Bolivia

Field Office Information

C&MA Field Entry in 1997

Field Director:

Mailing Address:

Casilla 1890
Cochabamba, BOLIVIA

Phone:

Email:

Website:

National Church

The Christian and Missionary Alliance of Bolivia: 3 organized churches, 1 ordained minister, 363 baptized members, and 540 inclusive members

Team Initiatives

• N/A

Demographics

Population

Population--8,857,870 Infant mortality rate--53.1/1,000 Life expectancy--65.5

Capital City

La Paz, administrative capital (1,576,100) Sucre, judicial capital (204,200) pop.

Geography

Equal to the size of California and Texas combined, Bolivia (424,162 sq. mi.) has a great plateau with an average altitude of 12,000 ft. in the western part. Almost half of Bolivia’s population lives on the plateau. The northern and eastern two-thirds of the country is lowlands ranging from rain forests to grasslands.

Languages

Spanish, Quechua, Aymara

Ethnicity/Race

Quechua--30%; Mestizo--30%; Aymara--25%; White--15%

Economy

Per capita income--$2,600 Inflation--4.9% Unemployment--9.2% Literacy rate--87% (2003 est.)

Government/Political Climate

Republic; broke away from Spanish rule in 1825; much of its subsequent history has consisted of nearly 200 coups and counter-coups. Comparatively democratic civilian rule was established in 1982, but leaders have faced difficult problems of deep-seated poverty and social unrest.

Religion

Roman Catholic--95%; Protestant (Evangelical Methodist)--5%