Population: 9,119,152 (July 2007 est.)
Regime History: 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 counter-coups. Comparatively democratic civilian rule was established in 1982, but leaders have faced difficult problems of deep-seated poverty, social unrest, and illegal drug production. Current goals include attracting foreign investment, strengthening the educational system, resolving disputes with coca growers over Bolivia's counterdrug efforts, and waging an anticorruption campaign. In most of the countries of the region (except Nicaragua and Cuba), unelected governments have all been right-wing governments. Bolivia is another exception. The National Revolutionary Movement (MNR for its initials in Spanish) has been a constant presence in Bolivian politics. The MNR is a leftist nationalist party that grew out of a successful miner's revolt in the 1940s. The coups and countercoups mark the struggle between this leftist party (which installed dictatorships of the left in the 50s and 70s, as well as repeatedly winning elections) on the one hand, and conservative elements (which had its own share of authoritarian and elected governments) on the other. As did many other countries, Bolivia experienced a radical guerrilla movement in the 60s, which lost any momentum it might have had when Bolivian troops captured and executed the Argentine revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara in 1967. The country returned to democracy in 1982, initiating a succession of elected governments that persists today. This democratic success is marred, however, by the ouster of President Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada after violent popular protests, in 2003; and the ouster of his successor, President Carlos Mesa, in June 2005, in the face of similar protests. Mesa has been replaced by the former president of the Bolivian Supreme Court, Eduardo Rodríguez. More recently, Evo Morales of the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) party won an outright majority in the December 18, 2005 Presidential election. On May 1, 2006, Morales announced his intent to re-nationalize Bolivian hydrocarbon assets.
Organization: Bolivia is a Republic divided in 9 departments which have low levels of autonomy. The legal system is based on Spanish law and Napoleonic Code.
Economy: Bolivia, long one of the poorest and least developed Latin American countries,
reformed its economy after suffering a disastrous economic crisis in the early 1980s. Economic
growth, however, lagged again beginning in 1999 because of a global slowdown and homegrown factors
such as political turmoil, civil unrest, and soaring fiscal deficits. Bolivia remains dependent on
foreign aid from multilateral lenders and foreign governments.
GDP per capita (purchasing power parity) is $3,100 (2006 est.), the lowest in the region.
Population below poverty line: 64% (2004
est.)
Unemployment rate: 7.8% in urban areas, with widespread underemployment (2006 est.)
Ethnic groups: 30% Quechua, 30% mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry), 25% Aymara, 15% white.