La Paz is the world’s highest national capital, standing at roughly 3,640 metres above sea level.
La Paz is the seat of government of Bolivia and lies in a deep canyon formed by the Choqueyapu River, beneath the high Altiplano. Its dramatic elevation affects climate, transport, architecture, and human physiology. Visitors may experience altitude sickness because the air contains less available oxygen than at sea level.
Bolivia has a constitutional capital, Sucre, and a seat of government, La Paz. This distinction causes confusion in capital-city rankings. Sucre remains the country’s judicial and constitutional capital, while the executive and legislative branches operate from La Paz.
Nearby El Alto sits even higher, on the Altiplano plateau, and has become a major urban centre connected to La Paz by roads and cable cars. Quito, Ecuador, is also exceptionally high, but its elevation is lower than La Paz’s central urban area.