Location Central South America, southwest of Brazil

Geographic coordinates 17 00 S, 65 00 W

Map references South America

Area
total: 1,098,580 sq km
water: 14,190 sq km
land: 1,084,390 sq km

Area - comparative slightly less than three times the size of Montana

Land boundaries
total: 6,743 km
border countries: Argentina 832 km, Brazil 3,400 km, Chile 861 km, Paraguay 750 km, Peru 900 km

Coastline 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims none (landlocked)

Climate varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and semiarid

Terrain rugged Andes Mountains with a highland plateau (Altiplano), hills, lowland plains of the Amazon Basin

Elevation extremes
lowest point: Rio Paraguay 90 m
highest point: Nevado Sajama 6,542 m

Natural resources tin, natural gas, petroleum, zinc, tungsten, antimony, silver, iron, lead, gold, timber, hydropower

Land use
arable land: 2%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 98% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land 1,280 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards flooding in the northeast (March-April)

Environment - current issues the clearing of land for agricultural purposes and the international demand for tropical timber are contributing to deforestation; soil erosion from overgrazing and poor cultivation methods (including slash-and-burn agriculture); desertification; loss of biodiversity; industrial pollution of water supplies used for drinking and irrigation

Environment - international agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection

Geography - note landlocked; shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake (elevation 3,805 m), with Peru

NOTE: The information regarding Bolivia on this page is re-published from the 2002 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Bolivia Geography 2002 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Bolivia Geography 2002 should be addressed to the CIA.