Bolivia's Vastness: Exploring A Country's Immensity

Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country in west-central South America. At 1,098,581 square kilometres, it is the 27th largest country in the world and the fifth largest in South America. Bolivia is bordered by Brazil to the north and east, Paraguay to the southeast, Argentina to the south, Chile to the southwest, and Peru to the west. The country is named after Simón Bolívar, a Venezuelan leader in the Spanish American wars of independence.

Bolivia is the 27th largest country in the world

Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country in central South America. With an area of 1,098,581 square kilometres (424,164 square miles), it is the 27th largest country in the world. Bolivia is slightly less than three times the size of the US state of Montana.

Bolivia is bordered by Brazil to the north and east, Paraguay to the southeast, Argentina to the south, Chile to the southwest, and Peru to the west. The country is divided into three distinct geographical areas: the high mountains (cordillera) with its high plateau (altiplano), the intermediate valleys (between the mountains and the lowlands), and the eastern plains of the Amazon and Plate River system.

The Andean region in the southwest of Bolivia spans 28% of the country's territory, extending over 307,603 square kilometres (118,766 square miles). This area is located above 3,000 metres (9,800 feet) in altitude and is flanked by two Andean ranges: the Cordillera Occidental ("Western Range") and the Cordillera Central ("Central Range"). The Cordillera Real ("Royal Range"), a section of the Cordillera Oriental, includes impressive snow-capped peaks, some exceeding 6,100 metres (20,000 feet).

The Sub-Andean region in the centre and south of the country makes up 13% of Bolivia's territory, covering 142,815 square kilometres (55,141 square miles). This intermediate region between the altiplano and the eastern lowlands is distinguished by its farming activities and temperate climate.

The Llanos region in the northeast comprises 59% of the country's territory, spanning 648,163 square kilometres (250,257 square miles). This region of flat land and small plateaus is covered by extensive rainforests and is located below 400 metres (1,300 feet) above sea level.

Bolivia is the fifth-largest country in South America and the largest landlocked country in the Southern Hemisphere. It is also the seventh-largest landlocked country in the world.

It is the fifth-largest country in South America

Bolivia is the fifth-largest country in South America, with an area of 1,098,581 square kilometres (424,164 square miles). It is a landlocked country in west-central South America, bordered by Brazil to the north and east, Paraguay to the southeast, Argentina to the south, Chile to the southwest, and Peru to the west. Bolivia lost its coastline during the War of the Pacific (1879-1884), when it was defeated by Chile and lost its Pacific coast territory. Bolivia is slightly less than three times the size of the U.S. state of Montana and about nine times smaller than the United States.

Bolivia has a varied geography, with the Andean mountain range covering about one-third of the country. The Andes reach their greatest breadth and complexity in Bolivia, with two great parallel ranges: the Cordillera Occidental and the Cordillera Oriental, which includes the Cordillera Real. Between these ranges lies the Altiplano, a relatively flat high plateau that extends from southern Peru through Bolivia to northern Argentina. The margins of the Altiplano are characterised by numerous spurs and interlocking alluvial fans. The middle of the Altiplano is home to Lake Titicaca and Lake Poopó, which have traditionally been important agricultural, economic, and cultural areas.

To the north of the Cordillera Real is the Apolobamba range, with lakes and protected areas where vicuñas, alpacas, and llamas thrive. The descent from the Cordillera Real and the Apolobamba range to the eastern plains is extremely steep, passing through the rainy and heavily forested Yungas region. In southern Bolivia, the Andes become much wider and are formed by a high, tilted block called the Puna, with fertile valleys and mountain basins known as the Valles.

North and east of the Andes and Yungas is the Oriente region, an extension of the Amazon River basin that covers more than two-thirds of Bolivia. The vast area of the Oriente is composed of low alluvial plains, great swamps, flooded bottomlands, open savannas, and tropical forests. The Bolivian Chaco, in the extreme south, is a level area that varies between a swamp during the rainy season and a hot semidesert during the dry season.

Bolivia is landlocked and bordered by five countries

Bolivia is a landlocked country in west-central South America. It is bordered by five countries: Brazil to the north and east, Paraguay to the southeast, Argentina to the south, Chile to the southwest, and Peru to the west. Bolivia has been landlocked since it lost its Pacific coastline to Chile during the War of the Pacific (1879-1884).

Bolivia extends some 950 miles (1,500 km) from north to south and 800 miles (1,300 km) from east to west. It is the 27th largest country in the world by area, covering 1,098,581 square kilometres (424,164 square miles). Bolivia is the fifth-largest country in South America and the largest landlocked country in the Southern Hemisphere.

Bolivia's landscape is varied, with the Andes Mountains in the west and Amazon basin lowlands in the east. One-third of the country lies within the Andean mountain range, with the Altiplano ("High Plateau") stretching across the middle of the country. The Andean region is the country's economic and political centre, with the administrative capital, La Paz, and the constitutional capital, Sucre, both located in this region. The largest city and principal industrial centre, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, is located in the eastern lowlands.

The country has two capital cities: Sucre and La Paz

Bolivia has two capital cities: Sucre and La Paz. The constitutional capital is Sucre, where the Supreme Court is established, but the administrative capital is La Paz, where the executive and legislative branches of the government function.

When the Spanish colonized the Americas in the 16th century, they split it into several large territories. Bolivia was initially part of the territory called Alto Peru, along with modern-day Peru and some of Chile. When Bolivia gained its independence in 1825, Sucre was proclaimed its provisional and official capital city in the Bolivian constitution. The city was named after the revolutionary leader, Antonio José de Sucre, and its proximity to important silver mines—the source of the country's primary industry at the time—was a large part of this decision.

However, the industrial focus gradually shifted from silver to tin, and the tin mines were located near La Paz. Generally, the silver mine owners lived in Sucre, while the tin mine owners lived in La Paz. So, La Paz began to surpass Sucre in economic importance, and its population grew.

At the end of the 19th century, the Federal Revolution of 1899 was a brief civil war between the ruling Conservative Party (which the silver miners traditionally supported) and the Liberal Party (backed by the tin miners). The Liberals won, and the two parties reached a compromise: La Paz became the seat of the executive and legislative branches, while Sucre retained the seat of the judicial branch of the Bolivian government.

Today, Sucre remains the only official capital of Bolivia, but La Paz is considered by many as the de facto capital. La Paz is home to foreign embassies, government ministries, and the central bank, and it is now four times as large as Sucre.

Bolivia is named after Simón Bolívar

Bolivia is a landlocked country in central South America, with Brazil to the north and east, Paraguay to the southeast, Argentina to the south, Chile to the southwest, and Peru to the west. It is the 27th largest country in the world, with an area of 1,098,581 square kilometres (424,164 square miles). The country is named after Simón Bolívar, a Venezuelan leader in the Spanish-American wars of independence.

Simón Bolívar was born in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1783, into a wealthy family of American-born Spaniards. He was educated abroad and lived in Spain, as was common for men of upper-class families at the time. Bolívar was introduced to Enlightenment philosophy while living in Madrid from 1800 to 1802, and he married María Teresa Rodríguez del Toro y Alaysa. Bolívar embarked on a Grand Tour that ended in Rome, where he swore to end Spanish rule in the Americas.

Bolívar began his military career in 1810 as a militia officer in the Venezuelan War of Independence, fighting Royalist forces for the first and second Venezuelan republics and the United Provinces of New Granada. After being forced into exile on Jamaica, Bolívar met and befriended Haitian revolutionary leader Alexandre Pétion. Bolívar promised to abolish slavery in Spanish America and, with military support from Pétion, returned to Venezuela. He established a third republic in 1817 and then crossed the Andes to liberate New Granada in 1819. Bolívar and his allies went on to defeat the Spanish in New Granada in 1819, Venezuela and Panama in 1821, Ecuador in 1822, Peru in 1824, and Bolivia in 1825.

The leader of Venezuela, Antonio José de Sucre, had been given the option by Bolívar to either unite Charcas (present-day Bolivia) with the newly formed Republic of Peru, unite with the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata, or formally declare its independence from Spain as a wholly independent state. Sucre opted to create a brand new state and, on 6 August 1825, with local support, named it in honour of Simón Bolívar. The original name was the Republic of Bolívar. A few days later, congressman Manuel Martín Cruz proposed: "If from Romulus, Rome, then from Bolívar, Bolivia" (Spanish: Si de Rómulo, Roma; de Bolívar, Bolivia). The name was approved by the Republic on 3 October 1825.

Simón Bolívar is regarded as a hero and a national and cultural icon throughout Latin America. The nations of Bolivia and Venezuela (officially, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela) are named after him, and he has been memorialised all over the world in the form of public art, street names, and popular culture.

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