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Bolivia History Timeline

Bolivia's Information

Flag of Bolivia
Land Area 1,083,301 km2
Water Area 15,280 km2
Total Area 1,098,581km2 (#27)
Population 10,969,649 (#81)
Population Density 10.13/km2
Government Type Presidential Republic
GDP (PPP) $78.66 Billion
GDP Per Capita $7,200
Currency Boliviano (BOB)
More Information Bolivia
Largest Cities
View all cities in Bolivia

See Also

1500s - 1800s

  • (1538) Spain seized Bolivia
  • (1545) Silver discovered in Cerro Rico mountains
  • (1548) La Paz founded by Alonso de Mendoza
  • (1561) Santa Cruz founded
  • (1809-1925) Bolivian War of Independence
  • (1825) Bolivia declared independence from Spain and Peru
  • (1836-1839) Peru-Bolivian Confederation; war with Chile and Argentina
  • (1839) Battle of Yungay, Chile defeated Peruvian-Bolivian army
  • (1842) Peace agreement with Peru
  • (1879-1883) War of the Pacific, lost nitrate-rich Atacama to Chile
  • (1899) La Paz became seat of government and administrative capital, Sucre the official capital
1900s
  • (1903) War of the Pacific officially ended
  • (1907) Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were killed by soldiers after robbing a mine
  • (1928) Paraguay disputed territory of Chaco Boreal; oil discovered in foothills of Andes
  • (1932-1935) Chaco War with Paraguay; discovered there was no oil
  • (1942) Victor Paz Estensorro founded National Revolutionary Movement
  • (1952-1956) Victor Paz Estensorro served first of four terms as president; guerrilla leader Che Guevara organized National Liberation Army
  • (1967) Che Guevara attempted to incite a revolution; executed
  • (1971-1978) Colonel Hugo Banzer Suarez ruled as a military leader
  • (1982-1985) Hernan Siles Zuazo became president again, restored democracy after 18 years of military rule
  • (1990) Land reforms in favor of indigenous people
  • (1996) Dinosaur footprints discovered near Sucre; land reform agreement with landowners and Indian chiefs
  • (1999) Bush fires destroyed hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland
2000s
  • (2004) Protests erupted over gas export deal with Argentina; government won people's referendum on gas exports
  • (2006) Evo Morales elected president; nationalized gas, other energy industries, redistributed land
  • (2007) State of emergency declared after months of heavy rain and floods

Bolivia Trivia

What Languages are Spoken in Bolivia?

The Constitution of Bolivia was adopted in 2009, and specified the country's official languages. Bolivia has one of the highest numbers of official languages in the world, with 39 languages being lawfully recognized as official. The major native languages in Bolivia that have more than a million speakers are Quechua and Aymara. Castilian is the Spanish dialect used in Bolivia, with speakers found all over the country.

What Languages are Spoken in Bolivia?

What Kind of Government Does Bolivia Have?

Bolivia, a landlocked country located in South America, carries out its government via a presidential representative democratic republic. Under this political framework, the President is both the Head of State and the Head of Government.

What Type Of Government Does Bolivia Have?

What Are The Native Plants Of Bolivia?

Bolivia is one of the world’s most biodiverse countries and is home to over 17,000 species of vascular plants. Some of the native plants of the country include Amazon Sword Plant, Bolivian Begonia, Mistol, Fire Flag, Cuplet Fern, etc.

Native Plants Of Bolivia

What Are The Major Natural Resources Of Bolivia?

Bolivia is rich in a wide variety of natural resources including oil, natural gas, arable land, and the nation's beautiful scenery.

What Are The Major Natural Resources Of Bolivia?

What are the ethnic groups of Bolivia?

The majority of Bolivians are either Native South American or of mixed Native American and European ancestry. The Mestizo ethnic group makes up 70% and Indigenous Bolivian makes up 20%.

Ethnic Groups Of Bolivia

What is the biggest city in Bolivia?

Santa Cruz de la Sierra is the biggest city in Bolivia with a population of 3.32 million.

Biggest Cities In Bolivia

About the Author

John Moen is a cartographer who along with his wife are the orignal founders of worldatlas.com. He and his wife, Chris Woolwine-Moen, produced thousands of award-winning maps that are used all over the world and content that aids students, teachers, travelers and parents with their geography and map questions. Today, it's one of the most popular educational sites on the web.

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