Santa Cruz Department (Bolivia)

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Santa Cruz Departamento de Santa Cruz (Spanish)
Department
View of the Guapay River
Flag Coat of arms
Motto:  Siempre libres cruceños seamos. (Free Cruceños may we always be)
Anthem: Himno a Santa Cruz
Location within Bolivia
Country	Bolivia
Capital	Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Provinces	15
Established as department by law	23 July 1826
Government
• Governor	Luis Fernando Camacho (Creemos)
• Lieutenant governor	Mario Aguilera (Creemos)
• Senators	Centa Rek (Creemos) Henry Montero (Creemos) Isidoro Quispe (MAS) Soledad Flores (MAS)
Area
• Total	370,621 km2 (143,098 sq mi)
• Rank	1st in Bolivia
	33.74% of Bolivia
Population  (2020)
• Total	3,370,100
• Density	9.1/km2 (24/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-4 (BOT)
Area code	+(591) 3
Official language	Spanish, Guaraní
ISO 3166-2	BO-S
GDP (2023)	in constant Dollar of 2015[1]
- Total	US$ 15.5 billion Int$ 36.3 billion (PPP)
- Per capita	US$ 4,200 Int$ 9,900 (PPP)
HDI (2019)	0.777[2] high · 1st of 9
Website	www.santacruz.gob.bo

Santa Cruz (Spanish pronunciation: [ˌsanta ˈkɾus]) is the largest of the nine constituent departments of Bolivia, occupying about one-third (33.74%) of the country's territory. With an area of 370,621 km² (143,098 sq mi), it is slightly smaller than Japan or the US state of Montana. It is located in the eastern part of the country, sharing borders in the north and east with Brazil and with Paraguay in the south.

In the 2012 census, it reported a population of 3,412,921, making it the most populated department. The capital is the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. The department is one of the wealthiest departments in Bolivia, with huge reserves of natural gas. Besides, it has experienced the highest increase of economic growth during the last 50 years in Bolivia and South America.