About Bolivia

- Population: 9,975,600 inhabitants.
- Area: 1,098,581 sq km (or 2 times that of France).
- Capital: Sucre is the constitutional capital. La Paz is the seat of government.
- Density: 9.4 inhabitants / km ².
- Languages: Spanish (official), Quechua, Aymara and Guarani.
- Currency: Boliviano.
- Plan: parliamentary republic. Current president Evo Morales, elected in December 2009 with over 63% of votes.
- President of the Republic, Evo Morales (elected in December 2005).
- GDP per capita: 1,500 USD.
-Heritage Sites UNESCO World: the city of Potosí (1987), the Jesuit Missions of Chiquitos (1990), the historical city of Sucre (1991), Fort Samaipata (1998), the Noel Kempff National Park Mercado (2000), the Spiritual and Political Centre of the Tiwanaku Culture (2000).

Economy

The hydrocarbons represent a quarter of the GDP of Bolivia. Natural gas, oil topped the list of export products, and zinc, tin and soybeans. Both suppliers and major customers of Bolivia are Brazil (40% of Bolivian imports) and the United States.

In recent years, the press has been much talk of lithium, a metal that is found mainly in the salt desert of Uyuni. Bolivia possesses nearly half of the world. This material, called white gold Bolivian interests the global industry and manufacturers of battery electric cars. Bolivia wants to keep hold of the industrialization of its lithium.

Since the 1970s, the economy switches from the Andes to the plains of Santa Cruz. La Paz has been replaced as the economic capital to the thriving city of Santa Cruz. After the "lost decade" (the 1980s: it embraces all of Latin America), Bolivia has pursued a liberal path after collecting one billion dollars in investments. The "social fracture" is obvious, but everything is relative with the appearance of a real middle class.

Since 1995, Bolivia set up a system of liberal reform of the economy leading to privatization of hydrocarbons. In July 1996, it signed a free trade agreement with Mercosur. In 1999, it inaugurated a gas pipeline the longest in the world, built mainly to supply the industries of Southeast Brazil.

At his inauguration in January 2006, Evo Morales vowed to nationalize the hydrocarbons.
The IMF in late 2009, highlighted the country's sound economic management, which would allow a GDP growth of over 3%, the best of Latin America.