La Paz is the world's highest capital city
Bolivia's seat of government sits so high that newcomers gasp for air on arrival.
Spread across a dramatic canyon high in the Andes, La Paz is the world’s highest national capital. The city climbs the valley walls between roughly 3,250 and 4,100 metres (10,650–13,250 feet) above sea level, according to Britannica — high enough that arriving visitors often struggle with exertion in the thin, oxygen-poor air.
La Paz is Bolivia’s administrative and de facto capital, home to the executive and legislative branches, even though the constitutional capital is Sucre. Guinness World Records places the seat of government at about 3,631 metres (11,913 feet).
At this altitude, water boils well below 100 C and a short uphill walk can leave a sea-level visitor breathless.
The surrounding El Alto and the high plateau of the Altiplano make the region one of the most elevated major urban areas anywhere on Earth.
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