Bolivia is one of the poorest and least-developed countries in South America. The Andes Mountains rise in the west of the country. Lying in between the steep Andean mountain chains, known as cordilleras, is a high, level, windswept plateau called the Altiplano. The climate here is cool and dry. The region includes the vast salt flats of the Salar de Uyuni. Eastern Bolivia, by contrast, is low-lying. Here, grasslands merge with the hot, humid Amazon rainforest in the north, and the dry scrublands of the Gran Chaco in the south.

People

More than half of Bolivia’s population are Native Americans. The largest group, the Quechua, are descendants of those that once inhabited the Inca Empire. Other groups include the Aymara and Guarani. A smaller number are mestizo, with a mix of Spanish and Native American ancestry, or of European, Asian or African descent. More than 60% of Bolivians live in cities, such as La Paz, Santa Cruz and Cochabamba.

Mining

Bolivia is rich in minerals such as tin, gold, zinc, silver and lithium. Its massive tin deposits, lying high up in the Andes Mountains, are some of the world’s largest. Mining conditions are often dangerous; Cerro Rico, near Potosí, a mountain with huge deposits of silver and tin, is close to collapse after being mined intensively for over 400 years. Natural gas, a major export, and petroleum are drilled in the eastern lowlands around Santa Cruz.

Farming

More than half of Bolivians work on farms. The northeastern lowlands are warm enough to cultivate tropical crops such as bananas and cacao. On the harsh plains of the Altiplano, only hardy crops such as potatoes, barley and quinoa can be grown. Farmers here keep llamas or sheep for their meat, wool and skins. In recent years, a combination of droughts and floods have caused crop failures, forcing many rural people to move to the cities in search of work.

Salt flats

The salt flats at Salar de Uyuni are the largest in the world, containing over 64 million tons of salt. Underneath the salt is the world’s largest deposit of lithium, which is used to make batteries for cars and mobile phones. When it rains, a thin film of water collects on top of the salt flats, turning them into a giant mirror. The salt plains are so flat, over such a large area, that people standing on the plains can see the curvature of the Earth at the horizon. Satellites can beam radar on to the plains to check the accuracy of their height measurements.

Facts about Bolivia

Population 11,428,245

Area 1,083,301 sq km

Highest point Nevado Sajama 6542 m (21,458 ft)

Capital Sucre (official capital), population 390,000; La Paz (administrative capital), population of urban area 2.2 million

Other major cities Santa Cruz (pop. 2.3 milion), Cochabamba (1.4 million)

Languages Spanish, Quechua, Aymara

Religions Christian (Roman Catholic) 95% Christian (Protestant) 5%

Ethnicity Quechua 30%, mestizo (mixed European / Native American) 30%, Aymara 25%, white 15%

Currency Bolivian boliviano (BOB)

Chief exports natural gas, soya beans, crude oil, zinc ore, tin