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    "source_title": "Encyclopaedia Britannica (1911)",
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    "chunk_id": "1911:la paz:f25afcd2e57e",
    "title": "LA PAZ",
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    "verified_text": "la paz, a western department of bolivia, bounded n. by the national territories of caupolican and el beni, e. by el beni and cochabamba, s. by cochabamba and oruro and w. by chile and peru. pop. (1900) 445,616, the majority of whom are indians. area 53,777 sq. m. the department belongs to the great bolivian plateau, and its greater part to the cold, bleak, _puna_ climatic region. the cordillera real crosses it n.w. to s.e. and culminates in the snow-crowned summits of sorata and illimani. the west of the department includes a part of the titicaca basin with about half of the lake. this elevated plateau region is partially barren and inhospitable, its short, cold summers permitting the production of little besides potatoes, quinoa (_chenopodium quinoa_) and barley, with a little indian corn and wheat in favoured localities. some attention is given to the rearing of llamas, and a few cattle, sheep and mules are to be seen south of lake titicaca. there is a considerable indian population in this region, living chiefly in small hamlets on the products of their own industry. in the lower valleys of the eastern slopes, where climatic conditions range from temperate to tropical, wheat, indian corn, oats and the fruits and vegetables of the temperate zone are cultivated. farther down, coffee, cacao, coca, rice, sugar cane, tobacco, oranges, bananas and other tropical fruits are grown, and the forests yield cinchona bark and rubber. the mineral wealth of la paz includes gold, silver, tin, copper and bismuth. tin and copper are the most important of these, the principal tin mines being in the vicinity of the capital and known under the names of huayna-potosi, milluni and chocoltaga. the chief copper mines are the famous corocoro group, about 75 m. s.s.e. of lake titicaca by the desaguadero river, the principal means of transport. the output of the corocoro mines, which also includes gold and silver, finds its way to market by boat and rail to mollendo, and by pack animals to tacna and rail to arica. there are no roads in la paz worthy of the name except the 5 m. between the capital and the \"alto,\" though stagecoach communication with oruro and chililaya has been maintained by the national government. the railway opened in 1905 between guaqui and la paz (54 m.) superseded the latter of these stage lines, and a railway is planned from viacha to oruro to supersede the other. the capital of the department is the national capital la paz. corocoro, near the desaguadero river, about 75 m. s.s.e. of lake titicaca and 13,353 ft. above sea-level, has an estimated population (1906) of 15,000, chiefly aymara indians. la paz (officially la paz de ayacucho), the capital of bolivia since 1898, the see of a bishopric created in 1605 and capital of the department of la paz, on the rio de la paz or rio chuquiapo, 42 m. s.e. of lake titicaca (port of chililaya) in 16° 30 s., 68° w. pop. (1900) 54,713, (1906, estimate) 67,235. the city is built in a deeply-eroded valley of the cordillera real which is believed to have formed an outlet of lake titicaca, and at this point descends sharply to the s.e., the river making a great bend southward and then flowing northward to the beni. the valley is about 10 m. long and 3 m. wide, and is singularly barren and forbidding. its precipitous sides, deeply gullied by torrential rains and diversely coloured by mineral ores, rise 1500 ft. above the city to the margin of the great plateau surrounding lake titicaca, and above these are the snow-capped summits of illimani and other giants of the bolivian cordillera. below, the valley is fertile and covered with vegetation, first of the temperate and then of the tropical zone. the elevation of la paz is 12,120 ft. above sea-level, which places it within the _puna_ climatic region, in which the summers are short and cold. the mean annual temperature is a little above the _puna_ average, which is 54° f., the extremes ranging from 19° to 75°. pneumonia and bronchial complaints are common, but consumption is said to be rare. the surface of the valley is very uneven, rising sharply from the river on both sides, and the transverse streets of the city are steep and irregular. at its south-eastern extremity is the alameda, a handsome public promenade with parallel rows of exotic trees, shrubs and flowers, which are maintained with no small effort in so inhospitable a climate. the trees which seem to thrive best are the willow and eucalyptus. the streets are generally narrow and roughly paved, and there are numerous bridges across the river and its many small tributaries. the dwellings of the poorer classes are commonly built with mud walls and covered with tiles, but stone and brick are used for the better structures. the cathedral, which was begun in the 17th century when the mines of potosi were at the height of their productiveness, was never finished because of the revolutions and the comparative poverty of the city under the republic. it faces the plaza mayor and is distinguished for the finely-carved stonework of its facade. facing the same plaza are the government offices and legislative chambers. other notable edifices and institutions are the old university of san andres, the san francisco church, a national college, a seminary, a good public library and a museum rich in relics of the inca and colonial periods. la paz is an important commercial centre, being connected with the pacific coast by the peruvian railway from mollendo to puno (via arequipa), and a bolivian extension from guaqui to the alto de la paz (heights of la paz)--the two lines being connected by a steamship service across lake titicaca. an electric railway 5 m. long connects the alto de la paz with the city, 1493 ft. below. this route is 496 m. long, and is expensive because of trans-shipments and the cost of handling cargo at mollendo. the vicinity of la paz abounds with mineral wealth; most important are the tin deposits of huayna-potosi, milluni and chocoltaga. the la paz valley is auriferous, and since the foundation of the city gold has been taken from the soil washed down from the mountain sides. la paz was founded in 1548 by alonzo de mendoza on the site of an indian village called chuquiapu. it was called the pueblo nuevo de nuestra senora de la paz in commemoration of the reconciliation between pizarro and almagro, and soon became an important colony. at the close of the war of independence (1825) it was rechristened la paz de ayacucho, in honour of the last decisive battle of that protracted struggle. it was made one of the four capitals of the republic, but the revolution of 1898 permanently established the seat of government here because of its accessibility, wealth, trade and political influence. la perouse, jean-francois de galaup, comte de (1741-_c._ 1788), french navigator, was born near albi, on the 22nd of august 1741. his family name was galaup, and la perouse or la peyrouse was an addition adopted by himself from a small family estate near albi. as a lad of eighteen he was wounded and made prisoner on board the \"formidable\" when it was captured by admiral hawke in 1759; and during the war with england between 1778 and 1783 he served with distinction in various parts of the world, more particularly on the eastern coasts of canada and in hudson's bay, where he captured forts prince of wales and york (august 8th and 21st, 1782). in 1785 (august 1st) he sailed from brest in command of the french government expedition of two vessels (\"la boussole\" under la perouse himself, and \"l'astrolabe,\" under de langle) for the discovery of the north-west passage, vainly essayed by cook on his last voyage, from the pacific side. he was also charged with the further exploration of the north-west coasts of america, and the north-east coasts of asia, of the china and japan seas, the solomon islands and australia; and he was ordered to collect information as to the whale fishery in the southern oceans and as to the fur trade in north america. he reached mount st elias, on the coast of alaska, on the 23rd of june 1786. after six weeks, marked by various small discoveries, he was driven from these regions by bad weather; and after visiting the hawaiian islands, and discovering necker island (november 5th, 1786), he crossed over to asia (macao, january 3rd, 1787). thence he passed to the philippines, and so to the coasts of japan, korea and \"chinese tartary,\" where his best results were gained. touching at quelpart, he reached de castries bay, near the modern vladivostok, on the 28th of july 1787; and on the 2nd of august following discovered the strait, still named after him, between sakhalin and the northern island of japan. on the 7th of september he put in at petropavlovsk in kamchatka, where he was well received by special order of the russian empress, catherine ii.; thence he sent home lesseps, overland, with the journals, notes, plans and maps recording the work of the expedition. he left avacha bay on the 29th of september, and arrived at mauna in the samoan group on the 8th of december; here de langle and ten of the crew of the \"astrolabe\" were murdered. he quitted samoa on the 14th of december, touched at the friendly islands and norfolk island and arrived in botany bay on the 26th of january 1788. from this place, where he interchanged courtesies with some of the english pioneers in australia, he wrote his last letter to the french ministry of marine (february 7th). after this no more was heard of him and his squadron till in 1826 captain peter dillon found the wreckage of what must have been the \"boussole\" and the \"astrolabe\" on the reefs of vanikoro, an island to the north of the new hebrides. in 1828 dumont d'urville visited the scene of the disaster and erected a monument (march 14th). see milet mureau, _voyage de la perouse autour du monde_ (paris, 1797) 4 vols.; gerard, _vies ... des ... marins francais_ (paris, 1825), 197-200; peter dillon, _narrative ... of a voyage in the south seas for the discovery of the fate of la perouse_ (london, 1829), 2 vols.; dumont d'urville, _voyage pittoresque autour du monde_; quoy and paul gaimard, _voyage de ... l'astrolabe_; domeny de rienzi, _oceanie_; van tenac, _histoire general de la marine_, iv. 258-264; _moniteur universel_, 13th of february 1847.",
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