9781422286388

Bolivia

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sures an enormous 145 miles (233 km) long and 60 miles (97 km) wide. The major river of the Altiplano, the Desaguadero, flows south from Lake Titicaca to the shallow Lake Poopó. Much of the land in this southern region of the Altiplano consists of salt plains and dry wilderness. South of Poopó lies Salar de Uyuni, the world’s largest salt flat. Once part of a prehis- toric salt lake covering most of southwestern Bolivia, Salar de Uyuni now produces almost 20,000 tons of fine salt per year. The Valles South and east of the Cordillera Oriental, the land slopes down into the Valles, or upper valleys, area, which is known for fertile soil and a temperate climate. Wildlife, subtropical forests, and lush vegetation thrive on the steep slopes of the Valles—sometimes referred to as the central highlands—while cities such as Cochabamba, Sucre, and Potosí flourish in its broad basins. Farms that dot the fertile land of this south-central part of Bolivia produce most of the country’s food. The Yungas To the northeast of the Cordillera Oriental lies the Yungas, or lower valleys, region. Somewhat isolated because of its many deep gorges and dense semitropical forests, this sparsely populated region was first settled by the Spanish because of its large gold deposits. Today its rich slopes produce coffee, sugarcane, citrus fruit, bananas, and coca (a tropical shrub whose leaves are chewed to alleviate altitude sickness, but which are also refined to make the illegal drug cocaine).