Bolivia

American  

[buh-liv-ee-uh, boh-, baw-lee-vyah] / bəˈlɪv i ə, boʊ-, bɔˈli ḇyɑ /

noun

1. a republic in western South America. 404,388 sq. mi. (1,047,370 sq. km). La Paz and Sucre.

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Bolivia British  

/ bəˈlɪvɪə /

noun

1. an inland republic in central S America: original Aymará Indian population conquered by the Incas in the 13th century; colonized by Spain from 1538; became a republic in 1825; consists of low plains in the east, with ranges of the Andes rising to over 6400 m (21 000 ft) and the Altiplano, a plateau averaging 3900 m (13 000 ft) in the west; contains some of the world's highest inhabited regions; important producer of tin and other minerals. Official languages: Spanish, Quechua, and Aymara. Religion: Roman Catholic. Currency: boliviano. Capital: La Paz (administrative); Sucre (judicial). Pop: 10 461 053 (2013 est). Area: 1 098 580 sq km (424 260 sq miles)

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Bolivia Cultural  

1. Republic in western South America, bordered by Chile and Peru to the west, Brazil to the north and east, Paraguay to the southeast, and Argentina to the south. Sucre is its constitutional capital and its largest city; La Paz is its administrative capital.

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Discover More

The Bolivian government has long fought widespread drug production and trafficking in the country.

Simón Bolívar founded Bolivia in 1825 after winning independence from Spanish rule.

Other Word Forms

• Bolivian
  adjective
• anti-Bolivian
  adjective
• pro-Bolivian
  adjective
• pseudo-Bolivian
  adjective

Example Sentences

In one of his first moves after becoming president Paz scrapped longstanding fuel subsidies, blamed for eating into the country's dollar reserves and tipping Bolivia into crisis.

From Barron's • May 20, 2026

Clarke's side will face Curacao in a Hampden friendly on 30 May then play their final warm-up game against Bolivia in New Jersey on 6 June.

From BBC • May 19, 2026

Regaining this access has been a key goal of Bolivia for decades.

From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026

Bolivia used to have a coast but lost it in a war with Chile in the late 19th century.

From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026

In a gesture to its longtime, long-suffering ally, Peru symbolically gave two miles of its shoreline to Bolivia in 1992.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann