Tarija () is a department in

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

. It is located in south-eastern Bolivia bordering with

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

to the south and

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

to the east. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 534,348 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)) of ...

is the capital of the department.

Subdivisions

The department is divided into five provinces and one autonomous region: # Gran Chaco Province (autonomous region) # Aniceto Arce Province # José María Avilés Province # Cercado Province # Eustaquio Méndez Province # Burdett O'Connor Province Notable places in Tarija include: * Villamontes 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 Argentina, Argentine border. It has a population of approximately 97,000 and lies above sea level. Yacui ...

, 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 ''Encyclopædia Bri ...

. Tarija boasts South America's second-largest natural gas 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 is the largest tribe. Important battles and events related to the 1932-35

Chaco War The Chaco War (, 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 The Gran Chaco or simply Chaco is a sparsely populated, hot and semiarid lowland tropical dry broadleaf forest natural region of the Río de la Plata basin, divided among eastern Bolivia, western Paraguay, northern Argentina, and a portion o ...

is from where most of the gas is exploited.

Demographics

Languages

The languages spoken in the department are mainly Spanish and Guaraní, with spoken by Quechua and Aymara migrants. 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