City South America
La Paz
La Paz is a city in Bolivia, very high up in the mountains. Its houses climb the steep sides of a valley. Cable cars float above the streets.
La Paz is the seat of Bolivia's government, in a narrow valley cut into the Altiplano, a high plain in the Andes. Founded in 1548, it climbs almost 1,000 meters from its lowest districts, at about 3,200 meters, to the edge of El Alto, above 3,800 meters. At the 2024 census the municipality had 757,431 people.
La Paz (municipality 757,431, census 23 March 2024), founded in 1548, became the seat of Bolivia's government in 1898, when it had about 50,000 people. Built in the narrow valley of the La Paz river (Chukiyawu in Aymara) below Illimani and Huayna Potosí, it grew 'vertically' up the valley sides, and since 2014 the Mi Teleférico cable cars have linked it with El Alto on the Altiplano.
Photo: Roderick Peel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover La Paz
La Paz is a city in Bolivia. It is very, very high up in the mountains.
Its houses fill a deep valley and climb up the steep sides.
La Paz is where Bolivia's government works, Universalis says. It lies in the narrow valley of the La Paz river, cut into the Altiplano, a high plain of the Andes. The city center is at about 3,600 meters, and the city stretches over almost 1,000 meters of height, from the southern districts at about 3,200 meters up to El Alto, at 3,800 to 4,100 meters.
At the 2024 census, 757,431 people lived in the municipality of La Paz.
National Institute of Statistics of Bolivia (via City Population): municipality of La Paz 793,293 (census 2001), 766,468 (2012), 757,431 (23 March 2024).
Universalis: the administrative capital lies in the narrow valley of the La Paz river (Chukiyawu in Aymara), cut into the Altiplano at the foot of the Cordillera Real; it spreads over nearly 1,000 m of height, from the southern districts of El Bajo (about 3,200 m) to the municipality of El Alto on the Altiplano (3,800–4,100 m); the center is at 3,600 m. It is reputed to be the highest capital in the world.
- Country
- Bolivia (seat of government)
- People in the municipality of La Paz (census, 23 March 2024)
- 757,431
- City center
- at about 3,600 m
- From the lowest districts to El Alto
- about 3,200 m to 3,800–4,100 m
A city seen from a cable car
Look down from the cable car! Lots of red and brown houses cover the hills.
Tall towers stand far below, and big clouds sail across the sky.
This photo was taken on 30 June 2019 from a cable car on the Red line of Mi Teleférico, rising toward El Alto. Below, red-brick and brown houses crowd the steep slopes, tall apartment towers stand in the valley, and a dark cable runs across the top left corner. A patch of winter sun lights the city under heavy clouds.
Mi Teleférico, the cable car system linking La Paz and El Alto, opened on 30 May 2014, Wikidata says.
Commons: 'A patch of mid winter sun over La Paz Bolivia', taken 30 June 2019, 'from the Red line of the Teleferique rising towards El Alto'; own work by Roderick Peel (uploaded by RTS48; structured data gives both names for the creator), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata: Mi Teleférico, a cable car system in La Paz and El Alto, opened 2014-05-30. Universalis: the narrowness of the valley led to the city's 'vertical' growth; working-class districts of self-built adobe houses, which keep out the cold cheaply, cover the slopes to the north and west of the center.
- Photo
- from the Red line of Mi Teleférico, rising toward El Alto, 30 June 2019
- Mi Teleférico
- cable car system of La Paz and El Alto, opened 30 May 2014 (Wikidata)
- Illimani
- 6,438 m, about 40 km east-southeast of Plaza Murillo (Wikidata)
From a small town to a seat of government
La Paz was founded long ago, in 1548. For a long time it was a small town.
Then it grew and grew, up the sides of its valley!
La Paz was founded in 1548, Universalis says. When Bolivia's government moved there in 1898, it was still a small town of about 50,000 people. It grew late: about 315,000 people lived there in 1950.
Because its valley is so narrow, La Paz grew upward. Homes spread up the slopes to the north and west, while districts to the south and east, lower down, are sheltered from the strong winds of the Altiplano and a little warmer.
Universalis: founded in 1548; when the Bolivian government settled in La Paz in 1898 it was still a town of 50,000; growth came late, with 315,000 people in 1950 and about one and a half million (with El Alto) in 2003. The narrow valley forced 'vertical' growth: to the south and east, below the center, middle-class and elite residential districts, sheltered from the strong winds that sweep the Altiplano and with milder temperatures; to the north and west, working-class districts of self-built adobe houses on the slopes. El Alto gained its own municipal status in 1988.
- Founded
- 1548
- Seat of government
- from 1898, when it had about 50,000 people
- People in 1950
- about 315,000
Cable cars and an airport on the high plain
In La Paz, people ride cable cars high over the houses! The airport is up on the high, flat plain above the city.
Since 30 May 2014, the cable cars of Mi Teleférico have carried people between La Paz and El Alto, Wikidata says. El Alto, on the Altiplano above the valley, is where the main national roads meet and where the airport is, Universalis says.
El Alto International Airport lies about 4,061 meters above sea level, about 6.5 kilometers west-southwest of Plaza Murillo, a square in La Paz.
Universalis: El Alto, on the Altiplano, is the meeting point of the main national roads and holds the airport and the capital's few industries; below the center, the modern buildings of the Prado avenue house the main company headquarters and administrative and commercial services.
Wikidata (from Plaza Murillo, Q1538109): El Alto International Airport (elevation 4,061 m) 6.54 km WSW; Huayna Potosí (6,088 m) 26.06 km N; Illimani (6,438 m) 39.60 km ESE. Mi Teleférico opened 2014-05-30.
- Mi Teleférico
- opened 30 May 2014 (Wikidata)
- El Alto International Airport
- on the Altiplano, about 4,061 m high, about 6.5 km west-southwest of Plaza Murillo (Wikidata)
- Prado avenue
- modern buildings with company headquarters
Cool all year, rain in summer
Up on the high plain above La Paz, it is cool all year. Most of the rain falls from December to March.
The Japan Meteorological Agency's normals (1991–2020) for its La Paz station, 4,058 meters high on the Altiplano, give monthly average temperatures of only about 5 to 9.5 °C. July is the coolest month and November the warmest.
About 630 millimeters of precipitation fall in a year, mostly from December to March. January is the wettest month, with about 125 millimeters, and July the driest, with about 8. The valley below is lower, and Universalis says its southern districts are milder.
Japan Meteorological Agency, world station normals 1991–2020, La Paz (16.52° S, 68.18° W, 4,058 m; a station on the Altiplano, not in the valley): monthly mean temperature from 4.9 °C in July to 9.5 °C in November. Precipitation sums to 629.8 mm; January (124.9 mm), February (119.6 mm) and December (108.3 mm) are the wettest months, July (7.5 mm) the driest; December to March bring 434.8 mm.
Universalis: the districts below the center, to the south and east, enjoy milder temperatures and shelter from the Altiplano's strong winds.
- Warmest month, average temperature (JMA normals, 1991–2020)
- 9.5 °C (November)
- Coolest month, average temperature (same normals)
- 4.9 °C (July)
- Precipitation in a year (sum of the monthly normals)
- about 630 mm
Snowy peaks, trade and the old center
Two snowy mountains look down on La Paz. The old center is busy with buying and selling.
Two snow-capped mountains, Illimani and Huayna Potosí, both more than 6,000 meters high, rise above La Paz, Universalis says.
The old center, at about 3,600 meters, is laid out in a colonial grid of streets around the government palace and the parliament. Below it, the modern buildings of the Prado avenue hold company offices, and across the avenue, the old center of the Aymara city is the busy heart of its informal trade.
Universalis: overlooked by the permanent snows of Illimani and Huayna Potosí (both above 6,000 m); the center (3,600 m) holds government functions (government palace and parliament) around the historic colonial grid; below, the modern buildings of the Prado avenue house the main company headquarters; across the avenue, in the old Indian center, lies the informal commercial heart of the Aymara city.
Wikidata: Illimani 6,438 m; Huayna Potosí 6,088 m; Plaza Murillo, a square in La Paz.
- Illimani and Huayna Potosí
- both higher than 6,000 m
- Plaza Murillo
- square in the old center (Wikidata)
- Old center
- a colonial grid with the government palace and parliament
La Paz on the map
Find Bolivia on the globe, in South America. La Paz is in its west, high in the Andes mountains.
La Paz lies at about 16.5° south, in western Bolivia, in a valley at the foot of the Cordillera Real. Measured from Plaza Murillo, the airport is about 6.5 kilometers west-southwest, up on the Altiplano.
Huayna Potosí is about 26 kilometers north, and Illimani about 40 kilometers east-southeast.
La Paz lies at about 16.50° S and 68.15° W (Natural Earth point, 1.95 km W of Plaza Murillo). From Plaza Murillo (Wikidata points): El Alto International Airport 6.54 km WSW, Huayna Potosí 26.06 km N, Illimani 39.60 km ESE.
Universalis: the valley of the La Paz river (Chukiyawu) is cut into the Altiplano at the foot of the Cordillera Real.
- Latitude
- about 16.5° south
- Longitude
- about 68.2° west
- Setting
- in the valley of the La Paz river, cut into the Altiplano
Amazing facts
-
In La Paz, people ride cable cars to go up and down the hills!
Mi Teleférico, the cable car system linking La Paz and El Alto, opened on 30 May 2014, Wikidata says.
Wikidata: Mi Teleférico (Q16472522), a cable car system in La Paz and El Alto, opened 2014-05-30.
-
Some parts of La Paz are much higher up than others!
La Paz stretches over almost 1,000 meters of height, from about 3,200 meters in its lowest districts to El Alto, at 3,800 to 4,100 meters, Universalis says.
Universalis: the city spreads over nearly 1,000 m of height, from the southern districts of El Bajo (about 3,200 m) to the municipality of El Alto on the Altiplano (3,800–4,100 m).
-
Snowy mountains more than 6,000 meters high stand near La Paz!
Illimani and Huayna Potosí, both more than 6,000 meters high and always snow-covered, overlook La Paz, Universalis says.
Universalis: the valley is overlooked by the permanent snows of Illimani and Huayna Potosí, both above 6,000 m; Wikidata gives 6,438 m and 6,088 m.
-
Many homes on La Paz's hills are made of mud bricks called adobe.
On the slopes north and west of the center, many people built their own homes from adobe, which keeps out the cold cheaply, Universalis says.
Universalis: north and west of the center, working-class districts of self-built adobe houses, a very economical insulation against the cold, cover the slopes.
Words to know
- altitude
- how high a place is above the level of the sea
- Altiplano
- a high, wide plain in the Andes mountains of Bolivia and Peru
- valley
- low land between hills or mountains, often with a river
- cable car
- a cabin that hangs from a moving cable and carries people through the air
- adobe
- bricks made of mud and straw, dried in the sun
- seat of government
- the city where a country's government works
Discovery challenge
-
La Paz is a city in which country?
La Paz is the seat of government of which country?
Since 1898, La Paz has been the seat of the government of which country?
- Bolivia
- Spain
- Australia
Show the answer
Bolivia
Bolivia!
Bolivia.
Bolivia.
-
How do many people ride over La Paz?
What opened in La Paz in 2014 to link it with El Alto?
Mi Teleférico, opened on 30 May 2014, is what kind of transport?
- Cable cars
- Boats
- Camels
Show the answer
Cable cars
Cable cars, high in the air!
Cable cars.
A cable car system.
-
When was La Paz founded?
Universalis says La Paz was founded in which year?
La Paz, a town of 50,000 when the government arrived in 1898, was founded in which year?
- 1548
- 1848
- 1948
Show the answer
1548
1548!
1548.
1548.
-
About how high up is the center of La Paz?
Universalis gives the center of La Paz an altitude of about how much?
At what altitude does Universalis place the center of La Paz, with its government palace?
- About 3,600 meters
- About 360 meters
- About 36 meters
Show the answer
About 3,600 meters
About 3,600 meters, very high!
About 3,600 meters.
3,600 m.
-
When does most rain fall near La Paz?
In the Japan Meteorological Agency's normals, which month is the wettest at La Paz?
JMA normals (1991–2020, station at 4,058 m): which month has the highest precipitation, 124.9 mm?
- January
- July
- May
Show the answer
January
In January, in summer!
January.
January (124.9 mm).
Nearby places
-
Watch
Landmark
Tiwanaku
Tiwanaku is an ancient city near the southern shore of Lake Titicaca in Bolivia, 3,850 meters above sea level. UNESCO says it was the capital of a powerful empire in the southern Andes, and that the city reached its peak between AD 500 and 900. Its stone buildings, including the Gate of the Sun, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.
-
Watch
Natural wonder
Lake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca lies 3,810 meters above sea level in the Andes of South America, on the border between Peru and Bolivia. Britannica calls it the world's highest lake that large ships can sail on. Some people still live on floating islands made of totora reeds, and a big, wrinkly frog lives in its water and nowhere else.
-
Watch
Landmark
Inca road system
The Inca road system, called Qhapaq Ñan, is a huge network of roads in the Andes mountains of South America. UNESCO says it covers more than 30,000 kilometers across six of today's countries. It was built over several centuries and reached its greatest size in the 1400s.
-
Watch
Natural wonder
Salar de Uyuni
Salar de Uyuni is a giant salt flat high in the Andes of Bolivia. It covers 10,582 square kilometers and was left behind when ancient lakes dried up. NASA calls it the largest salt flat in the world.
-
Watch
Landmark
Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works
Humberstone and Santa Laura are two abandoned saltpeter works in the desert of northern Chile, about 1 kilometer apart. For many years, workers from Chile, Peru and Bolivia lived and worked there, turning saltpeter into sodium nitrate, a fertilizer used on farms in the Americas and Europe. They became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005.
-
Watch
Landmark
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu is a 15th-century Inca town on a ridge high in the Andes Mountains of Peru. Its stone buildings fit together without mortar, and farm terraces step down the slopes. It was left empty in the 1500s and became known to the outside world in 1911.
-
Watch
Landmark
Jesuit Missions of Chiquitos
The Jesuit Missions of Chiquitos are six mission towns in the Chiquitos region of eastern Bolivia, founded between 1691 and 1760. Their churches look like large houses, with wide roofs held up by carved wooden columns. They became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990.
-
Watch
Natural wonder
Andes
The Andes run down the whole western side of South America, from the Caribbean coast to the continent's southern tip, through seven countries. Britannica measures them at about 8,900 kilometers, and their highest peak, Aconcagua, rises to 6,959 meters. They are still growing as one plate of Earth's crust slides under another, which is why the Andes have so many volcanoes and earthquakes.
Explore next
-
Watch
Country
Bolivia
Bolivia is a landlocked country in the middle of South America. In the west, the Andes Mountains hold a high, cold plateau with Lake Titicaca and a huge salt flat; in the east, warm lowlands stretch toward the Amazon. It has two capitals, La Paz and Sucre, and about 12.6 million people lived there in 2025.
-
Watch
City
Lima
Lima is the capital and largest city of Peru, on the Pacific coast in the valley of the Rímac River. Founded in 1535, it was once the most important city of Spain's empire in South America. Peru's 2025 census counted 10,129,708 people in Metropolitan Lima, nearly three in every ten Peruvians.
-
Watch
City
Quito
Quito is the capital of Ecuador, high in the Andes mountains at about 2,850 meters above sea level. The Spanish founded it in 1534 on the ruins of an Inca city, and its old center is on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Ecuador's 2022 census counted 1,763,275 people in the city.
-
Watch
City
Santiago
Santiago, the capital and largest city of Chile, lies in a basin in central Chile with the high Andes to the east. Founded by the Spanish in 1541, it mixes colonial churches with the tallest skyscraper in the city, the 300-meter Gran Torre Costanera. About 5.25 million people lived in the city in 2017.
-
Watch
Natural wonder
Lake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca lies 3,810 meters above sea level in the Andes of South America, on the border between Peru and Bolivia. Britannica calls it the world's highest lake that large ships can sail on. Some people still live on floating islands made of totora reeds, and a big, wrinkly frog lives in its water and nowhere else.
-
Watch
Life around the world
Cable car commute in La Paz, Bolivia
La Paz sits in a deep canyon, and its neighbor El Alto sits on the high plain above. Since May 2014, cable cars run by the state company Mi Teleférico have carried commuters between them and across the city. By 2025 there were 10 colored lines in La Paz and El Alto, about 33 kilometers long, and in 2024 the company carried 78.7 million passengers on its lines.
-
Watch
City
Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte is the capital of the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil. It was created in 1894 as a planned city, with straight avenues laid out like a checkerboard. In the 2022 census, 2,315,560 people were counted in the city.
-
Watch
City
Bogotá
Bogotá is the capital and largest city of Colombia, built on a high plain in the Andes, 2,625 meters above sea level. Founded by the Spanish in 1538 on land of the Muisca people, it is home to about 8 million people (2024) and a famous museum of ancient gold.
For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Locate La Paz in a valley of the Altiplano in western Bolivia.
- Explain how a narrow valley can make a city grow upward.
- Describe how altitude affects temperature.
- Read a climate table and find the wet and dry seasons.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- La Paz stretches over almost 1,000 meters of height. How might life be different at the top and the bottom?
- Why would a city build cable cars instead of more roads?
- Why do you think it is colder higher up in the mountains?
Try at home or in class
- Cable car model: thread a paper cup on a string between two chairs and pull it up the slope.
- Height chart: draw La Paz's valley and mark 3,200 m, 3,600 m and 4,100 m.
- Rain chart: plot the monthly precipitation and color the rainy months.
Key vocabulary: altitude, Altiplano, valley, cable car, adobe, seat of government
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Natural Earth vector data , Natural Earth (NACIS) (Public domain)
- La Paz (Municipality, Bolivia): population census figures 2001, 2012 and 2024 (source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Bolivia) , City Population (Thomas Brinkhoff)
- La Paz , Encyclopaedia Universalis
- La Paz: world station climate normals (平年値データ) , Japan Meteorological Agency
- World normals by region and country (normals period 1991-2020) , Japan Meteorological Agency
- File:A patch of mid winter sun over La Paz Bolivia.jpg (Roderick Peel, 30 June 2019) , Wikimedia Commons
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.