Exploring The Land South Of Bolivia And East Of Chile

Chile and Bolivia have had a tumultuous relationship since their independence from Spain in the 19th century. The two countries have been in conflict over the Atacama border dispute, which led to the War of the Pacific (1879-1884). Chile emerged victorious and gained control of resource-rich territories from Bolivia, including the Bolivian coast, leaving Bolivia landlocked. Chile and Bolivia continue to have strained relations due to Bolivia's aspirations for access to the sea, which Chile rejects. Despite the territorial dispute, Chile and Bolivia maintain economic treaties supporting tourism and cooperation, and trade between the two nations remains unaffected.

Chile and Bolivia have had a strained relationship since their independence in the 19th century

When Simón Bolívar established Bolivia as a nation in 1825, he claimed access to the sea at the port of Cobija, disregarding Chile's overlapping claims. Chile, meanwhile, claimed that it bordered Peru at the Loa River, which would mean Bolivia was landlocked. This dispute continued to escalate, with both countries signing treaties in 1866 and 1874 in an attempt to resolve the issue. The 1866 treaty established the 24th parallel south as the boundary between the two countries and entitled them to share tax revenue on mineral exports between the 23rd and 25th parallels. However, Bolivia became dissatisfied with this arrangement due to its negative financial impact, especially after earthquakes struck Cobija in 1868 and 1877.

In 1879, the Bolivian dictator General Hilarión Daza increased taxes on the exportation of saltpeter in violation of the 1866 treaty. When Chilean-owned saltpeter companies refused to pay, Daza expropriated the companies and sold them at a public auction. Daza then cut off all commerce with Chile and exiled Chilean residents in Bolivia. In response, Chile declared the border treaties null and reactivated its old claim to a land border with Peru. Chile sent troops to Antofagasta, and shortly after, declared war on Bolivia and its ally, Peru, starting the War of the Pacific. By the end of the war, Chile had annexed the Bolivian coast, leaving Bolivia landlocked. Bolivia signed a truce in 1884, giving control of its entire coast, the province of Antofagasta, and its valuable natural resources to Chile. The Treaty of Peace and Friendship in 1904 made this arrangement permanent.

Bolivia has never given up on regaining its access to the sea, and the loss of the Litoral province remains a traumatic event for the country. Bolivia still maintains a navy and celebrates the Day of the Sea annually. In 2013, Bolivia took its case to the International Court of Justice, suing Chile for the land it lost in the War of the Pacific. However, the court ruled against Bolivia, stating that Chile was not obliged to negotiate access. Despite this final ruling, Bolivia's president, Evo Morales, has stated that the country will never give up on its aspirations for sovereign access to the sea.

Bolivia lost its coast to Chile during the War of the Pacific and became a landlocked country

Bolivia 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 west, and Peru to the northwest. Bolivia lost its coastline to Chile during the War of the Pacific, also known as the Nitrate War, which lasted from 1879 to 1884.

The War of the Pacific was fought between Chile and an alliance of Bolivia and Peru. The war was sparked by a dispute over nitrate taxation between Bolivia and Chile, with Peru joining the war due to its secret alliance with Bolivia. The conflict was also influenced by deeper factors such as regional hegemony, political and economic disparities, and the interest of Chile and Peru in the nitrate business.

In February 1878, Bolivia increased taxes on the Chilean mining company Compañía de Salitres y Ferrocarril de Antofagasta (CSFA), violating the Boundary Treaty of 1874, which prohibited tax increases for mining. Chile protested this violation and requested international arbitration, but Bolivia considered the matter an internal issue under its jurisdiction. Chile insisted that Bolivia's breach of the treaty nullified the established territorial borders. Despite Chile's protests, Hilarión Daza, the president of Bolivia, rescinded the license of the Chilean company, seized its assets, and put them up for auction.

On February 14, 1879, the day of the auction, Chile occupied the Bolivian port city of Antofagasta, which had a predominantly Chilean population. War was declared between Bolivia and Chile on March 1, 1879, and between Chile and Peru on April 5, 1879, after Peru refused to remain neutral.

The war was fought on the Pacific Ocean, in the Atacama Desert, the Peruvian deserts, and the mountainous interior of Peru. Chile initially struggled to establish a marine resupply corridor due to the challenging desert terrain. However, Chile's land campaign eventually overcame the Bolivian and Peruvian armies. Bolivia withdrew after the Battle of Tacna in May 1880, leaving Peru to fight alone for most of the war. Chilean forces occupied Lima, the capital of Peru, in January 1881.

Chile and Peru signed the Treaty of Ancón in October 1883, and Bolivia signed a truce with Chile in 1884. As a result of the war, Chile acquired significant resource-rich territories from Peru and Bolivia, including the Peruvian territory of Tarapacá and the Bolivian department of Litoral, turning Bolivia into a landlocked country.

In 1904, Chile and Bolivia signed the Treaty of Peace and Friendship, which established definite boundaries and made Bolivia's loss of its coastline permanent. Bolivia has continued to aspire for access to the sea, and in 2013, Bolivian President Evo Morales filed a lawsuit at the International Court of Justice, seeking to force Chile to negotiate the handover of some of its land. However, the International Court of Justice ruled against Bolivia, and the two countries have not had high-level diplomatic relations since the 1970s due to this ongoing dispute.

Chile and Bolivia have maintained only consular relations since 1978

Chile and Bolivia have had a strained relationship since gaining independence from Spain in the 19th century. The dispute between the two countries centres on the Atacama border, with both countries claiming access to the sea. Bolivia has been demanding access to the Pacific coast since it lost its coastline to Chile during the War of the Pacific in 1879. Bolivia became landlocked after the war, which was fought over control of natural resources in the Atacama Desert region. Chilean and British companies had previously refused to pay new taxes imposed by Bolivia on the exportation of natural resources, including guano, sodium nitrate, and copper. In response to this, Bolivia moved to nationalise their mines, prompting Chile to invade.

The War of the Pacific resulted in Bolivia losing 120,000 sq km of land and its entire coastline. The war ended with the Treaty of Ancón between Chile and Peru, and the Treaty of Valparaíso between Bolivia and Chile. In the latter, it was agreed that Chile would temporarily administer the territory taken from Bolivia and that Bolivia had the right to freely trade at Chilean ports. However, in the 1904 Treaty of Peace and Friendship, Bolivia and Chile agreed that Antofagasta, the territory taken by Chile during the war, would be Chilean. In exchange, a railroad would be constructed between Arica and La Paz at Chile's expense, and Bolivia would be granted free trade rights at Chile's Pacific ports and allowed to establish customs facilities there.

Despite this agreement, Bolivia has continued to seek sovereign access to the Pacific Ocean. In 1975 and 1976, Chile and Bolivia agreed to a territorial swap with the Charaña Accords, but this would have required the approval of Peru, which instead proposed a region of shared sovereignty between the three nations. This was rejected by both Chile and Bolivia, and Bolivia cut diplomatic ties with Chile in 1978. Since then, the two nations have maintained only consular relations. Bolivia's lack of access to the sea is a significant issue for the country, both politically and economically. It is estimated that the lack of a coastline deprives Bolivia of 1.5% in annual economic growth, and the country is also dependent on Chile's political will and the functioning of its ports for its foreign trade.

In 2013, Bolivia brought a case against Chile to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), arguing that Chile was obligated to negotiate with Bolivia towards granting it sovereign access to the sea. However, the ICJ ruled in Chile's favour in 2018, stating that Chile was not obliged to negotiate. Despite this final ruling, Bolivia's president, Evo Morales, has stated that the country will never give up on its aspirations for sovereign access to the sea.

Chile and Bolivia still have economic treaties supporting tourism and cooperation

Chile and Bolivia have had a strained relationship since gaining independence from Spain in the 19th century. The dispute between the two countries centres on the Atacama border, with both countries claiming access to the sea. Despite this, Chile and Bolivia still have economic treaties supporting tourism and cooperation, and trading between the two nations is unaffected by the territorial dispute.

The disagreement over the Atacama border began when Simón Bolívar established Bolivia as a nation in 1825 and claimed access to the sea at the port of Cobija, disregarding Chile's overlapping claims. This dispute continued to escalate, with both countries signing treaties in 1866 and 1874 in an attempt to resolve the issue. The 1866 treaty, also known as the Mutual Benefits Treaty, established the 24th parallel south as the boundary between the two countries and entitled them to share tax revenue on mineral exports between the 23rd and 25th parallels. A second treaty in 1874 superseded this, entitling Bolivia to collect full tax revenue between the 23rd and 24th parallels, but fixing tax rates on Chilean companies for 25 years.

Bolivia became dissatisfied with the 1866 treaty due to its negative financial impact, especially after earthquakes struck Cobija in 1868 and 1877. In 1879, the Bolivian dictator General Hilarión Daza increased taxes on the exportation of saltpeter in violation of the 1866 treaty. When Chilean-owned saltpeter companies refused to pay, Daza expropriated the companies and sold them at a public auction. Daza then cut off all commerce with Chile and exiled Chilean residents in Bolivia. In response, Chile declared the border treaties null and reactivated its old claim to a land border with Peru. Chile sent troops to Antofagasta, and shortly after, declared war on Bolivia and its ally, Peru, starting the War of the Pacific.

The War of the Pacific (1879-1884) resulted in Chile defeating Bolivia and annexing its coastline. Bolivia lost 120,000 sq km of land and became landlocked. In 1884, Bolivia signed a truce, giving control of its entire coast, the province of Antofagasta, and its valuable natural resources to Chile. This arrangement was made permanent with the Treaty of Peace and Friendship in 1904.

Bolivia has never given up on regaining its access to the sea, and the loss of the Litoral province remains a traumatic event for the country. Bolivia still maintains a navy and celebrates the Day of the Sea annually. In 2013, Bolivia took its case to the International Court of Justice, suing Chile for the land it lost in the War of the Pacific. However, the court ruled against Bolivia, stating that Chile was not obliged to negotiate access. Despite this final ruling, Bolivia's president, Evo Morales, has stated that the country will never give up on its aspirations for sovereign access to the sea.

Chile and Bolivia have had territorial negotiations since the 1960s

Chile and Bolivia have had a strained relationship since gaining independence from Spain in the 19th century. The dispute between the two countries centres on the Atacama border, with Bolivia claiming access to the sea at the port of Cobija, and Chile disagreeing.

The countries' territorial negotiations have been ongoing since the 1960s. In 1964, Bolivian President Víctor Paz Estenssoro severed diplomatic relations with Chile. Generals Augusto Pinochet and Hugo Banzer resumed diplomatic relations and attempted to settle the territorial disputes. Secret negotiations started in 1973, and in 1975 diplomatic relations between Chile and Bolivia were established.

In 1975, Pinochet and Banzer met in the Bolivian border town of Charaña. Pinochet agreed to give Bolivia a small strip of land running between the Chilean city of Arica and the Peruvian border. However, this proposal, known as the Charaña Accords, was rejected by the Peruvian President, who instead proposed that the three nations share administration of the port of Arica and the sea immediately in front of it. Neither Chile nor Bolivia agreed to this proposal.

In 1978, Bolivia cut diplomatic ties with Chile due to the lack of progress in negotiations, and the countries have not had full diplomatic relations since, maintaining relations at a consular level.

In 2013, Bolivia suspended negotiations and brought a petition against Chile to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Bolivia asked the ICJ to find that Chile was obligated to negotiate with Bolivia towards granting Bolivia sovereign access to the sea. In 2018, the court rejected Bolivia's arguments, finding that Chile was under no such obligation.

Despite the ongoing territorial dispute, Chile and Bolivia continue to have economic treaties supporting tourism and cooperation, and trading between the two nations has not been affected.

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