SANTA CRUZ

city, seat (1850) of Santa Cruz county, west-central California, U.S. It lies on the north shore of Monterey Bay, at the foot of the Santa Cruz Mountains, and is about 80 miles (130 km) south of San Francisco. It was the site of Mission Santa Cruz (founded 1791, reconstructed 1931) and of the model Spanish colony (village) of Branciforte (1797). After coming under U.S. control in 1846, the settlement progressed as a lumber, fishing, and agriculture centre. After 1950 the city experienced steady growth with the increasing industrialization of the area. The area's scenic beauty and its mild climate are principal attractions. The locality is enhanced by clumps of redwood trees, which increase to forest proportions in the Santa Cruz Mountains just north of the city. Another feature of Santa Cruz is its magnificent sweep of beach, which attracts thousands of tourists. To accommodate these visitors, the city has built several seaside facilities, including a long wharf that extends a half mile into the bay. The University of California at Santa Cruz was established in 1965. The central shopping district of Santa Cruz was severely damaged by an earthquake that struck central California on Oct. 17, 1989. Inc. 1866. Pop. (1990) city, 49,040; Santa Cruz PMSA, 229,734. provincia, southern Argentina. It lies within the region known as Patagonia and extends westward from the Atlantic Ocean to the Andean cordillera on the Chilean frontier. Its area of 94,187 square miles (243,943 square km) is very sparsely inhabited. Santa Cruz is a region of constant winds and dust storms which sweep over its dry tablelands and its arid, precipitous coast. In spite of the region's latitude, however, the climate is relatively mild, the temperature being moderated by the proximity of the ocean. The province's western rim includes forested Andean foothills and a number of beautiful glacial lakes, notably Lake Argentino, where tourism is the main economic activity. Glaciers descend from the Andean slopes into this lake. Santa Cruz province has three national parks. Perito Francisco P. Moreno National Park, with an area of 444 square miles (1,150 square km), lies in the Andes and includes the divide between Pacific and Atlantic drainage. Los Glaciares National Park, which lies farther south and has an area of 1,722 square miles (4,459 square km), is noted for its glacial landforms. The Petrified Forest National Park has an area of 39 square miles (100 square km). Santa Cruz was part of the Patagonia National Territory from 1878 until it was made a separate national territory in 1884. In 1955 it achieved provincial status. There are sheep ranches in the sheltered canyons that cross the central desert, but little agriculture. The province's principal line of communication is the shipping service that links its Atlantic ports, where wool and sheepskins from the interior are collected for shipment to Buenos Aires. Ro Gallegos (q.v.), the southernmost port of continental Argentina and the provincial capital, is also a centre of the sheep trade. Other ports are San Julin, Santa Cruz, and Puerto Deseado. Pop. (1986 est.) 138,000. in full Santa Cruz De La Sierra, city, east-central Bolivia, situated in the hot, tropical lowlands at 1,365 feet (416 m) above sea level. Founded by Spaniards from Paraguay in 1561 at what is now San Jos de Chiquitos, it was attacked repeatedly by Indians until 1595, when it was moved to its present location along the Piray River and renamed Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Its inhabitants declared their independence from Spain in 1811, and the city was recaptured only briefly by royalist forces. In 1950 a highway to Cochabamba was completed, and the 422-mile (650-kilometre) Santa Cruz-Corumb (Brazil) railway provides access to Atlantic ports. Santa Cruz is Bolivia's second largest city and has experienced an economic boom. It is a trade centre for the subtropical and tropical crops (including sugarcane, rice, coffee, and tobacco) grown in the surrounding area, which also has large reserves of natural gas to the north and south. The city manufactures leather products and alcohol, has a sugar refinery and an oil refinery, and is the seat of the Universidad Boliviana Mayor Gabriel Ren Moreno (1880). Santa Cruz also has an airport. Pop. (1988 est.) 627,920.