Beni Depairtment

**Beni**, whiles **El Beni**, is a northeastren depairtment o Bolivie, in the lawlands region o the kintra. It is the seicont lairgest depairtment in the kintra (efter Santa Cruz), coverin 213,564 square kilometers (82,458 sq mi), an it wis creatit bi supreme decree on 18 November 1842 durin the admeenistration o General José Ballivián. Its caipital is Trinidad.

## Population

Wi a population o 420,000 (2006 census), Beni is the seicont maist spairsely populatit o the nine depairtments o Bolivie, efter Pando.

Awtho Beni is rich in naitural resoorces, the poverty level o its indwallers is heich, mainly as a result o the absence o adequate roads linkin the depairtment tae the rest o kintra. The main economic activities are agricultur, timmer an cattle. In addition, an unnergrund economy linkit tae illegal narcotics activities flourished in the aurie durin the last decades o the 20t century, wi mony cocaine laboratories hidin ahint the facade o remote cattle ranches.

The Beni region features mony lairge moonds connectit bi earthen causewas which wur biggit bi auncient indwallers. The first European settlers consistit o Spainyie Jesuits sent tae convert the native indwallers, chiefly in the soothren hauf o the depairtment, durin the 18t century. The releegious oreegins o mony o the Beni's touns can be attestit tae bi the centrality o the local kirk in maist o the commonties, an in the vera names o the touns: Trinidad, Santa Ana, San Borja, Reyes, etc. The day, the Beni region is the seat o the Roman Catholic Apostolic Vicariate o El Beni.

The importance o cattle ranchin is prominent in the regional cultur, an couboys, or "Vaqueros", still play an important role in Beni society, comprisin a lairge portion o the wirkin class. Ither industries significant tae the region include loggin, sma-scale fishin an huntin, fermin, an in recent years, eco-tourism.

Tho the Beni lees in the soothren reaches o the Amazon Basin, an aurie renouned for tropical disease, the population experiences less heal problems than in the Andes Region, especially those relatit tae malnutrition.

The indwallers (Benianos) are maistly descendants o Cruceños (fowk frae Santa Cruz) who streamit north follaein the course o navigable rivers, an native fowks. The cultur is kent as lawland Camba (common tae Santa Cruz, Beni, an Pando) an no Andean. Benianos are semple, straichtforward fowk whose Spainyie is likely inheritit frae Santa Cruz which in turn inheritit it frae Asunción, the depairtur pynt o its foonders, amang them Ñuflo de Chávez. It haes been remarkit that the Camba dialect, as well as the customs o the indwallers o Bolivie's tropical lawlands, are amaist purely Andalusie.

The Beniano diet consists lairgely o rice, bananas, beef an fish. Some popular dishes include Majao, Masaco, an ithers, mony featurin cured/salted meats.

Benianos hae tradeetionally been mistrustful, an aften somewha contemptuous, o Andean cultur, considerin thairsels tae be lichter an mair purely Spainyie than the Quechua an Aymara-speakin populations o the heichlands. Considerable resentment existit against the central govrenment, which allegedly did vera little tae big roads or integrate the Beni intae the economy an poleetical life o the kintra. Thir attitudes persistit despite the fact that Beni benefitit greatly bi the Agrarian Reform institutit follaein the 1952 Revolution, wi mony ceetizens comin intae awnership of significant tracts o land. Maist o thir turned tae cattle ranchin. The absence o a reliable road linkin the depairtment tae the main centers o pouer in the kintra (awin tae the difficult terrain) continued tae contribute tae the Benianos' sense o isolation, as did the a dounturn in the cattle industry. This, in turn, translatit in an amaist automatic support bi baith the population an depairtmental authorities for the Santa Cruz-led effort tae federalize the kintra an devolve pouers tae the depairtments at the expense o the central govrenment. Considerable social unrest teuk place in 2007 an 2008, leadin some tae consider separatism as plowsible.

## History

Beni wis a vera important centre of pre-Columbie ceevilization kent as the hydraulic cultur o Las Lomas (the hills), a cultur that constructit ower 20,000 man-made airtificial hills, aw interconnectit bi thoosans o square kilometers o aqueducts, channels, embankments, airtificial lakes an lagoons, an terraces. Atween aboot 4000 BC (an probably earlier as this date is taken frae ceramics that hae been carbon datit) an the 13t Century AD this region wis settled bi important an organizit groups o human societies. Thair ceevil structurs wur based, baith environmentally an economically, on the uise o specific environmental characteristics (sic as the uise o aquatic plants as fertilizer, an enormous fishin seestems thay constructit). You can still see miles an miles o thir channels an man-made hills if you flee law ower Beni.

When the Spainyie arrivit the region haed awready been in decline for aboot three hunder years. Housomeivver, this is whaur mony products that are nou uised warldwide hae thair oreegin, amang them tobacco, peanuts, cotton, cassava (manioc), vanilla an sweet potatoes. The Spainyie initially wur intensely interestit in this aurie. Durin the first century o colonization, thay believit the meethical ceety o El Dorado (kent as Paititi an aw) coud be foond in this region. Housomeivver, thay niver foond this legendary ceety o gowd an thay suin lost interest in the aurie, which wad remain marginalizit for several centuries efter.

Atween the 19t an 20t centuries northren Beni became Bolivie's rubber caipital. The abundance o rubber trees attractit mony fowk tae the region, mony o them adventurers an ithers wirkers (mony o whom wur indigenous) tae wirk in the huge rubber plantations that arose. For decades it wis ane o the maist active, dynamic regions o Bolivie. Cachuela Esperanza wis an important centre for rubber exports as it is locatit alang the shores o the Beni River. It haed ane o the best equipped hospitals in Bolivie at the end o the 19t Century. But thir enormous rubber plantations aw but disappeared bi the end o the Seicont Warld War an the day mony o them are cattle ranches. Thare are anerlie some sma rubber producers who still uise the river tae transport thair production.

## Govrenment
The chief executive office o Bolivie depairtments (syne Mey 2010) is the govrenor; till then, the office wis cried the prefect, an till 2006 the prefect wis appointit bi the Preses o Bolivie. Beni currently haes an interim govrenor, Haysen Ribera Leigue, who wis selectit bi the Depairtmental Legislative Assembly on 16 December 2011.  Govrenor Ernesto Suárez Sattori, who wis electit on 4 Aprile 2010, wis suspendit follaein his indictment for irregular expenditurs relatit tae a pouer plant in San Borja, Beni, in compliance wi a Bolivie legal mandate that indictit offeecials mey no continue tae serve.

### Legislative Assembly
Unner the 2009 Constitution, each Bolivie depairtment haes an electit Depairtmental Legislative Assembly. The first elections wur held 4 Aprile 2010. The leadin pairty in the twinty-aicht member assembly is Beni First, wi 11 seats. The Muivement towards Socialism (MAS-IPSP) haulds 10 seats, an the Revolutionary Naitionalist Muivement (MNR) haulds 3 seats. Twa seats each wur selectit bi indigenous fowk an bi peasants throu *[[usos y costumbres]]*. In alliance wi the indigenous an peasant representatives, the MAS-IPSP controls the presidency o the Assembly. The three MNR representatives an thair alternates wur derecognizit bi the naitional pairty in 2010 when thay backit MAS-IPSP policies an leadership.

The December 2011 suspension o Govrenor Ernesto Suarez wis backit bi 15 votes, includin the MAS an MNR delegations, an twa indigenous or campesino representatives. Twa members o the assembly wur indictit simultaneously anaw an replacit bi thair alternates: Sonia Suárez Araúz (MNR) wis replacit bi Juan Carlos Herrera; an Carlos Navia Ribera (MAS-IPSP) wis replacit bi Tatiana Paniagua Zabala. The interim governor wis an aa a member o the Assembly.

### Naitional Congress
In the National Congress o Bolivie Beni elects nine oot o 130 members o the *Cámara de Diputados* (Chamber o Deputies), an fower members o the *Cámara de Senadores* (Chamber o Senators).

;Senators
* Freddy Bersatti Tudela (MAS-IPSP)
* Zonia Guardia Melgar (MAS-IPSP)
* Carlos Alberto Sonnenschein Antelo (PPB)
* Jeanine Áñez Chávez (PPB)

## Geography

Beni`s wather is tropical an humid, wi a prevalence o wairm tae het temperaturs.

Beni borders upon Brazil tae the northeast, an the depairtments o Santa Cruz tae the sootheast, La Paz tae the wast, Pando tae the northwest, an Cochabamba tae the sooth. Beni's territory is mainly covered bi rainforest (pairticularly the northren an eastren portions o the depairtment) an pampa (notably the grassland Moxos Plain tae the sooth, closer tae the Andean reaches). 
Hintle o Beni is at aboot 155 meters abuin sea level. Awtho maist o the depairtment is flat, alang the mairch wi La Paz thare are twa sierra chains cried Eva Eva an Pelado. Beni is criss-crossed bi numerous Rivers, aw o which are Amazon tributaries. The lairgest o thir are the Iténez (kent as Guaporé an aw), Mamoré, Madre de Dios, Madera, Yata, Ivón, Machupo, Itonama, Baures, San Martín, San Miguel, San Simón, Negro, Sécure, Yacuma, Maniquí, Ibare an Apere, aw o which are navigable.
Beni haes numerous lakes an lagoons an aw. The maist important o thir are: Laguna Suárez, Rogagua, Rogaguado, San Luis, San Pablo, Huachi, Huatunas, Yusala, Huachuna, Agua Clara, Ginebra, La Dichosa, Bolivie, Navidad, Las Abras, Larga, Maracaibo an Aquiles Lake.

## Flora an fauna

In the region's mony rivers an ower 400 species o fish hae been foond. Trinidad haes an entire museum, the *Museo Ictícola*, dedicatit tae Beni's fish fauna which is the third lairgest o its teep in Sooth Americae. The maist commonly fished an consumit species are pacú, tambaquí, surubí, palometa (a teep o piranha), sábalo, bagre (catfish), an blanquillo. Alligators are huntit for thair leather an meat an aw, which is considered a delicacy an is a common pairt o meals in Beni. Beni nou exports huge amoonts o lummer an aw, awtho ower the past 20 years the govrenment o Bolivie haes wirkit wi numerous internaitional entities an NGOs tae certify its lummer concessions an aw lummer exportit must be accompaneed bi certificates o oreegin.

## Agricultur an livestock
Acause o its climate an rich soils, the depairtment is Bolivie's seicont lairgest agricultural centre efter Santa Cruz. Thare are extensive fields o corn, yucca (manioc), sunflouers, rice, an mony tropical fruits sic as cacao (frae which chocolate is made), Brazil nuts (ane o the regions main crops an exports), soybeans, bananas, maracuya, guayaba, papaya, an mony ither citrus fruits. Coffee is an aa grown extensively. Beni is the seicont Bolivie's lairgest cattle-ranchin region an aw. Offeecial estimates calculate thare are onywhaur atween 2 an 2.5 million heids o cattle throughoot the year. Maist o thir are turned oot tae pastur an sicweys are naturally fed.

## Climate
Beni is het an humid durin maist o the year wi an annual rainfaw average atween . It is ane o the wettest regions in Bolivie, wi mair wetlands than the better-kent Pantanal. Durin the winter (Juin an Julie) the wather can be ceul an winds blowin northwaird frae the Sooth Pole an Argentinae's Patagonie region can cause temperaturs ysr drop quite drastically vera quickly.

## Provinces o Beni
The depairtment is dividit intae 8 provinces which are further subdividit intae municipalities an 48 cantons.

:

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

## Places o interest
* Beni Biological Station Biosphere Reserve
* Isiboro Sécure Naitional Pairk an Indigenous Territory
* Pilón Lajas Biosphere Reserve an Communal Lands

## See an aw
* Beni savanna
* Moxos fowk
* Yuracaré
* Beni River
* Guaporé River
* Mamoré River

## References

*Gonzalez Moscoso, Rene. 1984. Enciclopedia Boliviana: Diccionario Geográfico Boliviano. Editorial “Los Amigos del Libro”, La Paz. 278pp.

## Freemit airtins

* Beni Travel Guide 
* Weather in Beni 
* Bolivie Muisic an Wab Varieties 
* Depairtmental Govrenment o Beni
* Beni Depairtment