# Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia – Provinces, Population & Map

> Source: https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/santa-cruz/

Department · Bolivia 

# Santa Cruz Department

Santa Cruz Department is a department of Bolivia. It had an estimated **3,425,399 people** in 2022 on 368,779 km² (about 9.3 per km²). Its main town is Santa Cruz de la Sierra. It is divided into 15 provinces. 4,824 named villages and localities are recorded here, and 7,728 mapped services such as hospitals, banks and schools.

- 3,425,399people (2022)
- 368,779km²
- 15provinces
- 7,728mapped services

## How many people live in Santa Cruz Department?

Santa Cruz Department had an estimated **3,425,399 people** in 2022 — 28.5% of Bolivia (Estado Plurinacional de), the most populous of 9 departments. There are 981 women for every 1,000 men (below the Bolivia (Estado Plurinacional de) figure of 993). Spread over 368,779 km², that is about **9.3 people per km²**, 6th of 9 departments.

30.7% of people are children under 15 and 6.0% are 65 or older; the median age is about 25 years (it is 26 across Bolivia (Estado Plurinacional de)). For every 100 people of working age (15–64) there are 58 children and older people.

0–4 ****357,147**

5–9 ****355,829**

10–14 ****338,356**

15–19 ****321,255**

20–24 ****310,709**

25–29 ****300,242**

30–34 ****275,650**

35–39 ****240,495**

40–44 ****202,576**

45–49 ****170,994**

50–54 ****139,780**

55–59 ****113,448**

60–64 ****91,886**

65–69 ****72,884**

70–74 ****55,000**

75–79 ****37,771**

80+ ****41,377**

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 Santa Cruz Department?

Santa Cruz Department lies in [Bolivia](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/). It borders 3 other departments: [Beni Department](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/beni/), [Chuquisaca Department](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/chuquisaca/) and [Cochabamba Department](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/cochabamba/). By area it is the largest of 9 departments in Bolivia. It covers 34.1% of [Bolivia (Estado Plurinacional de)](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/). The centre of Santa Cruz Department is about 453 km in a straight line from Sucre, the capital. The centre point is at 16.9745° S, 61.5608° 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 Santa Cruz Department

OpenStreetMap lists 324 named sights in Santa Cruz Department: 123 attractions; 47 viewpoints; 38 museums; 36 monuments; 22 memorials; 13 waterfalls; 11 nature reserves; 10 galleries; 7 archaeological sites; 4 national parks; 3 hot springs; 2 aquariums; 2 theme parks; 2 zoos; 1 beach; 1 cave; 1 castle or fort; 1 city gate.

- Archeological Museum · museum
- Casa Municipal de Cultura Raúl Otero Reiche · museum
- Casa Municipal de la Cultura de Montero · museum
- Casa de la Cultura de Portachuelo · museum
- Casa de la Cultura de San Ignacio de Velasco · museum
- Catedral de San Ignacio · museum
- Centro Cultural Casa Melchor Pinto · museum
- Galería Museo Roca Grabato · museum
- Guaraní museum · museum
- Misión Jesuítica de San Miguel · museum
- Museo Arqueológico Los Sotos · museum
- Museo Arqueológico Regional de Samaipata · museum
- Museo Arqueológico de Saipina · museum
- Museo Arqueológico y Cultural San Carlos · museum
- Museo Catedralicio de Arte Sacro Monseñor Carlos Gericke Suarez) · museum
- Museo Comunal La Higuera · museum
- Museo Histocheval · museum
- Museo Histórico Militar Héroes de la Guerra del Chaco · museum
- Museo Histórico Okinawa Bolivia · museum
- Museo Misional de Concepción · museum
- Museo Santa Cruz La Vieja · museum
- Museo de Arte Contemporáneo (MAC) · museum
- Museo de Arte Originario y Popular de Tierras Bajas · museum
- Museo de Boyuibe · museum
- Museo de Historia Nacional Teniente Coronel German Bush · museum
- Museo de Historia Natural Noel Kempf Mercado · museum
- Museo de Historia Regional de la UAGRM · museum
- Museo de inmigración japonesa · museum
- Museo de la Arena · museum
- Museo de la Hoja · museum

…and 294 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: Santa Cruz 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

- Viru Viru International Airport (VVI) · Santa Cruz183 km
- El Trompillo Airport (SRZ) · Santa Cruz195 km

### Daylight

Days are longest in Dec (about 13.1 hours, sunrise around 05:27) and shortest in Jun (about 11.1 hours, sunrise around 06:32, sunset around 17:39).

Month Sunrise Sunset Daylight 

Jan 05:43 18:45 13.0 h 

Feb 06:00 18:40 12.7 h 

Mar 06:09 18:22 12.2 h 

Apr 06:14 17:58 11.7 h 

May 06:22 17:42 11.3 h 

Jun 06:32 17:39 11.1 h 

Jul 06:36 17:47 11.2 h 

Aug 06:25 17:56 11.5 h 

Sep 06:02 18:00 12.0 h 

Oct 05:38 18:05 12.5 h 

Nov 05:24 18:17 12.9 h 

Dec 05:27 18:35 13.1 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 Santa Cruz Department

Province Area km² Municipalities Services 

[Andrés Ibáñez Province](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/santa-cruz/andres-ibanez/) 4,809 5 5,636 

[Angel Sandoval Province](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/santa-cruz/angel-sandoval/) 27,114 1 32 

[Chiquitos Province](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/santa-cruz/chiquitos/) 40,058 3 202 

[Cordillera Province](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/santa-cruz/cordillera/) 83,471 7 188 

[Florida Province](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/santa-cruz/florida/) 3,965 4 216 

[Germán Busch Province](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/santa-cruz/german-busch/) 25,535 3 75 

[Guarayos Province](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/santa-cruz/guarayos/) 33,325 3 98 

[Ichilo Province](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/santa-cruz/ichilo/) 15,152 4 183 

[Manuel María Caballero Province](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/santa-cruz/manuel-maria-caballero/) 3,768 2 41 

[Obispo Santistéban Province](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/santa-cruz/obispo-santisteban/) 5,050 5 349 

[Sara Province](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/santa-cruz/sara/) 5,495 3 37 

[Vallegrande Province](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/santa-cruz/vallegrande/) 6,100 5 141 

[Velasco Province](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/santa-cruz/velasco/) 68,728 3 177 

[Warnes Province](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/santa-cruz/warnes/) 2,376 2 155 

[Ñuflo De Chávez Province](https://wherepedia.org/bolivia/santa-cruz/nuflo-de-chavez/) 43,831 6 198 

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 Santa Cruz Department

- Santa Cruz de la Sierra1,831,434
- Montero88,616
- Camiri27,961
- San Ignacio de Velasco23,569
- Warnes22,036
- Ascención de Guarayos18,816
- Cotoca18,347
- Villa Yapacaní18,187
- El Torno15,543
- Ascensión14,429
- Mineros14,385
- Puerto Suárez12,546
- Okinawa Uno12,482
- Portachuelo11,485
- Puerto Quijarro10,392

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 Santa Cruz Department

Named natural and historic features inside Santa Cruz Department, from the GeoNames gazetteer.

### Water

279 rivers and streams; 206 lakes.

- Arroio Dolores
- Arroio Marimbambo
- Arroio de Boa Vista
- Arroyo Beni
- Arroyo Capiguaras
- Arroyo Carmen
- Arroyo Dulce
- Arroyo Dulce
- Arroyo El Oro
- Arroyo El Tinto
- Arroyo Guaraná
- Arroyo Herrería
- Arroyo Hondo
- Arroyo Ipias
- Arroyo Itili
- Arroyo La Plata
- Arroyo Méndez
- Arroyo Porvenir
- Arroyo Salado
- Arroyo San Andrés
- Arroyo San Antonio
- Arroyo San Fernando de la Cal
- Arroyo San Juan
- Arroyo Surybis

…and 461 more.

### Coast and islands

4 islands; 1 headland.

- Isla Las Flechas
- Isla do Lanterna
- Isla do Paredaosinho
- Isla dos Macacos
- Punta Dos

### Hills and mountains

135 mountains; 30 hills; 17 valleys; 13 mountain passes.

- Cerro El Mojón · 2,903 m
- Cerro Calizonudo · 2,713 m
- Cerro Naranjos · 2,571 m
- Cerro La Ojada · 2,555 m
- Cerro Bueno Vista · 2,496 m
- Abra Churú · 2,404 m
- Cerro Agua Blanca · 2,398 m
- Cerro Colorado · 2,229 m
- Cerro Lagunillas · 2,203 m
- Cerro Filo del Rasete · 2,190 m
- Cerro Cuevas · 2,176 m
- Cerro Alizar · 2,148 m
- Cerro Platillo · 2,147 m
- Monte Grande · 2,141 m
- Cerro Thancar · 2,125 m
- Abra Grande · 2,122 m
- Cerro Peña Blanca · 2,112 m
- Cerro Mesón · 2,108 m
- Cerro Las Tres Abras · 2,077 m
- Cerro Thancar · 2,077 m
- Abra Baja · 2,034 m
- Abra Chilón · 2,029 m
- Cerro Yunguillas · 2,007 m
- Cerro El Churo · 1,981 m

…and 171 more.

### Forests and nature

10 parks; 2 forests; 1 garden.

- Amboró National Park
- Buffalo Park
- Gardens of Peace Park
- Kaa-Iya National Park
- Memorial Park
- Monte El Lavadero
- Monte del Gallo
- Noel Kempff Mercado National Park
- Otuquis National Park
- Parque El Arenal
- Parque Urbano Central
- Santa Cruz Boatanical Garden
- Youth Park

### History

11 forts; 2 ruins; 1 ancient site.

- Fortín Alta Vista
- Fortín General Pando
- Fortín Ravelo
- Fortín Rosseti
- Fortín San Juan
- Fortín Santa Cruz
- Fortín Suárez Arana
- Fortín Ustares
- Fortín Vanguardia Primero
- Fortín Vanguardia Segundo
- Fortín Vitiones
- Fuerte de Samaipata
- Ruinas de Santo Corazón
- San Pablo

### Estates

2 estates.

- Algodonera Barcelona
- Palmar

### Getting around

47 airfields; 27 railway stations; 23 airports.

- Abapo Airport
- Ascención de Guarayos Airport
- Azafran
- Buena Vista
- Camiri Airport
- Capitán Av. Vidal Villagomez Toledo Airport
- Caranda Airport
- Charagua Airport
- Clara Rios
- Comunidad Loma Alto
- Comunidad Villa Copacabana
- Concepción Airport
- Desem Bocada
- El Naranjal
- El Remate
- El Trompillo Airport
- Espino Airport
- Estación Bañados del Tigre
- Estación Buen Retiro
- Estación Cañada Larga
- Estación Cerro Jesús
- Estación El Pailón
- Estación El Tinto
- Estación Empalme

…and 73 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 Santa Cruz Department and the best time to visit

In Santa Cruz Department, the warmest month is Oct (average 29 °C) and the coolest is Jun (23 °C). About 915 mm of rain falls in a year; the wettest month is Jan (148 mm) and the driest Jul (19 mm). The most comfortable months for a visit are **March to September**.

- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec

Month Average °C Rain mm 

Jan 27 148 

Feb 26 139 

Mar 26 100 

Apr 26 65 

May 23 55 

Jun 23 33 

Jul 23 19 

Aug 25 25 

Sep 27 37 

Oct 29 76 

Nov 28 95 

Dec 27 122 

Source: [NASA POWER climatology, retrieved 2026-10-29](https://power.larc.nasa.gov/).

## Hospitals, banks and other services in Santa Cruz Department

Places mapped inside Santa Cruz Department in open map data, by type — each number opens the full list with locations.

- Hospitals420
- Banks336
- ATMs127
- Petrol pumps245
- Hotels684
- Shopping malls108
- Schools1,224
- Colleges and universities166
- Cinemas13
- Pharmacies910
- Restaurants2,637
- Police stations94
- Dental clinics764

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 Santa Cruz Department?In Bolivia
- What is the population of Santa Cruz Department?3,425,399 (2022 estimate)
- What is the median age in Santa Cruz Department?About 25 years (2022 estimate)
- What is the population density of Santa Cruz Department?About 9.3 people per km²
- What borders Santa Cruz Department?Beni Department, Chuquisaca Department and Cochabamba Department
- What is there to see in Santa Cruz Department?"Los turos" cementerio indígena, Achira Entrada, Acuario Amazonico, Aguas Calientes
- What time zone is Santa Cruz Department in?UTC−4
- What currency is used in Santa Cruz Department?Boliviano (BOB)
- What language is spoken in Santa Cruz Department?Spanish, Quechua, Aymara (main languages nationally)
- What is the largest town in Santa Cruz Department?Santa Cruz de la Sierra
- What is the highest point in Santa Cruz Department?Cerro El Mojón (2,903 m, GeoNames elevation model)
- What is the best time to visit Santa Cruz Department?March to September
- How many hospitals are in Santa Cruz Department?420 mapped
- How many banks are in Santa Cruz Department?336 mapped
- How many ATMs are in Santa Cruz Department?127 mapped
- How many petrol pumps are in Santa Cruz Department?245 mapped
- What is the P-code of Santa Cruz Department?BO07 (OCHA common operational dataset)