Salar de Uyuni

Salar de Uyuni viewed from space, with Salar de Coipasa in the top left corner
Salar de Uyuni (or Salar de Tunupa)[citation needed] is the world's largest salt flat at 10,582
square kilometers (4,086 sq mi). It is located in the Daniel Campos Province in Potos in
southwest Bolivia, near the crest of the Andes and is at an elevation of 3,656 meters
(11,995 ft) above mean sea level.[1]
The Salar was formed as a result of transformations between several prehistoric lakes. It
is covered by a few meters of salt crust, which has an extraordinary flatness with the
average altitude variations within one meter over the entire area of the Salar. The crust
serves as a source of salt and covers a pool of brine, which is exceptionally rich in
lithium. It contains 50 to 70% of the world's lithium reserves,[2] which is in the process
of being extracted. The large area, clear skies, and the exceptional flatness of the surface
make the Salar an ideal object for calibrating the altimeters of Earth observation
satellites.[3][4][5][6][7]
The Salar serves as the major transport route across the Bolivian Altiplano and is a
major breeding ground for several species of pink flamingos. Salar de Uyuni is also a
climatological transitional zone since the towering tropical cumulus congestus and
cumulus incus clouds that form in the eastern part of the salt flat during the summer
cannot permeate beyond its drier western edges, near the Chilean border and the
Atacama Desert.
The Salar is virtually devoid of any wildlife or vegetation. The latter is dominated by
giant cacti (Echinopsis atacamensis pasacana, Echinopsis tarijensis, etc.). They grow at
a rate of about 1 centimeter (0.39 in) per year to a height of about 12 meters (39 ft).
Other shrubs include Pilaya, which is used by locals to cure catarrh, and Thola
(Baccharis dracunculifolia), which is burned as a fuel. Also present are quinoa plants
and quenua bushes.[11]
Every November, Salar de Uyuni is the breeding ground for three species of pink South
American flamingo: the Chilean, Andean and rare James's flamingos, their color
presumably originating from feeding on pink algae. There are about 80 other bird
species present, including the horned coot, Andean goose and Andean hillstar. Andean
fox (culpeo) is a representative animal, and the "islands" of Salar (in particular
Incahuasi island) host colonies of rabbit-like viscachas.[11]
Salar de Uyuni attracts tourists from around the world. As it is located far
from the cities, a number of hotels have been built in the area. Due to lack
of conventional construction materials, many of them are almost entirely
(walls, roof, furniture) built with salt blocks cut from the Salar. The first such
hotel was erected in 19931995[16][17] in the middle of the salt flat,[18][19] and
soon became a popular tourist destination.[20] However, its location in the
center of a desert caused sanitation problems, as most waste had to be

collected manually. Mismanagement caused serious environmental pollution

and the hotel had to be dismantled in 2002. [21][22] New salt hotels were built
near the periphery of the Salar, closer to roads, in full compliance with
environmental rules.