stringtranslate.com

Potosí Department

Potosí (Spanish pronunciation: [potoˈsi]; Quechua: P'utuqsi; Aymara: Putusi) is a department in southwestern Bolivia. Its area is 118,218 km2 and its population is 856,419 (2024 census). The capital is the city of Potosí. It is a mostly barren, mountainous region with one large plateau to the west, where the largest salt flat in the world, Salar de Uyuni, is located.

Cerro 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 sold in November 2008 to the Japanese Sumitomo Corporation.

Laguna Colorada with flamingos in the Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve.

History

In March 2023, social organisations in four regions of Potosí, with the support of regional MAS-IPSP lawmakers, called for a strike spanning over 72 hours, to force the government to raise infrastructure investments in the department and to receive an increased amount of the profits generated through lithium mining in the region.[3] Shortly after the strike an agreement with the central government was reached, stipulating the construction of motorways and a cement plant and further discussions about mining conditions.[3]

Government

Executive offices

The chief executive office of Bolivia departments (since May 2010) is the governor; until then, the office was called the prefect, and until 2006 the prefect was appointed by the President of Bolivia. The current governor, Jhonny Mamani of the Movement for Socialism – Political Instrument for the Sovereignty of the Peoples was elected on 7 March 2021.[4]

Legislative Assembly

Under the 2009 Constitution, each Bolivian department has an elected Departmental Legislative Assembly. The first elections were held 4 April 2010.

The current executive committee consists of Jacinto Sunagua Dorado as president, Raimunda Cordero Caba as vice-president and Alberto Quispe Mamani as secretary and Blanca Celia Burgos Quispe and Leon Jancko Condori as first and second committee member, respectively.[5]

Demographics

Provinces of Potosi Department

The department is divided into 16 provinces which are further subdivided into 40 municipalities[7] (municipios) and 219 cantons (cantones).

Economy

Mining

Languages

The main languages spoken in the department are Quechua, Spanish and Aymara. The following table shows the number of speakers of recognized languages in Potosí and in all of Bolivia.[8]

Places of interest

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
  2. ^ "TelluBase—BoliviaFact Sheet (Tellusant Public Service Series)" (PDF). Tellusant. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
  3. ^ a b Kandt, Lia Helguero (20 March 2023). "Konflikt in Bolivien um Lithiumproduktion vorerst beigelegt". amerika21 (in German). Mondial21 e. V. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Gobernador de Potosí, Jhonny Mamani". eabolivia.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  5. ^ "Directiva de la Asamblea Legislativa Departamental de Potosí". asambleadepotosi.gob.bo (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  6. ^ "Bolivia: Provinces".
  7. ^ www.bolivia.com (English)
  8. ^ obd.descentralizacion.gov.bo Archived 2009-02-18 at the Wayback Machine (Spanish)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Potosí Department.

20°40′S 66°40′W / 20.667°S 66.667°W / -20.667; -66.667