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Tarija | |
|---|---|
City & Municipality | |
 Aerial view of Tarija .jpg) Metropolitan Cathedral of Tarija  National Museum of Tarija  Luis de Fuentes y Vargas Main Square .jpg) Vineyards in the Tarija Valley  Casa Dorada | |
 Coat of arms  Flag | |
  Tarija Location in Bolivia Show map of Bolivia Tarija Tarija (South America) Show map of South America | |
| Coordinates:21°32′S64°44′W / 21.533°S 64.733°W /-21.533; -64.733 | |
| Country |  Bolivia |
| Department | Tarija |
| Province | Cercado |
| Founded | July 4, 1574 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Johnny Marcell Torres Terzo |
| Elevation | 1,854 m (6,083 ft) |
| Population (2012 Census)[1] | |
| • Urban | 268,000 |
| • Metro | 330,000 |
| Time zone | UTC-4 (BOT) |
| Area code | 4 |
| Website | Official website |
Tarija orSan Bernardo de la Frontera de Tarixa is a city in southernBolivia. Founded in 1574, Tarija is the largest city and capital and municipality within theTarija Department, with anairport offering regular service to primary Bolivian cities, like Bolivia capitalLa Paz, as well as a regional bus terminal with domestic and international connections.[2] Its climate is semi-arid (BSh) with generally mild temperatures in contrast to the harsh cold of theAltiplano (e.g., La Paz) and the year-round humid heat of theAmazon Basin (e.g.,Santa Cruz de la Sierra). Tarija has a population of 234,442.[3]
The name ofTarija is said[by whom?] to come from Francisco de Tarija or Tarifa. This group did not include anyone by the name of Francisco de Tarija. Similar-sounding toponyms exist for surrounding places, such asTariquia andTaxara.
In 1826 the citizens of Tarija voted to become part of Bolivia. In 1807, Tarija had become separated fromUpper Peru to become part of the jurisdiction ofSalta (part ofArgentina), but because of its close ties to what became Bolivia, it returned to its original jurisdiction.[4] In 1899,Argentina renounced its claims in exchange for thePuna de Atacama.
The valley that Tarija is situated in was first occupied by Western Hemisphericindigenous groups, such as theChurumatas. Subsequently, theInca Empire – administered by theQuechua civilization – conquered the land and dispersed the Churumatas and other local groups over wide territories of theAndes.Mitimaes is the Quechuan name that the Incas used for the resisting ethnic groups they uprooted and then dispersed geographically. TheTomatas are thought to have been brought toSan Juan del Oro River in the vicinities of Tarija fromNorte Chico, Chile.[5] The Tomatas appear to have given place names from their old lands to their new area of settlement thus explaining the existence of "Chilean" place names such asLoa,Calama, and Erqui (Elqui) in Bolivia.[5] In 1574conquistadorLuis de Fuentes resettled the Tomatas next to the city Tarija.[5]
When the Spanish first arrived to the valley of Tarija they encountered several stone roads, most likely the remnants ofpre-Incaic cultures, such as that of the Churumatas. However, during that period, the presence of indigenous peoples remained sparse within the valley. Several of the pre-Incaic roads and trails have been preserved, and currently function as a walking trail for Tarijeños.[citation needed]
Tarija's main plaza is surrounded by restaurants of various cuisines, local handicraft shops, andinternet cafes. Within immediate walking distance is the public market, a university campus, and a number of tourist sights including the Paleontology Museum of Tarija City. The city includes higher-end restaurants as well as fast food restaurants and dance clubs.
From Tarija, primary destinations and land routes coincide with the cardinal directions:Paraguay/theGran Chaco, to the east viaYacuiba;Argentina, to the south via Bermejo,Yacuiba or Villazón;Tupiza/theSalar de Uyuni, to the west via Villazón; and the central cities of Bolivia, to the north viaPotosí. The route to the altiplano and Potosí is much safer, as of December 2012.[clarification needed] A new tunnel bypasses Sama, the mountain just west of the city of Tarija.[6]
The San Jacinto Dam is located a few kilometers south of Tarija, and theChorros de Jurina falls is located a few kilometers northwest from the city.
Tarija's land and climate are adequate for grape and wine production. The Festival of Wine is held annually in Tarija.
Tarija has asemi-arid climate (KöppenBSh/BSk), bordering on asubtropical highland climate (Cwb). The summers are warm and generally humid, while winters are dry, with barely any rainfall, and temperatures warm during the day and cooler at night. Almost all the annual precipitation is received during the southern-hemisphere summer months.Frosts occasionally occur from May to October. On July 25, 2019, the most intense snowfall in Tarija since 1954 was recorded.[7]
| Climate data for Tarija Airport, elevation: 1,875 metres (6,152 ft), 1981–2010 normals, extremes 1962–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 36.5 (97.7) | 37.4 (99.3) | 37.5 (99.5) | 37.3 (99.1) | 36.9 (98.4) | 35.1 (95.2) | 36.0 (96.8) | 37.4 (99.3) | 39.5 (103.1) | 39.7 (103.5) | 37.8 (100.0) | 38.8 (101.8) | 39.7 (103.5) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 27.1 (80.8) | 26.6 (79.9) | 26.6 (79.9) | 25.9 (78.6) | 24.8 (76.6) | 24.4 (75.9) | 23.9 (75.0) | 25.6 (78.1) | 26.1 (79.0) | 27.5 (81.5) | 27.4 (81.3) | 27.5 (81.5) | 26.1 (79.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 20.8 (69.4) | 20.3 (68.5) | 20.2 (68.4) | 18.6 (65.5) | 15.5 (59.9) | 13.6 (56.5) | 13.2 (55.8) | 15.4 (59.7) | 17.0 (62.6) | 19.7 (67.5) | 20.3 (68.5) | 21.0 (69.8) | 18.0 (64.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 14.7 (58.5) | 14.1 (57.4) | 13.8 (56.8) | 11.3 (52.3) | 6.3 (43.3) | 2.7 (36.9) | 2.5 (36.5) | 5.2 (41.4) | 7.9 (46.2) | 11.9 (53.4) | 13.3 (55.9) | 14.4 (57.9) | 9.8 (49.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 6.0 (42.8) | 4.0 (39.2) | 4.8 (40.6) | −2.0 (28.4) | −3.0 (26.6) | −7.7 (18.1) | −9.2 (15.4) | −8.0 (17.6) | −4.2 (24.4) | 0.0 (32.0) | 3.0 (37.4) | 0.0 (32.0) | −9.2 (15.4) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 130.2 (5.13) | 100.4 (3.95) | 90.3 (3.56) | 16.1 (0.63) | 1.7 (0.07) | 0.2 (0.01) | 0.3 (0.01) | 1.9 (0.07) | 7.0 (0.28) | 37.1 (1.46) | 73.2 (2.88) | 125.9 (4.96) | 584.3 (23.00) |
| Average precipitation days | 14.8 | 12.5 | 11.2 | 4.0 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 2.6 | 6.8 | 10.4 | 12.8 | 77.6 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 67.1 | 68.9 | 68.6 | 65.6 | 58.9 | 53.0 | 51.9 | 50.0 | 50.8 | 54.6 | 59.6 | 64.1 | 59.2 |
| Source: Servicio Nacional de Meteorología e Hidrología de Bolivia[8] | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Tarija | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 28.5 (83.3) | 27.2 (81.0) | 26.3 (79.3) | 25.5 (77.9) | 24.3 (75.7) | 21.6 (70.9) | 23.3 (73.9) | 24.9 (76.8) | 27.2 (81.0) | 27.8 (82.0) | 27.5 (81.5) | 28.8 (83.8) | 26.1 (78.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 21.8 (71.2) | 20.7 (69.3) | 19.6 (67.3) | 17.9 (64.2) | 15.4 (59.7) | 12.2 (54.0) | 12.6 (54.7) | 14.5 (58.1) | 17.4 (63.3) | 19.5 (67.1) | 20.0 (68.0) | 21.3 (70.3) | 17.7 (63.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 15.0 (59.0) | 14.2 (57.6) | 12.9 (55.2) | 10.4 (50.7) | 6.6 (43.9) | 2.8 (37.0) | 2.0 (35.6) | 4.1 (39.4) | 7.7 (45.9) | 11.3 (52.3) | 12.6 (54.7) | 13.8 (56.8) | 9.5 (49.0) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 125 (4.9) | 107 (4.2) | 75 (3.0) | 24 (0.9) | 2 (0.1) | 2 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 3 (0.1) | 6 (0.2) | 34 (1.3) | 65 (2.6) | 113 (4.4) | 556 (21.8) |
| Source: Climate-Data.org[9] | |||||||||||||
_-_Tarija_-_Bolivia.jpg)
Tarija is commonly regarded by Bolivian nationals and tourists alike as the "BolivianAndalusia".[citation needed] TheGuadalquivir River that borders the city was named after the Spanishriver of the same name. Residents of Tarija call themselvesChapacos, regardless of social class and ethnic background. Although the origin of the name is uncertain, there is a hypothesis that it is a variation ofchacapa, the name of an indigenous settlement in the region during early colonial times.[citation needed]
During Bolivia'spost-revolutionary period, the Chapacos voted in favor of being annexed by Bolivia instead of Argentina.[citation needed] For that reason, Tarijeños have been included among Bolivia's most loyal and patriotic people. However, the modern culture is slightly isolated from the rest of urban Bolivia, and in recent times, many Tarijeñans feel much more connected to Tarija itself than to the rest of Bolivia.[citation needed] Their local creed is reflected in a famous, folkloricCueca song, titled "Chapaco Soy".
The city'sGuadalquivir Coliseum has hosted games ofBolivia's national basketball team.[10]
Mejillones, Chile[11]
Brasschaat, Belgium[12]Tournai, Belgium[13]
Iniesta, Spain[14][15]
Salta, Argentina[16]Villa Carlos Paz, Argentina[17][18][19]Mendoza, Argentina[20]
Asunción, Paraguay[21]San Bernardino, Paraguay[22]
