Chuquisaca

Department in south-central Bolivia, lying partly on the central plateau, or Altiplano, and partly on the eastern slopes of the Andes; area 47,164 sq km/18,210 sq mi; population (2000 est) 589,900. The capital is Sucre. The territory of Chuquisaca comprises fertile valleys and tropical lowlands. Agricultural products include wheat, maize, barley, groundnuts, grapes, peaches, apricots, and tobacco. On the western side of the department are mining areas, including the town of Uncia, Bolivia's principal producer of tin. The upper courses of the Pilcomayo and Pilaya rivers flow through the department.

The effects of the El Niño phenomenon in 1998 were particularly damaging, with torrential rain, flooding, and mudslides in Chuquisaca, as well as in Oruro and Potosí departments. The Bolivian government estimated that, as a result, agricultural output in these departments has fallen by 3.9% and 40% of the population needed emergency assistance.