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La Paz Travel Guide - Travel S Helper

La Paz

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La Paz, formally known as Nuestra Señora de La Paz (English: Our Lady of Peace), and also known in Aymara as Chuqi Yapu (Chuquiago), is the capital of Bolivia’s Plurinational State. La Paz is the third-most populated city in Bolivia, with an estimated 789,541 people in 2015. (after Santa Cruz de la Sierra and El Alto). With a population of 2.3 million, its metropolitan area, comprised of La Paz, El Alto, and Viacha, is Bolivia’s most populated urban region. Additionally, it serves as the capital of the La Paz Department. The city, situated in western Bolivia, 68 kilometers (42 miles) southeast of Lake Titicaca, is built in a canyon formed by the Choqueyapu River and rests in a bowl-shaped depression surrounded by the altiplano’s high mountains. The city is dominated by the towering triple-peaked Illimani, which is perpetually snow-covered and visible from many sections of the city. At about 3,650 meters (11,975 feet) above sea level, La Paz is the world’s highest capital city. La Paz has an uncommon subtropical highland climate due to its elevation, with wet summers and dry winters.

La Paz was founded on October 20, 1548, by Spanish conquistador Captain Alonso de Mendoza on the site of the Inca settlement of Laja as a connecting point for the commercial routes leading from Potos and Oruro to Lima; the city’s original name was Nuestra Seora de La Paz (meaning Our Lady of Peace), in commemoration of the restoration of peace following Gonzalo Pizarro’s and fellow conquistadors’ insurrection The city was then relocated to its current position in the Chuquiago Marka valley. La Paz was formerly governed by Spain as part of the Viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata. Since its founding, the city has witnessed numerous revolts, the most notable of which occurred in 1781, when indigenous leader and independence activist Túpac Katari sieged the city for six months, and on July 16, 1809, when Bolivian patriot Pedro Domingo Murillo ignited a revolution of independence, thereby initiating the Spanish American Wars of Independence.

La Paz is home to the Palacio Quemado, the Presidential Palace and headquarters of Bolivia’s executive authority, as well as the Plurinational Legislative Assembly and various government ministries and organizations. Sucre, however, is Bolivia’s constitutional capital and maintains judicial authority. Additionally, the city is home to a number of foreign embassies and international missions. La Paz is a significant political, administrative, economic, and sporting hub in Bolivia; it generated 25% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product and is home to major Bolivian firms and industries.

La Paz is also a significant cultural hub in Bolivia, since it is home to various colonial-era structures, including the San Francisco Church, the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Plaza Murillo, and Jaén Street. Additionally, the city is well-known for its distinctive marketplaces, most notably the Witches’ Market, as well as its active nightlife. Its peculiar geography provides remarkable views of the city and the neighboring Cordillera Real mountains from a variety of natural vantage points. Additionally, La Paz is home to the world’s longest and tallest urban cable car network. It was named one of the New7Wonders Cities in May 2015, with Vigan, Doha, Durban, Havana, and Kuala Lumpur. La Paz is included in the 2015 Global Cities Index and is classified by GaWC as a global city type “Gamma.”

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La Paz | Introduction

La Paz – Info Card

POPULATION : • City 877,363
• Metro 2,364,235
FOUNDED :  Founded  October 20, 1548 by Alonso de Mendoza
Independence July 16, 1809
TIME ZONE :  BOT (UTC−4)
LANGUAGE :   Spanish
RELIGION :
AREA : • City 472 km2 (182 sq mi)
• Urban 3,240 km2 (1,250 sq mi)
ELEVATION :   3,640 m (11,942 ft)
COORDINATES :  16°30′S 68°09′W
SEX RATIO :
ETHNIC :
AREA CODE :  2
POSTAL CODE :
DIALING CODE :   +591 2
WEBSITE :   www.lapaz.bo

Tourism in La Paz

Bolivia’s administrative capital is La Paz, whereas the constitutional capital and seat of the Supreme Court is Sucre. La Paz was founded in 1548 and is located in the Andes. The city’s elevation varies between about 4,058 m (13,313 ft) at El Alto (where the airport is located) to 3,100 m (10,170 ft) in the lower residential area. It is the world’s tallest national capital.

The view from the air as one approaches La Paz is breathtaking. The huge shantytowns of El Alto are first seen, gradually giving way to the sight of La Paz itself, hanging precariously to the sides of what seems to be a big cleft in the ground.

La Paz is Bolivia’s cultural capital. The city is home to numerous colonial-era churches, including the San Francisco Cathedral and the Metropolitan Cathedral, the latter of which is situated on Murillo Square, which also houses the country’s political and administrative authorities. Hundreds of museums may be located around the city, the most noteworthy being on Jaén Street, which retains its Spanish-era style and is home to ten separate museums.

Bolivia’s government headquarters are situated on Murillo Square and are dubbed “Palacio Quemado” (Burnt Palace) due to many fires. Since then, the palace has been repaired many times, but the name has remained unchanged.

ORIENTATION

La Paz was carved out of a canyon by the Choqueyapu River, which flows northwest to southeast. The city’s major street, which generally parallels the river, changes names along its length, but the central tree-lined part that runs through the downtown centre is known as the Prado.

La Paz’s topography, particularly its altitude, mirrors its society: the lower one goes, the wealthier one becomes. While many middle-class paceos reside in high-rise condominiums near the center, the really wealthy homes are found southwest of the Prado. The rationale for this divide is because the weather gets warmer as one descends towards the city. And when you gaze up from the center, the surrounding hills are strewn with improvised brick dwellings erected by individuals battling to reach the bottom.

El Alto’s satellite city, which includes the airport, is stretched over a large region to the west of the canyon on the altiplano.

Climate of La Paz

At almost 4,000 metres (13,000 ft) above sea level, the highest areas of La Paz feature an uncommon subtropical highland climate (Köppen climatic classification: Cwc), with subpolar oceanic characteristics (fewer than four months have a mean temperature over 10 °C). Summers in the whole city are wet, but winters are dry. Temperatures at night vary from extremely cold to very cold. In the winter, snow flurries are possible, particularly before daybreak, and it normally evaporates by midday. Despite its proximity to the equator of just 16 degrees, the city’s average temperature is comparable to that of places such as Bergen, Norway, or Tórshavn, Faroe Islands, which are situated 60 and 62 degrees from the equator, respectively.

Temperatures are warmer in downtown La Paz, at 3,600 metres (11,811 feet), and in the Zona Sur (Southern Zone), at 3,250 metres (10,663 feet) above sea level (Köppen classification: subtropical highland climate Cwb).

Temperatures are regularly moderate to mild throughout the year due to the city’s altitude, however diurnal temperature variance is often significant. The city has a somewhat dry climate, with rainfall occurring mostly between November and March, when temperatures are slightly warmer.

At 4,012 metres, February and March, the year’s two cloudiest months, both occurring in late summer, get a daily average of less than 5 hours of sunlight. In comparison, June and July, the two sunniest months of the year, which occur during the winter, get an ample daily average of around 8 hours of sunlight.

Due to the considerable precipitation often recorded throughout the season, the seasonally uneven distribution of the year’s annual precipitation frequently leads in devastating mudslides throughout the summer. At 3,250 metres, the wettest month is January, with an average monthly rainfall of 114 millimetres (4.5 in), while the driest is July, with an average monthly rainfall of 8 mm (0.3 in).

Geography of La Paz

La Paz is located at 16°30′0′′S 68°08′0′′W(16.5, 68.1333) in a canyon formed by the Choqueyapu River, which flows northwest to southeast. The city’s major street, which generally parallels the river, changes names along its length, but the central tree-lined part that runs through the downtown centre is known as the Prado.

La Paz’s environment (particularly its altitude) mirrors its society: the city’s lower regions are more prosperous. While many middle-class inhabitants live in high-rise condominiums near the center, the genuinely wealthy dwell in lower-income districts southwest of the Prado. And as you gaze up from the town, the surrounding hills are densely packed with temporary brick dwellings erected by the less fortunate.

El Alto’s satellite city, which includes the airport, is stretched over a large region to the west of the canyon on the Altiplano. La Paz is famous for its one-of-a-kind marketplaces, peculiar landscape, and traditional culture.

La Paz is situated in the Andes valleys, closer to the Altiplano’s eastern divide. As a result, it is closer to notable peaks such as the Illimani (La Paz’s protector), Huayna Potosi, Mururata, and Illampu. On the western side of the Altiplano divide, approximately an hour west of La Paz, sits the Sajama Volcano, Bolivia’s highest peak and the ninth tallest in the Andes. In July 1994, a magnitude 8.2 earthquake hit only 200 miles (322 kilometers) north of La Paz.

Economy of La Paz

La Paz’s economy has improved significantly in recent years, mostly as a consequence of increased political stability. Bolivians created a sizable informal sector throughout the 1980s and early 1990s as a result of a prolonged period of high inflation and economic difficulties. Markets located across the city serve as evidence of this. While some markets remain steady, almost every street in the central area and neighboring areas has at least one vendor. La Paz continues to be the primary hub for manufacturing firms that manufacture completed items for the nation, accounting for around two-thirds of all manufacturing in Bolivia.

Historically, Bolivian industry has been dominated by mineral processing and agricultural product preparation. However, in La Paz’s metropolitan core, tiny plants account for a significant percentage of the sector. Produced items include food, tobacco products, apparel, a variety of consumer goods, construction materials, and agricultural implements. “Tin quotations from London are closely monitored in La Paz as a barometer of the country’s prosperity; in 1925, tin accounted for a third of national revenue and more than half of total customs; in short, that humble but indispensable metal serves as the hub around which Bolivia’s economic life revolves. Bolivia’s second-largest tin resources… beckon development.”

Internet, Communication in La Paz

Each street corner in La Paz has an Internet café. Currently, the normal fare is between Bs 2-4 per hour. At this price, there are four internet cafés in the vicinity of Plaza Mendoza, all of which have a strong connection.

If you’re traveling with a laptop computer, you may use WiFi in a number of cafés and similar venues.

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