Population Of Bolivia

Mr. Singh says high population pressures in closed forests areas can be seen in India and China. In India, 43 per cent of closed forests have high population densities. In China, 36 per cent are facing high population densities whereas almost all closed forest areas in Peru and Bolivia are free from high population pressure. Other countries free from high population pressures and with significant closed forests include the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Papua New Guinea, Brazil, Russia and Canada. ... [Read More]

US Department Of State Post Report

Despite the solid economic growth since 1987, Bolivia remains South America’s poorest country. The economic recovery of the last half of the 1980s only offset the decline of the first half. Bolivia still has a GDP of only $1,076 a person, far lower than most neighboring countries. Bolivia has an illiteracy rate of at least 20%, and a December 1999 UNICEF report on infant mortality indicated that 85 of every 1,000 children die before they reach 5 years of age. Thus, the Government of Bolivia remains heavily dependent on foreign assistance to finance development projects. At the end of 1998, the Government owed $4.3 billion to its foreign creditors, with $1.6 billion of this amount owed to other governments and most of the balance owed to multilateral development banks. Most payments to other governments have been rescheduled on several occasions since 1987 through the Paris Club mechanism. Some countries have forgiven substantial amounts of Bolivia’s bilateral debt. The U.S. Government ... [Read More]

Bolivia

Section 1.   Respect for the Integrity of the Person, Including Freedom From:a. Arbitrary or Unlawful Deprivation of Life There were no reports of politically motivated killings committed by government agents; however, security forces allegedly killed five protesters during violent demonstrations. Most deaths and injuries occurred in or near the Chapare where cocaleros often violently opposed the security forces' attempts to enforce the law and reduce the illegal coca crop that is used mainly to manufacture cocaine. Some human rights groups blamed the forced eradication for the violence, and cocaleros demanded its suspension, often by blocking a strategic highway used to transport legal crops to market. On January 15, violent protests erupted in the town of Sacaba, Cochabamba, as police responded to cocalero protests against a decree banning the transport a ... [Read More]

Bolivia

Between January 12 and 28, at least five civilians were killed when major violence erupted in the Chapare region as illegal coca growers ("cocaleros") blocked the major Cochabamba/Santa Cruz highway (see Section 2.b.). On January 14, near Sinahota, Chapare, coca grower Willy Hinojosa, 22, was shot to death. The Ninth Division claimed that troops, in response to an attack by protesters on their lead vehicle, first fired live ammunition into the air and then at the ground, as required by the division's crowd control protocol. Officers speculated that a richochet might have struck Hinojosa. Coca growers offered a different version of events surrounding the death of Willy Hinojosa. They said he had been arrested in Sinahota and was shot while trying to escape. The Public Ministry was investigating the incident at year's end. On January 15, coca growers complained to human rights groups that Felix Colque died as a resul ... [Read More]

Bolivia

The Government generally respected the human rights of its citizens; however, problems remain in certain areas. Legal and institutional deficiencies prevented the full protection of citizens' rights. In April violent demonstrations and road blockages broke out in Cochabamba over a controversial municipal water project, and unrelated protests occurred across the country, leading to the deaths of protesters as well as members of the security forces; commerce was brought to a virtual halt. On April 8, President Banzer declared a state of siege, which Congress approved on April 13. The stage of siege ended on April 20. Nongovernmental human rights organizations criticized the state of siege and the killings, injuries, and preventive detentions that took place during it. Violent demonstrations and other confrontations due to an unrelated list of grievances against the Government also took place in September and October, and resulted in the deaths of up to 10 civilians, 4 security officials, ... [Read More]

Report on Global Anti-Semitism

January 5, 2005 Executive Summary I.  Anti-SemitismAnti-Semitism has plagued the world for centuries. Taken to its most far-reaching and violent extreme, the Holocaust, anti-Semitism resulted in the deaths of millions of Jews and the suffering of countless others. Subtler, less vile forms of anti-Semitism have disrupted lives, decimated religious communities, created social and political cleavages, and complicated relations between countries as well as the work of international organizations. For an increasingly interdependent world, anti-Semitism is an intolerable burden. The increasing frequency and severity of anti-Semitic incidents since the start of the 21st century, particularly in Europe, has compelled the international com ... [Read More]

Statement by the Bolivia Support Group

Representatives from 19 countries and six international organizations met at the State Department on January 16 to demonstrate support for the Bolivian government and economic growth and stability in Bolivia.  Bolivian Minister of the Presidency, Jose Antonio Galindo, and Minister of Economic Development, Xavier Nogales, gave presentations outlining the Bolivian government's strategies to improve democratic institutions and stability, fight poverty, raise living standards, and extend the benefits of development to the poorest segments of the population.  ... [Read More]

Bolivia (06/05)

Trouble began again in September 2003 when a group of tourists became trapped in the town of Sorata. After days of unfruitful negotiations, the Government of Bolivia security forces launched a rescue operation, but on the way out, were ambushed by armed peasants and a number of persons were killed on both sides. The incident ignited passions throughout highlands and united a loose coalition of protestors to pressure the Government of Bolivia into halting the proposed project to export liquefied natural gas, most likely through Chile. Anti-Chile sentiment and memories of three major cycles of non-renewable commodity exports (silver through the 19th century, guano and rubber later in that century and tin in the 20th century) touched a nerve with many citizens. Events slowly built as La Paz became trapped by the protester's blockades. Violent confrontations ensued, and most of the 60-80 deaths occurred when security forces tried to bring supplies into the surrounded city. In the end, many ... [Read More]

Bolivia

The country has an area of 424,164 square miles, and its population is estimated at 8.27 million. According to a 2001 survey conducted by the National Statistical Institute, 78 percent of the population is Roman Catholic (a decrease of 2 percent over the preceding 10 years). Protestant denominations account for 16 to 19 percent of the population. Catholic membership is higher in urban than in rural areas, while Protestant affiliation is highest (approximately 20 percent) in the countryside. Approximately 2.5 percent of the population indicated no religious affiliation, and less than 0.2 percent claimed affiliation with other faiths, including Islam, the Baha'i faith, Judaism, Buddhism, and Shinto. There are 280 non-Catholic faith-based organizations and more than 200 Catholic groups registered by the Government. The majority of non-Catholic groups, which includes Mennonites, Mormons, Lutherans, Seventh-day Adventists, Baptists, Pentecostals, Methodists, and several evangel ... [Read More]

Bolivia

According to the 2001 National Census figures, 62 percent of the population identified themselves as indigenous. Of this total, almost 31 percent identified themselves as Quechua (2.5 million), 25 percent as Aymara (2.1 million), 2 percent Chiquitano (180,000), 1.5 percent Guarani (130,000), and another 2.3 percent as from other indigenous groups. The percentage of the population identifying themselves as indigenous is higher in rural areas, and the Roman Catholic Church tends to be weaker in these parts of the country due to both a lack of resources and indigenous cultural resistance. For many individuals, identification with Roman Catholicism coexists with an attachment to traditional beliefs and rituals, with a focus on the "Pachamama" or "Mother Earth" figure, as well as on "Akeko," originally an indigenous god of luck, harvests, and general abundance, whose festival is celebrated widely on January 24. Some indigenous leaders have sought to discard all forms of Christian religion. ... [Read More]