La Paz

his article is about the Bolivian seat of government. For other uses, see La Paz (disambiguation).
La Paz
Nuestra Señora de La Paz[1] (Spanish)
Chuquiago Marka or Chuqiyapu (Aymara)
La Paz(English)
View of La Paz from Av. del Ejército in 2008. At the back, The Americas Bridge.

Flag
Seal
Motto: "Los discordes en concordia, en paz y amor se juntaron y pueblo de paz fundaron paraperpetua memoria"
La Paz is located in Bolivia
La Paz
Location of La Paz within La Paz Department
Coordinates: 16°30′S 68°09′W / 16.5°S 68.15°W / -16.5; -68.15Coordinates: 16°30′S 68°09′W / 16.5°S68.15°W / -16.5; -68.15
Country Bolivia
Departament La Paz
Province Pedro Domingo Murillo
Founded October 20, 1548 by Alonso de Mendoza
Independence July 16, 1809
Government
- MayorLuis Antonio Revilla Herrero [2]
Area
- City 472 km2 (182.2 sq mi)
- Urban 3,240 km2 (1,251 sq mi)
Elevation 3,640 m (11,942 ft)
Population (2008[3])
- City 877,363
- Density6,275.16/km2 (16,252.6/sq mi)
- Metro 2,364,235
Time zone GMT-4
Area code(s) 2
HDI (2010) 0.672 – high[4]
Website www.lapaz.bo

Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈnwes.tɾa seˈɲoɾa ðela pas]; English: Our Lady of Peace; Aymara: Chuquiago Marka or Chuqiyapu) is the administrative capital of Bolivia, as well as the departmental capital of La Paz Department, and the second largestcity (in population) only after Santa Cruz de la Sierra.[3] It is located in the western part of the country in the department of the same name It is located at an elevation of 3,650 m (11,975 ft)above sea level, making it the world's highest "de facto" capital city, or administrative capital.

The official capital of Bolivia is Sucre and it is the seat of Justice, La Paz has more governmentdepartments, hence the "de facto" qualifier.[5] The city sits in a "bowl" surrounded by the high mountains of the altiplano.

As it grows, La Paz climbs the hills, resulting in varying elevations...