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La Paz

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Central & South American
Geography

   La Paz (NASA aerial view)
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   La Paz (NASA aerial view)
   Central La Paz
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   Central La Paz
   Panoramic sight of the city of La Paz
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   Panoramic sight of the city of La Paz

   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 about one million.

   La Paz is situated in the canyon of the Choqueyapu River below a
   plateau with an altitude of 3,600 meters (11,811 feet). Atop the
   plateau is the city of El Alto, where the international airport is
   located. Transportation links between the two cities has 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".

History

   La Paz Skyline
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   La Paz Skyline

   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 two 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 La Paz 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 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 metres 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 50 miles
   stretch.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Paz"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
