domingo, 27 de mayo de 2012

Bolivia


Bolivia
Official Languages
The official languages of Bolivia are Spanish, North Bolivian, Quechua, South Bolivian Quechua and Central Aymara.  There are about 45 languages listed for Bolivia.  Out of these 37 are languages that are still spoken and living today.  There is one language without mother-tongue speakers.  There are 7 languages are dead languages and have no known speakers.  Immigrant languages spoken in Bolivia include American Sign Language, Corsican, German and Wichi Lhamtes Vejoz.  There are about 60,000 German speakers throughout Bolivia.  More than 60 percent of the population speaks Spanish.  There are 21% of the people speaking Quechua.   Fourteen percent speak Aymara.  Other languages make up the other three percent.  There are at least 30 indigenous languages spoken in Bolivia.  These include Plautdietsch and Tupi Guarani.  Althought Spanish is the official language, only 60-70% of the population speaks Spanish.  It is often a second language.
 

History
Before European colonization, the Andean region was a part of the Inca Empire.  The Spanish conquest of the Incan Empire began in 1524.  Most of this Spanish conquest was done by 1533.  Francisco Pizarro and Diego de Almagro were the first Spaniards to arrive in 1531.  They called current Bolivia Alto Peru.  Eventually the indigenous people were made slaves and farmers.  What is now called Bolivia used to be known as the Upper Peru.  It used to be under the authority of the Viceroy of Lima.  In the late 16th century, Bolivian silver was a big economic source for the Spanish Empire.  Bolivia’s struggle for independence started in 1809.  The first city to want freedom in Latin America was the city in Bolivia of Sucre.  They gained their independence in 1824 and were called the Republic of Bolivia.  Bolivia experienced 191 governments since their independence in 1824. 


Interesting Facts
The population of Bolivia is around 9 million people.  The literacy rate is ranging from 63 to 81 percent.  The currency of Bolivia is the Bob.  Bolivia is named after Simon Bolivar.  Simon Bolivar was a leader in the Spanish American wars of independence.  Bilingual education in Bolivia is a part of a large education reform.   With a new curriculum being used, students who only speak Aymara, Guarani, or Quechua will be taught to read and write in their native language.  Then, Spanish is introduced after the first year and by 3rd grade, students should be reading and writing in Spanish and their original language.  


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