Bolivia is a landlocked country in the center of South America, with a landscape that changes dramatically from the high Andes in the west to tropical lowlands and the Amazon basin in the east. The country is home to one of the largest Indigenous populations in South America, with Quechua and Aymara people making up particularly large communities, and its geography and culture are closely connected. Bolivia contains some of the world’s highest cities, vast salt flats, high-altitude lakes, fertile valleys, and enormous areas of tropical wilderness, making it one of the most geographically diverse countries in South America.

The region has been inhabited for thousands of years and was home to powerful Indigenous civilizations long before Spanish colonization. Tiwanaku flourished near Lake Titicaca more than a thousand years ago and became one of the most important civilizations in the Andes before the rise of the Inca Empire. The Spanish later incorporated the region into their colonial empire, with much of present-day Bolivia becoming part of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. After a long struggle for independence, the territory declared independence in 1825 following the defeat of Spanish forces by the armies of Antonio José de Sucre and Simón Bolívar. The new country was initially named the Republic of Bolívar in honor of Bolívar, who also helped write its first constitution. Bolivia’s early history was marked by close connections with Peru, including the short-lived Peru-Bolivian Confederation from 1836 to 1839, which attempted to unite the two countries into a single political entity.

Bolivia subsequently developed one of the most turbulent political histories in the world and lost large amounts of territory to its neighbors through wars and treaties, including its entire Pacific coastline to Chile during the War of the Pacific, leaving the country landlocked. It experienced more than 190 coups and revolutions after independence, and since 1950 has had more coups than any other country. Political conflict over Indigenous rights, regional power, natural resources, and economic policy has continued into the modern era, and protests, strikes, and road blockades remain common forms of political pressure. These blockades can sometimes cut off major cities and disrupt the movement of food, fuel, and other supplies. Despite this instability, Bolivia retains an extraordinary combination of historical and natural attractions, from the ancient ruins of Tiwanaku and the high-altitude landscapes surrounding Lake Titicaca to the vast Salar de Uyuni, the historic cities of Sucre and La Paz, and the immense biodiversity of the Amazon basin.