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, hydropower
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: flooding in the northeast (March-April)
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
Environment - international agreements: party
to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of
the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,
Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental
Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone
Layer Protection
Geography - note: landlocked; shares control
of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake (elevation 3,805
m), with Peru
