Cotoca | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Main church | |
 Cotoca Municipality within Andrés Ibáñez | |
  Cotoca | |
| Coordinates: 17°45′13″S 62°59′48″W / 17.75361°S 62.99667°W | |
| Country |  Bolivia |
| Department |  Santa Cruz Department |
| Province | Andrés Ibáñez Province |
| Municipality | Cotoca |
| Area | |
| • Total | 8.35 km2 (3.22 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 363 m (1,191 ft) |
| Population (2012) | |
| • Total | 26,305 |
| • Density | 3,200/km2 (8,200/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC-4 (BOT) |
| Climate | Aw |
Cotoca is a canton and Municipality of Andrés Ibáñez Province in Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia. The municipality consists of two cantons – Cotoca itself and Puerto Pailas. In 2010 it had an estimated population of 23,951 for the canton and 56,451 for the municipality.[1]
In 1799, the Catholic Church authorised the building of a shrine to the Virgen de Cotoca, an image of Mary that was seen in the town. The Virgin is now the patron saint of the entire province of Santa Cruz and her feast from 8 to 15 December draws thousands of Bolivians.[2]
The population increased tenfold in the last forty years:
| Year | Canton | Municipality |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 2,107[3] | |
| 1992 | 9,229[4] | 21,252 [5] |
| 2001 | 15,181[6] | 36,425[7] |
| 2009 | 23 951[8] | 56,451[9] |
- ^ "World Gazetteer".[dead link]
- ^ See Virgen de Cotoca
- ^ Thomas Brinkhoff: City Population
- ^ Nacional de Estadística Bolivia (INE) 1992 Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Instituto Nacional de Estadística Bolivia (INE) 1992 Archived April 23, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Instituto Nacional de Estadística Bolivia (INE) 2001 Archived 2014-11-01 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE) 2001 Archived 2013-10-29 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "World Gazetteer".[dead link]
- ^ Instituto Nacional de Estadística – Proyecciones Archived 2012-05-22 at the Wayback Machine (PDF; 1,59 MB)