Bolivia
Landlocked Bolivia is equal in size to California and Texas combined. Brazil forms its eastern border; its other neighbors are Peru and Chile on the west and Argentina and Paraguay on the south. The western part, enclosed by two chains of the Andes, is a great plateau—the Altiplano, with an average altitude of 12,000 ft (3,658 m). Almost half the population lives on the plateau, which contains Oruro, Potosí, and La Paz. At an altitude of 11,910 ft (3,630 m), La Paz is the highest administrative capital city in the world. The Oriente, a lowland region ranging from rain forests to grasslands, comprises the northern and eastern two-thirds of the country. Lake Titicaca, at an altitude of 12,507 ft (3,812 m), is the highest commercially navigable body of water in the world.
Languages: Spanish (official) 60.7%, Quechua (official) 21.2%, Aymara (official)
Ethnicity/race: Quechua 30%, mestizo 30%, Aymara 25%, white 15%
Religion: Roman Catholic 95% - Capital: La Paz (administrative & governmental); Sucre (legal capital & judicial seat)
Area: 1,098,580km² - Population: 10.000.000 people
Source: www.cia.gov, www.infoplease.com, http://wikitravel.org
Landlocked Bolivia is equal in size to California and Texas combined. Brazil forms its eastern border; its other neighbors are Peru and Chile on the west and Argentina and Paraguay on the south. The western part, enclosed by two chains of the Andes, is a great plateau—the Altiplano, with an average altitude of 12,000 ft (3,658 m). Almost half the population lives on the plateau, which contains Oruro, Potosí, and La Paz. At an altitude of 11,910 ft (3,630 m), La Paz is the highest administrative capital city in the world. The Oriente, a lowland region ranging from rain forests to grasslands, comprises the northern and eastern two-thirds of the country. Lake Titicaca, at an altitude of 12,507 ft (3,812 m), is the highest commercially navigable body of water in the world.
Languages: Spanish (official) 60.7%, Quechua (official) 21.2%, Aymara (official)
Ethnicity/race: Quechua 30%, mestizo 30%, Aymara 25%, white 15%
Religion: Roman Catholic 95% - Capital: La Paz (administrative & governmental); Sucre (legal capital & judicial seat)
Area: 1,098,580km² - Population: 10.000.000 people
Source: www.cia.gov, www.infoplease.com, http://wikitravel.org
Bolivian Cuisine
In the Altiplano, traditional Aymara cuisine is dominated by the potato, often served alongside rice as one of two or three different carbohydrates on the same plate. The Andes are the original home of the potato, and over two hundred different varieties are grown in Bolivia. As well as being boiled, baked, mashed and fried, they are also freeze-dried using ancient techniques involving repeated exposure to sunshine and frost. Known as chuño and tunta, these dehydrated potatoes have an unusual texture and a distinctive, nutty flavour that takes some getting used to. They’re often boiled and served instead of (or as well as) fresh potatoes, but they’re best appreciated in the many different soups that are a feature of Altiplano cuisine. These are thick, hearty affairs laden with potatoes, vegetables and whatever meat is to hand – one of the most typical and widely available is chairo, typical of La Paz. Another standard soup ingredient is quinoa, a native Andean grain that has a distinctively nutty flavour and a remarkably high nutritional value.
The most common meat in the Altiplano is mutton, closely followed by llama, which is lean and tasty. Llama meat is often eaten in a dried form known as charque (the origin of the English word jerky). Other Altiplano mainstays include sajta, a spicy dish of chicken cooked with dried yellow chilli, potatoes, tunta, onions and parsley; and the plato paceño, a mixed plate of meat, cheese, potatoes, broad beans and maize which is typical of La Paz. If you like your food with a kick, all these dishes can be doused in llajua – a hot sauce made from tomatoes, small chilli peppers (locotos) and herbs. Source: www.roughguides.com
In the Altiplano, traditional Aymara cuisine is dominated by the potato, often served alongside rice as one of two or three different carbohydrates on the same plate. The Andes are the original home of the potato, and over two hundred different varieties are grown in Bolivia. As well as being boiled, baked, mashed and fried, they are also freeze-dried using ancient techniques involving repeated exposure to sunshine and frost. Known as chuño and tunta, these dehydrated potatoes have an unusual texture and a distinctive, nutty flavour that takes some getting used to. They’re often boiled and served instead of (or as well as) fresh potatoes, but they’re best appreciated in the many different soups that are a feature of Altiplano cuisine. These are thick, hearty affairs laden with potatoes, vegetables and whatever meat is to hand – one of the most typical and widely available is chairo, typical of La Paz. Another standard soup ingredient is quinoa, a native Andean grain that has a distinctively nutty flavour and a remarkably high nutritional value.
The most common meat in the Altiplano is mutton, closely followed by llama, which is lean and tasty. Llama meat is often eaten in a dried form known as charque (the origin of the English word jerky). Other Altiplano mainstays include sajta, a spicy dish of chicken cooked with dried yellow chilli, potatoes, tunta, onions and parsley; and the plato paceño, a mixed plate of meat, cheese, potatoes, broad beans and maize which is typical of La Paz. If you like your food with a kick, all these dishes can be doused in llajua – a hot sauce made from tomatoes, small chilli peppers (locotos) and herbs. Source: www.roughguides.com