In order to give you a background on where exactly I am living and working, here is a quick geographical overview of Bolivia, along with some pretty pictures to help guide you.Bolivia is South America's fifth-largest country and is one of only two landlocked nations in the continent (the other one is Paraguay).
The country is divided into 9 deparments (departamentos) or states. They are, with capitals listed in parentheses:
- Beni (Trinidad)
- Chuquisaca (Sucre)
- Cochabamba (Cochabamba)
- La Paz (La Paz)
- Oruro (Oruro)
- Pando (Cobija)
- Potosí (Potosí)
- Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz de la Sierra)
- Tarija (Tarija)
Bolivia has very diverse topography, with 3 distinct zones defined by elevation:
1. The Altiplano (3000-4000 meters): This area comprises the western departments of La Paz, Potosí, and Oruro and is bordered by the Andean mountain ranges of Cordillera Real (on the east) and Cordillera Central (in the south). Highlights of this region include Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable body of water in the world, and the salt flats of Uyuni, the remains of ancient lakes that have since dried up.
2. The Valles (valleys) and Yungas (jungles) (2500 meters): Moving eastward past the Andes mountains, this area comprises the fertile valley areas of Cochabamba, Chuquisaca, and western Tarija, as well as the tropical Amazon basin areas of Beni, Pando, and the northern half of Santa Cruz.
3. The Chaco (tropical lowlands) (below 400 meters): This area comprises eastern Tarija, southern Chuquisaca, and southern Santa Cruz. It is flat, dry, and the home of most of Bolivia's natural gas reserves. The Chaco extends southeastward into Paraguay.
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