# Potosí Department, Bolivia – Provinces, Population & Map > Source: https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/potosi/ Department · Bolivia # Potosí Department Potosí Department is a department of Bolivia. It had an estimated **916,087 people** in 2022 on 119,207 km² (about 7.7 per km²). Its main town is Potosí. It is divided into 16 provinces. 4,804 named villages and localities are recorded here, and 2,928 mapped services such as hospitals, banks and schools. - 916,087people (2022) - 119,207km² - 16provinces - 2,928mapped services ## How many people live in Potosí Department? Potosí Department had an estimated **916,087 people** in 2022 — 7.6% of Bolivia (Estado Plurinacional de), 4th of 9 departments. There are 997 women for every 1,000 men (close to the Bolivia (Estado Plurinacional de) figure of 993). Spread over 119,207 km², that is about **7.7 people per km²**, 7th of 9 departments. 31.0% of people are children under 15 and 8.8% are 65 or older; the median age is about 24 years (it is 26 across Bolivia (Estado Plurinacional de)). For every 100 people of working age (15–64) there are 66 children and older people. 0–4 ****97,023** 5–9 ****92,319** 10–14 ****95,015** 15–19 ****95,538** 20–24 ****87,899** 25–29 ****71,908** 30–34 ****58,112** 35–39 ****53,524** 40–44 ****48,432** 45–49 ****41,589** 50–54 ****35,653** 55–59 ****31,353** 60–64 ****27,116** 65–69 ****24,084** 70–74 ****20,719** 75–79 ****15,826** 80+ ****19,977** Source: [UNFPA and Ministerio de Educación, Ministerio de Salud y Deportes, Instituto Nacional de Estadística. via OCHA HDX, population 2022 (COD-PS, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ps-bol). ## Where is Potosí Department? Potosí Department lies in [Bolivia](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/). It borders 4 other departments: [Chuquisaca Department](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/chuquisaca/), [Cochabamba Department](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/cochabamba/), [Oruro Department](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/oruro/) and [Tarija Department](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/tarija/). By area it is the 4th largest of 9 departments in Bolivia. It covers 11.0% of [Bolivia (Estado Plurinacional de)](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/). The centre of Potosí Department is about 231 km in a straight line from Sucre, the capital. The centre point is at 20.3569° S, 66.9648° W. Source: [Ministerio de Desarrollo Rural y Tierras via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-bol). ## Things to see in and around Potosí Department OpenStreetMap lists 428 named sights in Potosí Department: 184 attractions; 76 viewpoints; 44 museums; 33 ruins; 28 volcanos; 21 memorials; 12 monuments; 10 archaeological sites; 7 hot springs; 4 caves; 4 nature reserves; 2 waterfalls; 1 theme park; 1 national park; 1 aquarium. - Casa Cultural de la Quinua · museum - Casa Gerencia · museum - Casa Municipal de Cultura · museum - Casa Nacional de Moneda de Bolivia · museum - Catedral de San Francisco · museum - Catedral de la Ciudad de Potosí · museum - Cementerio de Chullpas · museum - Centro de interpretación y museo “Huellas Chicheñas” · museum - Museo "La Niña de Quemes'' · museum - Museo Artesanal de Coqueza · museum - Museo Butch Cassidy & Sundance Kid · museum - Museo Cementerio de Tortugas · museum - Museo Centro de Interpretación de la Quinua · museum - Museo Club Deportivo Huracan de Tupiza · museum - Museo Ferrocarril y Centro de Interpretación de Uyuni · museum - Museo Histórico de Puna · museum - Museo Histórico de Suipacha · museum - Museo Humberto Iporre Salinas · museum - Museo Ingenio San Marcos · museum - Museo La Carroza · museum - Museo Militar Sub-oficial López · museum - Museo Municipal de Tupiza · museum - Museo Municipal de Villazón · museum - Museo Necrópolis Kausay Wasi · museum - Museo Pachamama Huasi · museum - Museo Pachamama Wasi · museum - Museo Universitario Ricardo Bohórquez · museum - Museo de Cantaritos de Chantani · museum - Museo de Chullpas de Aguaquiza · museum - Museo de Locomotoras Pulacayo · museum …and 398 more. Source: [© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements](https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright). Named attractions, museums, viewpoints, historic sites and natural features mapped in OpenStreetMap. Places of worship are not listed. ## Know before you go: Potosí Department - Time zoneUTC−4, no daylight saving · America/La_Paz - CurrencyBoliviano (BOB) - Country calling code+591 - LanguagesSpanish, Quechua, Aymara - Plug typesType A, C · 115/230 V - Driving sideRight ### Nearest airports - Joya Andina International Airport (UYU) · Quijarro15 km - Alcantarí International Airport (SRE) · Sucre226 km ### Nearest railway station Estación Colchani (Uyuni), about 6.9 km from the centre. ### Daylight Days are longest in Dec (about 13.4 hours, sunrise around 05:42) and shortest in Jun (about 10.9 hours, sunrise around 07:00, sunset around 17:55). Month Sunrise Sunset Daylight Jan 05:59 19:13 13.2 h Feb 06:18 19:05 12.8 h Mar 06:30 18:44 12.2 h Apr 06:38 18:17 11.6 h May 06:48 17:58 11.2 h Jun 07:00 17:55 10.9 h Jul 07:03 18:03 11.0 h Aug 06:50 18:14 11.4 h Sep 06:24 18:21 12.0 h Oct 05:57 18:29 12.5 h Nov 05:40 18:44 13.1 h Dec 05:42 19:03 13.4 h Source: [GeoNames country and time-zone files (CC BY 4.0)](https://www.geonames.org/); [Wikidata (CC0) — plug types, mains voltage, driving side; retrieved 2026-11-02](https://www.wikidata.org/); [OurAirports (public domain)](https://ourairports.com/data/). Airports with scheduled passenger flights; straight-line distances. Daylight is calculated for the 15th of each month in local standard time. Check entry and visa rules with official government sources before travelling. ## Provinces of Potosí Department Province Area km² Municipalities Services [Alonso de Ibáñez Province](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/potosi/alonso-de-ibanez/) 1,437 2 124 [Antonio Quijarro Province](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/potosi/antonio-quijarro/) 16,884 3 353 [Chayanta Province](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/potosi/chayanta/) 5,153 4 304 [Chárcas Province](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/potosi/charcas/) 3,395 2 193 [Cornelio Saavedra Province](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/potosi/cornelio-saavedra/) 3,236 3 215 [Daniel Campos Province](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/potosi/daniel-campos/) 10,579 2 57 [Enrique Baldivieso Province](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/potosi/enrique-baldivieso/) 2,345 1 10 [General Bilbao Province](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/potosi/general-bilbao/) 762 2 58 [José María Linares Province](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/potosi/jose-maria-linares/) 4,886 3 173 [Modesto Omiste Province](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/potosi/modesto-omiste/) 2,497 1 124 [Nor Chichas Province](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/potosi/nor-chichas/) 8,094 2 171 [Nor Lipez Province](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/potosi/nor-lipez/) 28,367 2 108 [Rafael Bustillo Province](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/potosi/rafael-bustillo/) 2,120 4 195 [Sur Chichas Province](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/potosi/sur-chichas/) 8,494 2 258 [Sur Lipez Province](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/potosi/sur-lipez/) 16,185 3 47 [Tomás Frías Province](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/potosi/tomas-frias/) 4,773 4 538 Source: [Ministerio de Desarrollo Rural y Tierras via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-bol); [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/); [Overture Maps places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)](https://overturemaps.org/). ## Largest towns in Potosí Department - Potosí141,251 - Villazón30,253 - Llallagua28,069 - Tupiza22,233 - Ckochas14,338 - Colchani11,988 - Uyuni10,293 - Uncía8,902 - Porco5,959 - Betanzos4,847 - Santa Bárbara2,434 - Santiago de Cotagaita1,904 - Atocha1,833 - Colquechaca1,706 - Alota75 Source: [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/). Populations as recorded in GeoNames, which may be older than the estimates above. ## Landscape and landmarks of Potosí Department Named natural and historic features inside Potosí Department, from the GeoNames gazetteer. ### Water 684 rivers and streams; 65 lakes. - Aralaguna - Arroyo Aguas Calientes - Arroyo Aguas Calientes - Arroyo Pontohuaico - Arroyo Puripica - Arroyo Salado - Arroyo Suripoyo - Arroyo de Empexa - Arroyo de Garita - Arroyo de Isma - Chachahuasi - Chaqui Laguna - Horno - Lago Llaillacuripampa - Lago de Caracota - Laguna Arenal - Laguna Blanca - Laguna Busch - Laguna Cachallcha - Laguna Cachi - Laguna Capina - Laguna Castor - Laguna Celeste - Laguna Chalviri …and 725 more. ### Coast and islands 1 island. - Isla Chica ### Hills and mountains 957 mountains; 125 hills; 40 mountain passes. - Cerro Caquella · 5,944 m - Cerro Sonequera · 5,878 m - Cerro Loromayu · 5,872 m - Cerro Cañapa · 5,862 m - Cerro Pastos Grandes · 5,817 m - Cerro Tomasamil · 5,803 m - Cerro Kapina · 5,708 m - Cerro Bravo · 5,707 m - Cerro Quetena · 5,693 m - Cerro Negro · 5,682 m - Cerro Amarillo · 5,661 m - Cerro Bonete · 5,655 m - Cerro Uturunco · 5,653 m - Cerro Sanabria · 5,644 m - Cerro Moroco · 5,642 m - Cerro Piedras · 5,591 m - Cerro Cachi Laguna · 5,585 m - Cerro Arenal · 5,536 m - Cerro Mesada Negra · 5,527 m - Cerro Guayaques · 5,525 m - Cerro El Volcán · 5,509 m - Cerro Llancor · 5,503 m - Cerro Nuevo Mundo · 5,485 m - Cerro Chulluncani · 5,476 m …and 1,098 more. ### Forests and nature 2 parks; 1 nature reserve. - Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve - Eduardo Avaroa National Park - Toro Toro National Park ### History 2 ruins. - Icala - Incali ### Getting around 28 railway stations; 9 airfields; 5 airports. - Allita - Captain Nicolas Rojas Airport - Cerdas Airport - Estación Agua Castilla - Estación Agua Dulce - Estación Allita - Estación Avaroa - Estación Cebadillas - Estación Cerdas - Estación Chanca - Estación Chiguana - Estación Chita - Estación Condoriri - Estación Cóndor - Estación Escoriani - Estación Julaca - Estación Mariaca - Estación Medinaceli - Estación Moraya - Estación Oploca - Estación Oro Ingenio - Estación Paraaguas - Estación Quegua - Estación Rodero …and 18 more. Source: [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/). Places of worship are not listed. Elevations are from the GeoNames terrain model and are approximate. ## Weather in Potosí Department and the best time to visit In Potosí Department, the warmest month is Dec (average 12 °C) and the coolest is Jul (2 °C). About 354 mm of rain falls in a year; the wettest month is Jan (92 mm) and the driest Jun (2 mm). The most comfortable months for a visit are **November to March**. - Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun - Jul - Aug - Sep - Oct - Nov - Dec Month Average °C Rain mm Jan 11 92 Feb 11 79 Mar 10 50 Apr 7 12 May 4 2 Jun 2 2 Jul 2 2 Aug 3 2 Sep 6 7 Oct 8 20 Nov 10 22 Dec 12 64 Source: [NASA POWER climatology, retrieved 2026-10-29](https://power.larc.nasa.gov/). ## Hospitals, banks and other services in Potosí Department Places mapped inside Potosí Department in open map data, by type — each number opens the full list with locations. - Hospitals104 - Banks39 - ATMs12 - Petrol pumps32 - Hotels270 - Shopping malls4 - Schools2,083 - Colleges and universities36 - Cinemas2 - Pharmacies49 - Restaurants264 - Police stations14 - Dental clinics19 Source: [Overture Maps places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)](https://overturemaps.org/). Coverage depends on what has been mapped; contact details are not shown. ## Quick answers - Where is Potosí Department?In Bolivia - What is the population of Potosí Department?916,087 (2022 estimate) - What is the median age in Potosí Department?About 24 years (2022 estimate) - What is the population density of Potosí Department?About 7.7 people per km² - What borders Potosí Department?Chuquisaca Department, Cochabamba Department, Oruro Department and Tarija Department - What is there to see in Potosí Department?0-4-0T, Acantilado al Valle Anaconda, Access point to the Licancabur Volcano's trail, Acueducto de la Ribera de los Ingenios - What time zone is Potosí Department in?UTC−4 - What currency is used in Potosí Department?Boliviano (BOB) - What language is spoken in Potosí Department?Spanish, Quechua, Aymara (main languages nationally) - What is the largest town in Potosí Department?Potosí - What is the highest point in Potosí Department?Cerro Caquella (5,944 m, GeoNames elevation model) - What is the best time to visit Potosí Department?November to March - How many hospitals are in Potosí Department?104 mapped - How many banks are in Potosí Department?39 mapped - How many ATMs are in Potosí Department?12 mapped - How many petrol pumps are in Potosí Department?32 mapped - What is the P-code of Potosí Department?BO05 (OCHA common operational dataset)