Main page Compare countries Index countries Index fields

Query:
Jah-Jah.pl / Index countries / Bolivia (2007) - Belgium (2003) / Compare countries
##ciekawa_strona##

Compare Bolivia (2007) - Belgium (2003)

Compare Bolivia (2007) z Belgium (2003)

 Bolivia (2007)Belgium (2003)
 BoliviaBelgium
Administrative divisions 9 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Beni, Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, La Paz, Oruro, Pando, Potosi, Santa Cruz, Tarija 10 provinces (French: provinces, singular - province; Dutch: provincies, singular - provincie) and 3 regions* (French: regions; Dutch: gewesten); Antwerpen, Brabant Wallon, Brussels* (Bruxelles), Flanders*, Hainaut, Liege, Limburg, Luxembourg, Namur, Oost-Vlaanderen, Vlaams-Brabant, Wallonia*, West-Vlaanderen
Age structure 0-14 years: 34.3% (male 1,593,509/female 1,532,155)


15-64 years: 61.1% (male 2,730,359/female 2,841,872)


65 years and over: 4.6% (male 187,123/female 234,134) (2007 est.)
0-14 years: 17.2% (male 905,856; female 865,589)


15-64 years: 65.6% (male 3,400,419; female 3,346,182)


65 years and over: 17.2% (male 725,162; female 1,045,880) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products soybeans, coffee, coca, cotton, corn, sugarcane, rice, potatoes; timber sugar beets, fresh vegetables, fruits, grain, tobacco; beef, veal, pork, milk
Airports 1,061 (2007) 42 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways total: 16


over 3,047 m: 4


2,438 to 3,047 m: 4


1,524 to 2,437 m: 5


914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2007)
total: 25


over 3,047 m: 6


2,438 to 3,047 m: 8


1,524 to 2,437 m: 3


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 7 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 1,045


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 4


1,524 to 2,437 m: 57


914 to 1,523 m: 183


under 914 m: 800 (2007)
total: 17


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 15 (2002)
Area total: 1,098,580 sq km


land: 1,084,390 sq km


water: 14,190 sq km
total: 30,510 sq km


land: 30,230 sq km


water: 280 sq km
Area - comparative slightly less than three times the size of Montana about the size of Maryland
Background Bolivia, named after independence fighter Simon BOLIVAR, broke away from Spanish rule in 1825; much of its subsequent history has consisted of a series of nearly 200 coups and countercoups. Democratic civilian rule was established in 1982, but leaders have faced difficult problems of deep-seated poverty, social unrest, and illegal drug production. In December 2005, Bolivians elected Movement Toward Socialism leader Evo MORALES president - by the widest margin of any leader since the restoration of civilian rule in 1982 - after he ran on a promise to change the country's traditional political class and empower the nation's poor majority. However, since taking office, his controversial strategies have exacerbated racial and economic tensions between the Amerindian populations of the Andean west and the non-indigenous communities of the eastern lowlands. Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830 and was occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II. It has prospered in the past half century as a modern, technologically advanced European state and member of NATO and the EU. Tensions between the Dutch-speaking Flemings of the north and the French-speaking Walloons of the south have led in recent years to constitutional amendments granting these regions formal recognition and autonomy.
Birth rate 22.82 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 10.45 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget revenues: $4.48 billion


expenditures: $3.95 billion (2006 est.)
revenues: $113.4 billion


expenditures: $106 billion, including capital expenditures of $7.17 billion (2000)
Capital name: La Paz (administrative capital)


geographic coordinates: 16 30 S, 68 09 W


time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)


note: Sucre (constitutional capital)
Brussels
Climate varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and semiarid temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 66 km
Constitution 2 February 1967; revised in August 1994; referendum on new constitution to be held 6 August 2007 7 February 1831, last revised 14 July 1993; parliament approved a constitutional package creating a federal state
Country name conventional long form: Republic of Bolivia


conventional short form: Bolivia


local long form: Republica de Bolivia


local short form: Bolivia
conventional long form: Kingdom of Belgium


conventional short form: Belgium


local long form: Royaume de Belgique/Koninkrijk Belgie


local short form: Belgique/Belgie
Currency - euro (EUR)


note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries
Death rate 7.44 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 10.07 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external $4.455 billion (2006 est.) $28.3 billion (1999 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Philip S. GOLDBERG


embassy: Avenida Arce 2780, La Paz


mailing address: P. O. Box 425, La Paz; APO AA 34032


telephone: [591] (2) 216-8000


FAX: [591] (2) 216-8111
chief of mission: Ambassador Stephen Franklin BRAUER


embassy: Regentlaan 27 Boulevard du Regent, B-1000 Brussels


mailing address: PSC 82, Box 002, APO AE 09710


telephone: [32] (2) 508-2111


FAX: [32] (2) 511-2725
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Gustavo GUZMAN Saldana


chancery: 3014 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 483-4410


FAX: [1] (202) 328-3712


consulate(s) general: Houston, Miami, New York, Oklahoma City, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, DC
chief of mission: Ambassador Franciskus VAN DAELE


chancery: 3330 Garfield Street NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 333-6900


FAX: [1] (202) 333-3079


consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York
Disputes - international Chile rebuffs Bolivia's reactivated claim to restore the Atacama corridor, ceded to Chile in 1884, offering instead unrestricted but not sovereign maritime access through Chile for Bolivian natural gas and other commodities none
Economic aid - donor - ODA, $764 million (1997)
Economic aid - recipient $582.9 million (2005 est.) -
Economy - overview Bolivia, long one of the poorest and least developed Latin American countries, reformed its economy after suffering a disastrous economic crisis in the early 1980s. The reforms spurred real GDP growth, which averaged 4% in the 1990s, and poverty rates fell. Economic growth, however, lagged again beginning in 1999 because of a global slowdown and homegrown factors such as political turmoil, civil unrest, and soaring fiscal deficits, all of which hurt investor confidence. In 2003, violent protests against the pro-foreign investment economic policies of ex-President SANCHEZ DE LOZADA led to his resignation and the cancellation of plans to export Bolivia's newly discovered natural gas reserves to large northern hemisphere markets. In 2005, the government passed a controversial natural gas law that imposed significantly higher taxes on the oil and gas firms and required production firms to sign new operating contracts, which were completed in October 2006. Bolivian officials are in the process of revamping the defunct state-owned oil company and acquiring majority ownership of five gas production, transportation, refining, and storage companies. The MORALES administration plans to increase state control over other sectors as well, including mining, electricity, telecommunications, transportation, and forestry. Real GDP growth in 2003-06 - helped by increased demand for natural gas in neighboring Brazil - was positive, but still below the levels seen during the 1990s. Bolivia's fiscal position has improved in recent years, and the country had a record 6% fiscal surplus for 2006. In 2005, the G8 announced a $2 billion debt-forgiveness plan over the next few decades. The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank forgave a total of approximately $1.8 billion of Bolivian debt in 2006 that has helped reduce fiscal pressures on the government. This modern private enterprise economy has capitalized on its central geographic location, highly developed transport network, and diversified industrial and commercial base. Industry is concentrated mainly in the populous Flemish area in the north. With few natural resources, Belgium must import substantial quantities of raw materials and export a large volume of manufactures, making its economy unusually dependent on the state of world markets. Roughly three-quarters of its trade is with other EU countries. Public debt is about 100% of GDP, and the government has succeeded in balancing its budget. Belgium, together with 11 of its EU partners, began circulating the euro currency in January 2002. Economic growth in 2001-03 dropped sharply due to the global economic slowdown. Prospects for 2004 again depend largely on recovery in the EU and the US.
Electricity - consumption 4.207 billion kWh (2005) 78.18 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2005) 6.712 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2005) 15.82 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 5.041 billion kWh (2005) 74.28 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel: 38.4%


hydro: 0.6%


nuclear: 59.3%


other: 1.8% (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Rio Paraguay 90 m


highest point: Nevado Sajama 6,542 m
lowest point: North Sea 0 m


highest point: Signal de Botrange 694 m
Environment - current issues the clearing of land for agricultural purposes and the international demand for tropical timber are contributing to deforestation; soil erosion from overgrazing and poor cultivation methods (including slash-and-burn agriculture); desertification; loss of biodiversity; industrial pollution of water supplies used for drinking and irrigation the environment is exposed to intense pressures from human activities: urbanization, dense transportation network, industry, extensive animal breeding and crop cultivation; air and water pollution also have repercussions for neighboring countries; uncertainties regarding federal and regional responsibilities (now resolved) have slowed progress in tackling environmental challenges
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants
Ethnic groups Quechua 30%, mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry) 30%, Aymara 25%, white 15% Fleming 58%, Walloon 31%, mixed or other 11%
Exchange rates bolivianos per US dollar - 8.0159 (2006), 8.0661 (2005), 7.9363 (2004), 7.6592 (2003), 7.17 (2002) euros per US dollar - 1.06 (2002), 1.12 (2001), 1.09 (2000), 0.94 (1999), 36.3 (1998)
Executive branch chief of state: President Juan Evo MORALES Ayma (since 22 January 2006); Vice President Alvaro GARCIA Linera (since 22 January 2006); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Juan Evo MORALES Ayma (since 22 January 2006); Vice President Alvaro GARCIA Linera (since 22 January 2006)


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president


elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a single five-year term; election last held 18 December 2005 (next to be held in 2010)


election results: Juan Evo MORALES Ayma elected president; percent of vote - Juan Evo MORALES Ayma 53.7%; Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ramirez 28.6%; Samuel DORIA MEDINA Arana 7.8%; Michiaki NAGATANI Morishit 6.5%; Felipe QUISPE Huanca 2.2%; Guildo ANGULA Cabrera 0.7%
chief of state: King ALBERT II (since 9 August 1993); Heir Apparent Prince PHILIPPE, son of the monarch


head of government: Prime Minister Guy VERHOFSTADT (since 13 July 1999)


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch and approved by Parliament


elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch and then approved by Parliament


note: government coalition - VLD, MR, PS, SP, AGALEV, and ECOLO
Exports NA bbl/day 450,000 bbl/day (2001)
Exports - commodities natural gas, soybeans and soy products, crude petroleum, zinc ore, tin machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, metals and metal products, foodstuffs
Exports - partners Brazil 45.6%, US 10.8%, Argentina 9.2%, Colombia 6.8%, Japan 5.5%, South Korea 4.3% (2006) Germany 18.6%, France 16.3%, Netherlands 11.6%, UK 9.6%, US 7.9%, Italy 5.4% (2002)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with the coat of arms centered on the yellow band; similar to the flag of Ghana, which has a large black five-pointed star centered in the yellow band three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), yellow, and red; the design was based on the flag of France
GDP - purchasing power parity - $299.7 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 12.6%


industry: 35.6%


services: 51.8% (2006 est.)
agriculture: 1.3%


industry: 24.4%


services: 74.3% (2001)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $29,200 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 4.5% (2006 est.) 0.7% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 17 00 S, 65 00 W 50 50 N, 4 00 E
Geography - note landlocked; shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake (elevation 3,805 m), with Peru crossroads of Western Europe; majority of West European capitals within 1,000 km of Brussels, the seat of both the European Union and NATO
Heliports - 1 (2002)
Highways - total: 148,216 km


paved: 116,687 km (including 1,727 km of expressways)


unpaved: 31,529 km (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 0.3%


highest 10%: 47.2% (2002)
lowest 10%: 3.2%


highest 10%: 23% (1996)
Illicit drugs world's third-largest cultivator of coca (after Colombia and Peru) with an estimated 26,500 hectares under cultivation in August 2005, an 8% increase from 2004; transit country for Peruvian and Colombian cocaine destined for Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Europe; cultivation steadily increasing despite eradication and alternative crop programs; money-laundering activity related to narcotics trade, especially along the borders with Brazil and Paraguay; major cocaine consumption growing producer of synthetic drugs; transit point for US-bound ecstasy; source of precursor chemicals for South American cocaine processors; transshipment point for cocaine, heroin, hashish, and marijuana entering Western Europe; money laundering related to trafficking of drugs, automobiles, alcohol, and tobacco
Imports NA bbl/day 1.042 million bbl/day (2001)
Imports - commodities petroleum products, plastics, paper, aircraft and aircraft parts, prepared foods, automobiles, insecticides, soybeans machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals and metal products, foodstuffs
Imports - partners Brazil 29.3%, Argentina 16%, Chile 12.1%, US 9.1%, Peru 8.1% (2006) Germany 17.2%, Netherlands 15.6%, France 12.8%, UK 7.3%, Ireland 7%, US 6.4%, Italy 4% (2002)
Independence 6 August 1825 (from Spain) 4 October 1830 a provisional government declared independence from the Netherlands; 21 July 1831 the ascension of King Leopold I to the throne
Industrial production growth rate 5.7% (2004 est.) 4.5% (2000 est.)
Industries mining, smelting, petroleum, food and beverages, tobacco, handicrafts, clothing engineering and metal products, motor vehicle assembly, processed food and beverages, chemicals, basic metals, textiles, glass, petroleum, coal
Infant mortality rate total: 50.43 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 53.93 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 46.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
total: 4.57 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 5.16 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 3.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 4.3% (2006 est.) 1.7% (2002 est.)
International organization participation CAN, CSN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMISET, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO ACCT, AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNMOGIP, UNMOP, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 61 (2000)
Irrigated land 1,320 sq km (2003) 40 sq km (includes Luxembourg) (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges appointed for 10-year terms by National Congress); District Courts (one in each department); provincial and local courts (to try minor cases) Supreme Court of Justice or Hof van Cassatie (in Dutch) or Cour de Cassation (in French) (judges are appointed for life by the monarch, although selected by the Government)
Labor force 4.297 million (2006 est.) 4.44 million (2001)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: NA%
services 73%, industry 25%, agriculture 2% (1999 est.)
Land boundaries total: 6,940 km


border countries: Argentina 832 km, Brazil 3,423 km, Chile 860 km, Paraguay 750 km, Peru 1,075 km
total: 1,385 km


border countries: France 620 km, Germany 167 km, Luxembourg 148 km, Netherlands 450 km
Land use arable land: 2.78%


permanent crops: 0.19%


other: 97.03% (2005)
arable land: 25%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 75%


note: includes Luxembourg (1998 est.)
Languages Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara (official) Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less than 1%, legally bilingual (Dutch and French)
Legal system based on Spanish law and Napoleonic Code; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction civil law system influenced by English constitutional theory; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Legislative branch bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (27 seats; members are elected by proportional representation from party lists to serve five-year terms) and Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (130 seats; 70 members are directly elected from their districts and 60 are elected by proportional representation from party lists to serve five-year terms)


elections: Chamber of Senators and Chamber of Deputies - last held 18 December 2005 (next to be held in 2010)


election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PODEMOS 13, MAS 12, UN 1, MNR 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MAS 73, PODEMOS 43, UN 8, MNR 6
bicameral Parliament consists of a Senate or Senaat in Dutch, Senat in French (71 seats; 40 members are directly elected by popular vote, 31 are indirectly elected; members serve four-year terms) and a Chamber of Deputies or Kamer van Volksvertegenwoordigers in Dutch, Chambre des Representants in French (150 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms)


elections: Senate and Chamber of Deputies - last held 18 June 2003 (next to be held in NA May 2007)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - SP.A-Spirit 15.5%, VLD 15.4%, CD & V 12.7%, PS 12.8%, MR 12.1%, VB 9.4%, CDH 5.6%; seats by party - SP.A-Spirit 7, VLD 7, CD & V 6, PS 6, MR 5, VB 5, CDH 2, other 2 (note - there are also 31 indirectly elected senators); Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - VLD 15.4%, SP.A-Spirit 14.9%, CD & V 13.3%, PS 13.0%, VB 11.6%, MR 11.4%, CDH 5.5%, Ecolo 3.1%; seats by party - VLD 25, SP.A-Spirit 23, CD & V 21, PS 25, VB 18, MR 24, CDH 8 Ecolo 4, other 2


note: as a result of the 1993 constitutional revision that furthered devolution into a federal state, there are now three levels of government (federal, regional, and linguistic community) with a complex division of responsibilities; this reality leaves six governments each with its own legislative assembly; for other acronyms of the listed parties see the Political parties and leaders entry
Life expectancy at birth total population: 66.19 years


male: 63.53 years


female: 68.97 years (2007 est.)
total population: 78.29 years


male: 74.97 years


female: 81.78 years (2003 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 86.7%


male: 93.1%


female: 80.7% (2001 census)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 98%


male: NA%


female: NA%
Location Central South America, southwest of Brazil Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands
Map references South America Europe
Maritime claims none (landlocked) continental shelf: median line with neighbors


exclusive economic zone: median line with neighbors (extends about 68 km from coast)


territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine total: 25 ships (1000 GRT or over) 73,877 GRT/110,148 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 12, carrier 1, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 9


foreign-owned: 9 (Argentina 1, China 1, Egypt 1, Iran 1, Italy 1, Singapore 1, Syria 1, Taiwan 1, Yemen 1) (2007)
total: 20 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 32,215 GRT/55,725 DWT


ships by type: cargo 6, chemical tanker 10, petroleum tanker 4, includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Finland 1, Netherlands 3 (2002 est.)
Military branches Bolivian Armed Forces: Bolivian Army (Ejercito Boliviano), Bolivian Navy (Armada Boliviana; includes marines), Bolivian Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Boliviana, FAB) (2007) Army, Navy, Air Components, Federal Police
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $3.077 billion (FY01/02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.9% (2006) 1.4% (FY01/02)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49: 2,497,423 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 2,059,131 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 19 years of age (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males: 60,921 (2003 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 6 August (1825) 21 July (1831) ascension to the Throne of King Leopold I
Nationality noun: Bolivian(s)


adjective: Bolivian
noun: Belgian(s)


adjective: Belgian
Natural hazards flooding in the northeast (March-April) flooding is a threat in areas of reclaimed coastal land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes
Natural resources tin, natural gas, petroleum, zinc, tungsten, antimony, silver, iron, lead, gold, timber, hydropower coal, natural gas
Net migration rate -1.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) 0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Pipelines gas 4,860 km; liquid petroleum gas 47 km; oil 2,475 km; refined products 1,589 km; unknown (oil/water) 247 km (2006) gas 1,485 km; oil 158 km; refined products 535 km (2003)
Political parties and leaders Free Bolivia Movement or MBL [Franz BARRIOS]; Movement Toward Socialism or MAS [Juan Evo MORALES Ayma]; Movement Without Fear or MSM [Juan DEL GRANADO]; National Revolutionary Movement or MNR [Mirta QUEVEDO]; National Unity [Samuel DORIA MEDINA Arana]; Poder Democratico Nacional or PODEMOS [Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ramirez]; Social Alliance [Rene JOAQUINO] AGALEV (Flemish Greens) [Dirk HOLEMANS]; Christian Democrats and Flemish or CD & V [Yves LETERME]; note - used to be the Flemish Christian Democrats or CVP; Ecolo (Francophone Greens) [Jean-Michel JAVAUK, Evelyne HUYTEBROECK, Claude BROUIR]; Flemish Liberal Democrats or VLD [Karel DE GUCHT]; Francophone Humanist and Democratic Center of CDH (used to be Social Christian Party or PSC) [Joelle MILQUET]; Francophone Reformist Movement or MR (used to be Liberal Reformation Party or PRL) [Antoine DUQUESNE]; Francophone Socialist Party or PS [Elio DI RUPO]; National Front or FN [Daniel FERET]; New Flemish Alliance or NVA [Geert BOURGEOIS]; note - new party that emerged after the demise of the People's Union or VU; Social Progressive Alternative Party or SP.A [Steve STEVAERT]; note - was Flemish Socialist Party or SP; Spirit [Els VAN WEERT]; note - new party that emerged after the demise of the People's Union or VU; Vlaams Blok or VB [Frank VANHECKE]; other minor parties
Political pressure groups and leaders Cocalero groups; indigenous organizations; labor unions; Sole Confederation of Campesino Workers of Bolivia or CSUTCB Christian and Socialist Trade Unions; Federation of Belgian Industries; numerous other associations representing bankers, manufacturers, middle-class artisans, and the legal and medical professions; various organizations represent the cultural interests of Flanders and Wallonia; various peace groups such as Pax Christi and groups representing immigrants
Population 9,119,152 (July 2007 est.) 10,289,088 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line 64% (2004 est.) 4%
Population growth rate 1.42% (2007 est.) 0.14% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors - Antwerp (one of the world's busiest ports), Brugge, Gent, Hasselt, Liege, Mons, Namur, Oostende, Zeebrugge
Radio broadcast stations AM 171, FM 73, shortwave 77 (1999) FM 79, AM 7, shortwave 1 (1998)
Railways total: 3,504 km


narrow gauge: 3,504 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)
total: 3,471 km


standard gauge: 3,471 km 1.435-m gauge (2,631 km electrified) (2002)
Religions Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant (Evangelical Methodist) 5% Roman Catholic 75%, Protestant or other 25%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.961 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.799 male(s)/female


total population: 0.979 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female


total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age, universal and compulsory (married); 21 years of age, universal and compulsory (single) 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Telephone system general assessment: privatization beginning in 1995; reliability has steadily improved; new subscribers face bureaucratic difficulties; most telephones are concentrated in La Paz and other cities; mobile- cellular telephone use expanding rapidly; fixed-line teledensity of 7 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density of 27 per 100 persons


domestic: primary trunk system, which is being expanded, employs digital microwave radio relay; some areas are served by fiber-optic cable; mobile cellular systems are being expanded


international: country code - 591; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
general assessment: highly developed, technologically advanced, and completely automated domestic and international telephone and telegraph facilities


domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; extensive cable network; limited microwave radio relay network


international: 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Eutelsat
Telephones - main lines in use 646,300 (2005) 4.769 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular 2.421 million (2005) 974,494 (1997)
Television broadcast stations 48 (1997) 25 (plus 10 repeaters) (1997)
Terrain rugged Andes Mountains with a highland plateau (Altiplano), hills, lowland plains of the Amazon Basin flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast
Total fertility rate 2.76 children born/woman (2007 est.) 1.62 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate 7.8% in urban areas; widespread underemployment (2006 est.) 7.2% (2002 est.)
Waterways 10,000 km (commercially navigable) (2007) 1,570 km (route length in regular commercial use) (2001)
Sitemap: Compare countries listing (map site) | Country listing (map site)
Links: Add to favorites | Information about this website | Stats | Polityka prywatnosci
This page was generated in ##czas## s. Size this page: ##rozmiar_strony## kB.