Alternative History
Empire of Bolivia
Império Boliviano
Bolivia
Flag of Bolivia Coat of Arms of the Bolivian Empire (A-651)
Flag Coat of arms
Bolivia651
CapitalSucre
Largest city Santa Cruz
Official languages * Spanish
* Aymara
* Quechua
* And more 33 languages
Government Parliamentary constitucional monarchy
 -  Emperor Júlio I
 -  Prime-minister Juan Flores
Establishment
 -  Independence 6 August 1825
- from Spain 
Currency Boliviano (Bo.)

Bolivia (officially Empire of Bolivia) is a country located in west-central South America. It borders Brazil to the north and northeast, Pantanal to the east, Paraguay and Argentina to the south and Chile and Peru to the west.

Prior to European colonization, the Bolivian Andean region was part of the Inca empire—the largest pre-Columbian empire. The Spanish Empire invaded and conquered this region in the 16th century. During most of the Spanish colonial period, this territory was called Alto Peru or Charcas and was under the administration of the Viceroyalty of Peru, which included most of the Spanish South American colonies. After declaring independence in 1809, sixteen years of wars followed before the establishment of the kingdom, instituted by Bonifácio I, on August 6, 1825. Since then, the country has gone through periods of political instability and economic problems.

Bolivia is a constitutional monarchy, divided into ten departments. Geographically, it has two distinct regions, the highlands to the west and the plains to the east, whose northern part belongs to the Amazon basin and the southern part to the Rio de la Plata basin, which includes the Bolivian Chaco. It is a developing country, with a medium Human Development Index (HDI) and a poverty rate that affects around 38% of the population. Among its main economic activities, agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining, and production goods such as fabrics, clothing, refined metals and refined oil stand out. Bolivia is very rich in minerals, especially tin.

The Bolivian population, estimated at 10 million inhabitants, is multiethnic, including Amerindians, mestizos, Europeans, Asians and Africans. The main language spoken is Spanish, although Aymara and Quechua are also common. In addition to them, another 34 indigenous languages are official. The large number of different cultures in Bolivia has contributed to great diversity in areas such as art, cuisine, literature and music.

Etymology[]

Bonifácio I, the first Bolivian monarch, decided to name the country in honor of Simon Bolívar, who freed countries such as Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, and even helped Bonifácio to transform Bolivia into an independent country.