Santa Cruz de la Sierra, commonly known as Santa Cruz, is the capital of theSanta Cruz departmentin easternBolivia. Situated on thePirai Riverin eastern Bolivia, the city of Santa Cruz and its metropolitan area are home to over 70% of the population of the departmentand it is one of the fastest-growing cities in the world.The city was first founded in 1561 by Spanish explorerÑuflo de Chavezabout 200km (124mi) east of its current location, and was moved several times until it was finally established on thePirai Riverin the late 16th century. For much of its history, Santa Cruz was mostly a small outposttown, and even after Bolivia gained its independence in 1825 there was little attention from the authorities or the population in general to settle the region. It was not until afterWorld War IIand profound agrarian and land reforms that the city began to grow at a very fast pace.
Nowadays the city is Bolivia's most populous, and theDepartment of Santa Cruz, rankedsecond in total population, produces nearly 35% of Bolivia'sgross domestic product, and receives over 40% of allforeign direct investmentin the country. This has helped make Santa Cruz the most important business center in Bolivia and the preferred destination of migrants from all over the country.