| Location: |
Central South America, southwest of Brazil
|
| Geographic coordinates: |
17 00 S, 65 00 W
|
| Map references: |
South America
|
| Area: |
total:
1,098,580 sq km
land:
1,084,390 sq km
water:
14,190 sq km
|
| Area - comparative: |
slightly less than three times the size of Montana
|
| Land boundaries: |
total:
6,743 km
border countries:
Argentina 832 km, Brazil 3,400 km, Chile 861 km, Paraguay 750 km, Peru 900 km
|
| Coastline: |
0 km (landlocked)
|
| Maritime claims: |
none (landlocked)
|
| Climate: |
varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and semiarid
|
| Terrain: |
rugged Andes Mountains with a highland plateau (Altiplano), hills, lowland plains of the Amazon Basin
|
| Elevation extremes: |
lowest point:
Rio Paraguay 90 m
highest point:
Nevado Sajama 6,542 m
|
| Natural resources: |
tin, natural gas, petroleum, zinc, tungsten, antimony, silver, iron, lead, gold, timber, hydropower
|
| Land use: |
arable land:
2%
permanent crops:
0%
permanent pastures:
24%
forests and woodland:
53%
other:
21% (1993 est.)
|
| Irrigated land: |
1,750 sq km (1993 est.)
|
| Natural hazards: |
flooding in the northeast (March-April)
|
| Environment - current issues: |
the clearing of land for agricultural purposes and the international demand for tropical timber are contributing to deforestation; soil erosion from overgrazing and poor cultivation methods (including slash-and-burn agriculture); desertification; loss of biodiversity; industrial pollution of water supplies used for drinking and irrigation
|
| Environment - international agreements: |
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:
Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection
|
| Geography - note: |
landlocked; shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake (elevation 3,805 m), with Peru
|
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