BOLIVIA, a republic of South Ameri ca; bounded on the N. by Peru and Brazil; on the E. by Brazil; on the S. by Paraguay, the Argentine Republic and Chile; and on the W. by Peru and Chile; area, 514,155 square miles; pop. (est.), 2,889,970; capital, formerly Sucre; changed to La Paz in 1900.
country is divided into two very marked regions, the high or Andean in the S. W. portion, and the lowlands of the E. and W., which extend into Paraguay and Brazil. The first of these regions is the highest on the Amer ican continent, the Plateau of Oruro hav ing an average height of 13,000 feet. This extremely mountainous district was wholly within the area of Bolivia prior to the treaty of 1884. In this region is Lake Titicaca, having an area of more than 3,200 square miles, and a depth of 120 fathoms; and containing several islands, the largest of which was the home of the founder of the Empire of the Incas. The highest elevation of Bolivia to-day is found in the eastern Cordillera range, from which extend a large number of spurs inclosing some of the richest valleys of the country. The Rio Desa guadero, with a course of 160 miles, con nects Lake Titicaca with the salt lake and swamps of Aullagas or Paria, and somewhat to the left lies the Laguna de Coiposa, a basin covered in the dry sea son with a thick crust of salt. The south ern and lower table-land is chiefly a desert, where the mountain streams either sink into the sand, or flood, in the rainy season, what are salt pampas throughout the rest of the year. The eastern edge of the eastern Cordillera is a series of terraces descending to the plain of eastern Bolivia, which in the N. belongs to the Amazon basin; and in the S. to the pampas of the Plata.
Climate and pos sesses a remarkable range of climate and productions. The regions with an elevation of over 11,000 feet are called punas, while the puns brava is the re gion of snow and ice, above 13,500 feet. Here the climate is cold and dry but gen erally healthful. Vegetation is scanty
and cultivation is principally confined to potatoes, barley, and coarse grasses. The cabezeras de valles are the heads of val leys descending to the lowlands, between 9,500 and 11,000 feet; the inedio yungas, or deeper valleys, have an altitude rang ing from 5,000 to 9,500 feet. The first of these regions has a temperate climate, and produces wheat and maize in large quantities; and in the second, tropical fruits begin to flourish. The yungas, or plains under 5,000 feet, have numerous streams, and in fertility and resources surpass most of the countries in South America. Agriculture is still in a back ward condition. Wheat, maize, barley, beans, and potatoes are produced for local consumption; coffee is raised chiefly for export; sugar cane is grown for dis tillation; and rubber, cinchona, and cocoa are important and increasing products. Cattle, sheep, and llamas are extensively bred. Bolivia has a very large mineral wealth in silver, copper, tin, lead, zinc, antimony, bismuth, gold, borax, and salt. Bolivia has about 5,000,000 acres under cultivation. The chief crops are corn, wheat, barley, beans, and potatoes. Rub ber is produced in large quantities, over 5,000 tons having been exported in 1915.
total imports in 1917 amounted to 33,480,825 bolivianos, and the exports to 157,748,050 bolivianos.
education is free and nominally compulsory, although the law concerning it is not rigidly observed. There are 426 elementary schools, with 3,960 teachers and 51,162 pupils. Sec ondary instruction is furnished by 21 col leges, 5 private lycees, and 5 clerical in stitutions with 180 teachers and 2,598 students. For higher education there are 19 institutions with 78 professors and 1,291 pupils. Sucre has a university and at La Paz there is a university, a na tional observatory, and a war college. The educational budget calls for 2,562, 468 bolivianos (a boliviano 39 cents in United States money).