Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
INTRODUCTION TO BOLIVIA
Stretching from the majestic icebound peaks and bleak high-altitude deserts of the Andes
to the exuberant rainforests and vast savannahs of the Amazon basin, Bolivia embraces
an astonishing range of landscapes and climates. This mystical terrain boasts scores of
breathtaking attractions including stark otherworldly salt pans, ancient Inca trails and
towering volcanic peaks. Landlocked at the remote heart of South America, Bolivia re-
wards the adventurous travellers and encompasses everything that outsiders find most
exotic and mysterious about the continent.
The country's cultural diversity and ethnic make-up are equally fascinating. Three centuries of
colonial rule have left their mark on the nation's language, religion and architecture, but this
is essentially little more than a veneer overlying indigenous cultural traditions that stretch
back long before the arrival of the Spanish. Though superficially embracing the Catholic reli-
gion, many Bolivians are equally at home making offerings to the mountain gods or perform-
ing other strange rites, such as blessing vehicles with libations of alcohol. And although Span-
ish is the language of government and business, the streets buzz with the cadences of Aymara,
Quechua and more than thirty other indigenous languages .
Geographically, Bolivia is dominated by the Andes , which march through the west in
two parallel chains, each studded with snowcapped peaks; between them stretch the barren,
windswept expanses of the Altiplano . Reached via a series of lush valleys, the country's low-
lands range from dense Amazonian rainforest to vast plains of dry thornbrush and scrub. The
geographical extremes are fascinating to explore, but can take their toll on travellers. This
varied topography supports an extraordinary diversity of flora and fauna from condors to
pink freshwater dolphins- Parque Nacional Amboró, for example, has over 830 species of
bird, more than the US and Canada combined. The country's underdevelopment has in some
ways been a blessing for the environment, allowing vast wilderness areas to survive in a near-
pristine condition.
ThoughitcoversanareathesizeofFranceandSpaincombined,Boliviaishometojustunder
ten million people, who are concentrated in a handful of cities founded by the Spanish . Some
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