Prior to independence in 1825, Bolivia was part of the Spanish Viceroyalty of Lima, established to extract the rich mineral resources of the Andes. After the defeat of the Spanish, fighting among regional elites led to Bolivia's separation from Peru. Bolivia, which takes its name from the liberation hero Simon Bolívar (1783–1830), is among Latin America's most geographically fragmented countries. Mountain ranges slash through the western half of the country, with some

(MAP BY MARYLAND CARTOGRAPHICS/THE GALE GROUP)

peaks exceeding 12,000 feet. In the east is the Amazon rainforest, to the south the dry lowland Chaco. Despite its large area—1.1 million square kilometers (683.540 square miles)—only 8.7 million people live in Bolivia, producing a population density of only eight persons per square kilometer.

After independence Bolivia had the largest indigenous population of the newly independent states. To this day indigenous and nonindigenous Bolivians live mainly in separate worlds, speaking distinct...