__NOTOC__ Laguna Colorada (''Red Lagoon'') is a shallow salt lake in the southwest of the

altiplano The Altiplano (Spanish for "high plain"), Collao (Quechua and Aymara: Qullaw, meaning "place of the Qulla") or Andean Plateau, in west-central South America, is the most extensive high plateau on Earth outside Tibet. The plateau is located at the ...

of Bolivia, within

Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve The Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve (''Reserva Nacional de Fauna Andina Eduardo Avaroa''; Spanish acronym: REA) is located in Sur Lípez Province. Situated in the far southwestern region of Bolivia, it is the country's most visit ...

and close to the border with

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

The lake contains

borax Borax is a salt ( ionic compound), a hydrated borate of sodium, with chemical formula often written . It is a colorless crystalline solid, that dissolves in water to make a basic solution. It is commonly available in powder or granular for ...

islands, whose white color contrasts with the reddish color of its waters, which is caused by red sediments and pigmentation of some algae.

Geography

Laguna Colorada is part of the Los Lípez (formerly Laguna Colorada)

Ramsar wetland The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. It i ...

. It was listed as a "

Ramsar Wetland of International Importance This is the list of Wetlands of International Importance as defined by the Ramsar Convention for the conservation movement, conservation and sustainable use of wetlands, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their econom ...

" in 1990. On, July 13, 2009, the site was expanded from 513.18 to to include the surrounding high Andean

endorheic An endorheic basin (; also spelled endoreic basin or endorreic basin) is a drainage basin that normally retains water and allows no outflow to other external bodies of water, such as rivers or oceans, but drainage converges instead into lakes ...

hypersaline A hypersaline lake is a landlocked body of water that contains significant concentrations of sodium chloride, brines, and other salts, with saline levels surpassing that of ocean water (3.5%, i.e. ). Specific microbial species can thrive in hi ...

and

brackish Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estu ...

lakes and associated wetlands (known as

bofedales Bofedales (singular ''bofedal''), known in some parts of Peru as ''oconales'', are a type of wetland found in the Andes in Peru and Chile. They are a feature in the land use and ecology of high Andean ecosystems. They form in flat areas around pon ...

).The Annotated Ramsar List: Bolivia
/ref>

Fauna

James's flamingo James's flamingo (''Phoenicoparrus jamesi''), also known as the puna flamingo, is a species of flamingo that lives at high altitudes in the Andean plateaus of Peru, Chile, Bolivia, and northwest Argentina. It is named for Harry Berkeley James, a ...

s abound in the area. It is also possible to find

Andean The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S l ...

and Chilean flamingos, but in lesser quantities. James's Flamingoes in Laguna Colorada, Bolivia

References

External links

Photo of Laguna Colorada on National Geographic's website
Lakes of Potosí Department Ramsar sites in Bolivia Saline lakes of South America {{SouthAm-protected-area-stub

Contents

Geography

Fauna

See also

References

External links