MOST DANGEROUS WAYS TO SCHOOL: BOLIVIA

Md. Abu Ryhan

Department of Geography and Environment

University of Dhaka.
 Most Dangerous Ways to School: Bolivia
Question to answer:
1. Name of the country
2. Location of the country in a map
3. Location of the country in a continent
4. Characteristics of the study area

Introduction
The school year start may be a delight or dismay to millions of kids around the globe. However,
it’s not to forget that, in some parts of the world, even an elementary school education can be
a hard-won luxury. Some of children have to take the most dangerous roads in the world to
receive an education. If school way might seem boring to kids in wealthier countries, these
little ones are surely glad to have a chance at a better future. In this assignment I shall try my
best to describe my thought and knowledge with you based on the free documentary “Most
Dangerous Ways to School: Bolivia.”

Name and Location

Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is landlocked in western-central South
America. The constitutional capital is Sucre, while the seat of government and executive
capital is La Paz.
It is bordered to the north and east by Brazil, to the southeast by Paraguay, to the south
by Argentina, to the southwest by Chile, and to the northwest by Peru. One-third of the country
is within the Andean mountain range.

Fig: Map of Bolivia and its location in world map. (Source: http://boliviadigna.org)
With 1,098,581 km2 (424,164 sq mi) of area, Bolivia is the fifth largest country in South
America, after Brazil, Argentina, Peru, and Colombia (and alongside Paraguay, one of the only
two landlocked countries in the Americas), the 27th largest in the world, the largest landlocked
country in the Southern Hemisphere, and the world's seventh largest landlocked country,
after Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Chad, Niger, Mali, and Ethiopia.

Characteristics of the Study Area

Yungas Valley, La Paz
The youngest valley in Bolivia, a unique landscape where the Ades mountains meet the amazon
rainforest. The word comes from the Aymara and Quechua word ‘yunka’ meaning “warm
valley”. It is in northeast and some three hours from La Paz City, situated in Bolivia’s Amazon
plains. It is a major conservation area, which features a wide selection of flora and fauna. It is
set in a beautiful landscape decorated with slopes, cliffs, waterfalls and rivers.

Fig: Location of Yungas valley in Google Earth (Left) and Yungas valley (Right).
Source: Google earth imagery and Most Dangerous Ways to School: Bolivia (Documentry)

This magnificent valley has two major sections; the northern called Nor Yungas and the
southern called Sud Yungas. The northern part is the one closest to La Paz City. It begins from
Villa Fatima, and goes to Coroico and Caranavi. It ends at Cotapata.
The steep, almost inaccessible slopes and peaks of this mainly semitropical valley area
northeast of La Paz offer some of the most spectacular scenery in Bolivia. Rainfall is heavy,
and lush vegetation clings to the sides of narrow river valleys. The land of Yungas is the most
fertile in Bolivia, but poor transport has hindered its development.
The eastern slopes of the Cordillera Central descend gradually in a series of complex north-
south ranges and hills. Rivers, draining to the east, have cut long narrow valleys; these valleys
and the basins between the ranges are favorable areas for crops and settlement. Rich alluvial
soils fill the low areas, but erosion has followed the removal of vegetation in some places. The
valley floors range from 2,000 to 3,000 metres above sea level, and this lower elevation means
milder temperatures than those of the Altiplano. The cities of Sucre, Cochabamba and the
upper area of Tarija department, are located in basins of this vast region.
 Fig: Kespa’s (Left) and Elmer’s (Right) family house.
Source: Most Dangerous Ways to School: Bolivia (Documentary)
High up to the summit of the Andes Mountain is where the Kespa’s family lives. It is isolated
and in the heart of the jungle. On the other hand, Elmer’s family lives in the other side of the
valley at a slope of the mountain.

Conclusion
Progress in connecting children to schools in third world countries has slowed down over the
past couple of years. Areas that lack suitable school routes can often flood, making it even
harder for kids to commute. Dangerous paths and the obstacles on the way to school are one of
the main reasons why many children decide to quit education.
The solution might seem straightforward: build roads and bridges, buy buses and hire a driver.
However, the lack of funds and recurring natural disasters in many countries make it difficult
to provide children with the solutions they so desperately need.