The official name of the democratic republic is Plurinational State of Bolivia.
With a surface of 1,098,581 km², Bolivia is approximately 26 times the size of the Netherlands.
Bolivia is completely surrounded by neighboring countries: Peru in the northwest, Brazil in the northeast, Paraguay in the southeast, Argentina in the south and Chile in the southwest.
The land borders are a total of 6,700 kilometers long, half of which is shared with Brazil.
The country can be divided into three main natural regions:
In the west of Bolivia is the Andes. The highest peak of this mountain range is the Sajama with an altitude of 6,542 meters.
Another zone is the altiplano, the highlands of Bolivia.
The east of Bolivia is lowland where the rainforest of the Amazon is located, the hot but dry area of the Chaco lies in the southeast.
Between the altiplano and the lowlands is a fertile area with wide valleys with a height of between 1,000 and 3,000 meters.
The most important and largest rivers of the country are the Mamoré in the tropical north and the Pilcomayo that flows through the Gran Chaco.
Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world and is located on the border of Bolivia and Peru.
In the department of Potosí lies the second largest salt flat in the world, the Salar de Uyuni. This is the main tourist attraction of Bolivia.
The largest cities in Bolivia are Santa Cruz de la Sierra, also known as the engine of the country, the government city of La Paz and Cochabamba. El Alto also belongs in this list, the city is located above La Paz and is one of the fastest growing cities in the country.
The capital of Bolivia, Sucre, is considerably smaller.
Bolivia has different climates; in the Amazon in the north it is tropical and humid, in the Chaco in the southeast it is dry and hot and on the altiplano it is cold.
In the Andes valleys it is subtropical and in the lowlands there is a tropical, humid climate. In the Bolivian winter a 'sur' regularly blows, which brings a cold south wind.
The rainy season falls in the summer, from December to April. Winter is the dry season and lasts from May to August.
The population groups in the country speak different languages.
Spanish is the most spoken language. In addition, there are a large number of other languages that are officially recognized. The most important of these are Quechua, Aymara and Guaraní.
The majority of the population is Catholic. Other religions are also represented.
Especially on the altiplano, the Christian religion is often mixed with indigenous elements.
The Bolivian currency is the boliviano.
In addition, the US dollar is used. You can only do your shopping in bolivianos, the price of expensive items is often expressed in dollars.
Until early 2023, ATMs in larger towns often dispensed both currencies. Nowadays, you can only withdraw bolivianos.
A casa de cambio normally gives a better exchange rate than the banks.
Bolivia has a rich culture of eating and drinking and sharing.
Every region or city has its own specialties, also depending on the products that are available locally.