Oruro, Bolivia
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Oruro Uru Uru |
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 Oruro
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| Coordinates: 17°58′S 67°07′W / 17.967°S 67.117°W | |||
| Country |
 Bolivia
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| Department | Oruro Department | ||
| Province | Cercado Province | ||
| Founded | November 1, 1606 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Rossío Pimentel | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 1,633 km2 (631 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 3,735 m (12,254 ft) | ||
| Population (2012)[1] | |||
| • Total | 264,700 | ||
| • Density | 160/km2 (420/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | UTC-4 | ||
| Website | Official website | ||
Oruro (Hispanicized spelling) or Uru Uru is a city in Bolivia with a population of 264,683 (2012 calculation), located in the Altiplano about equidistant between La Paz and Sucre at approximately 3709 meters above sea level.
It is the fifth-largest city in Bolivia by population, after Santa Cruz de la Sierra, El Alto, La Paz, and Cochabamba. It is the capital of the department of Oruro. The city is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oruro. Oruro has been subject to cycles of boom and bust owing to its dependence upon the mining industry, notably tin, tungsten (wolfram), silver and copper.
The city was founded on November 1, 1606 by Don Manuel Castro de Padilla. as a silver-mining center in the Urus region. At the time it was named Real Villa de San Felipe de Austria, after the Spanish monarch Philip III. It thrived for awhile, but it was eventually abandoned as the silver mines became exhausted.
Oruro was reestablished by European Bolivians in the late nineteenth century as a tin mining center. It was named after the native tribe Uru-Uru. For a time, the La Salvadora tin mine was the most important source of tin in the world. Gradually, as this resource became less plentiful, Oruro again went into a decline. Its economy is still based on the mining industry.
While traditionally based upon mining, beginning in the late 20th century Ouro has become a destination for increased tourism. In the early 21st century, the economy of Oruro grew through trade and economic connections with Chile, especially for exporting products to Pacific markets. It transported products by road through Chile to the Pacific port of Iquique, to open new connections to external markets; it also used the existing rail connection through Uyuni to the port at Antofagasta, Chilem for exports. Thanks to increased road building, Ouro has become important as a way station on the overland route of goods from the Atlantic port of Santos, Brazil, through Puerto Suárez and Santa Cruz to the capital La Paz.
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Wikipedia