Cobija is a city in
Bolivia, capital of the
department of
Pando, is located about 600 km (373 mi.) north of
La Paz in the
Amazon Basin on the
border
Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...
with
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
. Cobija lies on the banks of the
Rio Acre
The Acre River (called Aquiry in the local Iñapari language; locally, ''Rio Acre'') is a long river in central South America.
Course
The river is born in Peru, and runs North-Eastwards, forming part of the border between Peru and Brazil and the ...
across from the Brazilian city of
Brasiléia
Brasiléia () is a Brazilian municipality located in the northern state of Acre. Its population in 2020 was estimated at 26,702 inhabitants. Its area is 336,189 km2. Located 237 km south of Rio Branco on the border with Bolivia, has ...
. Cobija lies at an elevation of ca. 280 m (920 ft.) above sea level and has a tropical and rainy climate.
Cobija has approximately 80,000 inhabitants, is the seat of a university and capital of the Bolivian
Pando Department
Pando is a department in Northern Bolivia, with an area of , in the Amazon Rainforest, adjoining the border with Brazil and Perú. Pando has a population 154,355 (2020 census). Its capital is the city of Cobija.
The department, which is named ...
. Cobija has two airports and is connected by one road to El Choro in the
Beni Department, which is not always passable during the rainy season. When the rain allows it, Cobija is connected to the rest of Bolivia also via road. Cobija is connected to Brazil by two bridges.
History
Cobija was founded in 1906 by Colonel Enrique Cornejo, originally under the name of ''Bahía'' and received its current name in 1908 in commemoration of the former Bolivian seaport
Cobija on the Pacific, which has been a part of
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
since the
War of the Pacific
The War of the Pacific ( es, link=no, Guerra del Pacífico), also known as the Saltpeter War ( es, link=no, Guerra del salitre) and by multiple other names, was a war between Chile and a Bolivian–Peruvian alliance from 1879 to 1884. Fought ...
. In the early 1900s, Cobija experienced a boom as an
India rubber
Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, and ...
industry center. When the industry collapsed, a major source of income being lost, Cobija became impoverished and its population fell. Nowadays, Cobija is developing again and its population is increasing. Currently, the region's primary industry is
Bolivia nuts, although tourism and commerce are growing. There is a
Free economic zone
Free economic zones (FEZ), free economic territories (FETs) or free zones (FZ) are a class of special economic zone (SEZ) designated by the trade and commerce administrations of various countries. The term is used to designate areas in which co ...
in the city, the largest in Bolivia.
Population
The inhabitants of Cobija has risen very strongly during the past two decades to more than five-fold. Currently the estimated population is as much as 80,000 inhabitants with a population growth of 6 to 8% per year.
Sports
The Estadio Roberto Jordán Cuellar is located in Cobija. The football stadium has a capacity of 24,000.
Climate
The city of Cobija sits on a sharp curve of the Acre river, at an altitude of above sea level and in the north-western Amazon region of Bolivia. Cobija is classified as a
tropical monsoon climate
An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ...
, ''Am'' in the Köppen classification system. Cobija has two distinct seasons, with a noticeable dry season and a wet rainy season fed by powerful thunderstorms, with hot temperatures year-round.
Gallery
File:COBIJA 149 Busto José Manuel Pando.JPG, Cobija, Bolivia
File:Cobija Parque Central por Richard Weiss.JPG, Central Park in Cobija
File:Riberalta to Cobija por Richard Weiss.JPG, View along the road towards Riberalta
File:Cobija Airport1.JPG, Old facade of Cobija airport, before the reformation.
File:COBIJA 135 Simón Bolívar.JPG, Simón Bolívar bust in Cobija
File:COBIJA 140 Pileta Plaza Potosí.JPG, Cobija, Pando, Bolivia
File:CBJA - 15Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Pilar.JPG, Nuestra Señora del Pilar Cathedral in Cobija and the city main square
File:Cobija (Bolívia).jpg, Cobija, 1930.
Transportation
Cobija is served by major Bolivian airlines at
Captain Aníbal Arab Airport
Captain Aníbal Arab Airport ( es, Aeropuerto Capitán Aníbal Arab, ) is an international airport serving the Acre River port city of Cobija, the capital of the Pando Department of Bolivia. This airport is located at a reasonably near distance to ...
and by buses to
Riberalta. The
Interoceanic Highway passes through the city of Cobija.
References
{{Authority control
Populated places in Pando Department
Populated places established in 1906
Bolivia–Brazil border crossings
1906 establishments in Bolivia