Take a trip to Bolivia

• Bolivia demographics
• Culture of Bolivia

Bolivia demographics Bolivia's ethnic distribution is estimated to 1% of Bolivians practice the Bahá'í be 30% Quechua-speaking and 25% Faith (giving Bolivia one of the largest Aymara-speaking Amerindians. The largest of percentages of Bahá'ís in the world). the approximately three-dozen native groups There are colonies of Mennonites in the are the Quechuas (2.5 million), Aymaras (2 department of Santa Cruz.[5] Many Native million), then Chiquitano (180,000), and communities interweave pre-Columbian and Guaraní (125,000). The remaining 30% is Christian symbols in their worship. About 80% Mestizo (mixed European and Amerindian), and of the people speak Spanish as their first around  15%  is  classified  as  white. language, although the Aymara and Quechua languages are also common. Approximately 90% The white population consists mostly of of the children attend primary school but criollos, which in turn consist of families often for a year or less. The literacy rate of relatively unmixed Spanish ancestry, is low in many rural areas, but according to descended from the early Spanish colonists. CIA the literacy rate is 87% nation wide, These have formed much of the aristocracy similar to Brazil's literacy rate, but below since independence. Other smaller groups the South American average. The cultural within the white population are Germans who development of what is present-day Bolivia is founded the national airline Lloyd Aereo divided into three distinct periods: Boliviano, as well as Italian, American, pre-Columbian, colonial, and republican. Basque, Croatian, Russian, Polish and other Important archaeological ruins, gold and minorities, many of whose members descend silver ornaments, stone monuments, ceramics, from families that have lived in Bolivia for and weavings remain from several important several  generations. pre-Columbian cultures. Major ruins include Tiwanaku, Samaipata, Incallajta, and Also noteworthy is the Afro-Bolivian Iskanawaya. The country abounds in other community that numbers more than 0.5% of the sites that are difficult to reach and have population, descended from African slaves seen  little  archaeological  exploration. that were transported to work in Brazil and then migrated down south to Bolivia. They are The Spanish brought their own tradition of mostly concentrated in the Yungas region (Nor religious art which, in the hands of local Yungas and Sud Yungas provinces) in the native and mestizo builders and artisans, department of La Paz, some three hours from developed into a rich and distinctive style La Paz city. There are also Japanese who are of architecture, painting, and sculpture concentrated mostly in Santa Cruz de la known as "Mestizo Baroque". The colonial Sierra, and Middle Easterners who became period produced not only the paintings of prosperous  in  commerce. Pérez de Holguín, Flores, Bitti, and others but also the works of skilled but Bolivia is one of the least developed unknown stonecutters, woodcarvers, countries in South America. Almost two-thirds goldsmiths, and silversmiths. An important of its people, many of whom are subsistence body of native baroque religious music of the farmers, live in poverty. Population density colonial period was recovered in recent years ranges from less than one person per square and has been performed internationally to kilometer in the southeastern plains to about wide  acclaim  since  1994.[4] ten per square kilometer (twenty-five per sq. mi) in the central highlands. As of 2006, the Bolivian artists of stature in the twentieth population is increasing about 1.45% per century include Guzmán de Rojas, Arturo year. Borda, María Luisa Pacheco, and Marina Núnez  del  Prado. The great majority of Bolivians are Roman Catholic (the official religion), although Bolivia has a rich folklore. Its regional Protestant denominations are expanding folk music is distinctive and varied. The strongly. Islam practiced by the descendants "devil dances" at the annual carnival of of Middle Easterners is almost nonexistent. Oruro are one of the great folkloric events There is also a small Jewish community that of South America, as is the lesser known is almost all Ashkenazi in origin. More than carnival at Tarabuco 1 A B 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80