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Geography of Bolivia
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Geography of Bolivia
The geography of Bolivia includes the Eastern Andes Mountain Range (also called the Cordillera Oriental) which bisects Bolivia roughly from north to south. To the east of that mountain chain are lowland plains of the Amazon and Paraná basins, and to the west is the Altiplano which is a highland plateau where Lake Titicaca –the highest navigable lake on Earth– and a series of salt flats are located.
Politically, is one of the two landlocked countries in South America, the other being Paraguay, which is located along Bolivia's southeast border. To the north and west Bolivia shares the longest border in South America with Brazil. To the west Bolivia's border with Peru runs from the Amazon lowlands to the Altiplano and across Lake Titicaca. To the southwest the border with Chile roughly follows the Western Cordillera on the fringes of the Atacama Desert which hosts numerous volcanoes. The southern border with Argentina follows a mix of natural features and latitudinal parallels. The border to Paraguay runs across the Gran Chaco and is made of a series of lines in a flat terrain.
Most population and economic activity in Bolivia is concentrated along an east-west axis running from Santa Cruz de la Sierra, through Cochabamba to La Paz. From colonial times up to at least the mid 20th century a north-south axis from La Paz through Oruro to Potosí was economically more important as these southern regions provided much of the world's tin and silver output. The region around Tarija in the far south stands out for its large gas reserves. The largest city in Bolivia is Santa Cruz de la Sierra, an agricultural powerhouse.
Culturally the country is often divided into highlands and lowlands as understood by the demonyms of Camba and Colla, with the Chapacoa of Tarija being a smaller third group.
The most prominent feature of the Altiplano is the large lake at its northern end, Lake Titicaca. At 3,811 m (12,503 ft) above sea level. With a surface area of 9,064 km2 (3,500 sq mi), it is larger than Puerto Rico and is South America's second-largest lake by surface area. Lake Titicaca is also deep, about 370 m (1,214 ft) at its deepest, with an average depth of 215 m (705 ft); its volume of water is large enough to maintain a constant temperature of 10 °C (50 °F). The lake actually moderates the climate for a considerable distance around it, making crops of maize and wheat possible in sheltered areas.
Lake Titicaca drains southward through the slow-moving, reed-filled Desaguadero River to Lake Poopó. In contrast to the freshwater Lake Titicaca, Lake Poopó is salty and shallow, with depths seldom more than 4 m (13 ft).
In western Bolivia, the Cordillera Occidental is a chain of dormant volcanoes and solfataras, volcanic vents emitting sulfurous gases. Bolivia's highest peak, the snowcapped Nevado Sajama 6,542 m (21,463 ft), is located here. The entire Cordillera is of volcanic origin and an extension of the volcanic region found in southern Peru. Most of the northern part of this range has an elevation of about 4,000 m (13,123 ft); the southern part is somewhat lower. Rainfall, although scanty everywhere, is greater in the northern half, where the land is covered with scrub vegetation. The southern area receives almost no precipitation, and the landscape consists mostly of barren rocks. All of the Cordillera Occidental regions are sparsely populated, and the south is virtually uninhabited.
The Altiplano, the high plateau between the previous range, and the Cordillera Oriental, comprises four major basins formed by mountainous spurs that jut eastward from the Cordillera Occidental about halfway to the Cordillera Oriental. Along the Altiplano's eastern side is a continuous flat area, which has served as Bolivia's principal north–south transport corridor since colonial times. The entire Altiplano was originally a deep rift between the cordilleras that gradually filled with highly porous sedimentary debris washed down from the peaks. This sedimentary origin explains its gradual slope from north to south; greater rainfall in the north has washed a larger quantity of debris onto the platform floor.
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Geography of Bolivia
The geography of Bolivia includes the Eastern Andes Mountain Range (also called the Cordillera Oriental) which bisects Bolivia roughly from north to south. To the east of that mountain chain are lowland plains of the Amazon and Paraná basins, and to the west is the Altiplano which is a highland plateau where Lake Titicaca –the highest navigable lake on Earth– and a series of salt flats are located.
Politically, is one of the two landlocked countries in South America, the other being Paraguay, which is located along Bolivia's southeast border. To the north and west Bolivia shares the longest border in South America with Brazil. To the west Bolivia's border with Peru runs from the Amazon lowlands to the Altiplano and across Lake Titicaca. To the southwest the border with Chile roughly follows the Western Cordillera on the fringes of the Atacama Desert which hosts numerous volcanoes. The southern border with Argentina follows a mix of natural features and latitudinal parallels. The border to Paraguay runs across the Gran Chaco and is made of a series of lines in a flat terrain.
Most population and economic activity in Bolivia is concentrated along an east-west axis running from Santa Cruz de la Sierra, through Cochabamba to La Paz. From colonial times up to at least the mid 20th century a north-south axis from La Paz through Oruro to Potosí was economically more important as these southern regions provided much of the world's tin and silver output. The region around Tarija in the far south stands out for its large gas reserves. The largest city in Bolivia is Santa Cruz de la Sierra, an agricultural powerhouse.
Culturally the country is often divided into highlands and lowlands as understood by the demonyms of Camba and Colla, with the Chapacoa of Tarija being a smaller third group.
The most prominent feature of the Altiplano is the large lake at its northern end, Lake Titicaca. At 3,811 m (12,503 ft) above sea level. With a surface area of 9,064 km2 (3,500 sq mi), it is larger than Puerto Rico and is South America's second-largest lake by surface area. Lake Titicaca is also deep, about 370 m (1,214 ft) at its deepest, with an average depth of 215 m (705 ft); its volume of water is large enough to maintain a constant temperature of 10 °C (50 °F). The lake actually moderates the climate for a considerable distance around it, making crops of maize and wheat possible in sheltered areas.
Lake Titicaca drains southward through the slow-moving, reed-filled Desaguadero River to Lake Poopó. In contrast to the freshwater Lake Titicaca, Lake Poopó is salty and shallow, with depths seldom more than 4 m (13 ft).
In western Bolivia, the Cordillera Occidental is a chain of dormant volcanoes and solfataras, volcanic vents emitting sulfurous gases. Bolivia's highest peak, the snowcapped Nevado Sajama 6,542 m (21,463 ft), is located here. The entire Cordillera is of volcanic origin and an extension of the volcanic region found in southern Peru. Most of the northern part of this range has an elevation of about 4,000 m (13,123 ft); the southern part is somewhat lower. Rainfall, although scanty everywhere, is greater in the northern half, where the land is covered with scrub vegetation. The southern area receives almost no precipitation, and the landscape consists mostly of barren rocks. All of the Cordillera Occidental regions are sparsely populated, and the south is virtually uninhabited.
The Altiplano, the high plateau between the previous range, and the Cordillera Oriental, comprises four major basins formed by mountainous spurs that jut eastward from the Cordillera Occidental about halfway to the Cordillera Oriental. Along the Altiplano's eastern side is a continuous flat area, which has served as Bolivia's principal north–south transport corridor since colonial times. The entire Altiplano was originally a deep rift between the cordilleras that gradually filled with highly porous sedimentary debris washed down from the peaks. This sedimentary origin explains its gradual slope from north to south; greater rainfall in the north has washed a larger quantity of debris onto the platform floor.
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