La Paz

Sucre

Alto Madidi National Park

Created in 1995, Alto Madidi National Park is a jungle nature reserve located in Bolivia’s northern Amazon river basin. It is one of Bolivia’s largest protected areas as well as one of the most ecologically diverse places on the planet. Madidis’s topographical diversity is impressive, ranging from snow-capped mountains to tropical jungles. The park contains over 1,000 bird species, comprising 11% of all species; it is also home to several species of medicinal plants, capybaras, macaws, monkeys, and turtles. Countless indigenous communities also reside in Alto Madidi, including the Chamas, Maropas, Chimanes, and Tacanas groups.

Carrasco National Park

Carrasco National Park is one of Bolivia’s most biologically diverse parks, featuring over 5,000 registered plant species. The area was created in 1991 in order to preserve plant and animal life; people are not allowed to live within the park. The park includes part of the Bolivian Yungas, an important moist broadleaf forest region in central Bolivia.

Paraguay River

The Paraguay River is the fifth largest river in South America. It is a major source of seasonal flooding, due to different flow rates between the source in Brazil and its mouth. The river’s drainage basin is often very hot and humid, featuring arid winters and wet summers.The Pantanal, a large seasonal swamp, is located on the river’s upper basin. The area surrounding the river is economically underdeveloped, and those that live along it engage in livestock-raising or subsistence agriculture. Steamers frequently use the river as a mode of transportation.

Guaporè River

Andes

The Andes make up the world’s longest continental mountain range. The range stretches 4,300 miles in length, 430 miles in width, with an average height of about 13,000 feet. The Andes extend through Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. The mountains are separated into three divisions based on their climate: the Tropical Andes, the Dry Andes, and the Wet Andes. The Andes are part of the American Cordillera, a chain of mountain ranges that make an almost continuous line of mountains that form the western “backbone” of North, Central, South America and Antarctica.

• Bolivia is named after Simon Bolivar, a Venezuelan military leader who led the fight to gain independence from Spain for Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, and Colombia in 1825. He later became Bolivia’s first president.
• Several individuals dressed as zebras can be seen frequently on Bolivia’s streets. Their job? To help children cross the road safely and educate pedestrians on road safety.
• The world’s most dangerous road, the Camino de las Yungas, is located in Bolivia.
• The largest mirror on Earth, called Salar de Uyuni, can be found in Bolivia. Salar de Uyuni are Bolivia’s renowned salt flats.
• The clock on Bolivia’s National Congress building in La Paz’s main square runs backwards instead of forwards. The gesture is symbolic, and is meant to remind Bolivian citizens to be unique and think differently.
• Bolivia is one of only two South American countries that is landlocked - surrounded completely by land. The other is Paraguay.
• In Bolivia’s San Pedro prison, inmates are allowed to stay with their families, earn money, and even buy accommodations for themselves.
• The Hotel Luna Salad, a Bolivian hotel, is made completely with salt blocks. This even includes the hotel’s interior and furniture.
• Over 70% of the Brazil nuts produced in the world come from Bolivia. The country exports almost 25 million tons of Brazil nuts around the world each year.
• The national sport of Bolivia is soccer.