| Oruro | |
| Native Name: | Departamento de Oruro (Spanish) Ururu jach'a suyu (Aymara) |
| Settlement Type: | Department |
| Flag Size: | 100px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Capital |
| Subdivision Name1: | Oruro |
| Subdivision Type2: | Provinces |
| Subdivision Name2: | 16 |
| Governing Body: | Departmental Legislative Assembly of Oruro |
| Leader Party: | MAS-IPSP |
| Leader Title: | Governor |
| Leader Name: | Johnny Franklin Vedia |
| Area Total Km2: | 53588 |
| Population As Of: | 2012 census |
| Population Total: | 494178 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone: | BOT |
| Utc Offset: | -4 |
| Blank Name: | ISO 3166-2 |
| Blank Info: | BO-O |
| Blank1 Name: | Languages |
| Blank1 Info: | Spanish, Quechua, Aymara |
| Blank Name Sec1: | HDI (2019) |
| Blank Info Sec1: | 0.727[1] · 4th of 9 |
| Blank3 Name: | GDP (2023) |
| Blank3 Info: | constant Dollar of 2015[2] |
| Blank4 Name: | - Total |
| Blank4 Info: | US$ 1.6 billion Int$ 3.7 billion (PPP) |
| Blank5 Name: | - Per capita |
| Blank5 Info: | US$ 2,700 Int$ 6,400 (PPP) |
Oruro (pronounced as /es/; Quechua: Uru Uru; Aymara: Ururu) is a department of Bolivia, with an area of . Its capital is the city of Oruro. According to the 2012 census, the Oruro department had a population of 494,178.
The department is divided into 16 provinces which are further subdivided into municipalities and cantons.
| Province | Map # | Area (km2) | Population (2012 census) | Capital | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carangas | 10 | 5,472 | 11,041 | Corque | |
| Cercado | 2 | 5,766 | 309,277 | Oruro | |
| Eduardo Avaroa | 5 | 4,015 | 33,248 | Challapata | |
| Ladislao Cabrera | 12 | 8,818 | 14,678 | Salinas de Garci Mendoza | |
| Litoral | 13 | 2,894 | 10,409 | Huachacalla | |
| Nor Carangas | 8 | 870 | 5,502 | Huayllamarca | |
| Pantaleón Dalence | 3 | 1,210 | 29,497 | Huanuni | |
| Poopó | 4 | 3,061 | 16,775 | Poopó | |
| Puerto de Mejillones | 16 | 785 | 2,076 | La Rivera | |
| Sabaya | 15 | 5,885 | 10,924 | Sabaya | |
| Sajama | 14 | 5,790 | 9,390 | Curahuara de Carangas | |
| San Pedro de Totora | 9 | 1,487 | 5,531 | Totora | |
| Saucarí | 7 | 1,671 | 10,149 | Toledo | |
| Sebastian Pagador | 6 | 1,972 | 13,153 | Santiago de Huari | |
| Sud Carangas | 11 | 3,536 | 7,231 | Santiago de Andamarca | |
| Tomás Barrón | 1 | 356 | 5,267 | Eucaliptus |
Note: Eduardo Abaroa Province (#5) is both north of and south of Sebastián Pagador Province (#6).
The chief executive officer of Bolivian departments (since May 2010) is the governor; until then, the office was called the prefect, and until 2006 the prefect was appointed by the president of Bolivia. The current governor, Johnny Franklin Vedia Rodríguez of the Movement for Socialism – Political Instrument for the Sovereignty of the Peoples, was elected on 7 March 2021.[3] [4]
| Took office | Office expired | Prefect/Governor | Party | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Jan 2006 | 30 May 2010 | Alberto Luís Aguilar Calle | MAS-IPSP | First elected prefect. Elected in Bolivian general election, December 2005 | |
| 30 May 2010 | 31 May 2015 | Santos Javier Tito Véliz | MAS-IPSP | Elected in the first round of the regional election on 4 April 2010; first governor. | |
| 31 May 2015 | 19 Nov 2019 | Víctor Hugo Vásquez Mamani | MAS-IPSP | Elected in the first round of the regional election on 29 March 2015. | |
| 19 Nov 2019 | 31 May 2020 | Zenón Pizarro Garisto (interim) | MAS-IPSP | ||
| 31 May 2020 | 3 May 2021 | Edson Milton Oczachoque Gerónimo (interim) | MAS-IPSP | ||
| 3 May 2021 | Johnny Franklin Vedia Rodríguez | MAS-IPSP | Elected in the first round of the regional election on 7 March 2021. |
The chief legislative body of the department is the Departmental Legislative Assembly, a body also first elected on 4 April 2010. It consists of 33 members: 16 elected by each of the department's provinces; 16 elected based on proportional representation; and minority indigenous representative selected by the Uru-Chipaya people.
After the regional election on 7 March 2021, the legislature met for its first session of 3 May 2021 and elected a new executive committee consisting of Edwin Fuentes Camacho as president and Delia Gongora Veliz as vice-president.[5]
The languages spoken in the department are mainly Spanish, Quechua and Aymara. The following table shows the number of those belonging to the recognised group of speakers.[6]
| Language | Department | Bolivia |
|---|---|---|
| Quechua | 134,289 | 2,281,198 |
| Aymara | 127,086 | 1,525,321 |
| Guaraní | 383 | 62,575 |
| Another native | 1,943 | 49,432 |
| Spanish | 342,332 | 6,821,626 |
| Foreign | 6,878 | 250,754 |
| Only native | 30,745 | 960,491 |
| Native and Spanish | 188,963 | 2,739,407 |
| Spanish and foreign | 153,439 | 4,115,751 |