ry age: 18 years of age

Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 477,944 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 254,992 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 19,424 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures--dollar figure: $NA

Military expenditures--percent of GDP: NA%

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: with Nepal over 91,000 Bhutanese refugees
in Nepal

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@Bolivia
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Introduction

Background: Bolivia broke away from Spanish rule in 1825. Its
subsequent history has been marked by a seemingly endless series of
coups, counter-coups, and abrupt changes in leaders and policies.
Comparatively democratic civilian rule was established in the 1980s,
but the leaders have faced difficult problems of deep-seated
poverty, social unrest, strikes, and drug dealing. Current issues
include encouraging and negotiating the terms for foreign
investment; strengthening the educational system; continuing the
privatization program; pursuing judicial reform and an
anti-corruption campaign.

Geography

Location: Central South America, southwest of Brazil

Geographic coordinates: 17 00 S, 65 00 W

Map references: South America

Area:
total: 1,098,580 sq km
land: 1,084,390 sq km
water: 14,190 sq km

Area--comparative: slightly less than three times the size of
Montana

Land boundaries:
total: 6,743 km
border countries: Argentina 832 km, Brazil 3,400 km, Chile 861 km,
Paraguay 750 km, Peru 900 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and
semiarid

Terrain: rugged Andes Mountains with a highland plateau
(Altiplano), hills, lowland plains of the Amazon Basin

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Rio Paraguay 90 m
highest point: Nevado Sajama 6,542 m

Natural resources: tin, natural gas, petroleum, zinc, tungsten,
antimony, silver, iron, lead, gold, timber

Land use:
arable land: 2%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 24%
forests and woodland: 53%
other: 21% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 1,750 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: cold, thin air of high plateau is obstacle to
efficient fuel combustion, as well as to physical activity by those
unaccustomed to