Even though the expedition will originate in Chile, the bulk of investigations and studies will begin on the Bolivian Side of the mountain at the Lagunas. Licancabur is shared between Chile and Bolivia, with the border running right over the top of the mountain. The following information refers to the geography associated with Bolivia.

Background Information About Bolivia

Bolivia is the only landlocked Andean country. It has a largely indigenous Indian population that has preserved its native languages and much of its traditional way of life. It borders Peru and Chile in the west, Brazil in the east, and Paraguay and Argentina in the south.

General Information

Area 1,098,581 sq. km (424,164 sq. mi.)
Capital City La Paz (Administrative)
Sucre (Judicial)
Gross National Product
per capita $ 570 (1988 estimate)
Currency unit Boliviano
Population 7,314,000 (1990 estimate)
Density 40.7 persons/sq. mi. (1986 estimate)
Urban-rural population 48.4 % urban, 51.6% rural
Natural increase 2.8% (1985-1990)
Illiteracy rate 25.8% (1985 estimate)
Highest point 22,700 ft (Ancohuma)
Main cities Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Cochabamba, Oruro
National Holiday Independence Day, 5-7 August

Geography: Natural Regions

Structurally and climatically, Bolivia consists of two main regions: the highlands and the eastern lowlands, divided between the Amazon and Parana basins.

The Andes

The highlands of Bolivia consist of three distinct parts: the Cordillera Occidental; the Altiplano; and the Cordillera Oriental. The Cordillera Occidental is part of the Andean range that extends along the western fringe of South America. It features many active volcanoes, part of a line of volcanoes that runs from southwest Peru to Chile. There is a distinct climatic difference between the northern and southern parts of the Cordillera Occidental; the latter are arid and almost inhabited. In the north, some high valleys, with altitudes of up to 14,000 feet, are inhabited by Indians who engage in subsistence agriculture (mostly irrigated) and pastoralism. With peaks of more than 20,000 feet, steep slopes, and much volcanic activity, the Cordillera Occidental is the least inhabited part of Bolivian Highlands.

The Altiplano is a high plateau, 12,000-13,000 feet above sea level, which lies between the Occidental and Oriental ranges. It broadest point is over 200 miles north Lake Poopo, where the Andes reach their greatest width, approximately 400 miles. The Altiplano is divided into a number of basins by spurs of the Andes. The northernmost of these basins, which extends into Peru, is partly occupied by the Lake Titicaca, at 12,507 feet, the world's highest large.

The Capital La Paz, the highest (11,900 feet) large city in the world, is situated in a valley southeast of Lake Titicaca below the rim of the Altiplano. Part of the population of the Altiplano since before the arrival of the Europeans has been engaged in mining activities concentrated around two main centers: Corocoro and Oruro. These areas were important soucees of silver in the Spanish colonial period.

The structure of the Cordillera Oriental is more varied and complex, with distinctly different landscapes and habitats in the northeast, which follows a northwest to southeast direction, and the south, which follows a north to south direction. The northeastern part rises abruptly to great heights above the Altiplano (the Titicaca basin and La Paz Valley) and has snow-capped peaks of over 21,000 feet. The eastern slopes are densily covered by forest and are known as the Yungas, the wettest part of the Bolivian Andes.

The southern part (from the vicinity of Santa Cruz) rises abruptly from the Altiplano is a precipitous escarpment but has a less rigged upper surface that slopes gently toward the eastern lowlands. This high level surface of 12,000-14,000 feet is surmounted by a number of short ranges with higher peaks. Known as the Puna, this moderatly high surface has a number of rivers that drain parts of the Altiplano and the Cordillera Oriental into the Paraguay River and the Parana basin. Natural conditions in the basins and valleys of the Cordillera Oriental are much more favorable to human settlement than those of the Cordillera Occidental and the Altiplano.

The Eastern Lowlands

In the eastern lowlands, there are distinct differences between the natural features of the northeast and those of the southeast. In the northeast the Llanos de Mamore, which slopes gently to the Amazon Basin, is well watered by rain and rivers and has rich natural vegetation, while the southeast the Gran Chaco, which slopes toward the Pilcomayo and Paraguay rivers, is semiarid, with dry scrub and savanna and occasional gallery forests along the rivers. The eastern lowlands are sparsely populated. The discovery of oil and natural gas, the development of roads between Santa Cruz (the region's main urban center) and the urban centers of the Altiplano, and government-backed settlement have resulted in a significant increase in population in this region since 1950s. The eastern lowlands are Bolivia's main source of tropical agricultural products.

Climate

Altitude and the changes in annual precipitation toward the southwest dominate the climate of Bolivia. Widely varing conditions can often be seen over short disctances. Average seasonal temperatures ranges are generally smaller than the average diurnal ranges. The average temperatures of the coldest (June/July) and the warmest (November) months at La Paz (11,900 feet above sea level) are 43.5F and 51.8F, respectively.

Lake Titicaca, with nearly constant water temperature of 51F throughout the year, has a moderating influence on its surroundings; winter temperatures in its environs are slightly higher then those at similar altitudes elsewhere on the Altiplano. The southern areas that form the Bolivian part of the Gran Chaco have the highest temperatures in South America, with highs of over 104F and an average of 82.5F and 72F for the hottest and coolest months.
The rainy seasons lasts from approximately October to March and is longer in the north. The southwestern part of Bolivia is arid, and agriculture there is largely dependent of irrigation. The northeastern flanks of the lowlands have amount have abundant rainfall (an annual average of over 60 inches). The average annual precipitation at La Paz is 22.6 inches.

The extreme south is semiarid, with an average annual rainfall of 20 inches and frequent drought. The northern part of the eastern lowlands and the adjacent lower slopes of the Cordillera Oriental are covered by dense evergreen forests. The vegetation of the Bolivia Chaco is that of a dry savanna with scrublands, thorny bushes, and high grasses.