Population
Population: 8,973,281 (2004, estimated); 9,827,522 (2007, projected)
Indigenous population: : 60% (Quechua 30%, Aymara 25%, Other 5%)
Official languages: Spanish, Quechua, Aymara, Guarani
Per capita GNP: $900, the poorest in South America
Life expectancy: 65.14 years, (the lowest in South America and second lowest in the western hemisphere)
Geography
Area: 424, 164 Sq. Mi. (size of Texas and California together, Ontario, or twice the size of France)
Geography: Semitropical forest (70%), Andean highlands plateau (10%), mountains (15%), fertile valleys (5%)
Major cities: La Paz, El Alto, Santa Cruz, Cochabamba, Sucre
Economy
Industry: textiles, food processing, mining, hydrocarbons, clothing
Chief crops: potatoes, sugar, coffee, corn, coca, soybeans, cotton, rice, wheat, beef, barley, quinine,
Minerals: antimony, tin, tungsten, silver, gold, oil, gas, iron
Major Exports: natural gas, tin, zinc, coffee, silver, tungsten, wood, gold, jewelry, soybeans and byproducts
Foreign Debt: $5.2 billion (2005 estimate)
Gross Domestic Product (2006): $9.3 billion
Government
Political system: Democratic Republic; elections held since 1982
President: Evo Morales Ayma
Vice President: Alvaro Garcia Linera
For more information see:
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35751.htm
and
http://www.ine.gov.bo