Bolivia: Bolivia Transportation Profile 2011

Bolivia's land transportation facilities are located mostly in the southern two-thirds of the country. The northern third is accessible only by air and navigable rivers.

Major cities in the highlands are linked by railways and roads, which cover only about 2,300 miles (3,700 kilometers), all generally poor in quality. Automobile ownership is restricted to almost 1 in a 100 people. Highland cities are also linked to four Pacific ports—Arica and Antofagasta in Chile and Matarani and Ilo in Peru. Bolivia also has rights of navigation on the Paraguay and Amazon river systems and access to duty-free Atlantic ports in Argentina and Brazil. Two railways, both starting at Santa Cruz, link Bolivia to Argentina and Brazil.

Regular boat service on Lake Titicaca links Bolivia with Peru. A petroleum pipeline runs across the Andes to Arica, carrying oil for export; a natural gas pipeline runs southward into Argentina. Internal and international air services are provided by several Bolivian airlines. Foreign airlines also serve Bolivia. There are international airports at La Paz, Cochabamba, and Santa Cruz.

There are around 15 daily newspapers published in Bolivia. Radio and television ownership is somewhat mixed, with almost 2 out of three people having access to radios, whereas only about 1 out 8 people have access to televisions. Telephone and telegraph systems help in linking the major cities of Bolivia.