Let's Go Someplace Like Bolivia Quiz

Answer: silver

The Spanish colonial government co-opted the Incan mit'a system, used to provide inter-community labor for mutual benefit (roads, irrigation), into forced labor to work their silver mines.

Mining has been very important to Bolivia's economy, starting with silver but then moving to tin in the 20th century.

Answer: North Yungas Road

The North Yungas Road is also known as Grove's Road, Coroico Road, El Camino de la Muerte, Death Road or the Road of Fate.

Named the "world's most dangerous road" in 1995 by the Inter-American Development Bank, the weather can make the road muddy and reduce visibility. The downhill drivers never have the right of way, and must move to the outside to be passed.

The South Yungas Road is nearly as dangerous.

Answer: Paraguay

Bolivia has been landlocked since losing territory to Chile in the War of the Pacific (1879-84). March 23 is celebrated as "Dia del Mar" (Day of the Sea), marking the end of the war. However, Bolivia has arrangements that allow limited access to ports on the coast.

Bolivia still maintains a navy, which remains at Lake Titicaca.

Answer: Wiphala

The Wiphala is a symbol of the native people, and the colors used (always in a diagonal pattern) represent different areas of the Andes.

While meant as an inclusive gesture towards the native people of Bolivia, the mandatory adoption of the Wiphala has not been universally accepted. It has been viewed as divisive and a symbol against the non-native minority populace.

The 2009 Constitution also established 37 official languages: Spanish and 36 indigenous languages, four of which are extinct.

Answer: Andes

With an average height of 12,300 feet (3,750 meters), the Altiplano is the highest plateau outside of Tibet. It is mostly in Bolivia and Peru, although portions extend into Chile and Argentina.

Answer: Supreme Court

The city has had four names: Charcas was the original location before the Spanish came, who then called the place La Plata, or Ciudad de la Plata de la Nueva Toledo. The city was renamed Chuquisaca during the fight for independence, and then Sucre after Don Antonio José de Sucre, the second president of Bolivia. It is also called "La Ciudad Blanca" due to so many buildings being painted white.

Once a thriving city due to the local silver mines, the city of Sucre lost importance when the silver ran out. The rest of the government operates out of La Paz. However, Sucre remains the official capital in the 2009 Bolivian Constitution, and La Paz is not even mentioned in the document.

Answer: salt flat

The salt crust of Salar de Uyuni is several meters deep. It contains chloride salts of sodium, potassium, lithium and magnesium. The lithium chloride is present in exceptionally high concentrations (up to 0.3%) and quantity: 50-70% of the world's lithium is found in the area.

The brackish water of some of the lakes in the region makes the area an ideal breeding ground for the South American flamingos.

A popular tourist attraction, hotels have been built out of the most available building materials: salt blocks.

One more bit of interesting information: the flat, reflective surface of the salt flat, combined with the arid atmosphere (lack of cloud cover) had made the area important in calibrating GPS satellites.

Answer: a natural rock formation

Located in the Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve, Árbol de Piedra ("stone tree") is a natural rock formation about 23 feet (7 meters) high. The soft sandstone has been eroded by the wind.

Answer: Tiwanaku

Tiwanaku (also written Tiahuanaco or Tiahuanacu) was already in ruins when discovered by Pedro Cieza de León in 1549. The site dates to at least 1500 BC, and was the urban center of the pre-Incan Tiwanaku empire from 300 BC to 300 AD.

The site features large blocks weighing up to 100 tons, and the stonework and artistry exceeds that of the Incas. A remarkable feature are the heads placed in the walls that come from many different eras.

Unfortunately, attempts at restoration and reconstruction have not been well-planned or successful, and many have done more harm than good.

Answer: Peru

Often called the highest navigable lake in the world, Lake Titicaca has an average depth of 351 feet (107 meters) and is at an elevation of 12,507 feet (3,812 meters).