Tarija (officially San Bernardo de la Frontera de Tarixa) in the far south of Bolivia is the capital of Tarija Department, Bolivia's smallest Department. It was founded in 1574 and currently has a population of around 235,000. In 1807, Tarija separated from Upper Peru to become part of the jurisdiction of Salta (in what is now northern Argentina), becoming one of the first regions to become independent from the Spanish empire in South America. After the Wars of Independence and foundation of the modern South American countries the Tarija region voted to become part of Bolivia in a referendum in 1826.
