Coming up with a good list of interesting facts about Bolivia will take me a few revisions, I am sure, but it will be easier if you let me know if you agree or disagree with the list below:
- Bolivia has two capital cities: Sucre and La Paz. The president and congress reside in La Paz, while the supreme court resides in Sucre. Having two capitals is a consequence of a civil war that took place at the beginning of the 20th century.
- Bolivia is a landlocked country. It lost its access to the Pacific ocean when it lost a war against Chile in the 1880′s.
- Bolivia is a huge country, relatively speaking. It is about the size of California and Texas put together. It also has a small population, about 10 million people as of 2011.
- Back in the 16th and 17th centuries, mines in the Bolivian city of Potosi became the source of a big chunk of the silver that Spain used to grow its empire. At its peak, Potosi had a population similar in size to the population of London and Paris.
- The Uyuni salt flat, which turns into a shallow lake during the rainy season, is so vast and perfectly flat that satellite operators use it to calibrate their navigational instruments.
I’ll add more interesting facts about Bolivia based on your feedback and suggestions.
Coca Colla, a new soda made from the coca leaf, can now be purchased in Bolivia. I am still waiting for an official response from the The Coca Cola Company. Don’t forget to read a post I wrote a while ago which addresses whether coca leaves are part of the secret Coca Cola recipe.
A truly exciting new Google Maps feature was recently released - you can now get driving directions inside Bolivia. Here are a couple of examples:
Do you have other nice examples? Are the directions accurate? I welcome your comments.
Interesante artículo sobre el impacto ambiental de la mina San Cristóbal: http://www.pulsobolivia.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3251&Itemid=9 (vía Palabras Libres)
Fashion designers come up with inventive uses for the Bolivian aguayo: http://www.vogue.com/voguedaily/2010/03/need-it-now-bolivian-blankets/
Legendary Bolivian teacher Jaime Escalante is battling cancer, according to the Los Angeles Times. Jaime Escalante is featured in our hall of famous Bolivians.
Interesting article in the Guardian about the growth of cocaine production and consumption in Bolivia: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/aug/19/bolivia-cocaine-bar-route-36
Posted in Bolivia
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Tagged cocaine, drugs
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Posted in Blogs, Bolivia
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Estoy actualizando el directorio de las universidades de La Paz. Cuando me tocó empezar estudios universitarios a finales de los 80, las opciones eran extremadamente limitadas. Ahora los bachilleres pueden escoger de una larga lista de universidades. Correcciones y sugerencias para la lista son bienvenidas.
Esta es una convocatoria a los propietarios de cafes internet en Bolivia. Se les solicita escribir a admin arroba boliviaweb.com con su informacion de contacto para ser incluidos en un directorio que estoy lanzando pronto. Necesito los siguientes datos:
- Nombre del establecimiento
- Ciudad
- Direccion (calle, barrio, etc.). Si pueden proporcionar sus coordenadas para ponerlos en Google Maps aun mejor.
- Horario de atencion
- Email
- Sitio web (si es disponible)
- Tarifas (opcional)
- Otros servicios
Gracias por adelantado.
