Fast Facts About Bolivia 255Offi cial Languages
Spanish, Quechua and Aymara
Government Structure
Republic
Religion
Predominantly Roman Catholic but with indigenous religious
traditions and cosmology blended in with Catholicism; about
5 per cent Protestant
Currency
Boliviano (BOB)
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Per Capita
US$ 4,600 (2009 est.) compared to the USA’s US$ 46,400.
The ‘average’ Bolivian earns less than 10 per cent of what
the average person in the USA earns, and it’s worse, since
GDP averages do not consider inequality of distribution
of wealth. On the other hand, the cost of living for basic
food staples, housing and public transportation in Bolivia
is considerably lower than in the USA. Thus, GDP is a very
rough measurement.
Agricultural Products
Soybeans, coffee, coca, cotton, corn, sugarcane, rice,
potatoes, quinoa, fruit, nuts and timber
Industries
Mining, smelting, petroleum, food and beverages, tobacco,
handicrafts and clothing
Exports
Crude petroleum, natural gas, soybeans and soy products,
Brazil nuts, quinoa, tin and zinc ore
Imports
Aircraft and parts, automobiles, insecticides (sometimes
illegal), paper, petroleum products, plastics and processed