Map of Santa Cruz

History

Like much of the history of the people of the region, the history of the area before the arrival of European explorers is not well documented, mostly because of the somewhat nomadic nature and the absence of a written language in the culture of the local tribes. However, recent data suggests that the current location of the city of Santa Cruz was inhabited by an Arawak tribe that later came to be known by the Spanish as Chané. Remains of ceramics and weapons have been found in the area, leading researchers to believe they had established settlements in the area.

Geography

The city is located in the eastern part of Bolivia (17°45', South, 63°14', West) at around 400 m above sea level. It is part of the province of Andrés Ibáñez and the capital of the department of Santa Cruz. The city of Santa Cruz is located not far from the easternmost extent of the Andes Mountains and they are visible from some parts of the city.

The city has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen: Am), with an average annual temperature around 25 °C (77 °F) and all months above 18 °C or 64.4 °F. Santa Cruz is an example of the influence of continentality (reflecting the thermal amplitude) in the tropics, without the four well-defined seasons of the year but greater deviations of temperature than other places in the coast or island.

Economy

Santa Cruz de la Sierra is Bolivia's main economic, commercial, and industrial center. Its economy is divided into several specialized sectors, including entertainment, gastronomy, textiles, banking, agroindustry, tourism, automotive, and other industries.

Following its development and economic exposure, the city has the highest Human Development Index (HDI) in the country, with a value of 0.827 at the city level and 0.758 at the department level.

Its population growth is among the fastest in the Americas. It has a nominal GDP of $9.175 billion, a nominal GDP per capita of just over $4,200, and a PPP GDP per capita of $12,800.

Demographics

The city of Santa Cruz is, besides being the largest city in Bolivia, the one with the greatest mestizo and Creole identity, and with a smaller indigenous population. The first settlers of Santa Cruz were mainly the Native Chane people of East Bolivia followed by the Spaniards that accompanied Ñuflo de Chávez, as well as Guarani natives from Paraguay, and other native American groups that previously lived there working for the Spanish crown. Eventually, the Spanish settlers and native people of Bolivia began to mix which has resulted in the majority of the city population being mestizo. When the Spanish settlers arrived to Bolivia, Catholicism, as well as the Spanish language, were implemented onto the natives which is now why the city is predominantly Catholic and speaks Spanish.