Puerto de Mejillones Province facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Puerto de Mejillones
Province
View of Todos Santos
Location of Puerto de Mejillones Province within Bolivia
Country	Bolivia
Department	Oruro
Capital	La Rivera
Area
• Total	759 km2 (293 sq mi)
Population  (2001)
• Total	1,130
• Density	1.5/km2 (4/sq mi)
• Ethnicities	Aymara Quechua
Languages spoken
• Spanish	97.0%
• Aymara	66.6%
• Quechua	8.6%
Sectors
Time zone	UTC-4 (BOT)

Puerto de Mejillones is a province in Bolivia. It is located in the western part of the Oruro Department. A province is like a large region or area within a country. Puerto de Mejillones is one of the sixteen provinces in the Oruro Department. The main town or capital of this province is called La Rivera.

Where is Puerto de Mejillones?

This province is found in the southwestern part of Bolivia. It is located between 18° 53' and 19° 16' South (this tells you how far south it is from the Equator). It is also between 68° 10' and 68° 26' West (this tells you how far west it is from the Prime Meridian).

The province is surrounded by Sabaya Province on its north, west, and east sides. To the southwest, it shares a border with the country of Chile. The province stretches about 45 kilometers (about 28 miles) from north to south. It is about 35 kilometers (about 22 miles) wide from east to west.

Mountains and Geography

Puerto de Mejillones has many tall mountains. These mountains are an important part of the province's landscape. Here are some of the highest mountains you can find there:

How the Province is Divided

The province of Puerto de Mejillones is split into three smaller areas called municipalities. Each municipality has its own main town or "seat." These municipalities are further divided into even smaller areas called cantons.

People and Languages

The people living in Puerto de Mejillones speak different languages. The most common language is Spanish, spoken by 97.0% of the population. Many people also speak Aymara (66.6%) and Quechua (8.6%). These numbers are from a 1992 study.

The population of the province has grown over time. In 1992, there were 751 people. By 2001, the population had increased to 1,130 people. This was a 50% increase in less than ten years!

In 1992, about 42.6% of the people living in the province were younger than 15 years old. This means a large part of the population was made up of children and teenagers.

Access to basic services was limited in 1992. About 74% of the population did not have electricity. Also, 73% did not have sanitary facilities (like proper toilets and running water).

Most people in the province work in agriculture, which means farming. In 2001, 83.8% of the population worked in agriculture. A smaller number worked in general services (15.2%) and industry (1.0%).

When it comes to religion, most people are Catholics. In 1992, 74% of the population identified as Catholic. About 18% were Protestants.

See also

In Spanish: Provincia de Mejillones para niños