Abel Iturralde is one of the twenty provinces of the Bolivian La Paz Department. It is situated in its northern part. Its name honors Abel Iturralde Palacios, a Bolivian politician. Madidi National Park is partially in this province.
Abel Iturralde province is located between 11ð 48' and 14ð 35' South and between 66ð 55' and 69ð 05' West. It extends over 300 km from North to South, and 200 km from east to west.
The province is situated on the northern edges of the Cordillera Central. It is bordered to the west by the Madre de Dios and Heath Rivers and to the east by the RÃÂo Beni. The province borders Pando Department in the north, Peru in the west, Franz Tamayo Province in the south, and Beni in the east.
The population of Abel Iturralde Province has increased by 100% over the recent two decades:
98.3% of the population speak Spanish, 12.1% speak Quechua, 6.7% Aymara, and 9.8% other indigenous languages. (2001)
The literacy rate of the province's population is 83.5%. (1992)
83.8% of the population have no access to electricity, 58.7% have no sanitary facilities. (1992)
87.0% of the population are Catholics, 10.6% are Protestants. (1992)
The province comprises two municipalities: