Filed under the Americas and more precisely South America, Bolivia is a sovereign state. Treaties and official documents call it Plurinational State of Bolivia. Its seat of government is Sucre.
It covers 1,098,581 km², which ranks it 29th of the 250 countries and territories in this dataset — just behind Ethiopia and just ahead of Mauritania. Put next to a country most people can picture, it is almost exactly the same size as Ethiopia.
It is home to roughly 12.4 million people, placing it 79th of 250 by population — between Burundi above it and Tunisia below. Among the 14 entries in South America it ranks 5th by area and 8th by population.
The lie of the land
Plotted on a globe it falls at 17.0° south, 65.0° west, which puts it in the southern hemisphere, roughly 1,892 km from the equator, in what geographers would call tropical latitudes.
Follow that same latitude east or west and you reach Mozambique, Zambia and Fiji — places that share its distance from the equator but little else.
5 countries share a land border with it: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Peru. The largest of them by area is Brazil, which is also the most populous. Together those neighbours hold about 318.6 million people.
Bolivia is landlocked. That is true of 45 of the 250 entries here, so all seaborne trade runs through a neighbour's ports. One of its neighbours, Paraguay, is landlocked too. You can see the full picture on the landlocked countries page.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Who lives in Bolivia
Density comes out at around 11 people per square kilometre, which makes it less crowded than the typical entry on this list. Half the entries in this dataset fall below roughly 90 per square kilometre.
4 languages carry official status: Aymara, GuaranÃ, Quechua and Spanish. Aymara, the first listed, is shared with 1 other entry worldwide.
People from Bolivia are called Bolivians.
Against the Americas as a whole it is the 12th most populous of 56 entries, and it accounts for 2.8% of everyone living in South America.
Money, codes and practical details
It uses the Bolivian boliviano (Bs., BOB). No other entry in this dataset uses it, so the currency is specific to Bolivia.
If a quiz asks for the capital of Bolivia, the answer is Sucre.
The top-level domain is .bo. To phone it from abroad you dial +591. Its ISO codes are bo and BOL, which is what most databases and flag files use.
It holds a seat at the United Nations, one of 193 entries here that do. The other 57 entries are territories, dependencies or observers, which is why totals on this site run to 250 rather than the familiar 195.
Neighbouring countries
Bolivia shares borders with 5 countries:
Fun facts about Bolivia
- Within South America it is the 5th largest of 14.
- It shares land borders with 5 countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Peru.
- Its full official name is Plurinational State of Bolivia.
- Ranked by land area, Bolivia is 29th out of the 250 countries and territories on this site.
- It lies about 1,892 km from the equator, in tropical latitudes.
- Its capital city is Sucre.
Bolivia — frequently asked questions
- What is the capital of Bolivia?
- The capital of Bolivia is Sucre.
- Which countries border Bolivia?
- Bolivia borders 5 countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Peru. Brazil is the largest of them by area.
- What language is spoken in Bolivia?
- Bolivia lists 4 official languages: Aymara, GuaranÃ, Quechua and Spanish.
- How big is Bolivia?
- Bolivia covers 1,098,581 km², ranking 29th of 250 by land area. That makes it almost exactly the same size as Ethiopia.
- Is Bolivia landlocked?
- Yes. Bolivia has no sea coast, which makes it one of 45 landlocked entries in this dataset. Everything it imports or exports by sea has to cross a neighbour's territory first, and that transit dependency is a well-documented drag on trade costs.
- Is Bolivia a country?
- Yes. Bolivia is a sovereign state and one of the 193 UN members listed on this site.
- Where is Bolivia located?
- Bolivia is in South America, part of the Americas. Its reference coordinates are 17.0° south and 65.0° west, roughly 1,892 km from the equator in tropical latitudes.
- What is the population of Bolivia?
- Bolivia has a population of about 12.4 million, which makes it the 79th most populous of the 250 countries and territories listed on this site. Burundi sits just above it and Tunisia just below.
- What currency does Bolivia use?
- Bolivia uses the Bolivian boliviano, written Bs. (currency code BOB). No other entry in this dataset uses it.
