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Bolivia: Hispanic Reading Room Country Guide

This guide provides curated Library of Congress resources for researching Bolivia, including digitized primary source materials in a wide variety of formats, books and periodicals, online databases, and tips for searching.

Introduction

Calendar Gate, ruins of the Puerta del Sol, Tiahuanaco, La Paz, Bolivia. [between 1920 and 1947]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

The Library of Congress holds thousands of collection materials about and from Bolivia. Curated by librarians in the Hispanic Reading Room, this guide is part of a series of Country Guides that provide quick references for countries and regions from the Luso-Hispanic world. The Hispanic Reading Room is the Library’s portal to the Caribbean, Latin America, Spain and Portugal; the indigenous cultures of those areas; and peoples throughout the world historically influenced by Luso-Hispanic heritage, including Latinos in the U.S. This guide offers links to diverse resources on Bolivia from across the Library including digitized primary sources, selected books and periodicals, online databases, and tips for searching. For specific questions or assistance using the Library’s resources, use the Ask a Librarian service to contact a reference librarian.

Bolivia: Quick Facts

Bolivia. United States. Central Intelligence Agency. 2006. Library of Congress Geography and Maps Division.

Official Name: Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia (Plurinational State of Bolivia)

Capital: La Paz (executive and legislative); Sucre (constitutional and judicial)

Date of Independence: August 6, 1825

Head of State/Government: President Luis Alberto Arce Catacora (as of November 8, 2020)

Population: 11.7 million

Languages: Spanish, Quechua, Guarani, among other indigenous languages

Departments: (9 departments) Beni, Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, La Paz, Oruro, Pando, Potosi, Santa Cruz, Tarija