254 CultureShock! Bolivia
with all fi ve of these countries having sliced off parts of Bolivia
at one time or another.Area
total: 1,098,580 sq km (424,164.1 sq miles), nearly the size
of France, Germany and England combined, and yet with
less than ¹/ 20 the population of those three countries!
land: 1,084,390 sq km (418,685.3 sq miles)
water: 14,190 sq km (5,478.8 sq miles)Highest Point
Nevado Sajama (6,542 m / 21,463.3 ft), with the central
Cordillera Real alone having more than 600 peaks at more
than 5,000 m (16,400 ft)Climate
Varies depending on the altitude and ranges from cold and
semi-arid to tropical humid, with radically different climates
often so contiguous that one can walk (up or down) from one
climate to another.Natural Resources
Natural gas, petroleum, tin, zinc, tungsten, antimony, silver,
iron, lead, gold, timber, hydropowerPopulation
9,775,246 (July 2009 est), approximately the population of
Sweden but more then double the size of Sweden.Ethnic Groups
Quechua (30 per cent), Mestizo, which is a mixture of
Amerindian and white (30 per cent), Aymara (25 per cent),
white (15 per cent), with more than 30 minority ethnic
groups, most of them with their own distinct languages,
collectively representing less than 1 per cent.Administrative Divisions
9 departments: Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, Beni, La Paz,
Oruro, Pando, Potosí, Santa Cruz, Tarija