What does bolivia mean?
Bolivia is a landlocked nation in western South America, formally known as the Plurinational State of Bolivia. It shares borders with Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, and Peru, and is remarkable for its geographic diversity: the high Andean altiplano, the world's largest salt flat at Salar de Uyuni, Lake Titicaca on its border with Peru, and vast lowland rainforest in the east. Unusually for a modern state, it maintains two capitals — Sucre as the constitutional capital and La Paz as the seat of government. The country takes its name from Simón Bolívar, the Venezuelan military and political leader who played a central role in South America's independence from Spain, making it one of relatively few countries named after an individual. In English usage, 'Bolivia' appears almost exclusively as a place-name in geography, travel writing, news reporting, and discussion of its indigenous cultures, mining history, and political developments.
nounA landlocked country in western South America, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, bordered by Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, and Peru. The name also refers to this country as a geographic and political entity.
- The landlocked South American republic whose official name is the Plurinational State of Bolivia.
"She spent a month backpacking through Bolivia, crossing the salt flats at Uyuni."
"Bolivia shares Lake Titicaca with its neighbour Peru."
"After years abroad, he returned to La Paz, Bolivia, to reopen his family's business."
Rarely used, since Bolivia refers to a single sovereign state; a plural would appear only in unusual contexts such as hypothetical or historical discussions.
"The treaty redrawn borders that would have created two separate Bolivias."
Bolivia is named after Simón Bolívar, the revolutionary who helped liberate much of South America from Spanish rule — one of the few countries named directly after an individual.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bolivia
The word 'Bolivia' derives from the name of Simón Bolívar (1783–1830), the Venezuelan statesman and general known as 'El Libertador,' who led much of Spanish South America to independence. The country adopted his name upon achieving independence from Spain in the 1820s, originally as the Republic of Bolivia. Bolívar's own surname traces back to the Basque toponym Bolíbar, from his family's ancestral home in the Biscay region of Spain. The derived adjective 'Bolivian' describes people, languages, and things associated with the country.
Related word forms
How bolivia is actually used
As a proper noun, 'Bolivia' is always capitalized. It has two capitals: Sucre (constitutional) and La Paz (seat of government). The adjective form 'Bolivian' describes people, things, or attributes of the country.
Easily confused with bolivia
Bolívar is both the currency of Venezuela and the surname of the liberator Simón Bolívar, after whom Bolivia itself was named, whereas Bolivia is the South American country.