Why has Bolivia been landlocked since the War of the Pacific?

Bolivia became a landlocked country as a result of the War of the Pacific (1879–84), during which it lost its coastal territory to Chile.21

The conflict originated from disputes over control of the Atacama Desert, a region rich in valuable mineral resources like sodium nitrate. Tensions escalated in 1878 when the Bolivian government attempted to increase taxes on the Chilean-owned Antofagasta Nitrate Company, violating a previous commercial treaty. In response, Chilean forces occupied the port city of Antofagasta in February 1879, leading to a formal declaration of war.23

Following military defeats, a truce in 1884 granted Chile control of the entire Bolivian coast, an arrangement made permanent by a 1904 treaty. While Chile agreed to build a railroad connecting the Bolivian capital of La Paz to the port of Arica and guaranteed freedom of transit for Bolivian commerce, the loss of this territory remains a significant historical and national issue for Bolivia.241