural gas - exports:
11.79 billion cu m (2008)
country comparison to the world: 17
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 76
Natural gas - proved reserves:
750.4 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 30
Current account balance:
$2.015 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 42
$1.984 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$6.448 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 101
$4.49 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
natural gas, soybeans and soy products, crude petroleum, zinc ore,
tin
Exports - partners:
Brazil 60.1%, US 8.3%, Japan 4.1% (2008)
Imports:
$4.641 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 120
$3.24 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities: