nPosted on March 23, 2019
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Key Points
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nWhen you hear that a nation celebrates “Day of the Sea,” I bet you picture people going to the beach or the rocky seashore for activities based around the ocean.
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| “Mar Para Bolivia” means “Sea / ocean for Bolivia.” |
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nBut…Bolivia doesn’t have contact with any sea or ocean! It’s landlocked. No beaches, no coast, no seashores.
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nSo why does this nation celebrate a Day of the Sea?
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nWell…BECAUSE it’s landlocked!
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nYou see, Bolivia used to have access to the Pacific Ocean, but it lost its coast and became landlocked as a result of the 1879-1883 War of the Pacific with Chile. Every year it celebrates a Week of the Sea, during which officials again state their claims for ocean access. Semana del Mar ends on March 23 with a special ceremony dedicated to Eduardo Abaroa, Bolivia’s hero in the war. (That’s a statue of Abaroa in the photo at the top of the page.)
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| Before, above: Chile, in dark green, eventually took over the narrow coastal strip belonging to Peru (orange) as well as the bit of ocean access belonging to Bolivia (yellow). After, below: In 1883, the familiar borders we see today were adopted. |
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nWhat does Bolivia restating its claims to oceanfront property look like?
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nParades…
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nAnd protests…
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| Notice that the Bolivians above are not only holding up a “Ocean for Bolivia” sign, they’re also holding up little pictures of ocean… The Bolivians below are holding up a long, long, looooong |
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nBy the way, the chunk of coast that Bolivia lost was part of the famous Atacama Desert. I should say “famous and gorgeous” – just check it out!
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| The statue “The Hand of the Desert” (above) rises 36 feet out of the sand of the Atacama Desert – in what is now Chile. It was sculpted by the same artist that sculpted “The Hand” (below) on the other side of the South American continent, in the sands of Uruguay. |
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nAlso on this date:
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nArtist Juan Gris’s birthday
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nNear Miss Day
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nAnniversary of an influential speech
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nPakistan Day
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nNational Puppy Day
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nWorld Meteorological Day
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nAnniversary of the coining of the word “okay” (America’s “Greatest Word”)
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nNational Tamale Day
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nOtago Anniversary Day
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Birthday of Margaret of Anjou, Queen
Birthday of Margaret of Anjou, Queen
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nPlan ahead:
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nCheck out my Pinterest boards for:
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nMarch holidays
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nHistorical anniversaries in March
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nAnd here are my Pinterest boards for:
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nApril holidays
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nApril birthdays
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