Tarija () is a department in

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

. It is located in south-eastern Bolivia bordering with

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

to the south and

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

to the east. According to the 2012 census, it has a population of 482,196 inhabitants. It has an area of . The city of

Tarija Tarija or San Bernardo de la Frontera de Tarixa is a city in southern Bolivia. Founded in 1574, Tarija is the largest city and capital and municipality within the Tarija Department, with an airport ( Capitán Oriel Lea Plaza Airport, (TJA)) off ...

is the capital of the department.

Subdivisions

The department is divided into five provinces and one autonomous region: #

Gran Chaco Province Gran Chaco is a province in the eastern parts of the Bolivian department Tarija. The province voted to become an autonomous region on 6 December 2009. Location ''Gran Chaco'' province is one of six provinces in the Tarija Department. It is loc ...

(autonomous region) #

Aniceto Arce Province Aniceto Arce (or short: ''Arce'') is a province in the southern parts of the Bolivian department Tarija. The province is named after Aniceto Arce Ruiz (1824-1906), President of Bolivia from 1888 until 1892. Location ''Aniceto Arce'' province i ...

José María Avilés Province José María Avilés (or: ''Avilez'') is a province in the western parts of the Bolivian department of Tarija. Location ''Avilés'' province is one of six provinces in the Tarija Department. It is located between 21° 28' and 22° 05' south and ...

# Cercado Province #

Eustaquio Méndez Province Eustaquio Méndez is a province in the north-western parts of the Bolivian department of Tarija. Location ''Eustaquio Méndez'' province is one of six provinces in the Tarija Department. It is located between 20° 57' and 21° 36' south and betw ...

Burdett O'Connor Province Burdett O'Connor is a province in the northern part of Tarija Department in Bolivia. The province is also known as Burdett O'Connor and is named after Francisco Burdett O'Connor, a chronicler of the South American War of Independence and the ma ...

Notable places in Tarija include: *

Villamontes Villamontes (or: ''Villa Montes'') is a town in the Tarija Department in south-eastern Bolivia. Also it is called the benemerita town (well-deserving of the mother country) due to its importance during the Chaco War in the 1930s. Location ''Vi ...

in the department's oil-producing eastern scrubland. Villamontes has recorded the hottest temperature ever in Bolivia, , several times, most recently on 29 October 2010. * Bermejo, a border town adjoining Aguas Blancas, Argentina *

Yacuiba Yacuiba is a city in southern Bolivia and the capital city of Gran Chaco Province in the Tarija Department. It lies three kilometers from the Argentine border. It has a population of approximately 80,000 and lies above sea level. Yacuiba is one ...

, a border town with Argentina. The Department of Tarija is renowned for its mild, pleasant climate, and comprises one of the country's foremost agricultural regions. Its citizens have traditionally felt close to, and conducted a lively international trade with, neighboring towns of northern Argentina. Between 1816 and 1898, the region was part of Argentina, and was ceded to Bolivia in exchange for

Puna de Atacama The Puna de Atacama or Atacama Plateau''Atacama Plateau''
article at the ''

natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...

reserves. Increased gas revenues and foreign direct investment in gas exploration and distribution are fueling growth and turning Tarija into Bolivia's next industrial hub. Political instability at the national level has hindered development of the reserves, as the region has chosen to align with pro-autonomy forces which aim at the devolution of considerable powers away from the central government in favor of the departments. More than 20 different indigenous tribes, ranging in population from 20 persons up to 1500, live in the region. The

Guaraní Guarani, Guaraní or Guarany may refer to Ethnography * Guaraní people, an indigenous people from South America's interior (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia) * Guaraní language, or Paraguayan Guarani, an official language of Paraguay * ...

is the largest tribe. Important battles and events related to the 1932-35 Chaco War with Paraguay took place in the department's eastern dry lands. Tarija was the home of

Víctor Paz Estenssoro Ángel Víctor Paz Estenssoro (2 October 1907 – 7 June 2001) was a Bolivian politician who served as the 45th president of Bolivia for three nonconsecutive and four total terms from 1952 to 1956, 1960 to 1964 and 1985 to 1989. He ran for pr ...

, leader of the 1952 Bolivian Revolution and four-time Constitutional President.

Economy

The main economic activity is the wine industry. The land and climate are ideal for grape and wine production. The city of

holds an annual Festival of Wine and Cheese. The petroleum industry is important not only for the region but also for the country as a whole, especially the gas industry which is exported to Argentina and Brazil. The autonomous region of Gran Chaco is from where most of the gas is exploited.

Demographics

Languages

The languages spoken in the department are mainly Spanish and

, And spoken by the migrants

Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language **So ...

and

Aymara Aymara may refer to: Languages and people * Aymaran languages, the second most widespread Andean language ** Aymara language, the main language within that family ** Central Aymara, the other surviving branch of the Aymara(n) family, which today ...

. The following table shows the numbers belonging to the recognized groups of speakers. obd.descentralizacion.gov.bo
(Spanish)

Places of interest

* Aguaragüe National Park and Integrated Management Natural Area * Cordillera de Sama Biological Reserve * Tariquía Flora and Fauna National Reserve

References

Notes

Footnotes

External links

"Tarija"
Travel Guide
Weather in Tarija

Bolivian Music and Web Varieties

Full information of Tarija Department
{{authority control Departments of Bolivia States and territories established in 1576 1576 establishments in the Spanish Empire