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:''This article is about the administrative capital of Bolivia. For other uses, see La Paz (disambiguation).''
'Nuestra Señora de La Paz' or 'Chuquiyapu' ("chuqui", 'gold', "yapu", 'farm') is the administrative capital of Bolivia, as well as the departmental capital of La Paz Department. As of the 2001 census, the city of La Paz had a population of around one million.

Contents

Geography

History

Climate

Gallery

See also

External links

Geography

La Paz is situated in the valley of the Choqueyapu River below a plateau with an altitude of 3,600 meters (11,811 feet). At this elevation it is the highest administrative capital in the world. Atop the plateau is the city of El Alto, where the El Alto International Airport is located (elev. 13,313 ft.). Transportation links between the two cities have improved in recent years. The city is located at 16°30' South, 68°8' West (-16.5, -68.1333). Its name is translated into English as "Our Lady of Peace"
La Paz is renowned for its unique markets, very unusual topography, and traditional culture. It is the capital of a country that is often referred to as the "Tibet of the Americas".
La Paz is one of the world's most fire-resistant cities. Because of its altitude, the oxygen content of the air is about a third less than at sea level, making it difficult for a small flame to sustain itself.

History

Founded in 1548 by Alonso de Mendoza at the site of the Native American settlement called Chuquiago, the full name of the city was originally ''Nuestra Señora de La Paz'' (meaning ''Our Lady of Peace''). The name commemorated the restoration of peace following the insurrection of Gonzalo Pizarro and fellow conquistadors four years earlier against Blasco Núñez Vela, the first viceroy of Peru. In 1825, after the decisive victory of the republicans at Ayacucho over the Spanish army in the course of the South American Wars of Independence, the city's full name was changed to ''LaPaz de Ayacucho'' (meaning ''The Peace of Ayacucho'').
In 1898, La Paz was made the ''de facto'' seat of the national government, with Sucre remaining the nominal "historical capital" only. This change reflected the shift of the Bolivian economy away from the largely exhausted silver mines of Potosí to the exploitation of tin near Oruro, and resulting shifts in the distribution of economic and political power among various national elites.
La Paz is the highest capital city in the world, and is home to the world's highest golf course. The air is so thin that a well-hit shot will travel several meters farther than at sea level.
The main road from La Paz to the Yungas was named the 'World's most dangerous road', with hundreds of casualties yearly on only a 10 mile stretch.[1]

Climate

Due to the very high altitude at which the city is located, temperatures are consistently cool throughout the year, though the diurnal temperature range is typically large. The city has a relatively dry climate, with rainfall occuring mainly in the warmest months of November to March.

'Climate Table'

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum temperature (°C)	13	13	13	13	13	12	12	13	14	15	15	14	13.3
Mean daily minimum temperature (°C)	2	2	1	0	-3	-5	-5	-4	-2	0	1	2	-0.9
Mean monthly rainfall (mm)	130	102	81	32	15	4	5	14	32	35	50	100
'Source:' Weather2Travel.com

Gallery

See also

★ Cochabamba

★ Sucre

★ Santa Cruz de la Sierra

★ El Alto

★ Calacoto

★ San Pedro prison

External links

★ Municipal government of La Paz

★

★ Museums in La Paz

★ Excursions in the surrounding of La Paz

★ High Altitude Pathology Institute IPPA La Paz

★ Google Map of La Paz with marks

★ Bolivian Music and Web Varieties

★ Bolivian Yellow Pages

★ 17 pictures of La Paz

★ The world's most dangerous road

★ Biking on the ROAD OF DEATH

★ Images of cosmopolitan Paceños, social events, and nightlife.