La Paz

Capital city of Bolivia and of La Paz department, in Murillo province, 3,800 m/12,400 ft above sea level; population (2001 est) 792,500, metropolitan area (2001 est) 1,487,200). It is in a canyon formed by the La Paz River, and is the world's highest capital city. It is the chief trade centre of the altiplano plateau, and industries include textiles, copper, glass, and electrical equipment. It has been the seat of government since 1898, but Sucre is the legal capital and seat of the judiciary.

La Paz was founded in 1548 by Spanish captain Alonso de Mendoza on the site of an Inca village. Notable features include the city cathedral (1835), the Museo Nacional de Arte (1775; National Art Museum), the University of San Andrés (1830), and the Presidential Palace. The world's highest ski run is on nearby Mt Chacaltaya.

La Paz

Department in northwest Bolivia; area 134,173 sq km/51,804 sq mi; population (2000 est) 2,406,400. The capital is the national capital, La Paz. Potatoes, barley, and quinoa (from which quinine is extracted) grow in the central and western regions, which are watered by the Titicaca River, and include half of Lake Titicaca (the northern half of which is in Peru). The eastern provinces of La Paz, which spread into the tropical highlands on the eastern slopes of the Cordillera Réal, support a far greater variety of crops and fruit, including wheat, tobacco, peaches, grapes, citrus fruits, bananas, and cacao. The important Corocoro copper mines lie near the Desaguadero River. There are tin mines at Huayna Potosí and Chocoltaga, and mining of zinc, lead, copper, and silver in Viloco, 264 km/164 mi from the capital. Two-thirds of the manufacturing industry of Bolivia is located either within or near the city of La Paz and products include textiles, footwear, furniture, bricks, cement, glass, and paper. There is also food processing, especially flour milling, sugar refining, dairying, and brewing.

An extensive plateau forms the northern portion of the department of La Paz, while the southern part is crossed by the two ranges of the Andes; between these two areas is the altiplano (high plateau region). La Paz is the site of many high Andean peaks, situated in the Cordillera Réal; these include Illimani (6,402 m/21,004 ft), Illampu (6,485 m/21,276 ft) and Ancohuma (6,388 m/20,958 ft). The remarkable pre-Inca site of Tiahuanaco lies in the boundaries of this department.