BOLIVIA

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Context

Bolivia recently said it had broken diplomatic ties with Israel because of its attacks on the Gaza Strip.

About

• Bolivia is a landlocked country in western-central South America. Its official name is the Plurinational State of Bolivia.
• It is named after the revolutionary Simon Bolivar.
• The country is located in the steep Andes Mountains, with a highland plateau and lowland lowlands in the Amazon basin.
• The Andean Mountain range encompasses one-third of the country.
• Bordering Countries: It shares borders with Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Peru.
• Sucre is the constitutional capital, but La Paz is the seat of government and executive capital.
• Bolivia and Peru share ownership of Lago Titicaca, the world's highest navigable lake for big vessels, at 12,500 feet above sea level.

History

• During the 15th and 16th centuries, an ancient civilization known as the Inca ruled the region.
• Spanish conquistadors (or 'conquerors') arrived from Europe in 1538 and took control of the country.
• It declared independence from Spanish authority in 1825.
• Much of its following history has been characterized by coups and countercoups, with the most recent coup taking place in 1978.
• The establishment of democratic civilian rule began in 1982.

Government

• The government is a republic, and the new constitution defines Bolivia as a "Social Unitarian State."
• The president is the chief of state and the head of government.
• Currency: Bolivian boliviano
• Official Language: It has 37 official languages, including Spanish.
• Bolivia has a mixed economic system that includes a variety of private freedoms combined with centralized economic planning and government regulation.