Potosi Department

Potosí Department is a department in southwestern Bolivia. It comprises 118,218 km² with 823,517 inhabitants (2012 census). The capital is the city of Potosí. It is mostly a barren, mountainous region with one large plateau to the west, where the largest salt flat in the world, Salar de Uyuni, is located.

Potosí was the richest province in the Spanish empire, providing a great percentage of the silver that was shipped to Europe.

Potosi is also the location of the San Cristóbal silver, zinc and lead mines, developed by the US-company Apex Silver Mines Limited of Colorado and in November 2008 sold to the Japanese Sumitomo Corporation.

Provinces of Potosi Department

The department is divided into 16 provinces which are further supbdivided into 40 municipalities (municipios) and 219 cantons (cantones).

Province Capital Area km² Population
(2012 census) Map Number Alonso de Ibáñez Sacaca 2.170 29.821 1 Antonio Quijarro Uyuni 14,890 54,947 12 Bernardino Bilbao Arampampa 640 10,224 2 Charcas San Pedro de Buena Vista 2,964 41,214 3 Chayanta Colquechaca 7,026 97,251 5 Cornelio Saavedra Betanzos 2,375 55,100 7 Daniel Campos Llica 12,106 5,850 13 Enrique Baldivieso San Agustín 2,254 1,684 15 José María Linares Puna 5,136 49,619 8 Modesto Omiste Villazón 2,260 44,645 11 Nor Chichas Cotagaita 8,979 42,248 9 Nor Lípez Colcha 20,892 14,057 14 Rafael Bustillo Uncía 2,235 86,947 4 Sud Chichas Tupiza 8,516 55,879 10 Sud Lípez San Pablo de Lípez 22,355 6,835 16 Tomás Frías Potosí 3,420 229,047 6

Languages

The languages spoken in the department are mainly Quechua, Spanish and Aymara. The following table shows the number of those belonging to the recognized group of speakers.

Language Department Bolivia Quechua 514,421 2,281,198 Aymara 57,738 1,525,321 Guaraní 374 62,575 Another native 356 49,432 Spanish 438,204 6,821,626 Foreign 3,771 250,754 Only native 226,967 960,491 Native and Spanish 301,280 2,739,407 Spanish and foreign 136,980 4,115,751

Places of interest

• Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve
• Torotoro National Park
• Laguna Colorada
• Laguna Verde
• Laguna Blanca
• Salar de Uyuni
• Potosí
• Uyuni