Oruro

Oruro
/aw rddooh"rddaw/, n.
a city in W Bolivia: a former capital. 145,410; over 12,000 ft. (3660 m) high.

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 city, west-central Bolivia. It lies at 12,150 feet (3,702 metres) above sea level in the Altiplano region, 30 miles (48 km) north of Poopó Lake. Founded in 1606 as Real Villa de San Felipe de Austria (“Royal Town of St. Philip of Austria”), Oruro rose to prominence during the Spanish colonial period as the centre of a rich silver-mining region. It lost importance with the decline of silver production in the 19th century but regained status with the development of tin mining and became one of Bolivia's most prosperous cities for much of the 20th century. Tungsten and zinc are also mined nearby. The city possesses a technical university (1892), several colonial churches, and a refinery that processes much of the country's tin. The hub of Bolivia's railway system, Oruro is connected by train to the cities of Uyuni and Tupiza, as well as to Argentina and Chile. Oruro is also accessible by road from the cities of Cochabamba, La Paz and from Chile and Argentina.

      Oruro is probably best known for its colourful pre-Lenten Carnival, which takes place in February or March. Dancers don costumes and masks featuring caricatures of devils, animals, Inca rulers, and slave drivers and pay homage to the Virgen del Socavón (“Virgin of the Mineshaft”). Pop. (2001) 201,230.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Oruro — Blick auf Oruro Basisdaten Einwohner (Stand) 235.393 Einw. (Fortschreibung 2010) [1] …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Oruro — Bandera …   Wikipedia Español

  • Oruro — (disambiguation) may refer to: Oruro, Bolivia capital of the Bolivian Oruro Department Oruro Department one of nine departments in Bolivia This disambiguation page lists articles about distinct geographical locations with the same name. If an …   Wikipedia

  • Oruro — es una ciudad en Bolivia con una población aproximada de 200.000 habitantes. Se encuentra localizada equidistantemente entre La Paz y Sucre. Es la capital del departamento de Oruro. La ciudad fue fundada en 1606 como un centro minero de plata en… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Oruro — Oruro, 1) Departamiento in der südamerikanischen Republik Bolivia, 1242,5 QM. u. (1858) 110,931 Ew.; 2) Hauptstadt darin, sonst Hauptstadt eines Districts im Vicekönigreich La Plata, dann in Charcas; 7980 Ew.; Silbergruben …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Orūro — Orūro, Departement der Republik Bolivia, von den Departements La Paz, Potosi und Cochabamba und von Chile umschlossen, 49,538 qkm mit (1900) 86,081 Einw. Das Gebiet umfaßt einen großen Teil der ziemlich kühlen und vielfach wasserarmen Hochebene… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Oruro — Orūro, Hauptstadt des Dep. O. in Bolivia, (1900) 13.575 E.; Ingenieur und Bergakademie …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Oruro — [ô roor′ō] city in W Bolivia: pop. 183,000 …   English World dictionary

  • Oruro — 17° 58′ 06″ S 67° 06′ 29″ W / 17.9682217, 67.1081185 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Oruro — Original name in latin Oruro Name in other language Ciudad Oruro, Gruro, ORU, Oruras, Oruro, Uru Uru, Ururu, ao lu luo, awrwrw, oruro, Оруро State code BO Continent/City America/La Paz longitude 17.98333 latitude 67.15 altitude 3936 Population… …   Cities with a population over 1000 database

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