Geography of Bolivia: Difference between revisions
Content deleted Content added
m Reverted edits by 209.155.134.178 (talk) to last revision by ClueBot NG (HG) |
←Blanked the page |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
The '''geography of Bolivia''' is unique among the nations of South America. [[Bolivia]] is one of two [[landlocked]] countries on the continent, and Bolivia is more rural than urban. The main features of Bolivia's geography include the [[Altiplano]], a highland [[plateau]] of the [[Andes]], and the highest navigable lake on [[Earth]] (which is shared with [[Peru]]). |
|||
The most prominent feature of the Altiplano is the large lake at its northern end, [[Lake Titicaca]]. At {{convert|3811|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} above sea level, it is the highest commercially navigable body of water in the world. With a surface area of {{convert|9064|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}, it is larger than [[Puerto Rico]] and is South America's second largest lake by surface area. Lake Titicaca is also deep, about {{convert|370|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} at its deepest, but with an average depth of {{convert|215|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}; its volume of water is large enough to maintain a constant temperature of {{convert|10|°C|°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, [[Phragmites|reed]]-filled [[Desaguadero River (Bolivia)|Desaguadero River]] to [[Lake Poopó]]. In contrast to the [[freshwater]] Lake Titicaca, Lake Poopó is salty yet shallow, with depths seldom more than {{convert|4|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}. |
|||
[[File:Colors of Altiplano Boliviano 4340m Bolivia Luca Galuzzi 2006.jpg|thumb|300px|Colors of Altiplano Boliviano.]] |
|||
The [[Cordillera Occidental (Bolivia)|Cordillera Occidental]] is a chain of dormant [[volcano]]es and [[solfatara]]s, [[volcanic vent]]s emitting [[sulfur]]ous gases. Bolivia's highest peak, the snowcapped [[Nevado Sajama]] {{convert|6542|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}, 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 {{convert|4000|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}; the southern part is somewhat lower. Rainfall, although scanty everywhere, is greater in the northern half, where the land is covered with [[scrubland|scrub]] vegetation. The southern area receives almost no [[Precipitation (meteorology)|precipitation]], and the landscape consists mostly of barren rocks. All of the Cordillera Occidental region is sparsely populated, and the south is virtually uninhabited, except for the Body Clack. |
|||
The [[Altiplano]], the high [[plateau]] between the two cordilleras, comprises four major basins formed by mountainous spurs that jut eastward from the Cordillera Occidental about halfway to the [[Cordillera Oriental, Bolivia|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 [[sediment]]arydebris 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. |
|||
Rainfall in the Altiplano decreases toward the south, and the scrub vegetation grows more sparse, eventually giving way to barren rocks and dry red clay. The land contains several [[Salt pan (geology)|salt flat]]s, the dried remnants of ancient lakes. The largest of these - and the world's largest salt concentration - is the [[Salar de Uyuni|Uyuni]] Saltpan, which covers over 9,000 square kilometers. The salt is more than five meters deep in the centre of this flat. In the dry season, the lake bed can be traversed by heavy trucks. Near the Argentine border, the floor of the Altiplano rises again, creating hills and volcanoes that span the gap between the eastern and western cordilleras of the Andes. |
|||
The much older [[Cordillera Oriental, Bolivia|Cordillera Oriental]] enters Bolivia on the north side of Lake Titicaca, extends southeastward to approximately 17 south latitude, then broadens and stretches south to the Argentine border. The northernmost part of the Cordillera Oriental, the [[Cordillera Real (Bolivia)|Cordillera Real]], is an impressive snow-capped series of [[granite]] mountains. Some of these peaks exceed {{convert|6000|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} and two - [[Illimani]] {{convert|6424|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}, which overlooks the city of [[La Paz]], and [[Illampu]] {{convert|6424|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} - have large [[glacier]]s on their upper slopes. South of 17 south latitude, the range changes character. Called the [[Cordillera Central, Bolivia|Cordillera Central]] here, the land is actually a large block of the Earth's crust that has been lifted and tilted eastward. The western edge of this block rises in a series of steep cliffs from the Altiplano. The backbone of the cordillera is a high, rolling plain, with elevations from {{convert|4200|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} to {{convert|4400|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}, interspersed with irregularly spaced high peaks. Too high to be exploited for large-scale commercial grazing, this area takes its name from the predominant vegetation type, the [[puna grassland|puna]]. |
|||
==Valleys== |
|||
The northeastern flank of the [[Cordillera Real (Bolivia)|Cordillera Real]] is known as the [[Yungas]], from the Aymara word meaning "warm valleys." The steep, almost inaccessible slopes and peaks of this mainly semitropical valley area northeast of [[La Paz]] offer some of the most spectacular scenery in Bolivia. Rainfall is heavy, and lush vegetation clings to the sides of narrow river valleys. The land is among the most fertile in Bolivia, but poor transport has hindered its agricultural development. The government attempted to build a railway through the Yungas in 1917 to connect La Paz with the eastern lowlands. The railway was abandoned, however, after completion of only 150 kilometres. |
|||
The eastern slopes of the [[Cordillera Central (Bolivia)|Cordillera Central]] descend gradually in a series of complex north-south ranges and hills. Rivers, draining to the east, have cut long narrow valleys; these valleys and the basins between the ranges are favourable areas for crops and settlement. Rich alluvial soils fill the low areas, but erosion has followed the removal of vegetation in some places. The valley floors range from 2,000 to 3,000 metres above sea level, and this lower elevation means milder temperatures than those of the Altiplano. Two of Bolivia's most important cities, [[Sucre]] and [[Cochabamba]], are located in basins in this vast region. |
|||
==Lowlands== |
|||
[[File:Bolivia north.jpg|thumb|250px|The northernmost point of [[Bolivia]]]] |
|||
The eastern lowlands include all of Bolivia north and east of the Andes. Although comprising over two-thirds of the national territory, the region is sparsely populated and, until recently, has played a minor role in the [[Economy of Bolivia|economy]]. |
|||
Differences in topography and climate separate the lowlands into three areas. The flat northern area, made up of [[Beni Department|Beni]] and [[Pando Department]]s and the northern part of [[Cochabamba Department]], consists of [[Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests|rainforest]]. Because much of the [[topsoil]] is underlain by [[claypan]], drainage is poor, and heavy rainfall periodically converts vast parts of the region to [[swamp]]. The central area, comprising the northern half of [[Santa Cruz Department (Bolivia)|Santa Cruz Department]], has gently rolling hills and a drier climate than the north. Forests alternate with [[Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands|savanna]], and much of the land has been cleared for cultivation. Santa Cruz, the largest city in the lowlands, is located here, as are most of Bolivia's petroleum and natural gas reserves. The southeastern part of the lowlands is part of the [[Gran Chaco]]. Virtually rainless for nine months of the year, this area becomes [[Flooded grasslands and savannas|flooded]] for the three months of heavy rains. The extreme variation in rainfall supports only thorny scrub vegetation and cattle grazing, although recent discoveries of natural gas and petroleum near the foothills of the Andes have attracted some settlers to the region. |
|||
Most of Bolivia's important rivers are found in the water-rich northern parts of the lowlands, particularly in the Alto Beni (Upper Beni), where the land is suitable for crops such as [[coffee]] and [[cacoa bean|cacao]]. The northern lowlands are drained by wide, slow-moving rivers, the three largest of which—the [[Mamoré River|Mamoré]], [[Beni River|Beni]], and [[Madre de Dios River|Madre de Dios]]—all flow northward into the [[Madeira River]] in [[Brazil]] and eventually into the [[Amazon River|River Amazon]]. Riverboats along the Beni and the Mamoré carry both passenger and freight traffic; rapids on the Madeira provide river traffic farther into Brazil. Near the [[Paraguay]]an border, shallow sandy streams carry the seasonal runoff into the [[Pilcomayo River|Pilcomayo]] or [[Paraguay River|Paraguay]] rivers. Also, the [[Pantanal]], the world's largest wetland of any kind, has some of its area in Bolivia. |
|||
Despite the fact that eastern Bolivia is described a lowland in when seeing the general topography of the country there are mountains and mountain ranges well beyond the Andes. The most notable of these mountains are the forested [[Serranías Chiquitanas]] in eastern [[Santa Cruz Department (Bolivia)|Santa Cruz Department]]. |
|||
== Climate == |
|||
The climate of Bolivia varies drastically from one ecoregion to the other, from the tropics in the eastern ''[[Plain|llanos]]'' to [[polar climate]]s in the western Andes. The summers are warm, humid in the east and dry in the west, with rains that often modify temperatures, humidity, winds, [[atmospheric pressure]] and evaporation, giving place to very different climates. When the climatological phenomenon known as''[[El Niño-Southern Oscillation|El Niño]]''<ref>[http://www.itdg.org.pe/archivos/desastres/reportemarzo.pdf Fortalecimiento de las Capacidades locales para enfrentar El Fenómeno del Niño en Perú y Bolivia]</ref><ref>[http://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/ElFinanciero/Portal/cfpages/contentmgr.cfm?docId=48449&docTipo=1&orderby=docid&sortby=ASC Deja 56 muertos "El Niño" en Bolivia]</ref> takes place, it provokes great alterations in the weather. Winters are very cold in the west, and it snows around the mountain ranges, while in the western regions, windy days are more usual. The autumn is dry in the non-tropical regions. |
|||
* ''Llanos''. A [[Humidity|humid]] [[tropical climate]] with an average temperature of 30[[°C]]. The wind coming from the [[Amazon rainforest]] causes significant rainfall. Starting in May, there is low precipitation because of dry winds, and most days have clear skies. Even so, winds from the south, called ''surazos'', can bring cooler temperatures lasting several days. |
|||
* ''[[Altiplano]]''. [[Desert climate|Desert]]-[[Polar climate|Polar]] climates, with strong and cold winds. The average temperature ranges from 15 to 20°C. At night, temperatures descend drastically to slightly above 0°C, while during the day, the weather is dry and [[Sunlight|solar radiation]] is high. [[Ground frost]]s occur every month, and [[snow]] is frequent. |
|||
* Valleys and ''Yungas''. [[Temperateness|Temperate]] climate. The humid northeastern winds are pushed to the mountains, making this region very humid and rainy. Temperatures are cooler at higher elevations. Snow occurs at altitudes of 2000 meters. |
|||
* ''[[Gran Chaco|Chaco]]''. [[Subtropics|Subtropical]] [[Semi-arid climate|Semi-arid]] climate. Rain and humidity in January and the rest of the year, with warm days and cool nights. |
|||
<div align=center> |
|||
<!-- map gallery --> |
|||
{| class="toc" cellpadding=0 cellspacing=2 width=800px style="float:center; margin: 0.5em 0.5em 0.5em 1em; padding: 0.5e |
|||
|colspan=8 style="background:#green; color:white; font-size:100%" align=center bgcolor="green"|'''Bioclimatic landscapes of Bolivia''' |
|||
|- |
|||
|align=center valign=center bgcolor="white"|[[File:Los Yungas La Paz - Bolivia.jpg|125px]] |
|||
|align=center valign=center bgcolor="white"|[[File:Desierto Salvador Dalí, Bolivia.jpg|125px]] |
|||
|align=center valign=center bgcolor="white"|[[File:Floresta Bolivia.jpg|125px]] |
|||
|align=center valign=center bgcolor="white"|[[File:Valle de Samaipata, Santa Cruz, Bolivia.jpg|125px]] |
|||
|- |
|||
|style="background:#e9e9e9;" align=center|[[Tropical rainforest]]<br />Los Yungas, [[La Paz Department, Bolivia|La Paz]] |
|||
|style="background:#e9e9e9;" align=center|[[Desert|Cold desert]]<br />Dalí Desert, [[Potosí Department|Potosí]] |
|||
|style="background:#e9e9e9;" align=center|[[Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests|Dry broadleaf forest]]<br />[[Gran Chaco Province|Chaqueño Forest]], [[Santa Cruz Department (Bolivia)|Santa Cruz]] |
|||
|style="background:#e9e9e9;" align=center|[[Valley|Template valley]]<br />[[Samaipata, Bolivia|Samaipata]], [[Santa Cruz Department (Bolivia)|Santa Cruz]] |
|||
|- |
|||
|align=center valign=center bgcolor="white"|[[File:Chapare´s river.jpg|125px]] |
|||
|align=center valign=center bgcolor="white"|[[File:Altiplano.jpg|125px]] |
|||
|align=center valign=center bgcolor="white"|[[File:Isla del pescado.jpg|125px]] |
|||
|align=center valign=center bgcolor="white"|[[File:Laguna Glaciar Bolivia.png|125px]] |
|||
|- |
|||
|style="background:#e9e9e9;" align=center|[[Rainforest]]<br />[[Amazon rainforest]], [[Cochabamba Department|Cochabamba]] |
|||
|style="background:#e9e9e9;" align=center|[[Altiplano|Humid Altiplano]]<br />Collao Plateau, [[La Paz Department, Bolivia|La Paz]] |
|||
|style="background:#e9e9e9;" align=center|[[Altiplano|Dry Altiplano]]<br />[[Isla del Pescado]], [[Potosí Department|Potosí]] |
|||
|style="background:#e9e9e9;" align=center|[[Glacier|Andean glacier]]<br />[[Glaciar Lake]], [[La Paz Department, Bolivia|La Paz]] |
|||
|- |
|||
|} |
|||
</div> |
|||
==Antipodes== |
|||
Bolivia is [[antipodes|antipodal]] to a few land areas. [[La Paz]] is antipodal to the disputed [[Paracel Islands]]. The easternmost part of the country is opposite most of the northern lobe of [[Luzon Island]] in the Philippines, including the city of [[Baguio]], and the southwestern corner is opposite the southern part of [[Macau]] and an adjacent bit of mainland China to the city of [[Yangjiang]]. |
|||
==Statistics== |
|||
'''[[Geographic coordinates]]:''' {{coord|17|00|S|65|00|W|type:country}} |
|||
'''Terrain:''' |
|||
rugged [[Andes Mountains]] with a highland plateau ([[Altiplano]]), hills, lowland plains of the [[Amazon Basin]] |
|||
'''Elevation extremes:''' |
|||
<br>''lowest point:'' |
|||
[[Rio Paraguay]] 90 m |
|||
<br>''highest point:'' |
|||
[[Nevado Sajama]] {{convert|6542|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} |
|||
[[File:Bolivia Resource Map.png|thumb|Map showing the location of European mines in Bolivia]] |
|||
'''Natural resources:''' |
|||
tin, natural gas, petroleum, zinc, tungsten, antimony, silver, iron, lead, gold, timber, hydro-power |
|||
'''Land use:''' |
|||
<br>''arable land:'' |
|||
2.78% |
|||
<br>''permanent crops:'' |
|||
0.19% |
|||
<br>''other:'' |
|||
97.03% (2005) |
|||
'''Irrigated land:''' |
|||
1,320 km² (2003) |
|||
'''Total renewable water resources:''' |
|||
622.5 cu km (2000) |
|||
'''Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural:''' |
|||
<br>''total:'' 1.44 km³/yr (13%/7%/81%) |
|||
<br>''per capita:'' 157 m³/yr (2000) |
|||
'''Natural hazards:''' |
|||
flooding in the northeast (March–April) |
|||
'''[[Environment (biophysical)|Environment]] - current issues:''' |
|||
the clearing of land for agricultural purposes and the international demand for tropical timber are contributing to [[deforestation]]; [[soil erosion]] from overgrazing and poor cultivation methods (including [[slash-and-burn]] agriculture); desertification; loss of biodiversity; industrial pollution of water supplies used for drinking and irrigation |
|||
'''Environment - international agreements:''' |
|||
<br>''party to:'' |
|||
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-[[Kyoto Protocol]], [[Desertification]], [[Endangered Species]], [[Hazardous Waste]]s, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, [[Wetland]]s |
|||
<br>''signed, but not ratified:'' |
|||
Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection |
|||
'''Geography - note:''' |
|||
landlocked; shares control of [[Lake Titicaca|Lago Titicaca]], world's highest navigable lake (elevation 3,805 m), with [[Peru]] |
|||
==See also== |
|||
*[[Geology of Bolivia]] |
|||
==References== |
|||
{{reflist}} |
|||
* {{StateDept}} |
|||
* {{CIA World Factbook}} |
|||
* Hudson, Rex A. and Hanratty, Dennis M., ed. [http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/botoc.html Bolivia: A Country Study]. Washington: GPO for the [[Library of Congress]], 1989. |
|||
==External links== |
|||
*[http://www.wdl.org/en/item/11315/ Map of Bolivia] from 1894 |
|||
{{Bolivia topics}} |
|||
{{Geography of South America}} |
|||
{{South America topic|Climate of}} |
|||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Geography Of Bolivia}} |
|||
[[Category:Geography of Bolivia| ]] |
|||