Uyuni Salt Flat

salt flat, Bolivia

Also known as: Salar de Uyuni

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Last Updated: Oct 3, 2024 • Article History

Spanish:: Salar de Uyuni

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Uyuni Salt Flat, arid windswept salt flat in southwestern Bolivia. It lies on the Altiplano, at 11,995 feet (3,656 metres) above sea level. The Uyuni Salt Flat is Bolivia’s largest salt-encrusted waste area (about 4,085 square miles [10,582 square km]) and is separated from the Coipasa Salt Flat, a similar but smaller feature to the north, by a range of hills. On its shores are saltworks at Salinas de Garci Mendoza on the north, Llica on the northwest, and Calcha on the south. Vast reserves of untapped lithium lie beneath the salt flat, and in the early 21st century the Bolivian government discussed options and feasibility for its extraction and production.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Letricia Dixon.