| Official Name: | Sur Lípez / Sud Lípez |
| Settlement Type: | Province |
| Mapsize: | 250px |
| Image Map1: | Bolivia department of potosi.png |
| Mapsize1: | 250px |
| Map Caption1: | Provinces of the Potosí Department |
| Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of San Rafael within Bolivia |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Bolivia |
| Subdivision Type1: | Department |
| Subdivision Name1: | Potosí Department |
| Seat Type: | Capital |
| Seat: | San Pablo |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Total Km2: | 22355 |
| Population As Of: | 2001 |
| Population Total: | 4905 |
| Population Density Km2: | 0.3 |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Ethnicities |
| Population Blank1: | Quechua |
| Population Blank2 Title: | Religions |
| Timezone: | BOT |
| Utc Offset: | -4 |
| Coordinates: | -22.0667°N -67.1167°W |
Sur Lípez or Sud Lípez is a province in the Potosí Department in Bolivia. The seat of the province is San Pablo de Lípez.
Sur Lípez is one of sixteen provinces in the Potosí Department. Also, the southwesternmost point of Bolivia is located here, at 22° 49' 41.016" South, 67° 52' 35.004" West, at an elevation of approximately 5,400 m on the northeastern slope of the Licancabur volcano.
It is bordered by the Nor Lípez Province in the north and northwest, Enrique Baldivieso Province in the west, the Republic of Chile in the southwest and south, the Republic of Argentina in the southeast and east, and Sud Chichas Province in the northeast.
The province extends from the northeast to the southwest, at a length of 230 km and an average width of 100 km.
In its southwestern part, the Quetena Grande Canton lies in the Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve, the province has a couple of lakes and salt pans, the largest being Laguna Colorada, which is 10 km in diameter at an elevation of 4,278 m. Other lakes, such as Laguna Verde, Laguna Blanca and Laguna Celeste are also well known for their respectively green, white and blue colors. There is a geyser field called "Sol de Mañana" in southwestern Sur Lípez.[1]
The Cordillera de Lípez traverses the province. The highest mountain of the province is Uturunku at 6008m (19,711feet). Other mountains are listed below:[2] [3] [4]
The tourist circuit La Ruta de las Joyas Altoandinas passes through the spectacular geography of this area.
The province comprises three municipalities are further subdivided into cantons.
| Section | Municipality | Seat |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | San Pablo de Lípez | |
| 2nd | Mojinete | |
| 3rd | ||
The population increased from 4,158 (1992 census) to 4,905 inhabitants (2001 census), an increase of 18%.
99.4% of the population have no access to electricity, and 90% have no sanitary facilities. 69% of the population is employed in agriculture, 4% in mining, 4% in industry, and 23% in general services. 86% of the population are Catholics, 9% are Protestants.
The people are predominantly indigenous citizens of Quechua descent.[5]
| Ethnic group | San Pablo de Lípez Municipality (%) | Mojinete Municipality (%) | San Antonio de Esmoruco Municipality (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quechua | 81.5 | 98.3 | 88.4 |
| Aymara | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.5 |
| Guaraní, Chiquitos, Moxos | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 17.5 | 0.37 | 10.9 | |
| Other indigenous groups | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.02 |
The languages spoken in the province are mainly Spanish and Quechua.
| Language | San Pablo de Lípez Municipality | Mojinete Municipality | San Antonio de Esmoruco Municipality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quechua | 1,722 | 595 | 1,344 |
| Aymara | 24 | 3 | 9 |
| Guaraní | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Another native | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Spanish | 2,043 | 571 | 1,315 |
| Foreign | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Only native | 313 | 95 | 204 |
| Native and Spanish | 1,419 | 503 | 1,146 |
| Only Spanish | 624 | 68 | 169 |