Bolivia on the map: what the world doesn't know about this country

When I say I'm from Bolivia, the most common reaction abroad is a brief silence followed by a polite question: "That's near Brazil, right?" Sometimes people say "¡Oh, Bogotá!" and I smile patiently. Bolivia is, for much of the world, a country that exists somewhere vague on the South American map — between the jungle and the mountains, landlocked, and without much press coverage.

But Bolivia is anything but vague.

It is the country with the highest capital city in the world. La Paz, the seat of government, sits at 3,640 meters above sea level — higher than any major city on the planet. Climbing stairs right after you arrive is a real challenge. Tourists learn that quickly.

It is the country with the world's largest lithium reserve. The mineral inside your phone, your laptop, and the electric cars that are supposed to save the planet. The lithium triangle — Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile — holds more than 50% of global reserves. Bolivia has the largest share. What happens with that lithium in the coming years matters to everyone, even if most people don't know it yet.

It is the country where 36 indigenous nations are recognized by the Constitution, where Quechua and Aymara are spoken in markets and in Congress, where a woman in traditional dress can be a minister, a businesswoman, or both.

It is the country of the Salar de Uyuni — the world's largest salt flat, where the sky and the earth blur together and tourists have been taking the same photos for twenty years without ever exhausting it.

And it is, also, a complicated country. With a history of coups, deep political tensions, persistent inequality, and a difficult relationship with its own natural wealth. A country that sometimes seems always on the verge of taking off — and always finding reasons not to.

I was born here. I have been covering it for 15 years. And every time I try to explain it in a few words, I realize Bolivia doesn't fit in a few words.

That's why I'm here. To tell it little by little, from the inside.