Tarija
| Tarija | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Plaza in Tarija |
|||
| Basic data | |||
| Full name | San Bernardo de Tarija | ||
| Residents (state) | 179,528 pop. (2012 census) | ||
| rank | Rank 7 | ||
| height | 1873 m | ||
| Post Code | 06-0101-0100-1001 | ||
| Telephone code | (+591) | ||
| Coordinates | 21 ° 32 ′ S , 64 ° 44 ′ W | ||
|
|||
| politics | |||
| Department | Tarija | ||
| province | Province of Cercado | ||
| mayor | Rodrigo Paz Pereira (UNIR) son of ex-president Jaime Paz Zamora |
||
| Homepage of Tarija | |||
| climate | |||
 Climate diagram Tarija |
|||
Tarija ( San Bernardo de Tarija ) is the southernmost city in the South American Andean state of Bolivia . The city was founded on July 4th, 1574 by Luis de Fuentes y Vargas with the name "Villa de San Bernardo de la Frontera de Tarixa".
Location in the vicinity
Tarija is the central location of the Municipio Tarija and the capital of the Province of Cercado and the Department of Tarija , which borders Argentina and Paraguay to the east . The city is located east of the Cordillera de Sama on the left, eastern bank of the Río Nuevo Guadalquivir , 36 kilometers below the city after the union with the Río Camacho, the name Río Tarija .
geography
Tarija is conveniently located between the different climate zones of the country, on the edge of the Andes at an altitude of around 1900 m , so that mostly mild and pleasant weather prevails (see Tarija climate diagram). In the rainy season between December and February (summer months) there are frequent torrential thunderstorms. The rest of the year is extremely low in precipitation.
The landscape has been eroded by the centuries of clearing and the city is framed by a bare mountain range. The area around Tarija used to be Bolivia's grain chamber. Today the region is particularly rich in natural gas .
population
The city's population has increased several times over in the past three and a half decades:
| year | Residents | source |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 38 500 | census |
| 1992 | 90 113 | census |
| 2001 | 135 783 | census |
| 2012 | 179 528 | census |
The long-established inhabitants of Tarija refer to themselves as Tarijeños , especially those who have moved from the surrounding area ( Campo ) also as Chapacos . As descendants of Europeans (mainly Andalusian colonizers) and the ethnic groups living in the region at the time of colonization, such as the Tomatas , Churumatas or Chiriguanos, they are mostly relatively light-skinned mestizos who all speak Spanish and are mostly Catholic. Members of indigenous peoples are only a minority of the population. However, the strong influx of people from highland departments such as Potosí and Chuquisaca has led to a strengthening of population groups with indigenous identity. Immigrants mainly from Argentina, the Arab-Turkish region (generally called Turcos , compare the diaspora of Lebanon ), Croatia (compare Croatian diaspora overseas ) and the German-speaking area have also had a significant impact on the population and its culture.
Economy and education
The economic life of the city is characterized by administration, utilities, trade as well as small service and craft businesses. Branches of Bolivian banks and telecommunications companies also play an important role as employers. International retail and catering chains, however, are not present.
Although there is little industry, Tarija is one of the most modern cities in Bolivia, with many open-minded inhabitants who are oriented towards the European lifestyle. New technologies like the Internet are being received with enthusiasm. The importance of education is increasing, more and more young people are graduating from one of the universities . With the funds allocated to the city from the department's gas production, new sports and health facilities, administrative, school and university buildings, tourist attractions and market halls have been financed in recent years.
In the surrounding area mainly agriculture is practiced, with fruit and viticulture in particular . Wine and Singani production has become increasingly important in recent years. With modern production facilities and continuously improved quality, the industry is increasingly able to open up international markets. The roots of viticulture in Tarija go back to the 16th century when Spanish missionaries planted the first vines. Today numerous bodegas have established sales structures in Tarija and shape parts of the city center.
The long-standing plan to set up an efficient industrial park ( Parque industrial de Tarija ) in the vicinity of the city has not yet been implemented.
tourism
Tarija has a lot to offer tourists. The San Francisco Church was founded in 1606, making it one of the oldest in the department. A library with more than 15,000 volumes of high historical value and a colonial art gallery are attached to the church. The Metropolitan Cathedral, built by the Jesuits in 1810 , now houses a public school and the Cathedral Museum with a collection of oil paintings, silver utensils and gold chalices decorated with stone inlay. The church of San Roque is the center for festivities. The elevated position of the San Juan Church, founded in 1632, allows a panoramic view of the entire city. After the battle of La Tablada on April 15, 1817, the surrender of the Spaniards was announced here. The Casa Dorada serves as a house of culture and has a facade with statuettes on the upper part. Inside there was an atrium with statuettes of triumphant women.
The Museum of Paleontology , Archeology and History has exhibits from prehistoric times, including finds of dinosaur species . About 500 of the existing pieces can be assigned to mammals , come from the Quaternary and were found in the cave of Tarija. 200 fossils of invertebrates date from the Paleocene . Around 5000 stone and ceramic pieces, such as spears, arrowheads, jugs, pots and jewelry, are in the archaeological department.
The Academy of Sciences observatory is located near the city . In the evening it is open to the public for planet , moon and star observation . Scientists from all over the world come here to observe celestial phenomena, such as a comet flying past, to make observations with the help of modern telescopes .
The cultural richness of the region is evident in the colorful festivals, the special instruments and dances (e.g. Chacarera ). From a culinary point of view , the various corn dishes ( choclos ) and peanut soup ( sopa de maní ) should be mentioned.
Tarija is also an ideal starting point for excursions in the surrounding area. The sometimes spectacular flora and fauna, the mountains, rivers, gorges and valleys as well as wine and pilgrimage sites offer the visitor numerous opportunities for hikes, bike tours or excursions.
See also: Tourism in the Tarija Department
Transport network
By Tarija, a branch of the Inter-American highways system runs Panamericana , the Alaska in the north to Tierra del Fuego in the south of the continent connects. This branch is the Bolivian highway Ruta 1 , which runs from Desaguadero on the Peruvian border in the north via the metropolises El Alto / La Paz , Oruro , Potosí and Tarija to Bermejo on the Argentine border in the south.
Tarija is also connected to the Bolivian lowlands via the Ruta 11 highway , where it meets the Ruta 9 , which cuts through the entire lowlands from Yacuiba in the south via the metropolis of Santa Cruz to Guayaramerín on the Brazilian border in the north.
There is no rail traffic and the rivers are not navigable. The airport located within the city was upgraded to an international airport at the end of 2014. Since then, direct connections to northern Argentina have been possible. Microbuses dominate public transport in the Tarija region. There are also numerous regular taxis that connect the city districts with the city center and the farmers' market ( Mercado Campesino ). Cars with space for six to eight people also travel to more distant destinations such as Bermejo or Yacuiba . In 2015, the construction of the new Tarijas long-distance bus station, located outside the city center, was completed, and at the turn of 2016/2017 it went into full operation.
sons and daughters of the town
- Horacio Gallardo (* 1981), racing cyclist
- Víctor Paz Estenssoro (1907–2001), politician and President of Bolivia
- Óscar González Alfaro , known as Óscar Alfaro (1921–1963), poet, author, storyteller, teacher and publicist
- Aniceto Arce Ruiz (1824–1906), silver magnate, politician and President of Bolivia
- William Bluske Castellanos (1928–2005), politician and diplomat
Town twinning
- Brasschaat , Belgium, since 2003, focus on youth and sport
- Salta , Argentina, since March 8, 2004
- San Salvador de Jujuy , Argentina, since March 8, 2004
Individual evidence
- ↑ Thomas Brinkhoff: City Population
- ^ Instituto Nacional de Estadística Bolivia (INE) 1992
- ^ INE - Instituto Nacional de Estadística Bolivia 2001
- ↑ INE - Instituto Nacional de Estadística Bolivia 2012 ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
Web links
- Relief map of the Tarija region 1: 250,000 (PDF; 5.07 MB)
- Municipio Tarija - General Maps No. 60101
- Municipio Tarija - detailed map and population data (PDF; 629 kB) ( Spanish )
- Departamento Tarija - social data of the municipalities (PDF; 3.05 MB) ( Spanish )