Bolivia - In Unity and in Strength Quiz

Answer: Desert

The Atacama desert is the driest desert in the world. In fact, it is the only 'hot' desert that is drier than the polar deserts (tundras). It is also the oldest desert on Earth with geological evidence pointing to it being more than 150 million years old. On the western border of Bolivia, it was once a source of income for the country as sodium nitrate was mined extensively here.

In fact, wars were fought for possession of the Atacama desert with Chile emerging as the most victorious claimant.

Answer: True

Nuestra Señora de La Paz, shortened to La Paz, is the legislative and executive capital of Bolivia. Built in a valley in the Andes mountains, it has the distinction of being the highest capital city in the world in terms of altitude. It sits at a height of 3,650 m above sea level and is the third most populous city in the country. The adjacent city of El Alto happens to be the second-most populous city and together they make up the second-most-populous metropolis.

The city was founded by conquistadors who wanted to connect trading routes in western South America. They then moved the city to its present location to increase traffic and use the Choqueyapu River for traffic which flows through the heart of the present-day city. The Aymara name for the city is, consequentially, Chuquiago.

Answer: Inca

While the picture shows Machu Pichu, which is located in Peru, the Inca Empire stretched into Bolivia as well. The heart of the empire was located at Cusco, in present-day Peru, but Bolivia was part of the largest province, or Suyu, called Qullasuyu. Technically, the term "Inca" referred only to the ruling class, but the Spanish conquistadors made the mistake of calling the entire empire the Inca Empire, and the name has stuck.

While the empire controlled the western regions, they had little success pushing their boundaries inwards to the east. Remains of Inca forts can be seen today at the border of where the empire expanded to.

Answer: Tin

Bolivia was once a country rich in natural resources. However, through wars and bad diplomacy, Bolivia managed to lose many lands rich in resources to its neighbours. All five of them, actually, Paraguay, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile, have taken lands from Bolivia since the country was founded.

The primary source of wealth for the country was once mining both silver and saltpeter. However, with shifting lands and dwindling ore in the mines, tin became the primary export in the early 20th century. As mining demands increased, thus grew the gaps between the country's elite and the regular populace who got poorer and poorer.

Answer: Tropical glaciers

High up in the mountains about one fifth of the world's tropical glaciers can be found. However, with the Andes mountains heating up, these glaciers are receding and this is causing issues with rainfall which then causes unemployment amongst agricultural workers.

While Bolivia itself has taken a strong stance on climate change, it hasn't stopped what people refer to as 'climate refugees' from flocking to the cities in order to be able to make a living.

Answer: The rainforest

Rurrenabaque, or 'Rurre' as the locals call it, is generally considered the Bolivian gateway to the Amazon rainforest. It is located in the northern part of the country on the Beni River, a river that eventually joins with the mighty Amazon River. It is a town that is fuelled by tourism as trips to see the 'selva', or jungle, usually set out from here.

It is not easy to get to the town. A local airport, Rurrenabaque Airport, often has reduced visibility. Tourists can take a bus or hire a taxi from La Paz but the trip is between 12 to 18 hours and it used to go through the Yungas Road, a very dangerous mountainside road that was nicknamed the 'Road of Death'... sounds like fun!

Answer: Salt

Salar de Uyuni is the world's largest salt plain. It is the bed for an evaporated prehistoric lake and it is actually a large crust covering a lithium-rich subterranean brine pool. In fact, according to estimates done by scientists, it probably contains somewhere between 50% and 70% of the world's lithium reserves.

While the area may seem very desolate and devoid of life, Salar de Uyuni is actually the breeding ground for three species of flamingo. Every November, these pink birds come to colour the plains and to reproduce. Also, there are large cacti that survive in this region.

Interestingly, Salar de Uyuni was used as the location for the filming of "The Last Jedi" (2017) as the planet Crait. Remember the scene where Luke Skywalker fights Kylo Ren? It's also used as a calibration site for satellites due to it being a very large area, over 10,000 square kilometers, it being very flat, and it also being very reflective after a rainfall. It is known as the world's largest mirror for that reason.

Answer: Sucre

Bolivia had been subject to Spanish rule for centuries but national identity was growing all across South America. In 1809 things came to a head in Bolivia and on May 25 the struggle became real. The revolution against Spain began in the city of Chuquisaca.

This was closely followed by a revolution in La Paz. Both cities were subdued by the Spanish, but, in 1810 there were revolutions occurring all over the continent. These went on for several years. Ultimately, the decision for Bolivia's independence hinged on the Venezuelan leader's decision. Antonio José de Sucre had the option of uniting the region with what would become Argentina, to be absorbed into Peru, recently independent, or to strike out on its own and form its own nation. Sucre chose the latter and Chuquisaca was renamed in his honour.

Answer: A bird

The three main peaks of the Kunturiri massif remind people of a massive condor spreading its wings. Kuntur is the Aymaran name for the condor, and Aymana is one of the many official languages of Bolivia. It is spoken by indigenous people that live in the Andes, and approximately a million people are fluent in it.

In the picture you can see Kunturiri itself - the main peak. It is also called "Cabeza del Condor" (the head of the condor) as it rises high above the other peaks. To the right is Ala Derecha (the right wing) also called Ala Sur (the south wing). The first recorded ascent of the peak was given to Wilfrid Kühm in 1941 though there may have been summits before that.

Answer: Lake Titicaca

Often erroneously called the "highest navigable lake" in the world, Lake Titicaca is certainly the largest lake in South America. It is located at a very high altitude, 3,812 m, and it has a surface area of 8372 square kilometers and a volume of 893 cubic meters, both of them tops for the continent. Most of the water flowing into the lake doesn't flow out making it a mostly closed system.

The true origin of the name "Titicaca" is not actually known, however, due to the abundance of indigenous people who occupied this area, the name is surmised to come from one of the ancient native languages.

On Suriki, an island belonging to Bolivia, it is believed that it is the last place on Earth that the art of weaving reed boats is still practiced.