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Background

Although one of the poorest countries in the southern hemisphere in terms of gross national product, Bolivia is both rich in natural resources and landscape diversity. Bolivia shares part of the driest deserts on earth with Chile and Argentina, but also has rainforests in the Yungas region of the country that receive more than 4 m of rain per year. The high peaks of the Andes and the cold clear waters of Lake Titicaca contrast starkly with the steamy lowlands of the Amazon basin, where muddy rivers make their way north through primary tropical rainforest that are currently being selectively logged and often converted to cattle pasture. Geological and environmental diversity is mirrored by great cultural diversity. The majority of the inhabitants of the Andean altiplano are Aymaras and Quechuans, descendents of the Incan Empire (collas). The majority of the people in lowland Bolivia are from Spanish descent (cambas). The result is a deep cultural, political, and economic divide within the country. While the political capital is in the high elevation (13,000 feet) city of La Paz, the highlands exert little economic influence after the wealth of precious metals in the Andes was stripped by Spanish colonists and the market prices of tin collapsed some decades ago. In the lowlands, natural gas exploration, forestry, agriculture, and cattle ranching allow the local states, or departments, a relatively high degree of autonomy.

Goals and Objectives

• Provide an interdisciplinary experience to students through examples of how environmental, sociological, and politico-economic issues have shaped a developing country in South America.

• Immerse students in a culture rich in ethnic heritage, where spoken English is rare, and lifestyles are very different from that of the students.

• Provide ACA students and faculty the opportunity to collaborate with students and faculty from Bolivian universities.

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