Bolivia's Lost Coast: A Geopolitical History

Bolivia lost its coastline in 1879 during the War of the Pacific, which pitted Bolivia and Peru against Chile. The war was sparked by a row over taxation of the nitrate industry, a major source of income for Chileans working in what was then Bolivian territory. Chile won the war and annexed 120,000 sq km of Bolivian land, resulting in Bolivia losing 400km of coastline and becoming landlocked. In 1904, Bolivia and Chile signed a peace treaty, with the former gaining access to Chilean ports and the latter agreeing to build a railway from Arica to Bolivia's biggest city, La Paz. However, the dispute remains unresolved, with Bolivia continuing to seek sovereignty over the land it once owned.

Bolivia lost its coastline in 1879 during the War of the Pacific

Within four years, Chile had defeated the joint war efforts of Bolivia and Peru, annexing the Bolivian department of Litoral, along with the Peruvian Tarapacá department and Arica province. Bolivia lost 400km of coastline and became landlocked as a result. In 1884, Bolivia signed a truce, agreeing to give control of its entire coast to Chile. The Treaty of Peace and Friendship, signed in 1904, made this arrangement permanent.

Bolivia has never forgotten its dream of returning to the Pacific coast. Every year on March 23, Bolivians celebrate the Day of the Sea, a national holiday commemorating the loss of the coastline. The country established its navy in 1963 and renamed it the "Armada Boliviana" in 1981. In 2013, Bolivia's President Evo Morales filed a lawsuit at the International Court of Justice, based in The Hague, to force Chile to negotiate the handover of some of its land. However, in 2018, the court ruled against forcing Chile to give up its territory. Despite this setback, Bolivia's dream of restoring its access to the coast remains alive.

Chile defeated Bolivia and annexed 120,000 sq km of Bolivian land, including its 250-mile coastline

Chile's invasion of Bolivia in 1879 was the result of a dispute over taxes on the nitrate industry, which was a major source of income for Chileans working in what was then Bolivian territory. Within four years, Chile had redrawn the map of South America, seizing almost 50,000 square miles of Bolivian land, including its 250-mile coastline on the southern Pacific Ocean. This amounted to 120,000 sq km of land, roughly the size of Greece, and left Bolivia landlocked.

The conflict, known as the War of the Pacific, was sparked on 27 November 1873 when the Antofagasta Nitrate & Railway Company signed a contract with the Bolivian government to extract saltpetre duty-free for 25 years. However, in February 1878, the Bolivian Congress found the contract incomplete as it had not been ratified by Congress as required by the Bolivian Constitution of 1871. Congress would only approve the contract if the company agreed to pay a 10 cents tax per quintal of minerals extracted. The company refused to pay the increased tax, and the Bolivian government under President Hilarión Daza threatened to confiscate its property. Chile responded by sending a warship to the area in December 1878. Bolivia announced the seizure and auction of the company in February 1879, and Chile, in turn, threatened that such action would nullify the border treaty.

In April 1879, Chile declared war on Bolivia and its ally Peru, with whom Bolivia had signed a secret Treaty of Mutual Defence in 1873. Within four years, Chile had defeated the joint war efforts of Bolivia and Peru, ultimately annexing the Bolivian department of Litoral, as well as the Peruvian Tarapacá department and Arica province.

In 1884, Bolivia signed a truce that gave control of its entire coastline to Chile, and in 1904, the two countries signed a peace treaty that made this arrangement permanent. Chile built a railroad connecting the Bolivian capital of La Paz with the port of Arica and guaranteed freedom of transit for Bolivian commerce through Chilean ports and territory. However, Bolivia never forgot its dream of returning to the Pacific coast, and every year on 23 March, Bolivians celebrate a national Day of the Sea.

Bolivia signed a peace treaty with Chile in 1904, gaining access to Chilean ports but remaining landlocked

Bolivia's coastline was lost in 1879 during the War of the Pacific, which pitted Bolivia and Peru against Chile. The war was sparked by a row over taxation of the nitrate industry, a major source of income for Chileans working in what was then Bolivian territory. Chile won the war and annexed 120,000 sq km of Bolivian land, resulting in Bolivia losing 400km of coastline and becoming landlocked.

In 1904, Bolivia and Chile signed a peace treaty. Under the terms of the treaty, Chile agreed to compensate Bolivia for its loss of land and give Bolivia access to Chilean ports. The Chileans also agreed to build a railway from their port of Arica to Bolivia's biggest city, La Paz. Bolivia gained "fullest and freest" commercial access to the port, but remained landlocked.

The peace treaty did not improve relations between the two countries, which have been poor for decades. The Bolivian president, Evo Morales, has described the 1904 treaty as being imposed on his country by force and has sought to scrap or amend it to give Bolivia sovereignty over the land it once owned. In 2013, Bolivia took its case to the International Court of Justice, arguing that Chile had promised it a sovereign route to the Pacific during bilateral negotiations in the 1950s and 1970s. However, in 2018, the International Court of Justice ruled that Chile was not obliged to negotiate granting Bolivia sea access.

Bolivia took Chile to the International Court of Justice in 2013 to demand a route to the sea, but the ICJ ruled against forcing Chile to negotiate

Bolivia's pursuit of a route to the sea through the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the latest chapter in a long-running dispute with Chile over territory lost in the 19th century. In 2013, Bolivia's President Evo Morales filed a lawsuit at the ICJ, demanding that Chile negotiate the handover of some of its land to provide Bolivia with a route to the sea. Bolivia argued that its landlocked status was an "affront to national pride" and an "historical injustice", and that its annual GDP growth would be 20% higher if it had access to international waters.

Chile, however, maintained that it had honoured a 1904 peace treaty, which granted Bolivia "fullest and freest" commercial access to the port, including duty-free port access and its own customs station and storage facilities on the Chilean coast. Chile also pointed to the inviolability of the 1904 treaty and argued that Bolivia's demands had no historical or legal basis.

In 2015, the ICJ rejected Chile's preliminary objection and found that it had jurisdiction to entertain Bolivia's application. The court held public hearings in March 2018 and delivered its judgment on 1 October 2018. The ICJ ruled against forcing Chile to negotiate, finding that none of the legal bases invoked by Bolivia established an obligation for Chile to negotiate Bolivia's sovereign access to the Pacific Ocean.

The ICJ's ruling did not preclude the possibility of future dialogue and exchanges between the parties, and it encouraged them to continue their discussions in a spirit of good neighbourliness to address Bolivia's landlocked situation, recognising that a solution was a matter of mutual interest. Despite the ruling, Bolivia's President Luis Arce has since offered a nine-point plan to establish diplomatic negotiations with Chile to resolve the dispute, while Chile maintains that the issue has already been settled by the ICJ.

Bolivia still celebrates the Day of the Sea every year on March 23, commemorating the loss of its coastline

Bolivia lost its coastline in 1879 during the War of the Pacific, which pitted Bolivia and Peru against Chile. The war ended in 1884, with Bolivia signing a truce that gave control of its entire coastline to Chile. This loss of access to the sea was formalised in 1904, when Bolivia signed the Treaty of Peace and Friendship, ceding the province of Antofagasta and its valuable natural resources to Chile.

Every year on March 23, Bolivia commemorates the loss of its coastline with El Dia del Mar (The Day of the Sea). This date marks the day in 1879 when 100 Bolivian soldiers were sent by war hero Eduardo Abaroa to defend the coastline against 500 Chileans. Abaroa's final words before he was shot down by Chilean forces—“Surrender? Your grandmother should surrender!”—have become an iconic phrase in Bolivia.

The Day of the Sea is an important occasion for Bolivians, who view their country's landlocked status as a historical injustice and an affront to national pride. Schools, media outlets, and public institutions use the day to honour the memory of the coastline and to revive the collective desire for its return. The loss of the coastline is deeply embedded in the collective memory and national identity of Bolivia, and the country has never abandoned its dream of returning to the Pacific coast.

In recent years, Bolivia has taken steps to pursue this dream through diplomatic and legal channels. In 2013, then-President Evo Morales filed a lawsuit at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to force Chile to negotiate the handover of some of its land. However, in 2018, the ICJ ruled against Bolivia, stating that Chile was not obliged to negotiate sea access. Despite this setback, Bolivia's current president, Luis Arce, has indicated that the dispute is still "open and pending," and he has offered a nine-point plan to establish diplomatic negotiations with Chile.

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