Uyuni

Uyuni
	; Uyuni city center
Basic data
Residents (state)	18,068 pop. (2012 census)
rank	Rank 38
height	3671 m
Post Code	05-1201-0100-2001
Telephone code	+591 (2) 693-
Coordinates	20 ° 27 ′ S , 66 ° 49 ′ W Coordinates: 20 ° 27 ′ S , 66 ° 49 ′ W
	Uyuni
	Uyuni
politics
Department	Potosí
province	Antonio Quijarro Province
climate
	; Climate diagram Uyuni

Uyuni as seen from the northeast mountain range.

The Uyuni train cemetery

Uyuni train station

Uyuni is a city in the Potosí department in the highlands of the South American Andean state Bolivia . It was founded in 1889 as a military base.

Location in the vicinity

Uyuni is the central place of the district ( Bolivian : Municipio ) Uyuni and the administrative seat of the province Antonio Quijarro . The city is located at an altitude of 3675 m on the eastern bank of the Salar de Uyuni salt lake , the largest salt lake in the world.

geography

Uyuni is located on the Bolivian Altiplano between the Andean mountain ranges of the Cordillera Occidental in the west and the Cordillera Central in the east.

The climate in this region at the Salar de Uyuni is arid , only from December to March there is significant rainfall between 20 and 45 mm per month (see climate diagram Uyuni), in the remaining eight months there is only sporadic rainfall. The mean annual temperature of the region is just under 9 ° C, the monthly mean temperatures fluctuate only slightly between 5 ° C in June / July and 11 ° C from November to March.

economy

The Uyuni Salt Lake is home to one of the world's largest lithium deposits . According to the US Geological Survey , lithium is estimated to be around 5.4 million tons.

Agriculture is practically impossible in this barren landscape at an altitude of 3670 meters, water is a very rare commodity, and wind and cold are a problem for the inhabitants. "Place of pack animals" is the translation of the Aymara word Uyuni . Pack animals transport the livelihood of this region and the reason for its popularity: the salt.

This is why numerous tourists come, as the Salar de Uyuni is about 160 km long and 135 km wide, the largest salt surface on earth, with a salt crust of 2 to 7 meters. Accordingly, there are many tourist agencies, all of which have round tours in the Salar de Uyuni in their program. Uyuni is also the starting point for tours with off-road vehicles through desert landscapes in the Altiplano of the Bolivian southwest, with visits to the geyser field Sol de Mañana , the lakes Laguna Colorada and Laguna Verde past volcanoes such as the Licancabur .

The Cementerio de los Trenes cemetery three kilometers south of the city is a testament to the history of the railway in Bolivia . In this “train cemetery”, numerous old steam locomotives and wagons are rusting towards their complete dissolution.