CHUQUISACA  , a

department of S.E . Bolivia, bounded N. by Cochabamba and Santa Cruz, E. by Santa Cruz and Brazil, S. by Tarija, and W. by Potosi . It lies partly upon the eastern plateau of Bolivia and partly upon the great plains of the upper La Plata basin; area, 26,418 sq. m . The Pilcomayo, a large tributary of the Paraguay, crosses N.W. to S.E. the western part of the department . The climate of the lowlands is hot, humid and unhealthy, but that of the plateau is salubrious, though subject to greater extremes in temperature and rainfall . The seasons are sharply divided into wet and dry, the eastern plains becoming great lagoons during the wet season, and parched deserts during the dry . The mineral resources are important, but are less developed than those of Potosi and Oruro . Grazing is the principal industry of the plains, and cattle, sheep, goats and llamas are raised and cereals grown in the fertile valleys of the plateau . Three rough highways connect the department with its neighbours on the N. and W., and pack animals are the common means of transporting merchandise . The population was estimated at 204,434 in 1900, and is largely composed of Indians and mestizos . The plateau Indians are generally Aymaras, but on the eastern plains there are considerable settlements of partly civilized Chiriguanos, of Guarani origin . The department is divided into four provinces, the greater part of the lowlands being unsettled and without effective political organization .

Its principal towns are

Sucre, Camargo, Padilla and Yotala .