the geography of bolivia is unique among the nations of south america. bolivia is one of two landlocked countries on the continent ( the other being paraguay), and bolivia is more urban (67%) than rural (23%). the main features of bolivia's geography include the altiplano, a highland plateau of the andes, and the highest navigable lake on earth (which is shared with peru). the most prominent feature of the altiplano is the large lake at its northern end, lake titicaca. at  above sea level, it is the highest commercially navigable body of water in the world. with a surface area of , it is larger than puerto rico and is south america's second largest lake by surface area. lake titicaca is also deep, about  at its deepest, but with an average depth of ; its volume of water is large enough to maintain a constant temperature of . the lake actually moderates the climate for a considerable distance around it, making crops of maize and wheat possible in sheltered areas. lake titicaca drains southward through the slow-moving, reed-filled desaguadero river to lake poopÃ³. in contrast to the freshwater lake titicaca, lake poopÃ³ is salty yet shallow, with depths seldom more than . thumb|300px|colors of altiplano boliviano. the cordillera occidental is a chain of dormant volcanoes and solfataras, volcanic vents emitting sulfurous gases. bolivia's highest peak, the snowcapped nevado sajama , is located here. the entire cordillera is of volcanic origin and an extension of the volcanic region found in southern peru. most of the northern part of this range has an elevation of about ; the southern part is somewhat lower. rainfall, although scanty everywhere, is greater in the northern half, where the land is covered with scrub vegetation. the southern area receives almost no precipitation, and the landscape consists mostly of barren rocks. all of the cordillera occidental region is sparsely populated, and the south is virtually uninhabited. the altiplano, the high plateau between the two cordilleras, comprises four major basins formed by mountainous spurs that jut eastward from the cordillera occidental about halfway to the cordillera oriental. along the altiplano's eastern side is a continuous flat area, which has served as bolivia's principal north-south transport corridor since colonial times. the entire altiplano was originally a deep rift between the cordilleras that gradually filled with highly poro
Geography_of_Bolivia