Santa Cruz Department (Bolivia)
Santa Cruz (Spanish pronunciation: [ˌsanta ˈkɾus]) is the largest of the nine constituent departments of Bolivia, occupying about one-third (33.74%) of the country's territory. With an area of 370,621 km2 (143,098 sq mi), it is slightly smaller than Japan or the US state of Montana. It is located in the eastern part of the country, sharing borders in the north and east with Brazil and with Paraguay in the south.
Santa Cruz Department
Departamento de Santa Cruz (Spanish) | |
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Flag Coat of arms | |
| Motto: Siempre libres cruceños seamos. (Free Cruceños may we always be) | |
| Anthem: Himno a Santa Cruz | |
Location within Bolivia | |
| Country | Bolivia |
| Capital | Santa Cruz de la Sierra |
| Provinces | 15 |
| Established as department by law | 23 July 1826 |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Luis Fernando Camacho (Creemos) |
| • Lieutenant governor | Mario Aguilera (Creemos) |
| • Senators | Centa Rek (Creemos) Henry Montero (Creemos) Isidoro Quispe (MAS) Soledad Flores (MAS) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 370,621 km2 (143,098 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 1st in Bolivia |
| 33.74% of Bolivia | |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 3,370,100 |
| • Density | 9.1/km2 (24/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC-4 (BOT) |
| Area code | +(591) 3 |
| Official language | Spanish, Guaraní |
| ISO 3166-2 | BO-S |
| GDP (2023) | in constant Dollar of 2015 |
| - Total | US$ 15.5 billion Int$ 36.3 billion (PPP) |
| - Per capita | US$ 4,200 Int$ 9,900 (PPP) |
| HDI (2019) | 0.777 high · 1st of 9 |
| Website | www |
In the 2012 census, it reported a population of 3,412,921, making it the most populated department. The capital is the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. The department is one of the wealthiest departments in Bolivia, with huge reserves of natural gas. Besides, it has experienced the highest increase of economic growth during the last 50 years in Bolivia and South America.