Sunday, July 3, 2011

Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

It is the world's largest salt flat at 10,582 km ² or 4085 square miles. It is located in southwest Bolivia, near the crest of the Andes, 3650 meters. The main minerals found in the salar are halite and gypsum.

Because of their large size, smooth surface, reflection high surface when covered with shallow water, and the minimum height deviation, Salar de Uyuni makes an ideal target for testing and calibration of satellite remote sensing instruments are used to study the Earth's orbit.

Salar de Uyuni is estimated to contain 10 billion tons of salt, which is less than 25,000 tons per year are extracted. Every November, Salar de Uyuni is also the breeding ground for three species of flamingoes South America: Chile, James and Andean flamingoes.
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