Cobija
Encyclopedia
The Bolivia
n city of Cobija is located about 600 km (373 mi.) north of La Paz
in the Amazon Basin
on the border of Brazil
and Peru
. Cobija lies on banks of the Rio Acre across from the Brazilian city Brasiléia
. Cobija lies at an elevation of ca. 280 m (920 ft.) above sea level and has a tropical and rainy climate.
Cobija has approximately 25,000 inhabitants, is the seat of a university and capital of the Bolivian Pando Department
. Cobija has two airports and is connected by one road to El Choro in the Beni Department
, which is not always passable during the rainy season.
since the War of the Pacific. In the early 1900s, Cobija experienced a boom as a India rubber industry center. When the industry collapsed, a major source of income being lost, Cobija became impoverished and its population greatly decreased. Currently, the region's primary industry is Brazil nuts.
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
n city of Cobija is located about 600 km (373 mi.) north of La Paz
La Paz
Nuestra Señora de La Paz is the administrative capital of Bolivia, as well as the departmental capital of the La Paz Department, and the second largest city in the country after Santa Cruz de la Sierra...
in the Amazon Basin
Amazon Basin
The Amazon Basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries that drains an area of about , or roughly 40 percent of South America. The basin is located in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela...
on the border of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. Cobija lies on banks of the Rio Acre across from the Brazilian city Brasiléia
Brasiléia
Brasiléia is a Brazilian municipality located in the southern state of Acre. Its population in 2007 was estimated at 20,238 inhabitants. Its area is 336.189 km ² 4 ....
. Cobija lies at an elevation of ca. 280 m (920 ft.) above sea level and has a tropical and rainy climate.
Cobija has approximately 25,000 inhabitants, is the seat of a university and capital of the Bolivian Pando Department
Pando Department
Pando is a department of Bolivia, with an area of , adjoining the border with Brazil. Pando has a population 66,689 . Its capital is the city of Cobija....
. Cobija has two airports and is connected by one road to El Choro in the Beni Department
Beni Department
Beni, sometimes El Beni, is a northeastern department of Bolivia, in the lowlands region of the country. It is the second largest department in the country , covering 213,564 square kilometers , and it was created by supreme decree on November 18, 1842 during the administration of General José...
, which is not always passable during the rainy season.
History
Cobija was founded in 1906 by Colonel Enrique Cornejo, originally under the name of Bahía and received its current name in 1908 in commemoration of the former Bolivian seaport Cobija (Lamar) on the Pacific, the site of which is on territory now belonging to ChileChile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
since the War of the Pacific. In the early 1900s, Cobija experienced a boom as a India rubber industry center. When the industry collapsed, a major source of income being lost, Cobija became impoverished and its population greatly decreased. Currently, the region's primary industry is Brazil nuts.