Bolivia Geography 1997

Location Central South America, southwest of Brazil

Geographic coordinates 17 00 S, 65 00 W

Map references South America

Area
total: 1,098,580 sq km
land: 1,084,390 sq km
water : 14,190 sq km

Area - comparative slightly less than three times the size of Montana

Land boundaries
total : 6,743 km
border countries: Argentina 832 km, Brazil 3,400 km, Chile 861 km, Paraguay 750 km, Peru900 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, lowlandplains of the Amazon Basin

Elevation extremes
lowest point : Rio Paraguay 90 m
highest point: Cerro Illimani 6,882 m

Natural resources tin, natural gas, petroleum, zinc, tungsten, antimony, silver, iron,lead, gold, timber

Land use
arable land: 2%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 24%
forests and woodland : 53%
other: 21% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land 1,750 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards cold, thin air of high plateau is obstacle to efficient fuel combustion,as well as to physical activity by those unaccustomed to it from birth; floodingin the northeast (March-April)

Environment - current issues the clearing of land for agricultural purposes and the internationaldemand for tropical timber are contributing to deforestation; soil erosionfrom overgrazing and poor cultivation methods (including slash-and-burn agriculture);desertification; loss of biodiversity; industrial pollution of water suppliesused for drinking and irrigation

Environment - international agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, HazardousWastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber94, 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 navigablelake (elevation 3,805 m), with Peru

NOTE: The information regarding Bolivia on this page is re-published from the 1997 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Bolivia Geography 1997 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Bolivia Geography 1997 should be addressed to the CIA.