La Paz

La Paz, city in western Bolivia, located on the La Paz River. La Paz is Bolivia's largest city, as well as the country's administrative capital and the capital of La Paz Department. The city sits amid the Andes Mountains and is about 3,600 m (about 11,900 ft) above sea level, making it the highest large city in the world. La Paz is linked by highways to cities in Peru and Argentina and to Arica, Chile, the nearest port on the Pacific Ocean. It also has an international airport. La Paz is not heavily industrialized because of limited power resources, but it is the principal export center for the mineral resources of Bolivia. Although Sucre is the official capital of Bolivia, La Paz has been the actual center of government since 1898. With the exception of the national Supreme Court, all government functions are centered in La Paz. It is also the site of the University of San Andrés (1830), the Catholic Bolivian University (1966), the Museum of Natural History, the presidential and legislative palaces, and a cathedral (completed in 1933) with a capacity of 12,000. La Paz was founded by the Spanish in 1548. It flourished because of its strategic location on the trade route between the Bolivian silver mines and the ocean. From 1809 to 1824, the city was headquarters for the revolutionary movement against Spanish rule. Population (2008 estimate) 839,905.