Altiplano
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Puno, Peru, is one of larger cities of the Altiplano. |
The
Altiplano (
Spanish for
high plain), where the
Andes are at their widest, is the most extensive area of high
plateau on earth outside of
Tibet. It is an area of inland drainage lying in the central
Andes, occupying parts of
Chile,
Argentina,
Bolivia and
Peru. Its height averages about 3,300 meters (11,000 feet), somewhat less than that of Tibet. Unlike the
Tibetan plateau, however, the Altiplano is dominated by the massive peaks of active
volcanoes to the west. The
Atacama Desert, the driest area on the whole planet, lies to the southwest of the Altiplano.
At the end of the
Pleistocene epoch, the whole extent of the Altiplano was covered by a vast lake,
Ballivián, the present remnants of which are Lake
Titicaca, straddling the Peru/Bolivia border, and
Poopó, a saline lake which extends south of
Oruro, Bolivia.
Salar de Uyuni, locally known as "Salar de Tunupa", as well as
Salar de Coipasa are two large dry salt flats formed as well after the Altiplano paleolakes dried out.
The term
Altiplano is also sometimes used to identify the altitude zone itself â€" and the type of
climate that prevails within it, colder than that of the
tierra fria but not as cold as that of the
tierra helada; the latter is usually reckoned as commencing at an elevation of approximately 4,500 meters (or about 15,000 feet). Alternate names used in place of
altiplano in this context include
puna and
páramos.
In extentum, the
climate is cool and semi-arid to
arid, with mean annual temperatures that vary from 3 C near the western mountain range to 12 C near
Lake Titicaca, and total annual
rainfalls that range between less than 200 mm to the south west to more than 800 mm near and over Lake Titicaca as well. The diurnal cycle of temperature, however, is very wide with maximum temperatures in the order of 12 to 24 C and minimum in the order of -20 to 10 C. The coldest temperatures occur in the southwestern portion of the Altiplano during the months of June and July, which correspond to the Austral winter. The seasonal cycle of rainfall is marked with the rainy season concentrating between December and March. The rest of the year tends to be very dry, cool, windy and sunny.
Snowfall events may happen between April and September, especially to the north, but they are not very common (1-5 events per year).
La Paz,
Bolivia is the Altiplano's principal city.
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Photos of the Altiplano
