Santa Cruz Department
Encyclopedia
Motto: Siempre libres cruceños seamos Anthem: Bajo el cielo más puro de América |
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| Capital | Santa Cruz de la Sierra Santa Cruz de la Sierra Santa Cruz de la Sierra, commonly known as Santa Cruz, is the capital of the Santa Cruz department in eastern Bolivia and the largest city in the country... |
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| Largest city | Santa Cruz de la Sierra Santa Cruz de la Sierra Santa Cruz de la Sierra, commonly known as Santa Cruz, is the capital of the Santa Cruz department in eastern Bolivia and the largest city in the country... |
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| Official language Official language An official language is a language that is given a special legal status in a particular country, state, or other jurisdiction. Typically a nation's official language will be the one used in that nation's courts, parliament and administration. However, official status can also be used to give a... s |
Spanish Spanish language Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the... , Portuguese Portuguese language Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095... , Guaraní Guaraní language Guaraní, specifically the primary variety known as Paraguayan Guaraní , is an indigenous language of South America that belongs to the Tupí–Guaraní subfamily of the Tupian languages. It is one of the official languages of Paraguay , where it is spoken by the majority of the population, and half of... |
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| Provinces | 15 | |||||
| Area Area Area is a quantity that expresses the extent of a two-dimensional surface or shape in the plane. Area can be understood as the amount of material with a given thickness that would be necessary to fashion a model of the shape, or the amount of paint necessary to cover the surface with a single coat... - total - % de Bolivia |
Place nº 1 370,621 km² 33.74% |
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| Population Population A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals... - Total (2005) - % of Bolivia - Density Density The mass density or density of a material is defined as its mass per unit volume. The symbol most often used for density is ρ . In some cases , density is also defined as its weight per unit volume; although, this quantity is more properly called specific weight... |
Place nº 2 2,433,602 26.08% 6.57hab./km² |
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| Creation | July 23, 1826 | |||||
| Governor Prefect Prefect is a magisterial title of varying definition.... |
Ruben Costas Rubén Costas Rubén Armando Costas Aguilera is the governor of Bolivia's Santa Cruz department for the Truth and Social Democracy party. Previously he served as prefect on behalf of the Autonomy for Bolivia party... (APB) |
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| Senators | Oscar Ortiz (PODEMOS) Jorge Agulera (PODEMOS) Guido Guardia (MAS Movement for Socialism (Bolivia) The Movement for Socialism-Political Instrument for the Sovereignty of the Peoples , alternately referred to as "Movement Toward Socialism" or "Movement to Socialism", is a left-wing, socialist, Bolivian political organization led by Evo Morales, founded in 1995... ) |
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| Deputies | 25 out of 130 | |||||
| Calling Code: | + (591) 3 | |||||
| ISO 3166-2 ISO 3166-2:BO ISO 3166-2:BO is the entry for Bolivia in ISO 3166-2, part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization , which defines codes for the names of the principal subdivisions of all countries coded in ISO 3166-1.Currently for Bolivia, ISO 3166-2 codes are... |
BO-S | |||||
| Abbreviations | SC | |||||
| Website Website A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet... |
http://www.santacruz.gob.bo | |||||
Santa Cruz, with an area of 370,621 km², is the largest of the nine constituent departments
Departments of Bolivia
Bolivia is divided into nine departments . Each of the departments is subdivided into provinces , which are further subdivided into municipalities ....
of Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
. In the 2001 census, it reported a population of 2,029,471. The capital is the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, commonly known as Santa Cruz, is the capital of the Santa Cruz department in eastern Bolivia and the largest city in the country...
. The state is one of the wealthiest states in Bolivia with huge reserves of natural gas. Highlighting the cultural, economic, and political divides between the people of the highlands (occident) and lowlands (orient) of Bolivia, the efforts by the Bolivian president Evo Morales to introduce land reforms and redistribute the natural gas revenues with the poorer indigenous people in western Bolivia, alongside promoting and enacting ethnocentrist measures while further centralizing political power, has spurred on divisions within the country and calls and action for greater regional/departmental autonomy.
Government and administration
According to current ConstitutionConstitution of Bolivia
The current Constitution of Bolivia is the 17th constitution in the country's history; previous constitutions were enacted in 1826, 1831, 1834, 1839, 1843, 1851, 1861, 1868, 1871, 1878, 1880, 1938, 1945, 1947, 1961 and 1967. It came into effect on February 7, 2009, when it was promulgated by...
, the highest authority in the department lies with the governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
. The former figure of prefect was appointed by the President of the Republic
President of Bolivia
The President of Bolivia is head of state and head of government of Bolivia. According to the current Constitution, the president is elected by popular vote to a five year term, renewable once...
till 2005, when the prefect for the first time was elected by popular vote to serve for a five-year term. In 2010 the first governor was elected according to the implementation of autonomy after a struggle for almost a decade by the people of Santa Cruz.
Santa Cruz also has a Departmental Assembly (Asamblea Departamental), which derives but differs from the previous Departmental Council (Consejo Departamental). It is a state legislature with limited legislation powers, being able to make laws in certain subjects in exclusivity and in some others in concurrence with the state legislative branch.
Economy
The department covers a vast expanse of territory in eastern Bolivia, much of it rainforestRainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
s, extending from the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
to the border with Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. The department's economy depends largely on agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, with sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
, cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
, soybean
Soybean
The soybean or soya bean is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean which has numerous uses...
s and rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
being grown. The amount of land cultivated by modern farming techniques is increasing rapidly in the Santa Cruz area, where weather allows for two crops a year.
In recent years, the discovery of natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
in the department has led to plans for the development of a regional natural gas industry that is likely to boost the local economy.
Bolivia’s energy minister said two proposed liquefied petroleum gas plants may allow the country to boost supplies to Brazil and Argentina by 2010, easing a shortage of the fuel after a lack of investment reduced output.
The processing plants would be built in Santa Cruz and each would produce about 200 tons of liquefied petroleum gas a day. The plants would help turn a deficit of gas into a “surplus”.
The department also hosts El Mutún
El Mutún
El Cerro Mutún is the world's largest iron ore deposit. Located in the Germán Busch Province in the Santa Cruz Department of Bolivia, near Puerto Suárez, it extends across the border into Brazil, where it is called the Serrania de Jacadigo. Also known as the "Serrania Mutún", it has an area of...
, the world's second largest iron ore reserve (after Carajás in Brazil) and largest magnesium
Magnesium
Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, atomic number 12, and common oxidation number +2. It is an alkaline earth metal and the eighth most abundant element in the Earth's crust and ninth in the known universe as a whole...
deposits are also located there. Located in the Germán Busch Province in the Santa Cruz Department of Bolivia, near Puerto Suárez, El Mutún extends across the border into Brazil, where it is called the Serrania de Jacadigo. Also known as the "Serrania Mutún", it has an area of about 75 square kilometers. Its estimated reserves are about 40.205 billion tons of iron ore of 50% iron, mainly in hematite and magnetite form, and in lesser quantities in siderite and manganese minerals. This can be compared with an estimate of the total world reserves of iron ore: 800 billion tons of crude ore containing more than 230 billion tons of iron.
In July 2004, the people voted in a nation-wide referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
to allow for regulated exportation of the gas.
Geography
Santa Cruz Deartment is the largest of the Bolivian departments and covers a wide and diverse area. In the west lies a series of temperate Sub-Andean ranges and valleys while to the north and south lies two different lowlands areas; the Beni and ChacoGran Chaco
The Gran Chaco is a sparsely populated, hot and semi-arid lowland region of the Río de la Plata basin, divided among eastern Bolivia, Paraguay, northern Argentina and a portion of the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, where it is connected with the Pantanal region...
lowlands respectively. To the northeast lies the flat Llanos Chiquitanos areas and beyond these the Serranías Chiquitanas
Serranías Chiquitanas
The Serranías Chiquitanas are a group of low mountain ranges in the northeast of the Bolivian department of Santa Cruz. The ranges are located at the southern periphery of the discrete massif of the Guaporé shield. The Serranías Chiquitanas stands out of the sorrounding lowlands as a series of...
ranges. In the far east the departments have small parts of the huge Pantanal
Pantanal
The Pantanal is a tropical wetland and one of the world's largest wetland of any kind. Most of it lies within the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, but it extends into Mato Grosso and portions of Bolivia and Paraguay, sprawling over an area estimated at between and...
wetland.
Demographics
The first settlers of Santa Cruz were mainly Spaniards that accompanied Ñuflo de Chávez, as well as Guarani natives from ParaguayParaguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
, and some Flemings
Flemish people
The Flemings or Flemish are the Dutch-speaking inhabitants of Belgium, where they are mostly found in the northern region of Flanders. They are one of two principal cultural-linguistic groups in Belgium, the other being the French-speaking Walloons...
, Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
, Germans and Italians
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
working for the Spanish crown.Among the first settlers there were also Sephardic Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
recently converted to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
who were persecuted in by the inquisition
Inquisition
The Inquisition, Inquisitio Haereticae Pravitatis , was the "fight against heretics" by several institutions within the justice-system of the Roman Catholic Church. It started in the 12th century, with the introduction of torture in the persecution of heresy...
in Spain. Santa Cruz has a multicultural population: 78% is mestizo
Mestizo
Mestizo is a term traditionally used in Latin America, Philippines and Spain for people of mixed European and Native American heritage or descent...
with both Native and European ascendants, 15% is White of European descent and 7% Natives.
Climate
At 416 meters above sea level, it is warm and tropical most of the year. Winters are short and last only 2–3 months but can get very cold very suddenly. "Surazos" (southerly winds that blow in from Argentina) can drop the temperature by as much as 30 degrees overnight. This extreme cold lasts only a few days at a time and the beautiful, sub-tropical Santa Cruz is pleasant throughout most of the year. Here the climate varies by geographical zone: temperate to cold in the western sierras and warm to hot and humid as one descends into the extensive plains.Provinces
The Department of Santa Cruz is divided into 15 provinces.| Province | Capital | Area (km²) | Population (2005) |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrés Ibáñez Andrés Ibáñez Province Andrés Ibáñez Province is one of the fifteen provinces of the Bolivian Santa Cruz Department, situated in the western part of the department. Its capital is Santa Cruz de la Sierra which is also the capital of the department.... |
Santa Cruz de la Sierra Santa Cruz de la Sierra Santa Cruz de la Sierra, commonly known as Santa Cruz, is the capital of the Santa Cruz department in eastern Bolivia and the largest city in the country... |
4,821 | 1,549,849 | |
| Ignacio Warnes Ignacio Warnes Province Ignacio Warnes is one of the fifteen provinces of the Bolivian Santa Cruz Department and is situated in the department's central parts. The province name honors Colonel Ignacio Warnes , a military leader in the South American war of independence.... |
Warnes Warnes (Santa Cruz) Warnes is a town in Bolivia. It is located 24 kilometers north of Santa Cruz de la Sierra.- External links :*... |
1,216 | 62,417 | |
| José Miguel de Velasco José Miguel de Velasco Province José Miguel de Velasco or Velasco is a province in the Santa Cruz department of Bolivia. Its capital is San Ignacio de Velasco. The province is named after the Bolivian president José Miguel de Velasco Franco. It was created by law on October 12, 1880, during the presidency of Narciso Campero... |
San Ignacio San Ignacio de Velasco San Ignacio de Velasco, San Ignacio, or SIV is the capital of the José Miguel de Velasco Province and the San Ignacio de Velasco Municipality in the Santa Cruz Department of Bolivia.-People:... |
65,425 | 64,517 | |
| Ichilo Ichilo Province Ichilo is one of the fifteen provinces of the Bolivian Santa Cruz Department and is situated in the department's north-western parts. The province was founded by a decree of 8 April 1926 and is named after Río Ichilo which is forming the province border in the West.- Location :Ignacio Warnes... |
Buena Vista Buena Vista, Ichilo Buena Vista is a small town in the Bolivian lowlands in the Santa Cruz Department. The town was founded in November 26th 1964 as the Jesuit Mission of the betrothal Saints of Joseph and Maria.- Location :... |
14,232 | 82,952 | |
| Chiquitos Chiquitos Province Chiquitanía is a region of tropical savannas in the Santa Cruz Department in eastern Bolivia."Chiquitos" is the colonial name for what is now essentially five of the six provinces that make up the Chiquitania, a region in Bolivia's Santa Cruz department. "Chiquitos" refers to a region, not a tribe... |
San José San José de Chiquitos San José de Chiquitos or simply San José is the capital of Chiquitos Province in the Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia. It is known as part of the Jesuit Missions of the Chiquitos, which is declared in 1990 a World Heritage Site, as a former Jesuit Reduction.- External links :* * *... |
31,429 | 70,319 | |
| Sara Sara Province Sara is a province in the Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia. Its capital is Portachuelo.- Subdivision :The province is divided into three municipalities which are further subdivided into cantons.... |
Portachuelo | 6,886 | 42,157 | |
| Cordillera | Lagunillas Lagunillas (Cordillera) Lagunillas is a location in the Santa Cruz Department in Bolivia. It is the seat of the Lagunillas Municipality, the first municipal section of the Cordillera Province.-References:... |
86,245 | 108,843 | |
| Vallegrande Vallegrande Province Vallegrande is a province in the Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia.-Subdivision:The province is divided into 5 municipios :-See also:*La Higuera... |
Vallegrande Vallegrande Vallegrande is a small colonial town in Bolivia, located in the Department of Santa Cruz, some 125 km southwest of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. It is the capital of the Vallegrande Province and Vallegrande Municipality and serves as a regionally important market town... |
6,414 | 27,691 | |
| Florida Florida Province Florida is a province in the Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia. Its capital is Samaipata. The province was created by law on December 15, 1924.-Division:The province is divided into four municipalities which are further subdivided into cantons.... |
Samaipata Samaipata, Bolivia The town of Samaipata is located in the department of Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Samaipata is a Quechua word that means: The Height to Rest. With its delightful subtropical climate and an altitude of 1600-1800 m it tempts foreigners to settle... |
4,132 | 29,850 | |
| Obispo Santiesteban Obispo Santistevan Province Obispo Santistevan is one of the fifteen provinces of the Bolivian Santa Cruz department and is situated in the department's western parts. The province was founded on 2 December 1941, and its name honors Obispo Santistevan , famous supporter of the building of Santa Cruz Cathedral... |
Montero Montero Montero has an elevation of 300 meters above sea level and an average temperature of 23 °C. The city is predominantly agricultural, producing soybeans, cotton, corn and rice.... |
3,673 | 166,267 | |
| Ñuflo de Chávez Ñuflo de Chávez Province Ñuflo de Chávez is one of the fifteen provinces of the Bolivian Santa Cruz Department and is situated in the northern central parts of the department. The name of the province honors the conquistador Ñuflo de Chaves who founded the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Its capital is Concepción... |
Concepción | 54,150 | 116,101 | |
| Ángel Sandoval Ángel Sandoval Province Ángel Sandoval Province is one of the fifteen provinces of the Bolivian Santa Cruz Department and is situated in the department's eastern parts.- Location :... |
San Matías | 37,442 | 14,362 | |
| Manuel Maria Caballero Manuel María Caballero Province Manuel María Caballero Province is one of the fifteen provinces of the Bolivian Santa Cruz Department and is situated in the department's western parts... |
Comarapa Comarapa Comarapa is a small town in Bolivia. In 2009 it had an estimated population of 5793. It is located roughly halfway between Cochabamba and Santa Cruz.-References:... |
2,310 | 22,142 | |
| Germán Busch Germán Busch Province Germán Busch is a province in the Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia. Most of the surface is covered by the Pantanal, the largest wetland area in the world.-History:... |
Puerto Suárez Puerto Suárez Puerto Suárez is an important inland river port and municipality in Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia. It is located 10 km west of the border with Brazil.-Location:... |
24,903 | 37,637 | |
| Guarayos Guarayos Province Guarayos is a province in the northwestern parts of the Bolivian Santa Cruz Department.- Location :Guarayos is one of fifteen provinces in the Santa Cruz Department... |
Ascensión Ascención de Guarayos Ascención de Guarayos is a town in Bolivia. In 2010 it had an estimated population of 18,816.... |
20,293 | 38,498 |
Call for autonomy
Eastern provinces in Bolivia including the Santa Cruz has majority of the natural gas reserves. Bolivian president Evo Morales is planning to introduce legislation to tackle the poverty in the country by redistrubuting the wealth of the nation.In May 2008, the government of Santa Cruz began conducting a referendum for autonomy from the national government over, among other things, strains between the local government and President
President of Bolivia
The President of Bolivia is head of state and head of government of Bolivia. According to the current Constitution, the president is elected by popular vote to a five year term, renewable once...
Evo Morales
Evo Morales
Juan Evo Morales Ayma , popularly known as Evo , is a Bolivian politician and activist, currently serving as the 80th President of Bolivia, a position that he has held since 2006. He is also the leader of both the Movement for Socialism party and the cocalero trade union...
.Morales's attempts to change the constitution have been fiercely opposed by opposition governors who run five of Bolivia's nine regions. Final results from the referendum showed that 85.6% of participating voters supported autonomy.
Languages
The languages spoken in the department are mainly SpanishSpanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and Quechua
Quechua languages
Quechua is a Native South American language family and dialect cluster spoken primarily in the Andes of South America, derived from an original common ancestor language, Proto-Quechua. It is the most widely spoken language family of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, with a total of probably...
due to the migrating waves from the west side of the country. The following table shows the number of those belonging to the recognized group of speakers.
| Language | Department | Bolivia |
|---|---|---|
| Quechua Quechua languages Quechua is a Native South American language family and dialect cluster spoken primarily in the Andes of South America, derived from an original common ancestor language, Proto-Quechua. It is the most widely spoken language family of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, with a total of probably... |
256,480 | 2,281,198 |
| Aymara Aymara language Aymara is an Aymaran language spoken by the Aymara people of the Andes. It is one of only a handful of Native American languages with over three million speakers. Aymara, along with Quechua and Spanish, is an official language of Peru and Bolivia... |
52,698 | 1,525,321 |
| Guaraní Guaraní language Guaraní, specifically the primary variety known as Paraguayan Guaraní , is an indigenous language of South America that belongs to the Tupí–Guaraní subfamily of the Tupian languages. It is one of the official languages of Paraguay , where it is spoken by the majority of the population, and half of... |
45,574 | 62,575 |
| Another native | 19,167 | 49,432 |
| Spanish Spanish language Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the... |
1,846,263 | 6,821,626 |
| Foreign | 100,345 | 250,754 |
| Only native | 40,796 | 960,491 |
| Native and Spanish | 315,064 | 2,739,407 |
| Spanish and foreign | 1,559,541 | 4,115,751 |
Places of interest
- Kaa-Iya del Gran Chaco National Park and Integrated Management Natural AreaKaa-Iya del Gran Chaco National Park and Integrated Management Natural AreaKaa-Iya del Gran Chaco National Park and Integrated Management Natural Area is the biggest national park in Bolivia and one of the largest in South America. It is a protected area in the region of the Gran Chaco and has a larger surface area than Belgium...
- Tucavaca Valley Municipal ReserveTucavaca Valley Municipal ReserveTucavaca Valley Municipal Reserve is a protected area in Bolivia situated in the Santa Cruz Department, Chiquitos Province, Roboré Municipality. The reserve is located at an altitude between 200 m and 1250 m above sea level...