Santa Cruz de la Sierra | |
|---|---|
Autonomous city and municipality | |
Equipetrol neighborhood Casa de Gobierno Municipal City Hall Cristo Redentor Aerial view of Santa Cruz de la Sierra and the Piray River | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Santa Cruz de la Sierra Location within Bolivia  Santa Cruz de la Sierra Santa Cruz de la Sierra (South America) .svg) Santa Cruz de la Sierra Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Earth) | |
| Coordinates: 17°48′S 63°11′W / 17.800°S 63.183°W | |
| Country | Bolivia |
| Department | Santa Cruz Department |
| Province | Andrés Ibáñez |
| Municipality | Santa Cruz de la Sierra |
| Founded | February 26, 1561 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipal Autonomous Government |
| • Mayor | Jhonny Fernandez |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,345 km2 (519 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 400 m (1,300 ft) |
| Population (2024 Census) | |
• Total | 3,115,386 |
| • Density | 2,300/km2 (6,000/sq mi) |
| GDP (PPP, constant 2015 values) | |
| • Year | 2023 |
| • Total | $23.3 billion[1] |
| • Per capita | $12,800 |
| Time zone | UTC−4 (BOT) |
| Area code | (+591) 3 |
| HDI (2016) | 0,827 Very High [2] |
| Website | www |
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Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Spanish: [ˈsanta ˈkɾus ðe la ˈsjera]; lit. 'Holy Cross of the Mountain Range'), commonly known as Santa Cruz, is the largest city in Bolivia and the capital of the Santa Cruz department.[3]
Situated on the Pirai River in the eastern Tropical Lowlands of Bolivia, the Santa Cruz de la Sierra Metropolitan Region is the most populous urban agglomeration in Bolivia with an estimated population of 2.4 million[4] in 2020. It is formed out of a conurbation of seven Santa Cruz municipalities: Santa Cruz de la Sierra, La Guardia, Warnes, Cotoca, El Torno, Porongo, and Montero.[5]
The city was first founded in 1561 by Spanish explorer Ñuflo de Chavez about 200 km (124 mi) east of its current location, and was moved several times until it was finally established on the Pirai River in the late 16th century. For much of its history, Santa Cruz was mostly a small outpost town, and even after Bolivia gained its independence in 1825 there was little attention from the authorities or the population in general to settle the region. It was not until after the middle of the 20th century with profound agrarian and land reforms that the city began to grow at a very fast pace. Due to its low elevation at the foothills of the Andes and being situated in the Amazon basin, the city has a tropical climate unlike the other main metro area of La Paz that is thousands of meters higher in terms of elevation.
Santa Cruz is Bolivia's most populous city, produces nearly 35% of Bolivia's gross domestic product, and receives over 40% of all foreign direct investment in the country. The city is the most important business center in Bolivia and the country's principal destination for national and international migrants.[6]
- ^ "TelluBase—BoliviaFact Sheet (Tellusant Public Service Series)" (PDF). Tellusant. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
- ^ "Para leer y ver el informe sobre desarrollo humano | el PNUD en Bolivia". bo.undp.org. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ "National Statistics Institute. Population Projections by Department and Municipality". INE. Archived from the original on 2016-10-09. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
- ^ "Bolivia: Proyecciones de Población según Departamento y Municipio, 2012-2020". INE Bolivia (in Spanish). Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia. Archived from the original on 2020-06-01. Retrieved 2020-06-01.
- ^ "Ocho municipios de la región metropolitana de Santa Cruz se unen y demandan atención económica al Gobierno nacional | EL DEBER". eldeber.com.bo (in Spanish). 13 July 2020. Retrieved 2020-07-14.
- ^ "The Contributions of Santa Cruz to Bolivia (Spanish only)" (PDF). CAINCO. 2008. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2011-05-24. Retrieved 2011-09-09.