El Alto
El Alto (Spanish for "The Heights") is the second-largest city in Bolivia, located adjacent to La Paz in Pedro Domingo Murillo Province on the Altiplano highlands. El Alto is today one of Bolivia's fastest-growing urban centers, with an estimated population of 943,558 in 2020. It is also the highest major city in the world, with an average elevation of 4,000 m (13,123 ft).
El Alto
Patamarka | |
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City and municipality of El Alto | |
El Alto City | |
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Flag Coat of arms | |
| Motto: Desde la cumbre más alta del mundo levántase la ciudad donde jamás se pondrá el sol de nuestra raza (From the highest summit in the world rises the city where the sun of our race will never set) | |
El Alto Location within Bolivia El Alto El Alto (South America) | |
| Coordinates: 16°30′17″S 68°09′48″W | |
| Country | Bolivia |
| Department | La Paz Department |
| Province | Pedro Domingo Murillo |
| Municipality | El Alto Municipality |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Eva Copa |
| Area | |
| • City and municipality of El Alto | 363 km2 (140 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 4,150 m (13,620 ft) |
| Population (2020 Census) | |
| • Rank | 2nd |
| • Urban | 943,000 |
| • Metro | 2,200,000 |
| Time zone | UTC−4 (BOT) |
| Website | Official website |
The El Alto–La Paz metropolitan area, formed by La Paz, El Alto, Achocalla, Viacha, and Mecapaca, constitutes the most populous urban area of Bolivia, with a population of about 2.2 million. It was originally a very poor area with unpaved roads and many improvised buildings, and significant challenges with substandard infrastructure and utilities remain, especially in the outlying areas. Nonetheless, the city is extremely rapidly developing. The construction of an elaborate cable car system connected El Alto directly with central La Paz, dramatically easing transportation into the economic center of the metropolitan area. A locally indigenous Neo-Andean architectural style has developed alongside this growth, giving the city a distinct appearance as it has modernized.