Lesson #94

Landlocked Bolivia loses its bid to force Chile to cede access to the Pacific

Bolivia's dream of regaining sovereign access to the Pacific Ocean suffered a setback after a UN court sided with Chile, saying that Chile was not required to give Bolivia access to the sea. Landlocked Bolivia has been trying to regain a Pacific port ever since it lost a long coastline to Chile in a war in the late 1800s. Chile says that a peace treaty signed in 1904 settled the matter, but for Bolivians, access to the Pacific is a matter of national pride. Learn how to use the English phrase "sigh of relief."