Bolivia trivia: 47 questions and answers

Sucre. Sucre is the constitutional capital and the seat of the Supreme Court. La Paz is the seat of government, where the president and the parliament work.

La Paz. La Paz is the seat of government, with the presidential palace and the parliament. Sucre, the constitutional capital, keeps the courts.

Ecuador. Ecuador does not border Bolivia. Bolivia's neighbours are Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile and Peru.

False. False. Bolivia is landlocked. It lost its whole coastline to Chile in the War of the Pacific, which began in 1879.

Simón Bolívar. The country was named after Simón Bolívar in 1825, first as the Republic of Bolívar and soon after as Bolivia.

The War of the Pacific. In the War of the Pacific, which began in 1879, Chile occupied Bolivia's whole coastline, including the port of Antofagasta. The Chaco War was fought with Paraguay and the Acre War with Brazil.

Paraguay. Bolivia fought Paraguay over the Gran Chaco. It was the bloodiest South American war of the 20th century, and most of the disputed land went to Paraguay.

Plurinational State of Bolivia. The 2009 constitution renamed the country the Plurinational State of Bolivia, to reflect its many peoples, and made 36 Indigenous languages official alongside Spanish.

True. True. Túpac Katari and his wife Bartolina Sisa besieged La Paz in 1781. The rebellion was put down, but both are honoured today as national Aymara heroes.

In the morning, before noon. Salteñas are a morning snack, eaten in the morning, before noon. They are sold from about 7 am and most sellers are sold out by mid-morning.

Cochabamba. Both come from Cochabamba, a city proud of its food, which joined UNESCO's network of creative cities of gastronomy in 2017.

Ground peanuts. Maní means peanut: the soup is made with ground peanuts in a meat broth and topped with fried potato sticks.

Roast pork. It is filled with slices of slow-roasted pork leg, roast pork, with pickled vegetables, llajwa sauce and a piece of crackling.

Purple corn. Api is made from purple corn, spiced with cinnamon and cloves, and is often served with fried buñuelos.

Cassava (yuca). Cuñapé are made with cassava (yuca) starch, cheese, egg and milk. Their Paraguayan cousin is called chipa.

True. True. Chuño is a freeze-dried potato of the Andes. It keeps for a very long time and goes into soups such as chairo and fricasé.

False. False. Lunch, el almuerzo, is the main meal, with a soup and then a main course. Supper is lighter and later.

Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Santa Cruz de la Sierra, in the tropical east, is the largest city and the country's main business centre.

True. True. El Alto sits on the Altiplano at the rim of the La Paz canyon, at an average of about 4,000 m, and is often called the highest major city in the world.

The world's largest salt flat. It is the world's largest salt flat, about 10,582 km² of white salt at 3,656 m.

Lake Titicaca. Tiwanaku lies near the southern shore of Lake Titicaca, about 70 km from La Paz.

Potosí. Cerro Rico rises above Potosí. The city and the mountain together are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A network of cable cars. Mi Teleférico is a network of cable cars that links La Paz and El Alto. The first lines opened in 2014.

Sucre. The Casa de la Libertad stands on the main square of Sucre. It keeps Bolivia's declaration of independence.

True. True. In Inca religion the sun god was born on the Island of the Sun, which has more than 80 ruins.

True. True. It was modelled on the statue in Rio and, when finished in 1994, it was taller than the original.

False. False. Bolivia's World Heritage Sites include Tiwanaku, Potosí, Sucre, Samaipata, the Chiquitos missions, Noel Kempff Mercado National Park and part of the Qhapaq Ñan Inca road system, but not the Salar de Uyuni.

A giant mirror. A thin layer of calm water turns the salt flat into a giant mirror of the sky, 129 km across.

The coast it lost to Chile. The Day of the Sea remembers the coast it lost to Chile in the War of the Pacific, and Bolivia repeats its claim to access to the Pacific.

Italy. They came from Italy. Italian traders first sold them on the Altiplano in the late 19th century, and today the bowler hat is part of the traditional dress of women in La Paz.

Tiny models of the things they wish for. People buy tiny models of the things they wish for, such as houses, cars or banknotes. The fair starts every 24 January.

True. True. The Bolivian Navy patrols the rivers and Lake Titicaca, and keeps alive the hope of regaining a coast.

True. True. Unlike the rest of Bolivia, which drives on the right, the Yungas Road used left-hand traffic so drivers could better judge the edge of the cliff.

A peanut. Maní is a peanut, as in sopa de maní, peanut soup.

A salt flat. A salar is a salt flat, like the Salar de Uyuni.

Mother Earth. Pachamama is Mother Earth, the source of life and food. In myths she is the mother of Inti, the sun, and Mama Quilla, the moon.

False. False. Choclo is corn on the cob, one of the ingredients of the plato paceño.

¡Buen provecho!. ¡Buen provecho! means 'enjoy your meal'. ¡Salud! is 'cheers', mucho gusto is 'nice to meet you' and con permiso is 'excuse me, may I pass?'.

Is it spicy?. ¿Pica? means 'Is it spicy?'. A good question to ask before you try llajwa, which can be very hot.

Despacio, por favor. Despacio, por favor means 'slowly, please'. La cuenta asks for the bill, sin picante asks for food without chilli, and de nada means 'you're welcome'.

False. False. In the morning you say 'Buenos días'. 'Buenas noches' is for after dark or for saying goodnight.

About 3,650 m. La Paz lies at about 3,650 m, so altitude sickness is a real risk. Rest on your first day and walk slowly.

A radio taxi ordered by phone. Use a radio taxi ordered by phone, with the company name and number on the roof, or ask your hotel to call one.

The lowlands east of the Andes, such as Santa Cruz. The CDC recommends it for the lowlands east of the Andes, such as Santa Cruz, Beni and Pando, but not for trips only to high places like La Paz and Sucre.

True. True. Coca tea is legal in Bolivia and often offered against altitude sickness, though there is little proof that it works. It is illegal in the United States unless the cocaine has been removed.

False. False. Without an entry stamp you may have to pay a fine when you leave, so make sure your passport is stamped when you arrive.

False. False. As of September 2026, UK travel advice says never to try to cross a road blockade, to keep away from protests and to leave extra time for journeys.