Santa Cruz de la Sierra
| Santa Cruz de la Sierra | |||
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| Autonomous City | |||
Santa Cruz de la Sierra Equipetrol skyline.
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| Nickname(s): Santa Cruz | |||
 Santa Cruz de la Sierra
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| Coordinates: 17°48′S 63°11′W / 17.800°S 63.183°WCoordinates: 17°48′S 63°11′W / 17.800°S 63.183°W | |||
| Country |
 Bolivia
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| Department | Santa Cruz | ||
| Province | Andrés Ibáñez | ||
| Municipality | Santa Cruz de la Sierra | ||
| Founded | February 26, 1561 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Municipal Autonomous Government | ||
| • Mayor | Percy Fernandez | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 1,345 km2 (519 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 416 m (1,365 ft) | ||
| Population (projected 2016) | |||
| • Total | 1,640,615 | ||
| • Density | 1,200/km2 (3,200/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | BOT (UTC−4) | ||
| Area code(s) | (+591) 3 | ||
| HDI (2001) | 0.749 – high | ||
| Website | www |
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Santa Cruz de la Sierra (locally: [ˈsanta ˈkɾus de la ˈsjera]) (English: Holy Cross of the Mountain–Range), commonly known as Santa Cruz (locally: [ˈsanta ˈkɾus]), is the capital of the Santa Cruz department in eastern Bolivia. Situated on the Pirai River in eastern Bolivia, the city of Santa Cruz and its metropolitan area are home to over 70% of the population of the department and it is one of the fastest-growing cities in the world. 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 World War II and profound agrarian and land reforms that the city began to grow at a very fast pace.
Nowadays the city is Bolivia's most populous, and the Department of Santa Cruz, ranked second in total population, produces nearly 35% of Bolivia's gross domestic product, and receives over 40% of all foreign direct investment in the country. This has helped make Santa Cruz the most important business center in Bolivia and the preferred destination of migrants from all over the country.
Like much of the history of the people of the region, the history of the area prior to the arrival of European explorers is not well documented, mostly because of the somewhat nomadic nature and the absence of a written language in the culture of the local tribes. However, recent data suggests that the current location of the city of Santa Cruz was inhabited by an Arawak tribe that later came to be known by the Spanish as Chané. Remains of ceramics and weapons have been found in the area, leading researchers to believe they had established settlements in the area. Among the few known facts of these tribes, according to accounts of the first Spanish explorers that came into contact with the Chané, are that they had a formal leader, a cacique, called Grigota for several years but his reign came to an end after one of the several Guarani (Chirigano) incursions in the area.
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Wikipedia