17 interesting facts about Bolivia

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A selection of the most interesting facts about Bolivia that we took during our visit

Before we went to Bolivia, my entire training came from this scene from the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid from 1969.

Although our arrival in the country was not quite as uncomfortable as Robert Redford's, Bolivia proved to be one of the more challenging countries that we visited. Cold showers, boring cuisine and large heights were just a few of the things we had to fight with.

add one or the other hostel that reminds of a gulag from the Soviet period, and you have a goal that remains far behind its better crossed neighbors.

What Bolivia is missing from hospitality, but makes it up again through landscape and history. The rare calm of the Isla del Sol, the dramatic and chaotic environment of La Paz and the surreal, overwhelming beauty of the Salar de Uyuni ensure a diverse and complex environment.

Bolivia is angular, but still enchanted us. Here are the most interesting facts about Bolivia that we took up on our trip through its wilderness.

interesting facts about Bolivia

  1. The name of Bolivia comes from the Venezuelan military and political leader Simon Bolivar, who led Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru and Colombia into independence from Spain in 1825. He was also officially the first President of Bolivia. (Source: Museo Simón Bolívar)

  2. with 3,650 m (11,975 ft) above sea level, La Paz is unofficially the highest capital in the world. The official capital is Sucre, but the company capital (the seat of government) is in La Paz. (Source: Wikipedia)

  3. zebras (or more of people disguised as zebras) hike through the streets of La Paz, help children to cross the street safely, and educate drivers and pedestrians through road safety. (Source: The Guardian)

    4. alt = “zebras (or rather as zebras disguised people) strip through the streets of La Paz”> dream time zebras on the streets of La Paz

    1. el Alto at 4,150 m (13,615 ft) has 1,184,942 inhabitants and is therefore the highest city in the world - "large" is defined as a population of more than 100,000. (Source: Wikipedia)

    2. The street Camino de Las Yungas, 56 km (35 miles) northeast of La Paz, is known as the "most dangerous street in the world". There are an estimated 200 to 300 deaths every year on this less than 50 miles long street section. (Source: BBC)

    3. dead animals, including dried llama fetuses, are sold to the citizens on the streets of Bolivia so that they can offer them Pachamama (mother nature) in return for blessings. (Source: BBC)

      4. alt = "interesting facts about Bolivia"> Atlas & Boots dead animals on the streets of Boliviens

      1. Nevertheless, Bolivia granted the same rights to all nature in 2010 as humans. The law redefined the country's rich head treasures as "blessing". (Source: The Guardian)

      2. In Bolivia there is the Salar de Uyuni, the "largest mirror on earth" and also one of the most beautiful things we have ever seen. (Source: I - Look!)

      3. The Salar de Uyuni is a huge 10,582 square kilometers in size and makes Bolivia home to the largest salt pans in the world. (Source: Encyclopædia Britannica)

        4. alt = "interesting facts about Bolivia"> Atlas & Boots The salt twigs of Uyuni in Bolivia

        1. There is even a hotel called Palacio de Sal (Salzpalast). Built in 1993-1995, it was built from one million 35 cm (14-inch) salt blocks that were used for the floor, the walls, the ceiling and the furniture, including beds, tables, chairs and sculptures. (Source: Website of the Palacio de Sal)

        2. Bolivia is one of two South American inland countries, the other is Paraguay. In the 1880s it lost 420 miles of the Pacific coast and 120,000 square kilometers of land to Chile. (Source: New York Times )

        3. The current and very popular President Evo Morales is the country's first indigenous president. Although they are considered a controversial figure by the West, poverty and inequality have decreased sharply since Mr. Morales's first election. (Source: BBC)

        4. The Titicaca Lake, which spans the border between Peru and Bolivia, is the highest navigable lake in the world. It is 3,812 meters (12,507 feet) above sea level and is also the largest lake in South America. (Source: Cia World Factbook)

          5. alt = "Interesting facts about Bolivia TiticacaSee"> Atlas & Boots TiticacaCa in Bolivia

          1. Bolivia has 37 official languages! The main languages ​​are Spanish, Quechua, Aymara and Guaraní with another 36 recognized indigenous languages. (Source: Cia World Factbook)

          2. A watch on the building of the National Congress on La Paz's main square runs backwards to remind the citizens of thinking differently. (Source: BBC)

            3. alt = "The reverse clock in La Paz"> Atlas & Boots The reverse clock in La Paz

            1. As in Ecuador and Peru, Cuy (guinea pig) is used and eaten as traditional meat. It is still an important part of nutrition in Bolivia, especially in the Andean highlands, since guinea pigs need a lot less space than conventional farm animals and multiply extremely quickly.

            2. el Penal de San Pedro (St. Peter prison) in La Paz is famous for his walled society. The prison houses around 1,500 inmates, without the women and children who live unofficially with the occupants. The prison was once open for tours, but his doors were closed to visitors after violence. (Source: BBC )

              3. More interesting facts about Bolivia can be found in the Lonely Planet Guide to South America. 

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