Yapacaní
Encyclopedia
Yapacaní is the largest town in the province of Ichilo
in the Bolivia
n department
of Santa Cruz
. It lies on the west bank of the Yapacani River
, at the mouth of the Surutú River
, 100 km north-west of Santa Cruz de la Sierra
, the largest city in Bolivia. It is the centre of the district of Yapacaní Municipio. Prior to its foundation on 23 August 1953, there was a military post called El Comando.
In the last two decades the town's population has risen from 8,585 inhabitants (census
1992), to 14,665 (census 2001), to 21,622 inhabitants (estimate 2008).
Transportation
The town has a four lane road through its center, which was re-surfaced and stop lights were installed in 2010. Transportation in Yapacani is dominated by motorcycles, truffies, and Micro-buses. Motorcycle taxis operate the streets of the town allowing one to arrive from one place to another for about 2 Bolivianos. Travel between towns is usually done in truffies which are cars operated by collectives. A trip to Santa Cruz is 20 Bolivianos, to Montero 10 Bolivianos, Santa Fe 2 Bolivianos, San Juan de Yapacani 4 Bolivianos, and Bulo Bulo 11 Bolivianos. One bus leaves from Yapacani direct to Cochabamba.
Economy
The small villages surrounding Yapacani produce rice, cane sugar, manderine oranges, and other products. Rice is by far the largest crop produced and provides income to many small communities that lie to the north of town. These communities are accessed by a road called "Faja Norte" where a two Boliviano fee is charged to enter. This road makes a loop from Yapacani north-west later re-joining the main Santa Cruz-Cochabamba road near the community of Ichilo. The road is almost entirely gravel and sometimes becomes difficult to navigate in the rainy season. The towns along the Faja Norte that produce rice from nearest to farthest from Yapacani are: Km 7,Villa Imperial (Km 23), El Comandito (Km 35), Km 48, Challavito, and Cascabel. A natural gas compound exists at the north end of the loop where there are two communities called Los Pozos and Patajusal.
Natural Events
The town is located on a zone of land between the Andean plateau and the Brazilian shield. It is normally not seismically active but has a potential for earthquakes. The most recent seismic activity in the area occurred on the morning of January 23, 2010 when an Earthquake of magnitude 5.3 occurred 10 miles southeast of the town. No injuries or damage were recorded in the town center.
Ichilo Province
Ichilo is one of the fifteen provinces of the Bolivian Santa Cruz Department and is situated in the department's north-western parts. The province was founded by a decree of 8 April 1926 and is named after Río Ichilo which is forming the province border in the West.- Location :Ignacio Warnes...
in the Bolivia
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 department
Departments of Bolivia
Bolivia is divided into nine departments . Each of the departments is subdivided into provinces , which are further subdivided into municipalities ....
of Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz Department
Santa Cruz, with an area of 370,621 km², is the largest of the nine constituent departments of Bolivia. In the 2001 census, it reported a population of 2,029,471. The capital is the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. The state is one of the wealthiest states in Bolivia with huge reserves of...
. It lies on the west bank of the Yapacani River
Yapacaní River
The Yapacaní River is a river of Bolivia, part of the Amazon River basin.. The 335 kilometres river is a tributary of the Rio Grande. The river runs northwards through the Santa Cruz Department and joins the Mamoré River.-Geography:...
, at the mouth of the Surutú River
Surutú River
-References:*Rand McNally, The New International Atlas, 1993....
, 100 km north-west of Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, commonly known as Santa Cruz, is the capital of the Santa Cruz department in eastern Bolivia and the largest city in the country...
, the largest city in Bolivia. It is the centre of the district of Yapacaní Municipio. Prior to its foundation on 23 August 1953, there was a military post called El Comando.
In the last two decades the town's population has risen from 8,585 inhabitants (census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
1992), to 14,665 (census 2001), to 21,622 inhabitants (estimate 2008).
Transportation
The town has a four lane road through its center, which was re-surfaced and stop lights were installed in 2010. Transportation in Yapacani is dominated by motorcycles, truffies, and Micro-buses. Motorcycle taxis operate the streets of the town allowing one to arrive from one place to another for about 2 Bolivianos. Travel between towns is usually done in truffies which are cars operated by collectives. A trip to Santa Cruz is 20 Bolivianos, to Montero 10 Bolivianos, Santa Fe 2 Bolivianos, San Juan de Yapacani 4 Bolivianos, and Bulo Bulo 11 Bolivianos. One bus leaves from Yapacani direct to Cochabamba.
Economy
The small villages surrounding Yapacani produce rice, cane sugar, manderine oranges, and other products. Rice is by far the largest crop produced and provides income to many small communities that lie to the north of town. These communities are accessed by a road called "Faja Norte" where a two Boliviano fee is charged to enter. This road makes a loop from Yapacani north-west later re-joining the main Santa Cruz-Cochabamba road near the community of Ichilo. The road is almost entirely gravel and sometimes becomes difficult to navigate in the rainy season. The towns along the Faja Norte that produce rice from nearest to farthest from Yapacani are: Km 7,Villa Imperial (Km 23), El Comandito (Km 35), Km 48, Challavito, and Cascabel. A natural gas compound exists at the north end of the loop where there are two communities called Los Pozos and Patajusal.
Natural Events
The town is located on a zone of land between the Andean plateau and the Brazilian shield. It is normally not seismically active but has a potential for earthquakes. The most recent seismic activity in the area occurred on the morning of January 23, 2010 when an Earthquake of magnitude 5.3 occurred 10 miles southeast of the town. No injuries or damage were recorded in the town center.