Oruro, a Bolivian city with a population exceeding 215,660 as of 2001, sits approximately midway between La Paz and Sucre at an elevation of about 3,710 meters above sea level. As the capital of the Oruro department, the city has a rich history, originally established in 1606 as a silver mining hub in the Urus region. Initially named Real Villa de Don Felipe de Austria in honor of Spanish monarch Philip III, Oruro eventually fell into decline as its silver resources were depleted.