Population, Political Divisions and Principal Cities

The republic is divided into nine major political divisions, called departments: Santa Cruz, El Beni, Tarija, Potosi, La Paz, Chuquisaca, Pando, Cochabamba, and Oruro. La Paz is Bolivia’s largest city and is also its administrative capital (population, 2000 estimate, 1,004,440). Other important cities are Santa Cruz (1,034,070), a major trade center; Cochabamba (616,022), in a fertile farming region; Oruro (248,273), in the mining district; Sucre (223,436), the country’s constitutional capital; and Potosi (162,212), also in a mineral-producing region.