has been the core of a relatively dense population since ancient times.La Paz, the chief political and commercial city of Bolivia in the Altiplano, is located not far southeast of Lake Titicaca, at the bottom of a spectacular chasm 1,400 feet (400 metres) below the surface of the Altiplano...
on the Peruvian shore, to the small Bolivian port of Guaqui. A narrow-gauge railway connects Guaqui with La Paz, capital of Bolivia. One of the world’s highest railways runs from Puno down to Arequipa and the Pacific, completing for land-bound Bolivia, an important link with the sea, ...
Railways provide access to Brazil, Argentina, and southern Bolivia, and the city’s international airport is the country’s busiest. Santa Cruz has grown rapidly since the late 20th century, largely because of the expansion of agriculture (notably soybeans, sugarcane, and rice) and petroleum and...