Transport in Bolivia is mostly by road. The railways were historically important in Bolivia, but now play a relatively small part in the country's transport system. Because of the country's geography, aviation is also important.
Video Transport in Bolivia
Railways
Total: 3,504 km (single track)
Narrow gauge (metre gauge):
- 3,504 km 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3/8 in) gauge; (2006)
- The eastern and western networks are joined only via Argentina, due to slow progress on a direct link.
- The map on page 522 of the 1969/1970 edition of JANE'S shows a link between Cuevos and Zudañez as being "under construction".
Rail links with adjacent countries
- Argentina - yes - 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3/8 in) both countries
- Brazil - yes - 1,000 mm gauge both countries
- Chile - yes - 1,000 mm gauge both countries; break of gauge where Chile is 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) gauge
- Peru - Shipping from 1,000 mm railhead in Guaqui to 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1/2 in) railhead in Puno across Lake Titicaca, see Peru train ferry
Maps
- UN Map
Towns served by rail
Maps Transport in Bolivia
Roadways
total: 62,479 km
paved: 3,749 km (including 27 km of expressways)
unpaved: 58,730 km (2004)
Road construction in Bolivia is difficult due to its geography and lack of resources to completely develop an advanced road network. However, it maintains a small network of 4-lane freeways which are the following:
- 1 Oruro - Patacamaya (Expected to be completed in a few years, extending to La Paz). Length: 114 km.
- 4 Cochabamba - Quillacollo. Length: 14 km.
- 4 Santa Cruz de la Sierra - Montero. Length: 48 km.
The main national roads are:
- RN1 Desaguadero, border with Peru - La Paz - Oruro - Potosí - Tarija - Bermejo, border with Argentina.
- RN2 Copacabana, border with Peru - La Paz.
- RN3 La Paz - San Borja - Trinidad.
- RN4 Tambo Quemado, border with Chile - Cochabamba - Montero - Santa Cruz de la Sierra - Puerto Suárez, border with Brazil.
- RN5 La Palizada - Sucre - Potosí - Border with Chile.
- RN6 Oruro - Sucre - Chaco, border with Paraguay.
- RN7 Cochabamba - Samaipata - Santa Cruz de la Sierra.
- RN8 Yucumo - Riberalta - Guayaramerín, border with Brazil.
- RN9 Guayaramerín, border with Brazil - Trinidad - Santa Cruz de la Sierra - Yacuíba, border with Argentina
- RN10 Montero - San Matías, border with Brazil.
- RN 14 Potosí - Villazón, border with Argentina.
Waterways
10,000 km of commercially navigable waterways (2007)
Pipelines
- Crude oil 2,745 km
- Liquid petroleum gas 47 km
- Natural gas 4,883 km
- Refined products 1,589 (2008)
Ports and harbors
Seaports
- In October 2010, Peru granted Bolivia port facilities and a free-trade zone as part of larger series of agreements strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries. Bolivia was granted about 1.4 square miles (3.6 km2) of port facilities on a 99-year lease at the Port of Ilo on Peru's southern Pacific coast. A similar agreement, signed by then Bolivian president Jaime Paz Zamora in 1992, never materialized for a lack of investment in infrastructure. Bolivia has free port privileges in the maritime ports of Argentina, Brazil, and Chile.
Lake Titicaca
- Guaqui
Amazon basin
Paraguay River (international waterway)
- Puerto Aguirre
- Puerto Busch
- Puerto Quijarro
Merchant marine
total: 23 ships (1,000 gross register tons (GRT) or over) totaling 116,373 GRT/182,283 tonnes deadweight (DWT)
ships by type: (2008)
Airports
1,009 (2008)
See also
- Bolivia
- Rail transport by country
References
This article was adapted from the CIA World Factbook 2009.
Source of article : Wikipedia