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Altiplano |
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altiplano (ăl'tĭplä`nō), high plateau (alt. c.12,000 ft/3,660 m) in the Andes Mts., c.65,000 sq mi (168,350 sq km), W Bolivia, extending into S Peru. The altiplano is a sediment-filled depression between the Cordillera Oriental and the Cordillera Occidental. Its lowest point is occupied by Lake Titicaca, the largest high-altitude lake in the world. The lake is drained by the Desaguadero River south across the altiplano into Lake Poopó. The sparsely vegetated region receives little precipitation and has several large salt flats. The bleak plateau has a cool climate throughout the year. Corn and wheat are the principal crops there. Mining is the chief industry in the mineral-rich plateau. One of the world's most densely populated areas, the altiplano contains most of Bolivia's inhabitants; La Paz, the capital, and Oruro are the largest cities. A rail line runs across the altiplano. Altiplano(Spanish; “High Plateau”) Region, southeastern Peru and western Bolivia. Comprising a series of intermontane basins, it originates northwest of Lake Titicaca in southern Peru and extends southeast to southwestern Bolivia. The region's wildlife originally included alpacas and llamas, both now bred for wool. The cities of Puno and Juliaca (Peru) and La Paz (Bolivia) are located in the Lake Titicaca basin, an area that has been populated since ancient times. Altiplano a plateau of the Andes, covering two thirds of Bolivia and extending into S Peru: contains Lake Titicaca. Height: 3000 m (10 000 ft.) to 3900 m (13 000 ft.) How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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| ? Mentioned in | ? References in periodicals archive | |
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As you swing round to the north-west of the existing
Barajas complex, the new terminal appears as a vigorous wiggle in the
bleached altiplano landscape, like a back-of-the-envelope sketch made
flesh. Modem life in the country's capital melts away to scenes
of native Aymarans guiding ox-drawn plows across small plots of
unyielding altiplano soil. Ginoux and his colleagues have identified 10 main sources of global
dust events including the Sahara Desert, the Sahel region, the Namibian
desert lands of southwestern Africa, the Indus Valley in India, the
Taklimakan Desert north of the Himalaya, the Gobi Desert in Mongolia,
the Lake Eyre basin in Australia, the Salton Sea in southeastern
California, the Altiplano stretching between Bolivia and Peru, and the
Patagonian region of the Andes Mountains. |
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