Bolivia

Moon Valley	Moon Valley	Moon Valley	Titicaca	Titicaca
Titicaca	LaPaz	LaPaz	LaPaz	LaPaz
LaPaz	LaPaz	LaPaz	LaPaz	LaPaz
Titicaca	Titicaca	Titicaca	Titicaca	Titicaca
Titicaca	Titicaca	Titicaca	Titicaca	Titicaca

<<  1 2 .. >>

 

La Paz

 La Paz is the administrative capital of Bolivia, as well as the departmental capital of La Paz Department. Is located approximately at 3600 meters above sea level.

 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.

 The city is situated in a chasm below a plateau at an altitude of 3600m alongside the La Paz river. On the plateau is the city of El Alto; the international airport is also located there.

 As of the 2001 census, the city of La Paz had a population of about one million.

Book Hostel in La Paz

Titicaca

 Lake Titicaca is South America's largest lake and, at 3821 m above sea level, the highest commercially navigable lake in the world. There are higher non-navigable lakes and tarns in the Andes and Himalayas Titicaca has a surface area of approximately 8300 square kilometers. Located in the Altiplano high in the Andes on the border of Peru and Bolivia, it has an average depth of between140 and 180 m, and a maximum depth of 280 m. More than 25 rivers empty into Titicaca, and the lake has 41 islands – some of which are densely populated.

 Titicaca is notable for a population of people who live on the Uros, nine artificial islands made of floating reeds. These islands have become a major tourist attraction for Peru, drawing excursions from the lakeside city of Puno. Another island, Taquile, is another tourist attraction featuring a different indigenous community. The Taquile locals are known for their hand woven textile products, which are some of the highest quality handicrafts in Peru.

 Titicaca is fed by rainfall and melt water from glaciers on the sierras that abut the Altiplano. It is drained by the Desaguadero River, which flows south through Bolivia to Lake Poopó; however, this effluent accounts for less than five percent of the water loss, the rest being accounted for by evaporation as a result of the strong winds and intense sunlight at this altitude.

 The origin of the name Titicaca is unknown; it has been translated as "Rock of the Puma", combining words from the local languages Quechua and Aymara, and as "Crag of Lead". Locally, the lake goes by several names. Because the southeast quarter of the lake is separated from the main body by the Strait of Tiquina, the Bolivians call this smaller part Lago Huinaymarca and the larger part Lago Chucuito. In Peru, these smaller and larger parts are referred to as Lago Pequeño and Lago Grande, respectively.

Book Hostel in Copacabana

Hostels in La Paz and Copacabana
Hostal Alojamiento Carretero La Paz, Bolivia Calle Catacora #1056 Cor. Yanacocha Tel.: +591 714 63854 Fax: +591 4 6440889	Hostal República La Paz, Bolivia Calle Comercio #1455 corner Bueno. Tel.: 591 02 202742 Tel.: 591 02 202782  Book this Hostel
HI-Hotel-Torino Calle Socabaya, 457 Tel.+591 02 406-003 La Paz Bolivia                 Book this Hostel	HI-Brisas Del Titicaca Av. 6 de Agosto Tel. 591-28-622178 Fax 591-28-622178 Copacabana          Book this Hostel

<<  1 2 .. >>

[Back to Top]