Geography

Bolivia is situated in the centre of South America. It encompasses 424,194 square miles and has borders with Brazil to the north and east, with Argentina to the south, and with Peru to the west. On the southeast of Bolivia lies the border with Paraguay, while to the southwest lies that with Chile.

Climate

Although all of Bolivia is located within the Tropic of Capricorn, the country enjoys the full spectrum of existing climates. The temperature is not only regulated by geographical location, but also by the altitude above sea level; temperatures are lower at higher altitudes and higher at lower altitudes.

Due to its proximity to the Equator, the four seasons are not marked with much differentiation in contrast to other continents. The variation of temperatures between winter and summer is less than 10 degrees C.

Economic geography

Until 1986 the production of minerals such as tin, gold, silver, zinc, lead and others constituted the economic basis of Bolivia. However, the drop in prices in the international markets obligated the state to close important mining companies for the purpose of levelling its balance of payments. Currently, Bolivia's economy thrives on minerals, livestock and agro-industrial riches.

Bolivia also has rich petroleum deposits and refineries which meet the country's needs. It uses natural gas to generate energy, which it sells to the Republic of Argentina, and it also has agreements to export energy to Brazil and Chile. In the agricultural sector, due to the distinctive topographic characteristics of the country, there is an extensive range of different products from the tropical regions, the valleys and the high mountains.

Currently, tourism is one of the principal sources of income, surpassing traditional exportation.