A LOFTY CAPITAL.
However the world may judge the importance of Bolivia as a power, no opinion of soldier or statesman or traveller can dissipate one claim; hers is the loftiest capital city in the world. Since 1808 La Paz has been the de facto capital of the landlocked republic. Lying in a saucer-like indentation of a greaT plateau —second only to Tibet in "elevation—La Paz has developed into an active commercial centre despite the fact that the nearest seaport lies 15 hours away by train. The city is situated about 1">00 feet below the edge of the plateau in a valley created by La Paz River, which cuts across the Cordillera Real. In the distance are the snow-capped Mount lllimani, Sorata, Juana Potosi and Mumurata, and 42 miles to the south-east is Lake Titicaca, hio-h in the Andes. History helps to dissipate the present irony of its name in view of the war in the Chaco; the city in 1825 was named La Paz de Ayacitcho, in honour of the final battle of the extended war for the nation's independence, which meant, in. fact, peace,
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Bibliographic details
Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 133, 7 June 1935, Page 14
Word Count
186A LOFTY CAPITAL. Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 133, 7 June 1935, Page 14
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