Bolivia

What a lovely card I received from Bolivia - and it's my first written and stamped card from that country as well. Bolivia is a landlocked country in central South America, with population estimated at 10 million. Bolivia is named after Simón Bolívar, a leader in the Spanish American wars of independence. The leader of Venezuela, Antonio José de Sucre, had been given the option by Bolívar to either keep Upper Peru (present-day Bolivia) under the newly formed Republic of Peru, to unite with the United Provinces of Rio de la Plata, or to formally declare its independence from the Viceroyalty of Peru that had dominated most of the region. Sucre opted to create a new nation and, with local support, named it in honor of Simón Bolívar.

The original name was Republic of Bolívar. Some days later, congressman Manuel Martín Cruz proposed: "If from Romulus comes Rome, then from Bolívar comes Bolivia". The name was approved by the Republic on 3 October 1825. In 2009, a new constitution changed the country's name to the Plurinational State of Bolivia in recognition of the multi-ethnic nature of the country and the enhanced position of Bolivia's indigenous peoples under the new constitution.

Furthermore, I would like to share a bit about about Bolivian indigenous people. They can be divided into two groups: the Andean groups and the lowland ethnic groups, who inhabit the warm regions of central and eastern Bolivia. As a result of its diversity in ethnic composition, Bolivia has a wide range of traditions and great linguistic diversity. The Constitution of Bolivia recognizes 37 official languages, aside from Spanish.

I got this card from a Bolivian tour operator. You can find them on Facebook: facebook/indaytours.