Geography
Topography
The country has six main geographic zones:
To the west the Andes with on the east side the Altiplano, which after Tibet is the most extensive high plateau on earth at 3,800–4,200m. It covers most of southwest Bolivia with the cities of
El Alto, La Paz, Oruro, Potosí and Uyuni. Straddling the border with Perú is Lake Titicaca 3,812m (12,507ft), the largest lake in S-America.
The fertile High Valleys on the west side of the Cordillera Central contain the cities of Cochabamba, Sucre and Tarija at altitudes between 1,700- 3,000m.
The semi-tropical Yungas (jungles) and temperate valleys descend the eastern slopes of the Cordillera Real.
The Tropical Lowlands with the Amazonian rainforest, cover the entire eastern half of Bolivia with the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra.
On the border with Paraguay is the Gran Chaco bone dry for nine months of the year, flooding in the wet season.
The Bolivian Andes are split in two mountain ranges that define Bolivia.
Along the Chilean border is the Cordillera Occidental (Andes) with a chain of dormant volcanoes. It has Bolivias highest mountain Nevado Sajama 6,541 m (21,463 ft).
Near the centre is the Cordillera Real, with visible from La Paz, Cerro Illimani 6,438 m (21,122 ft).
Close to Cochabamba is Cerro Tunari 5,035 m (16,519 ft).