Bolivia

Bolivia (Spanish República de Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia) is a landlocked country in South America, bordered in the north and east by Brazil, in the south by Paraguay and Argentina, and to the west by Chile and Peru.

Geography and climate

Bolivia has been landlocked since 1884, when it lost coastal territory to Chile. Between the main Andes ranges of the Cordillera Occidental and Cordillera Oriental, which run north to south, lies the high plateau known as the altiplano which forms about one third of Bolivias territory. The mountainous areas are cold and dry, contrasting with the lower slopes and plains of Bolivia known collectively as the Yungas, which has a more subtropical climate.

To the south-east are the plains known as the Llanos which during the rainy season largely become swampland, although the drier parts provide good grazing for cattle. The mean annual temperature in the Llanos is 26 degrees Celsius, and in the altiplano 8 degrees Celsius.

Lying along the western border, Bolivia shares with Peru Lake Titicaca, at 3,805m the worlds highest navigable lake. Bolivias highest peak at 6,462m is Illimani, close to the administrative capital La Paz, which at 3,640m is the highest "capital" in the world.