Bolivia, a landlocked country, has maintained a naval fleet on Lake Titicaca for over 100 years. After losing its Pacific coast to Chile, Bolivia was limited to chasing smugglers and delivering supplies. However, in 1990, Peru granted Bolivia limited access to the sea, allowing Bolivia to build port facilities, launch a coastal naval presence, and accelerate commercial operations. Under the new 99-year deal, Bolivia can build an annex on the Pacific coast for its naval school. The Bolivian navy has 173 vessels, many of which are stationed on Lake Titicaca, and patrols rivers connected to the Amazon.
For more than 100 years, landlocked Bolivia has maintained a naval fleet in Lake Titicaca, about 12,470 feet (3,800 m) above sea level, high in the Andes. South America’s poorest country lost its Pacific coast to Chile during the 19th century War of the Pacific. Thus the Bolivian navy was relegated to more mundane tasks, such as chasing down smugglers and delivering supplies to remote areas. However, in 1990, neighboring Peru granted Bolivia limited access to the sea. While not a return of land that was lost to Chile during the war, which ended in 2010, the deal with Peru allows Bolivia to build port facilities, launch a coastal naval presence and accelerate commercial operations.
Read more about the Bolivian Navy:
Under the new 99-year deal, Bolivia can build an annex on the Pacific coast for its naval school. There are more than 5,000 sailors in the Bolivian Naval Force.
The Bolivian navy has 173 vessels, many of which are stationed on Lake Titicaca. Patrolling routes include rivers connected to the Amazon, often a hotbed of smuggling activity.
Peru, which also lost territory in the War of the Pacific, gave Bolivia the use of a 3-mile (5km) stretch of beach in 1992, but the move was basically symbolic. The obstacles to transportation and infrastructure were too difficult to overcome.
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