Canton of Río Grande
| Canton of Río Grande | |||
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| Basic data
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| Residents (state) | 777 pop. (2001 census) | ||
| height | 3700 m | ||
| Coordinates | 20 ° 50 ′ S , 67 ° 10 ′ W | ||
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| politics
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| Department | Potosí | ||
| province | Nor Lípez Province | ||
| Municipio | Municipio Colcha "K" | ||
| Central place | Rio Grande | ||
| climate | |||
 Avaroa climate diagram |
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The canton Río Grande is a municipality in the Department of Potosí in the highlands of the South American Andean state Bolivia .
Location in the vicinity
The Cantón Río Grande is one of twelve cantons in the district ( Bolivian : Municipio ) Colcha "K" in the province of Nor Lípez . It borders in the north on the province of Daniel Campos , in the north-west on the canton Colcha "K" , in the west on the canton Santiago , in the south-west on the canton Calcha "K" " , in the south on the canton San Cristóbal , in the south-east on the Canton of Cocani , and to the east to the province of Antonio Quijarro .
The canton extends between about 20 ° 28 'and 21 ° 05' south latitude and 66 ° 46 'and 67 ° 29' west longitude, it measures 45 kilometers from north to south and 90 kilometers from west to east. A railway line crosses the canton from northeast to southwest, connecting the cities of Potosí and Uyuni on the ore-rich Altiplano with the Chilean Pacific port of Mejillones .
geography
The canton is crossed by various periodically flowing watercourses that drain from south to north through the wide plains of the Gran Pampa Pelada into the salt pan of the Salar de Uyuni .
The climate is determined by a dry season from April to September, in which the monthly average temperatures are around 5 ° C, but with night frosts that can reach minus 25-30 ° C. The wetter season extends from November to March, with the total annual precipitation barely reaching 300 mm. The annual average temperature is just under 10 ° C (see Avaroa climate diagram).
population
The population in the canton was 777 people in the 2001 census. In the western part of the canton is the administrative seat of the canton, Río Grande , with 511 inhabitants ( 2001 census ).
economy
According to the US Geological Survey, gigantic lithium deposits of 5.4 million tons are suspected in the Uyuni salt lake . Since lithium batteries - due to their energy density , high cell voltage and low self-discharge - are used in many electronic and electrical devices, the mineral lithium has now become a valuable raw material for the automotive industry with high growth potential. Bolivia's President Evo Morales commissioned the project for a pilot factory to extract lithium from the Salar de Uyuni in 2007. By decree of April 1, 2008, the industrialization of the salar's resources was given national priority and the state mining company COMIBOL received an additional department for the exploitation of the salt lake, with a budget of 5.7 million US dollars. Construction of the pilot factory in Llipi Loma in the canton of Río Grande began in May 2008. The pilot project also includes the development of technologies for the extraction of lithium carbonate, as the weather conditions and the nature of the brine of the salar do not favor previous methods.
structure
The canton is divided into the following sub-cantons (Spanish: Sub-Cantones ):
- Sub-canton Río Grande - 514 inhabitants (2001) with the village of Río Grande
- Sub-canton Ramaditas - 102 pop.
- Subcanton Vinto "K" - 161 pop.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE)
- ↑ Top weather ( memento of the original from February 23, 2005 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Bolivia and lithium. Quetzal 2009
Web links
- Municipio Colcha "K" - general maps no.50901
- Municipio Colcha "K" - detailed map and population data (PDF; 2.99 MB) ( Spanish )
- Department Potosí - social data of the municipalities (PDF; 5.23 MB) ( Spanish )