Nuestra Señora de La Paz, commonly known as La Paz, is Bolivia's third most-populous city, the seat of the country's government and the capital of La Paz Department. It is located on the western side of Bolivia at an elevation of roughly 3,650 m above sea level.It is, de facto, the world's highest administrative capital. While the official capital of Bolivia is Sucre, La Paz has more government departments.The city sits in a bowl surrounded by the high mountains of the altiplano. As it grew, the city of La Paz climbed the hills, resulting in varying elevations from 3,200 to 4,100 m. Overlooking the city is towering triple-peaked Illimani, which is always snow-covered and can be seen from several spots of the city, including from the neighboring city of El Alto. As of the 2008 census, the city had a population of 877,363.La Paz Metropolitan area, formed by the cities of La Paz, El Alto, and Viacha, make the most populous urban area of Bolivia, with a population of 2.3 million inhabitants and surpassing the metropolitan area of Santa Cruz de la Sierra.
