Bolivia is a country in South America, with about 12.6 million people (2025) and an area of 1,098,580 square kilometres. It names 2 capitals, Sucre and La Paz, and it shares land borders with 5 countries.
By Team Geography·Last reviewed
Flag of BoliviaBolivia in solid, land neighbours outlined, capital marked.
Key facts about Bolivia
Capitals
Sucre and La PazSucre is the constitutional capital; La Paz is the seat of government.
The app teaches each country through short hand written lenses: PLACE for physical geography, STORY for history and identity, NOW for the news, and THREAD for the ties between countries. Here is one of Bolivia's 5, in full.
PLACELens 1 of 5
A landlocked country that spans from Andes to Amazon
Bolivia is one of only two landlocked countries in South America, having lost its Pacific coastline to Chile in the War of the Pacific in 1884. The country runs between extremes: the Altiplano, a plateau averaging 3,700 meters in the west, drops to tropical lowlands in the east that reach into the Amazon Basin. La Paz, the administrative capital, sits at 3,640 meters, the highest capital city in the world, while Santa Cruz in the eastern lowlands is the economic engine.
More on Altiplano
A vast high plateau between the Eastern and Western Cordillera ranges of the Andes. It stretches across Bolivia and Peru and includes Lake Titicaca, the world's highest navigable lake at 3,812 meters. The Altiplano's thin air and harsh conditions have shaped Andean cultures for millennia.
4 more lenses on Bolivia in the app
STORY The most Indigenous country in the Americas
NOW Sitting on half the world's lithium
NOW Coca is medicine, culture, and political flashpoint
THREAD A country defined by what it lost and what lies beneath
Titles only. The app brings each lens back on a spaced repetition schedule set by how well you knew it: New, Hazy or Clear.
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Common questions
What is the capital of Bolivia?
Bolivia names 2 capitals: Sucre and La Paz. Sucre is the constitutional capital; La Paz is the seat of government. Sucre lies at about 19.0 degrees south and 65.3 degrees west. Bolivia is in South America. It is home to about 12.6 million people.
What is the population of Bolivia?
About 12.6 million people live in Bolivia, according to the World Bank figures for 2025. That makes it the 78th most populous of the 195 countries. With an area of 1,098,580 square kilometres, that is about 11 people per square kilometre.
What countries border Bolivia?
Bolivia shares land borders with 5 countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Peru. The map on this page outlines each of them around Bolivia. The count includes only borders on land, not neighbours across a sea or a lake. Borders here follow Natural Earth at the 1:50 million scale, with Crimea shown as part of Ukraine and Western Sahara as a separate territory.
How big is Bolivia?
Bolivia covers 1,098,580 square kilometres, or about 424,164 square miles. That makes it the 27th largest of the 195 countries. The figure is total surface area, which includes inland water such as lakes and rivers. Its population of about 12.6 million gives a density of 11 people per square kilometre.
Bolivia is a country in South America, with about 12.6 million people (2025) and an area of 1,098,580 square kilometres. It names 2 capitals, Sucre and La Paz, and it shares land borders with 5 countries.
Capitals
Sucre and La PazSucre is the constitutional capital; La Paz is the seat of government.
Continent
South America
Population
12,581,843 2025, World Bank. 78th of 195.
Area
1,098,580 km² (424,164 sq mi) World Bank, surface area. 27th largest of 195.
Population density
11 people per km²
Land neighbours
5: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Peru
Official name
Plurinational State of Bolivia
UN status
Member state
PLACE · from the Geography app
A landlocked country that spans from Andes to Amazon
Bolivia is one of only two landlocked countries in South America, having lost its Pacific coastline to Chile in the War of the Pacific in 1884. The country runs between extremes: the Altiplano, a plateau averaging 3,700 meters in the west, drops to tropical lowlands in the east that reach into the Amazon Basin. La Paz, the administrative capital, sits at 3,640 meters, the highest capital city in the world, while Santa Cruz in the eastern lowlands is the economic engine.
Keep going on your iPhone. Scan for Geography: the world, one country at a time, about five minutes a day. No quizzes and no streaks. playgeography.app/countries/bolivia/ · Map data: Natural Earth. Figures: World Bank and national sources, as listed on the page.
Geography · Country report
Bolivia
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Keep going on your iPhone. Scan for Geography: the world, one country at a time, about five minutes a day. No quizzes and no streaks. playgeography.app/countries/bolivia/ · Map data: Natural Earth. Figures: World Bank and national sources, as listed on the page.
