Beautiful Beni, Bolivia's Tropical Amazon - Bolivia Tourism
Beni is the second largest state in Bolivia and it's capital city is Trinidad. It covers the entire northeastern portion of Bolivia. Beni is criss-crossed by numerous rivers, all of which are Amazon tributaries. Other important cities in Beni are Guayaramerín, Riberalta, and for tourism, Rurrenabaque.
Because of this geography, Beni was a very important center of pre-Colombian civilization known as the hydro-culture of Las Lomas (the hills), a culture that constructed over 20,000 man-made artificial hills, all interconnected by thousands of square kilometers of aqueducts, channels, embankments, artificial lakes and lagoons, and terraces.
Beni, Bolivia is where many products that are now used worldwide have their origin, among them tobacco, peanuts, cotton, yucca (manioc), vanilla and sweet potatoes. The Spanish initially were intensely interested in this area. During the first century of colonization, they believed the mythical city of El Dorado (also known as Paititi) could be found in this region.
Beni's capital city, Trinidad, located in the Bolivian tropics, is hot and humid most of the year. This region of the country is heavily forested. Between the 19th and 20th Centuries northern Beni became Bolivia's rubber capital. The abundance of rubber trees attracted many people to the region, many of them adventurers and others workers (many of whom were indigenous) to work in the huge rubber plantations that arose. For decades it was one of the most active, dynamic regions of Bolivia.
For more: boliviabella.com/beni.html
Rurrenabaque, Bolivia. August 2018.
Drone footage of the town of Rurrenabaque, Beni Department, Bolivia.
Rurrenabaque is a small town in the North of Bolivia on the Beni River. It is the capital of Rurrenabaque Municipality. In recent years it has become popular with international tourism as it is an easy gateway for visits to Madidi National Park (within the Bolivian rainforest), as well as the surrounding pampas. Locals commonly refer to the town by its shortened nickname, Rurre.
Rurrenabaque is located in José Ballivián Province in Beni Department, Bolivia. Rurrenabaque Municipality, the fourth (municipal section) of José Ballivián Province, had 19,195 inhabitants, of which 13,446 lived in urban Rurrenabaque itself in 2012. In 2018 Rurrenabaque is said to have around 20,000 inhabitants.
Pink River Dolphin Tour in Trinidad - Beni Bolivia Tourism
The Ruta del Bufeo, known as the River Dolphin Tour, is one of the main tourist attractions in Trinidad, capital of the state of Beni, Bolivia. Along this tour you will slowly motor down the Ibare River, a major tributary of the Madera River, which in turn is a large tributary of the Amazon River. At one point it converges with the immense Mamoré River as well. All the rivers in the Department of Beni are Amazon tributaries.
Beni is home to a species of pink river dolphin that cannot be found anywhere else in the world, the Inia boliviensis. Because these dolphins are cut off from other river dolphins in other tributaries by several spots of rapids and waterfalls, they have evolved into a completely separate species found only in Bolivia. And yes, they really are pink. For those who enjoy the tropics, a boat tour down the Ibare River to swim with pink river dolphins (if they aren't too shy of you) is one of the top tourist attractions in Bolivia.
Read more: boliviabella.com/ibare-river-tour.html
The Bolivian Magic
Un tour por Bolivia.
Bolivia is divided into nine departments (departamentos); capitals in parentheses:
Beni (Trinidad)
Chuquisaca (Sucre)
Cochabamba (Cochabamba)
La Paz (La Paz)
Oruro (Oruro)
Pando (Cobija)
Potosí (Potosí)
Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz de la Sierra)
Tarija (Tarija)
Geography of Bolivia
At 1,098,580 km² (424,135 mi²), Bolivia is the world's 28th-largest country (after Ethiopia). It is comparable in size to Mauritania, and it has about 1.5 times the area of the US state of Texas. [10]
Bolivia has been a landlocked nation since 1879, when it lost its coastal department of Litoral to Chile in the War of the Pacific. However, it does have access to the Atlantic via the Paraguay river.
An enormous diversity of ecological zones are represented within Bolivia's territory. The western highlands of the country are situated in the Andes mountains and include the Bolivian Altiplano. The eastern lowlands include large sections of Amazonian rainforests and Chaco. The highest peak is Nevado Sajama at 6,542 metres (21,463 ft) located in the department of Oruro. Lake Titicaca is located on the border between Bolivia and Peru. The Salar de Uyuni, the world's largest salt flat, lies in the southwest corner of the country, in the department of Potosí.
Major cities are La Paz, El Alto, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, and Cochabamba.
Bolivia's ethnic distribution is estimated to be 30% Quechua-speaking and 25% Aymara-speaking Amerindians. The largest of the approximately three-dozen native groups are the Quechuas (2.5 million), Aymaras (2 million), then Chiquitano (180,000), and Guaraní (125,000). So the full Amerindian population is at 55% and the remaining 30% is Mestizo (mixed Amerindian and European) and around 15% are Whites.
Bolivian culture has been heavily influenced by the Quechua, the Aymara, as well as by the popular cultures of Latin America as a whole.
The best known of the various festivals found in the country is the Carnaval de Oruro, which was among the first 19 Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, as proclaimed by the UNESCO in May of 2001.
Entertainment includes football (soccer), which is the national sport, as well as table football, which is played on street-corners by both children and adults.
Zoos are a popular attraction, with a diverse population of interesting creatures, but with lack of proper funding.
Tarija Bolivia HD
Photo essay of Tarija capital of the department of Tarjia in southern Boliva. We tour the central part of the city.
Santa Cruz Bolivia - Santa Cruz de la Sierra Tourism
The department (state) of Santa Cruz occupies almost the entire Eastern and South Eastern section of Bolivia and is the largest of the country's nine departments. The city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra is located in the western section of the state, and is its capital city.
Through the 1950's it was still considered a small, marginal city with a population of only 25,000. Today Santa Cruz is modern and prosperous and Bolivia's financial center with a population of over 2 million, making it Bolivia's largest city. It is quickly becoming the most developed region of Bolivia and currently supplies nearly 40% of the country's Gross National Product. It is also among the 15 fastest growing cities in the world.
Some of the ethnic groups native to the Department of Santa Cruz, mainly from the tropical forests and other impenetrable regions, are the Guarayos, Guaraní, Sirionós, Chiquitanos, Chamacocos, Zamucos, Lenguas, Tapietes, and Yuacarés, among many others. Not native to the region, but increasing in presence due to immigration, are the Aymara and Quechua populations which have migrated to the city in record numbers over the past 10 years.
As this region was ignored for over 450 years and past governments did little to develop it, cruceños are proud of the fact that they've developed most of their city and their region through private funding and enterprise. Cruceños are generally easy going, hospitable, warm and inviting, but are also intensely protective and proud of their social and cultural heritage.
For more: boliviabella.com/santa-cruz.html
For more: boliviabella.com/santa-cruz-de-la-sierra.html
Sao Paulo Vacation Travel Guide | Expedia
São Paulo, one of the world’s most populated cities, is Brazil’s exciting hub of business, culture, creativity and hospitality.
‘Sampa’ was founded in 1554, at the spot of the historic Pátio do Colégio. Once home to the region’s first main Catholic Church, the central Praça da Sé now houses the towering Metropolitan Cathedral.
Two beautiful historic buildings have been transformed into Cultural Centers: The Banco do Brazil and the Júlio Prestes Train Station. While the city’s most esteemed museums are the São Paulo Museum of Art, on the famous Avenida Paulista, and the Pinacoteca do Estado.
The Viaduto Santa Ifigenia, an art nouveau bridge, leads pedestrians to the ornate Municipal Theatre, with its impressive Sala São Paulo concert hall.
Don’t miss Ibirapuera Park, which is home to the modern Ibirapuera Auditorium, the São Paulo Museum of Modern Art and the Afro Brazil Museum.
Meet Brazil’s soccer heroes through the interactive exhibits of the Football Museum in Pacaembu Stadium. Nearby, Vila Madalena is a bohemian district with quirky stores, funky cafés and colorful street art.
In the Mercado Municipal, tourists gather to taste the local cuisine while the Paulistanos bargain for fresh produce and gourmet food.
Explore all of São Paulo’s neighborhoods and bustling cultural hubs to discover that this city is not only the engine behind Brazil’s economy, but also its cultural powerhouse.
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The Jesuit Missions of Bolivia - Santa Cruz
The Jesuit Missions in Bolivia were not the first to be established in Latin America. The story of how these amazing settlements came about dates back to the early 1500's. The first Jesuit missionaries arrived in what is now Bolivia (then known as Upper Peru) in 1572, having moved eastward from the Viceroyalty of Peru, where they had been established as a province since 1568.
The Jesuits also penetrated into Bolivia's northern reaches, especially the Moxos (now part of Beni Department) and Guarayos (now part of Santa Cruz Department) regions. The first incursions there took place in 1596, although it was not until 1682 - a few years prior to their settling the Chiquitania.
The Jesuits trained their naturally proficient charges to become phenomenal craftsmen in several fields. Those of the Chiquitos missions are best known for their musical skills. Even classically European musical instruments - the cello, the harp, the violin - were created anew in the depths of the Bolivian forests and plains by the inhabitants of the reducciones, without any innate knowledge of what they were making.
Today, the Jesuit Missions of Bolivia (San Javier, Concepcion, San Ignacio, San Jose de Chiquitos, Santa Ana, San Miguel, and numerous others) are home to the International Renaissance and Baroque Music Festival that takes place every two years.
For more: boliviabella.com/jesuit-missions-in-bolivia.html
Bolivia Tourism: Santa Cruz Regional History Museum
The Regional History Museum (Museo de Historial Regional) in Santa Cruz, Bolivia houses archeological pieces uncovered during the excavation of the Bolivia-Brazil pipeline in the late 1990's. It also contains a library and document archive dating as far back as 1600. Regional refers to the Department of Santa Cruz.
The Museum of Regional History offers various venues to the public in addition to its permanent exhibits including temporary or season exhibits, and shows and concerts in its small theater. Academic and research workshops and seminars are also held here, and it houses a historical archive with documents that date between 1614 and 1910.
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BOLIVIA - Andes - Lipez
Bolivia (/bəˈlɪviə/ (About this sound listen); Spanish: [boˈliβi̯a]; Guarani: Mborivia [ᵐboˈɾiʋja]; Quechua: Buliwya [bʊlɪwja]; Aymara: Wuliwya [wʊlɪwja]), officially known as the Plurinational State of Bolivia (Spanish: Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia),[8][9] is a landlocked country located in western-central South America. It is bordered to the north and east by Brazil, to the southeast by Paraguay, to the south by Argentina, to the southwest by Chile, and to the northwest by Peru. One-third of the country is the Andean mountain range.
The largest city and principal economic and financial center is Santa Cruz de la Sierra, located on the Llanos Orientales (Tropical lowlands) mostly flat region in the East of Bolivia. Bolivia is one of two landlocked countries (the other is Paraguay) that lie outside Afro-Eurasia. Bolivia is geographically the largest landlocked country in the Americas, but remains a relatively small country in economic and military terms.[10]
Before Spanish colonization, the Andean region of Bolivia was part of the Inca Empire, while the northern and eastern lowlands were inhabited by independent tribes. Spanish conquistadors arriving from Cuzco and Asunción took control of the region in the 16th century. During the Spanish colonial period Bolivia was administered by the Royal Audiencia of Charcas. Spain built its empire in great part upon the silver that was extracted from Bolivia's mines.
After the first call for independence in 1809, 16 years of war followed before the establishment of the Republic, named for Simón Bolívar, on 6 August 1825. Since independence, Bolivia has endured periods of political and economic instability, including the loss of various peripheral territories to its neighbors, such as Acre and parts of the Gran Chaco. It has been landlocked since the annexation of its Pacific coast territory by Chile following the War of the Pacific (1879–84), but agreements with neighboring countries have granted it indirect access to the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
The country's population, estimated at 11 million, is multiethnic, including Amerindians, Mestizos, Europeans, Asians and Africans. The racial and social segregation that arose from Spanish colonialism has continued to the modern era. Spanish is the official and predominant language, although 36 indigenous languages also have official status, of which the most commonly spoken are Guarani, Aymara and Quechua languages.
Modern Bolivia is constitutionally a unitary state, divided into nine departments. Its geography varies from the peaks of the Andes in the West, to the Eastern Lowlands, situated within the Amazon Basin. It is a developing country, with a medium ranking in the Human Development Index and a poverty level of 53 percent.[11] Its main economic activities include agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining, and manufacturing goods such as textiles, clothing, refined metals, and refined petroleum. Bolivia is very wealthy in minerals, especially tin.