Pando Depairtment

**Pando** is a department o Bolivie, wi an aurie o , adjoinin the mairch wi Brazil. Pando haes a population 75.335 (2011). Its caipital is the ceety o Cobija.

The depairtment, which is namit efter umwhile preses Jose Manuel Pando (1899–1905), is dividit intae five provinces.

Awtho Pando is rich in naitural resoorces, the poverty level o its indwallers is heich, due lairgely tae a lack o roads effectively linkin the province tae the rest o the kintra an the presence o tropical diseases teepical o life in the Amazonie rain forest. The main economic activities are agricultur, timmer an cattle.

At an altitude o 280 meters abuin sea level in the northwastren jungle region, Pando is locatit in the rainiest pairt o Bolivie. Pando haes a het climate, wi temperaturs commonly abuin 26 degrees Celsius (80 Fahrenheit).

Pando is the least populous department in Bolivie, the maist tropical (lying closest tae the Equator in the Amazonie Basin), an the maist isolatit, due tae an absence o effective roads linkin it tae the rest o the kintra. It wis organizit at the beginnin o the 20t century frae wha wis left o the Acre Territory, lost tae Brazil as a result o the sae-cried Acre War (1903). Its caipital ceety o Cobija (the smawest o aw the Bolivie depairtmental caipitals) wis namit efter the hintle-lamentit Bolivie port o the same name on the Paceefic Ocean, pairt o an aurie lost tae Chile follaein the War o the Paceefic.

Awtho backwaird an remote, Pando is densely forestit an close tae navigable watterwas leadin tae the Amazon River an frae thare on tae the Atlantic Ocean. The department underwent a rubber boom in the late 19t century an early 20t century, alang wi the northren pairt o nearbi Beni depairtment. The "buim," housomeivver, turned intae a collapse o the rubber industry when synthetic rubber wis discovered.

Culturally, the Pandinos are considered pairt o the sae-cried Camba cultur o the Bolivie lawlands, seemilar tae the fowk o the kintra's ither twa tropical depairtments, Beni an Santa Cruz. Mony o Pando's oreeginal settlers muivit frae nearbi Beni.

## Autonomy muivement
Far frae the centers o pouer in Bolivie society, Pando haes recently linkit its fate wi that o Santa Cruz an Beni, which (alang wi Tarija an Chuquisaca) are demandin increased autonomy for the depairtments at the expense o the central govrenment. The govrenment o Leopoldo Fernández strangly backit autonomy for the depairtment, in alliance wi ither govrenors o the eastren *media luna* (hauf-muin, sae kent for thair combined geographic shape). Naitionwide referenda on autonomy held on 2 Julie, 2006, wur appruivit in aw fower depairtments. A seicont referendum tae appruive a statute o autonomy wis held bi each depairtment in mid-2008, despite bein declared illegal bi the Naitional Electoral Court in Mairch. Left-wing an pro-Morales social muivements boycottit the votes. Pando's referendum, held on 1 Juin 2008, wan 82% appruival amang those who votit, but 46.5% o the registered electorate did vote, the heichest abstention rate in the fower depairtments hauldin sic referenda. Considerable social unrest teuk place in 2008, culminatin in the spectacular reest in September o Prefect Leopoldo Fernández, stemmin frae the massacre at El Porvenir o anti-autonomy backers o Preses Evo Morales.

## Provinces o Pando
* Abuná
* Federico Román
* Madre de Dios
* Manuripi
* Nicolás Suárez

## Leids
The predominat leid in the depairtment is Spaingie. The follaein table shows the nummer o those belangin tae the recognizit group o speakers.

## Places o interest
* Manuripi-Heath Amazonian Wildlife Naitional Reserve

## References

## Freemit airtins
* Pando Offeecial wabsteid