After 88 Years of Negotiations, Bolivia and Paraguay Officially Demarcate Their Borders

Bolivia and Paraguay officially demarcated their shared border on Wednesday in La Paz, after 88 years of negotiations, according to Bolivia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The two countries fought a war between 1932 and 1935 over control of the arid Chaco Boreal region, which resulted in the deaths of between 80,000 and 100,000 people, ending with Bolivia losing territory equivalent to more than half of Paraguay’s current land area.

Following the "Chaco War," Paraguay and Bolivia signed a peace treaty in 1938, launching a long process to demarcate their shared border, which stretches approximately 755 kilometers.

The Bolivian ministry stated in a statement that "Bolivia and Paraguay have completed the full demarcation of their international borders, a process that lasted 88 years and was carried out by technical committees from both countries."

The agreement was reached at the conclusion of a three-day meeting in La Paz of the Joint Committee responsible for border demarcation between Bolivia and Paraguay, during which the committee matched geographic data collected from the border region using high-resolution drones with official government documents.

This meeting enabled the demarcation of the final remaining disputed sector, measuring 3.5 kilometers along the Río Negro, which originates in Bolivia.

La Paz described the border demarcation achievement as "strengthening a bilateral relationship based on trust and cooperation, and closing a historic chapter in establishing safe and mutually recognized borders."

Paraguay’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed in a statement issued before the formal conclusion of the negotiations that the two countries will be the only ones in South America with "fully demarcated borders."