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, Bolivia and Peru. Its height averages about 11,000 feet, somewhat less than that of Tibet. However unlike the Tibetan plateau, the Altiplano is dominated by the massive peaks of active volcanoes. To the south of the Altiplano lies the Atacama Desert, possibly the driest area on the whole planet.

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.

The term is also sometimes used to identify the altitude zone itself - 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.

La Paz, Bolivia is the Altiplano's principal city.

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