Bolivia, the core of South America is a country of superlatives, landlocked in the western part of the continent, it sprawls over 424.165 square miles (1.098.580 square kilometers) and shares borders with Peru to the north-west, Brazil to the north and east, Paraguay to the southeast, Argentina to the South and both Peru and Chile to the west. It is a country which claims the highest navigable lake in the world, the highest commercial airport, the highest golf course, the highest ski run, and the highest capital, one of the newest and wildest frontiers, one of the oldest ruins and what is said to be the highest concentration of cosmic rays on earth. Bolivia is also a nation of contrasts; commonly called the “microcosm of our planet” It has every type of geologically classified land, flora, fauna, mineral and tropical product.
Bolivia lies wholly in the tropical zone, yet temperatures vary from the heat of its equatorial lowlands to the cold of the Andes. Therefore, to focus on Bolivia’s diverse land it is best to the start with the inland sea of Lake Titicaca (12.600 ft or 3.780m) and work east. Lake Titicaca is a major western boundary between Bolivia and Peru. Stretching some 3.500 square miles (9.065 square kilometers), this deep (700feet, or 210m, in places), of clear water is the highest navigable lake in the world.Centuries ago, the Aymara established elaborate systems of agriculture and irrigation that supported a large population. Today, archaeological digs are reviving these ancient forms of agriculture and trying to apply them with much success to improve the livelihood of present-day Aymara.
Their diet consists mostly of a wide variety of potatoes, fava beans, grains and the nutritious quinua cereal. At the age of the Altiplano, the city of La Paz (population 792.499), Bolivia’s seat of government, is set in a large, spectacular canyon cut below the surface the Altiplano at an altitude of about 11.900 feet (3.570m). the majestic beauty of the snowcapped mountains that encircle the city more than compensates for the discomfort of the thin air. Four of these peaks reach above 20.000 feet (over 6.000 m)
The city of La Paz is the country’s second largest, overtaken in the year 2000 by the city of Santa Cruz that has a population of 1.114.095. La Paz’s sheltered location as inspired in the Spaniards to select it in 1548 the main silver route to the Pacific Cost. Colonial churches and architecture survive there.
Further south is Potosi, which retains its colonial air and art treasures from an age when the nearby Cerro Rico (Rich Hill) mountain was one of the first great discoveries of the Spanish conquerors, and which pumped the equivalent of some 2 billion dollars into the Spanish treasury. Potosi (population 133.268) sits more than 13.000feet above sea level (3.900m). Potosi continues to survive from mining and, increasingly, tourism. In recent years Rurrenabaque has become an important tourist site and gate-way to Madidi National Park.
Since it was featured on the cover of National Geographic Magazine, the park has gained international prominence and now offers first-rate accommodations.Heading east and southeast from the Altiplano, the flatlands give way to hills and valleys that include the cities of Cochabamba, Sucre and Tarija (in the southeastern part of the country). These are the major population centers in the area, which includes fertile valleys as well as barren farmland that is barely able to sustain the economically poor but culturally rich Quechua-speaking population.
Cochabamba, Bolivias third largest city, (population 778.422)has average temperature of 65°F (about 18°C) and eternal sunshine, is situated at almost 8.500 feet (2.570m) and is described as the best living area in Bolivia. Sucre population retained much of its colonial color and charm. Its elevation is about 9.150 feet (2.790m). The 135.651 inhabitants of Tarija are isolated, friendly, cultured and maintain traditions that have changed very little over time. These valleys spread out into the tropical lowlands that sweep from the Argentine and Paraguayan borders to Santa Cruz de la Sierra.
The Oriente is the largest and most sparsely populated region. Santa Cruz, the only major city, lies close to the Andean foothills but is very much a city of the plains. Since the mid-1950s it has been the fastest growing center of agricultural colonization in Bolivia, and the center of oil and natural gas production and electrical generation. Cambas, as the residents of this region are called, have converted the fertile Santa Cruz region (with the help of immigrants and migrants) into a production center of soybeans, cotton, sugar cane, sorghum, sunflower, poultry products and rice.
Bolivia, the core of South America is a country of superlatives, landlocked in the western part of the continent, it sprawls over 424.165 square miles (1.098.580 square kilometers) and shares borders with Peru to the north-west, Brazil to the north and east, Paraguay to the southeast, Argentina to the South and both Peru and Chile to the west. It is a country which claims the highest navigable lake in the world, the highest commercial airport, the highest golf course, the highest ski run, and the highest capital, one of the newest and wildest frontiers, one of the oldest ruins and what is said to be the highest concentration of cosmic rays on earth. Bolivia is also a nation of contrasts; commonly called the “microcosm of our planet” It has every type of geologically classified land, flora, fauna, mineral and tropical
product.
of agriculture and irrigation that supported a large population. Today, archaeological digs are reviving these ancient forms of agriculture and trying to apply them with much success to improve the livelihood of present-day Aymara.
city more than compensates for the discomfort of the thin air. Four of these peaks reach above 20.000 feet (over 6.000 m)
Further south is Potosi, which retains its colonial air and art treasures from an age when the nearby Cerro Rico (Rich Hill) mountain was one of the first great discoveries of the Spanish conquerors, and which pumped the equivalent of some 2 billion dollars into the Spanish treasury. Potosi (population 133.268) sits more than 13.000feet above sea level (3.900m). Potosi continues to survive from mining and, increasingly, tourism. In recent years Rurrenabaque has become an important tourist site and gate-way to Madidi National Park.
Since it was featured on the cover of National Geographic Magazine, the park has gained international prominence and now offers first-rate accommodations.Heading east and southeast from the Altiplano, the flatlands give way to hills and valleys that include the cities of Cochabamba, Sucre and Tarija (in the southeastern part of the country). These are the major population centers in the area, which includes fertile valleys as well as barren farmland that is barely able to sustain the economically poor but culturally rich Quechua-speaking population.
Cochabamba, Bolivias third largest city, (population 778.422)has average temperature of 65°F (about 18°C) and eternal sunshine, is situated at almost 8.500 feet (2.570m) and is described as the best living area in Bolivia. Sucre population retained much of its colonial color and charm. Its elevation is about 9.150 feet (2.790m). The 135.651 inhabitants of Tarija are isolated, friendly, cultured and maintain traditions that have changed very little over time. These valleys spread out into the tropical lowlands that sweep from the Argentine and Paraguayan borders to Santa Cruz de la Sierra.
The Oriente is the largest and most sparsely populated region. Santa Cruz, the only major city, lies close to the Andean foothills but is very much a city of the plains. Since the mid-1950s it has been the fastest growing center of agricultural colonization in Bolivia, and the center of oil and natural gas production and electrical generation. Cambas, as the residents of this region are called, have converted the fertile Santa Cruz region (with the help of immigrants and migrants) into a production center of soybeans, cotton, sugar cane, sorghum, sunflower, poultry products and rice.