Santa Cruz (Bolivia)

Santa Cruz (Bolivia), city in central Bolivia, capital of Santa Cruz Department, on the Piray River, in the tropical llanos (plains) region east of the Andes Mountains. A road and rail hub, it is connected to the main Bolivian rail network, as well as to the Brazilian and Argentine frontiers. The city is a major trade center in an area producing cattle, cotton, sugarcane, coffee, tobacco, rice, fruit, vanilla, and corn. Oil and gas fields lie nearby. Local industries include oil refining, sugar and textile milling, tanning, sawmilling, and the manufacture of alcohol, tobacco products, and confectionery. The city has a university and a bacteriological institute, and in the vicinity are several pioneer settlements. Founded in the early 1560s by Spanish colonists from Paraguay, Santa Cruz was moved to its present site in 1595. It was an early center of revolutionary activity against Spanish control and was briefly independent in 1811. The city is also known as Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Population (2001) 1,135,526.