Bolivia is a landlocked nation in South America with a rich indigenous culture, a varied topography, and abundant natural resources including minerals and natural gas. Despite being a unitary presidential republic with its capital in Sucre and administrative center in La Paz, its political system has a history of instability. Natural gas, mineral exports, and agriculture are the main drivers of the economy, but it also has to contend with issues including economic downturns, extreme inequality, and a sizable unorganized sector.
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History of BoliviaHistory of Bolivia
The history of Bolivia includes the Inca Empire, the ancient Tiwanaku civilization, Spanish colonization, and a fight for independence in 1825. The newly independent country experienced internal unrest and lost its coastline to Chile during the War of the Pacific as a result of the Spanish exploitation of the region for silver. A new constitution was passed in 2009, following periods of military government, revolution, and return to democracy in the 20th and 21st centuries.
Geography of BoliviaGeography of Bolivia
Bolivia is located in central South America and has borders with Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil, and Peru. From the Andes mountains in the west to the tropical jungles of the Amazon Basin in the east, the nation exhibits remarkable geographic diversity. The Uros floating islands built of reeds and Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world, are notable features.
Researching family history in BoliviaResearching family history in Bolivia
Bolivia's ancestry is diversified, with a substantial gender skew in genetic genealogy and a combination of European (mainly Spanish) and indigenous populations (Quechua, Aymara, and Guarani). Because there was little civil registration prior to the middle of the 20th century, church records play a major role in genealogy research. Since widespread civil registration did not start until the mid-1900s (around 1940), church records are the most significant source. Records of baptisms, marriages, and deaths in the Catholic Church frequently reach back to the late 1500s or early 1600s and include a wealth of information, such as the names of parents and godparents, birthplaces, and validity status.
See alsoSee also
Explore more about BoliviaExplore more about Bolivia
- Bolivia - Collection Catalog at MyHeritage
- Juan en Perú ha descubierto hasta su descendencia familiar inca on the MyHeritage Blog (in Spanish)